Eastern European Cinema
Again this category lumps a lot of countries together where the Alice collection is not large enough to warrant separate shelf-space for each country represented. Eastern European films are often categorised by a healthy black humour, an ability to look hardship in the eye and laugh - if somewhat bitterly at times. Included here are films from Poland, Austria, Yugoslavia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. To look for films from a specific country refer to the 'By Country' link on the left.
Tangerines (2013)
8.3/10
Director: Zaza Urushadze
Starring: Lembit Ultsak, Elmo Nuganen, Giorgi Nakashidze
Set in 1992, during the growing conflict between Georgia and Abkhazian separatists in the wake of the Soviet Union's dissolution, this compassionate t... Read more
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In Bloom (2013)
7.7/10
Director: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß
Starring: Lika Babluani, Mariam Bokeria, Zurab Gogaladze
Set in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in 1992. Friends Eka and Natia look to leave childhood behind as they ignore societal customs and work to escap... Read more
Child's Pose (2013)
7.4/10
Director: Calin Peter Netzer
Starring: Luminita Gheorghiu, Vlad Ivanov, Bogdan Dumitrache
Seeing a way to reassert control over her adult son's life when he faces manslaughter charges, an affluent Romanian woman sets out on a campaign of em... Read more
Ida (2013)
7.4/10
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Starring: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik
From acclaimed director Pawel Pawlikowski ("Last Resort", "My Summer of Love") comes "Ida", a moving and intimate drama about a young novitiate nun in... Read more
The Third Half (2012)
7.9/10
Director: Darko Mitrevski
Starring: Rade Serbedzija, Mitko Apostolovski, Katarina Ivanovska, Sasko Kocev, Richard Sa...
Set during the Second World War and inspired by true events, "The Third Half" is the story of the Macedonia Football Club. Owned by Dimitry, the team... Read more
Beyond the Hills (2012)
7.6/10
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Starring: Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur, Valeriu Andriuta, Dana Tapalaga
When twenty-something Alina (Cristina Flutur) arrives in Moldavia to remove her childhood friend Voichita (Cosmina Stratan) from an Orthodox nunnery,... Read more
The Mill and the Cross (2011)
6.9/10
Director: Lech Majewski
Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Michael York, Rutger Hauer
Mixing live actors with painted backdrops, this visually striking film from director Lech Majewski re-stages the action of "The Procession to Cavalry,... Read more
The Turin Horse (2011)
7.8/10
Director: Bela Tarr
Starring: Janos Derzsi, Erika Bok, Mihaly Kormos, Ricsi
A film of long takes and few words, "The Turin Horse" is a mesmerising distillation of Tarr's cinema. It takes its cue from Nietzsche's famous encount... Read more
In Darkness (2011)
7.3/10
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Starring: Herbert Knaup, Benno Furmann, Maria Schrader, Agnieszka Grochowska, Robert Wieck...
From acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland ("Europa Europa"), "In Darkness" is based on a true story. Leopold Socha, a sewer worker and petty thief in... Read more
The Forgiveness of Blood (2011)
6.9/10
Director: Joshua Marston
Starring: Tristan Halilaj, Sindi Lacej
American director Joshua Marston broke out in 2004 with his jolting, Oscar-nominated "Maria Full of Grace", about a young Colombian woman working as a... Read more