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.
Revanche (2008)
7.6/10
Director: Gotz Spielmann
Starring: Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Andreas Lust, Ursula Strauss
At once a gripping thriller and a tragic drama, this stunning, Oscar-nominated, break-out hit from Austrian filmmaker Gotz Spielmann is set in a ragge... Read more
Empties (2007)
7.3/10
Director: Jan Sverak
Starring: Zdenek Sverak, Daniela Kolarova
Frustrated with the apathy of his unruly students, Joseph suddenly retires from his job as a school teacher. But as a man full of humour and playful e... Read more
Katyn (2007)
7.1/10
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Starring: Andrzej Chyra, Maja Ostaszewska, Artur Zmijewski, Danuta Stenka, Jan Englert
Lauded Polish director Andrzej Wajda details the tragic events surrounding the 1940 massacre of 15,000 Polish army officers by Soviet troops in the Ka... Read more
Tricks (2007)
7.1/10
Director: Andrzej Jakimowski
Starring: Damian Ul, Ewelina Walendziak, Rafal Guzniczak, Iwona Fornalczyk, Joanna Liszows...
Six-year-old Stefek spends most of his time trailing his 18-year-old sister Elka and her mechanic boyfriend. His father left when he was just little,... Read more
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
7.9/10
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Starring: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov, Alexandru Potocean
Set in 1980s Bucharest during Ceaucescu's brutal reign, this intense drama centres on two young women, one of whom finds herself pregnant. Her best fr... Read more
I Served The King of England (2007)
7.4/10
Director: Jiri Menzel
Starring: Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser
While serving the cream of Prague society, humble waiter, Jan Dite (Ivan Barnev) dreams of owning his own hotel and becoming a millionaire. Full of de... Read more
Beauty in Trouble (2006)
6.9/10
Director: Jan Hrebejk
Starring: Ana Geislerova, Roman Luknar, Emilia Vasaryova, Jana Brejchova, Jiri Schmitzer,...
Using recent events in Prague to drive his narrative, Czech director Jan Hrebejk ('Divided We Fall') sets his engrossing romantic dramedy in the wake... Read more
The Counterfeiters (2006)
7.6/10
Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Starring: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, August Zirner
In pre-WWII Germany, Salomon Sorowitsch is a world-class counterfeiter, being also a Jew he is soon arrested and put in a concentration camp, but as t... Read more
Dead in 3 Days (2006)
5.5/10
Director: Andreas Prochaska
Starring: Sabrina Reiter, Julia Rosa Stockl, Michael Steinocher, Laurence Rupp, Nadja Voge...
An ominous text message is followed by a horrific series of murders that confounds the authorities and strikes fear into the hearts of local high scho... Read more
Taxidermia (2006)
7/10
Director: Gyorgy Palfi
Starring: Csaba Czene, Gergely Trocsanyi, Piroska Molnar, Adel Stanczel, Marc Bischoff, Ga...
The deeply bizarre and graphically shocking sophomore film from Hungarian Gygory Palfi ('Hukkle'), tells a multi-generational story beginning with a p... Read more