The Ones from Below

No One's with the Calves

January 2022 •German

Five houses, one bus stop, cows and nothing but fields. 24-year-old Christin lives on the farm of her long-term boyfriend Jan. The exciting post-reunification years that defined her childhood are long gone. Her relationship is loveless. She keeps the cherry liqueur close at hand. In the shimmering heat of summer, time seems to stand still – until 46-year-old wind energy engineer, Klaus, arrives.

A Page of Glory

January 1915 •French

Denise lives with her grandparents on a farm and secretly meets Robert. When she tells her grandparents that she wants to marry Robert, they refuse outright, so the two lovers will have no choice but to elope and marry in the nearby town. On the eve of having a child, war breaks out and Robert is mobilized.

My Child

February 2009 •Persian

harming drama set in a rural area of post-war Iran. This heartwarming story follows a thoughtful young woman who serves as a leader to the community and a seemingly naive young man who is smitten with a local girl. The film observes their customs and traditions in the tranquil setting of their natural environment. Despite the irreparable damage to their lives due to the war, the villagers remain warm-hearted and kind to those they encounter. The past haunts their lives, but their hearts remain pure and strong in war torn times.

Heirdoms

October 2021 •French

A family mediator tries to resolve a crisis situation in Joseph's household. Since Roxanne left him, he forbids her to see their son Mathieu, and slyly sequesters him in their country property. Numb in the silence and emptiness created by Roxanne's absence, Joseph and Mathieu rush over.

Un Hombre Muere

March 2023 •Spanish

The Two in Tracksuits

July 2008 •Japanese

A son quits his job and is persuaded by his father to head off to a cottage in the remote mountains. Together, the two of them manage to get through their days while wearing old jerseys left by a deceased grandmother. The following summer, the two once again leave the stifling heat of Tokyo, as if escaping to the mountain cottage. However, the next summer is very different.

Dinorah, or The Pardon of Ploërmel

October 2002 •English

Giacomo Meyerbeer's pastoral opera,based on a Breton tale, is the tale of DINORAH who has gone mad because her bridegroom Hoël has disappeared during their wedding. This production, performed as part of Théâtre Impérial de Compiegne's purpose of reviving obscure French opera, is the only version of 'Dinorah' available on DVD, but it is a great production! The painterly pastoral settings and décor and rustic costumes are very easy on the eye. Opera traditionalists who dislike modern stagings will be delighted to know that this is a traditional production. Pierre Jourdan's stage direction is charming and always involving, never once falling into static movements or gestures, gratuitous distaste and irrelevance. With Isabelle Philippe, Armand Arapian and Frédéric Mazzotta. Conducted by Olivier Opebeek.

Rage

October 2018 •Portuguese

Alentejo, Portugal, 1950. In a desolate region, where the wind seems to speak, where misery and hunger reign over poorest, a desperate man takes his revenge on those who caused his ruin during the darkest night, unable to get honestly the bread needed to feed his family in the daylight.

The Good Earth

June 1937 •English

China, during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The arranged marriage between Wang Lung, a humble farmer, and O-Lan, a domestic slave, will endure the many hardships of life over the years; but the temptations of a fragile prosperity will endanger their love and the survival of their entire family.

Australian Rules

August 2002 •English

16-year-old Gary Black is an average football player, budding wordsmith and reluctant hero. Gry helps his local Australian Rules football team win the local championship by accident, but celebrations turn to violence when Gary's Aboriginal best friend, Dumby Red is denied the "Best and Fairest" medal because of the racism of local officials.

Bride of the Orient

March 1989 •German

After the death of his mother, a lonely farmer in rural Switzerland considers finally starting a family of his own. Eventually he pays for a bride from Thailand. The couple don't share a language, but being to know each other. However the village neighbors are suspicious of foreigners.

Lucha de corazones

September 1912 •Spanish

Paco, a jealous and bitter man who is in love with Rosario, conspires in the shadows to bring about the downfall of Manuel, her husband.

What Remains

August 2021 •Portuguese

Emilio is a lifelong farmer in his eighties who lives alone on his abandoned farm. Everyone close is gone. One animal is all there is left. Today is the day he decides to sell it.

The Kiln

July 2009 •Spanish

At her young age, Juana has two great responsibilities: preventing her older sister from fleeing the house and passing on the secret of making bricks to her younger sister.

The Lamb of God

October 2020 •Portuguese

The apparition of a bloodstain reaffirms the relentless cycle of life, filmed in all its fragility and complexity.

Death Knell

November 2020 •Basque

Human bones are found at the Garizmendi farmhouse. Farmers Fermin and Karmen call their son Nestor, who reports the matter to the authorities. But, when the agents turn up, the bones are gone. Suddenly, the bell on the nearby chapel begins to peal. This bad omen announces the coming of tragic events and reopens old wounds within the family and those around it.

Pozoamargo

November 2015 •Spanish

Jesús, a middle-aged man, finds out that he suffers from a venereal disease. Feeling guilty, he abandons his pregnant wife and flees to the countryside. In Pozoamargo, a small village lost in the middle of nowhere, he works as a grape harvester, living a simple existence, until he meets Gloria, a peculiar young woman.

Irish and Proud of It

November 1936 •English

An Irish-born businessman based in London is kidnapped by colleagues as a joke and flown back to the small village of his birth. There he finds that American gangsters are forcing the local publicans to buy illegally-produced raw spirit with which to adulterate branded products.

The Crime of Cuenca

August 1981 •Spanish

Osa de la Vega, Cuenca, Spain, 1913. Gregorio and León, employees on the estate of the village's mayor, a powerful landowner, are arrested and accused of the murder of José María el Cepa, a shepherd who mysteriously disappeared three years earlier.

City Survival

August 1983 •English

A young woman leaves the comfort of her small rural community to pursue opportunities in a big Canadian city. She encounters obstacles that almost force her to return home, but she eventually picks up the skills to adjust to the city.