The Bench

Birds Fly Back to the Nest

June 2016 •Korean

The scattered families gather and visit their mother.

Akitsu Hot Springs

June 1962 •Japanese

Just after WW2, a romance between an innkeeper and a man with tuberculosis unravels near a thermal spring.

A Patch of Blue

December 1965 •English

A blind, uneducated white girl is befriended by a black man, who becomes determined to help her escape her impoverished and abusive home life.

The Red Car

January 2000 •Portuguese

A humble family receives a real Greek gift: a luxury car, which cannot be sold for two years. To make matters worse, no one knows how to drive. Time passes, and the automobile ends up having quite unusual uses.

Kinanthi

October 2023 •Indonesian

A Doctor and A Snake

December 2021 •English

A disgraced ex-surgeon on a path of self-destruction comes to a crossroads in his life when a long-forgotten patient calls in the middle of the night.

Manjha

January 2008 •English

Ranka is a street orphan, all of ten years old. He makes manjha used in kite flying for a living, and he has to take care of his three-year-old little sister Chimi, who is somewhat mentally challenged.

Dream

July 2015 •English

A young girl strives to rekindle her parent's dwindling romance at their desert town's annual carnival, and learns hard lessons about love in the process.

Balls

February 2013 •Dutch

22-year old Teun has to move back home. His house-mates have organized a farewell dinner for him. What starts as a social gathering, emotions are running high soon.

Dodes'ka-den

October 1970 •Japanese

This film follows the daily lives of a group of people barely scraping by in a slum on the outskirts of Tokyo. Yet as desperate as their circumstances are, each of them—the homeless father and son envisioning their dream house; the young woman abused by her uncle; the boy who imagines himself a trolley conductor—finds reasons to carry on.

At the Foot of the Rainbow

May 2014 •English

Fifteen years ago 1830s muskrat trapper Dannie Mcnoun, loves Mary and sends his best friend, Jimmy, to win her over for Dannie. Jimmy married her instead. Now neighbors, Dannie works both farms as Jimmy tries to drown his problems with a bottle.

The Father

January 1971 •Turkish

"Baba" is a bitter melodrama set in Istambul. A father is not able to earn enough money to feed his family. He is waiting to emigrate to Germany. When his landlord's son kills a man while drunk, the father is prepared to answer for the deed himself, provided that the landlord supports his wife and children. As there is little difference for the father between ten years in prison or ten years in a foreign country, he regards this to be the best solution.

Look in Any Window

January 1961 •English

A teenager's parents finally realize how bad their home life is when their son is arrested for prowling.

Imitation of Life

June 1959 •English

In 1940s New York, a white widow who dreams of being on Broadway has a chance encounter with a black single mother, who becomes her maid.

The Misfortunates

October 2009 •Dutch

13-year-old Gunther Strobbe grows up surrounded by alcohol, trash and his completely useless father and uncles. Slowly but surely, he's being prepared for the same hapless life. Can he defy his destiny?

Summer of 84

August 2018 •English

After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.

Nothing

May 2017 •Portuguese

Bia just turned eighteen. The end of the year is coming and also the ACTs. People at school and Bia’s parents are pressuring her to decide which graduation she will apply for. Bia doesn’t want to do anything.

Middle of Somewhere

July 2024 •Afrikaans

After a family tragedy, a man attempts to guide his son into manhood through a series of hunting trips at the request of his overbearing and traditional father.

Parava

September 2017 •Malayalam

The story of Parava revolves around pigeon race, a game, which is prominent in Mattancherry, Kochi, Kerala.

The Atoning

February 2017 •English

Vera, Ray, and Sam, a seemingly normal family, are haunted by more than mere ghosts. The lingering horror of their past threatens their ability to function as a loving family until they become enlightened by a mystical encounter. From that moment on, they're thrust into a horror worse than anything they've ever experienced. Personal demons manifest and tear the family apart from the inside out as they come to terms with their past.