Secret Sunshine

The Albatross

January 1998 •English

A ship sets sail on an epic voyage through malignant natural and supernatural elements from which one man alone survives. An adaptation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner illustrated by19th Century wood engravings which are animated by scratching directly into the surface of color filmstock. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner with its message of ecological redemption has a curiously contemporary resonance, but it is at the level of the mythic that the poem has lasting relevance; for this epic tale of extraordinary events simply mirrors the struggle that each human being faces on their own in his or her life. -VDB

Dear Family

June 2024 •Japanese

Nobumasa Tsuboi (Yo Oizumi) runs a small factory in a small town. He has a daughter Yoshimi Tsuboi (Riko Fukumoto) who suffers from a congenital heart disease. A doctor tells Nobumasa Tsuboi that his daughter will only live for about 10 more years. Nobumasa Tsuboi is devastated that his daughter won't live past the ago of 20. Nobumasa Tsuboi and his wife Yoko Tsuboi (Miho Kanno) cannot accept the diagnosis. Even though he has no medical knowledge or experience, Nobumasa Tsuboi begins to study about artificial hearts.

The Ruby in the Smoke

December 2006 •English

Sally Lockhart has struck a man dead with just three words, sent to her in a message from her father just before he drowned in the South China Seas. But unfortunately, Sally has no idea what the words The Seven Blessings mean. Before long, she is drawn into a mystery filled with opium, secrets from her own past and, at the heart of it all, the Ruby of Agrapur.

The Grass Harp

October 1996 •English

Based on the novel by Truman Capote, this often-witty coming-of-age drama looks at a young man growing up with an unusual family in the Deep South in the 1940s. Becoming an orphan in 1935, Collin moves to his dad's cousins Verena and Dolly. Verena is a rich, bossy businesswoman. Dolly, Collin and the maid revolt, moving to a tree house.

Sitcom

May 1998 •French

The adventures of an upper-class suburban family abruptly confronted with the younger brother's discovery of his homosexuality, the elder sister's suicide attempt and sadomasochist tendencies, and the intrusion of a very free-spirited maid and her husband. And it all started with the arrival in the family of an innocent looking rat.

The Passion of Ayn Rand

January 1999 •English

Author Ayn Rand becomes involved with a much younger and married man, to the dismay of those close to her.

Transit

April 2018 •German

In an attempt to flee Nazi-occupied France, Georg assumes the identity of a dead author but soon finds himself stuck in Marseilles, where he falls in love with Maria, a young woman searching for her missing husband.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

September 1923 •English

In 15th century France, a gypsy girl is framed for murder by the infatuated Chief Justice, and only the deformed bellringer of Notre Dame Cathedral can save her.

The Maginot Line

Invalid date •English

A very stressed young woman is dismayed to find herself behaving like her own mother, with whom she has an extremely combative relationship.

The Yearling

December 1946 •English

Jody convinces his parents to allow him to adopt a young deer, but what will happen if the deer misbehaves?

A Little Princess

May 1995 •English

When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth.

Night and the City

June 1950 •English

Londoner Harry Fabian is a second-rate con man looking for an angle. After years of putting up with Harry's schemes, his girlfriend, Mary, becomes fed up when he taps her for yet another loan.

Paradajs

January 1970 •Czech

The Executioner's Song

September 1982 •English

In this fact-based made-for TV film, Gary Gilmore, an Indiana man who just finished serving a lengthy stay in prison, tries to start anew by moving to Utah. Before long, Gary begins an ill-advised romance with the troubled Nicole Baker, a teenage single mother. As their relationship quickly deteriorates, Gary goes on a murderous rampage, leaving two dead. During his trial, he demands capital punishment; a media circus ensues and outsiders look to profit from his story.

Nights of Cabiria

October 1957 •Italian

Rome, 1957. A woman, Cabiria, is robbed and left to drown by her boyfriend, Giorgio. Rescued, she resumes her life and tries her best to find happiness in a cynical world. Even when she thinks her struggles are over and she has found happiness and contentment, things may not be what they seem.

Samurai Fury

January 2025 •Japanese

Set in war-torn 15th century Kyoto, on the eve of the Onin War, the movie centers on a band of outlaws led by Hyoe, a scoundrel whose lethal sword skills place him at the tip of the spear in a deadly uprising against the corrupt Shogunate and its army, led by former friend-turned-archrival Doken.

The Brush-Off

September 2004 •English

The political adviser to Australia's Minister of the Arts investigates the suspicious death of a disgruntled artist.

Doctor Faustus

September 1982 •German

A musician beds down a prostitute he knows is diseased in order to gain inspiration, an act he later believes to have been a tacit pact with Satan

Travis McGee

May 1983 •English

Travis McGee is a world-weary private eye trying to help boat skipper friend Van Harder salvage his reputation that sank when his boat ran aground, resulting in a death that might have been faked.

Charlie Says

May 2019 •English

Three young women were sentenced to death in the infamous Manson murder case, but when the death penalty was lifted, their sentence became life imprisonment. One young graduate student was sent in to teach them – and through her we witness their transformations as they face the reality of their horrific crimes.