The Working Class Goes to Heaven

The Shanghai Drama

September 1938 •French

A Russian emigrant sings in a Shanghai nightclub under the assumed name of Kay Murphy. All she dreams of is a peaceful life with her daughter Vera. But this is only a pipe dream as she has been forced by her former lover Ivan to work for a secret criminal organization, "The Black Dragon". Vera, who studies in a Hong Kong boarding-school, knows nothing about her mother's past. When Ivan, who is also Vera's father, resurfaces and blackmails Kay, the young woman is determined to fight back...

Seance on a Wet Afternoon

June 1964 •English

Working-class British housewife Myra Savage reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance of her under-employed, asthmatic husband, Billy. In an attempt to enhance her credibility as a psychic, Myra hatches an elaborate, ill-conceived plot to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter so that she can then help the police "find" the missing girl.

The Street Player

August 1983 •Arabic

Fares, a shoe factory worker, has only one passion in life: football. He lives a humble life in a chaotic neighborhood where he plays street football to increase his income. However, neither his marriage nor his job is stable enough. He goes through a lot of problems due to his lack of self-discipline with his divorced wife and his son.

Lady Caliph

December 1970 •Italian

La Califfa's husband was killed during the strikes so she takes the side of the strikers. Her conflict with the plant owner Doverdo gradually turns into a love relationship.

I Stand Alone

May 1998 •French

After completing jail time for beating up a man who tried to seduce his mentally-handicapped teenage daughter, The Butcher wants to start life anew. He institutionalizes his daughter and moves to the Lille suburbs with his mistress, who promises him a new butcher shop. Learning that she lied, The Butcher returns to Paris to find his daughter.

A Spot for Frog

June 2022 •English

Locked out of the school art room, a creative non-binary teen named Frog grapples with anxiety as they seek a new place to eat lunch. Imagination blurs with reality in this hybrid work of live action and animation about finding a place to belong.

Perfect Days

November 2023 •Japanese

Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.

Kuhle Wampe or Who Owns the World?

May 1932 •German

Kuhle Wampe takes place in early-1930s Berlin. The film begins with a montage of newspaper headlines describing steadily-rising unemployment figures. This is followed by scenes of a young man looking for work in the city and the family discussing the unpaid back rent. The young man, brother of the protagonist Anni, removes his wristwatch and throws himself from a window out of despair. Shortly thereafter his family is evicted from their apartment. Now homeless, the family moves into a garden colony of sorts with the name “Kuhle Wampe.”

Heat

June 1963 •Russian

An idealistic high school graduate goes to work on a state farm on the Kazakh steppe, only to clash with its authoritarian leader.

The Murder of the Monster

September 2024 •English

What’s your breaking point? What will you do when you feel like there’s no other choice? One woman has had enough. After documenting her abuse to show the world who her monster is, things get out of hand. There is only one thing left to do…murder the monster.

The Old Oak

September 2023 •English

A pub landlord in a previously thriving mining community struggles to hold onto his pub. Meanwhile, tensions rise in the town when Syrian refugees are placed in the empty houses in the community.

Shadows

April 1982 •French

The life of an ordinary working class family in Bagnolet's block of council flats, Paris' suburb. "I've spent 17 years here. I sacrificed myself for you. Now it's over. " says the mother, who dreams of being a singer. Between a pre-teen rocker brother and a disillusioned father, daughter Nathalie brings balance into this breaking-down family.

You are Beautiful

May 2017 •English

A young mother tries to run away from inner-city Dublin but discovers that there are only so many places you can go before you run into yourself.

My Brother Is an Only Child

March 2007 •Italian

Accio and Manrico are siblings from a working-class family in 1960s Italy: older Manrico is handsome, charismatic, and loved by all, while younger Accio is sulky, hot-headed, and treats life as a battleground — much to his parents' chagrin. After the former is drawn into left-wing politics, Accio joins the fascists out of spite, but his flimsy beliefs are put to test when he falls for Manrico's like-minded girlfriend.

Rocco and His Brothers

October 1960 •Italian

When a impoverished widow’s family moves to the big city, two of her five sons become romantic rivals with deadly results.

Let There Be Light

September 2019 •Slovak

Milan, a Slovak working in Germany as a bricklayer, returns home to celebrate Christmas with his wife and three children, one of whom appears to be involved in suspicious activities related to an extremist organization.

Pelle the Conqueror

December 1987 •Danish

In the late 19th century, two Swedish emigrants, Lasse Karlsson and his son Pelle, arrive on the Danish island of Bornholm hoping to find work on a farm and save enough money to travel to the United States of America.

The Feverish Years

July 1966 •

A story about two people who didn't find their way in big city. He came from the countryside and works in steel factory, she's working in factory restaurant. Their lives change when they meet and fall in love.

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown

April 1989 •English

No one expects much from Christy Brown, a boy with cerebral palsy born into a working-class Irish family. Though Christy is a spastic quadriplegic and essentially paralyzed, a miraculous event occurs when, at the age of 5, he demonstrates control of his left foot by using chalk to scrawl a word on the floor. With the help of his steely mother — and no shortage of grit and determination — Christy overcomes his infirmity to become a painter, poet and author.

Les Lucioles

September 2024 •French