Oh The Cruel World

Bandit Queen

January 1994 •Hindi

Born a lower-caste girl in rural India's patriarchal society, "married" at 11, repeatedly raped and brutalized, Phoolan Devi finds freedom only as an avenging warrior, the eponymous Bandit Queen. Devi becomes a kind a bloody Robin Hood; this extraordinary biographical film offers both a vivid portrait of a driven woman and a savage critique of the society that made her.

Harakiri

September 1962 •Japanese

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.

Blood Type O, Watermelon Chest Housekeeper

January 2021 •Korean

Friends Cheol Min and Jae Hyuk meet and talk to each other after a long time. Jae Hyuk said that the domestic helper who recently came to work at his house is strange. He said he was worried because she couldn't do the housework. When Jae Hyuk said she seemed to be trying to seduce him, Cheol Min tells the innocent Jae Hyuk how to get around her. Can Jae Hyuk succeed in having sex with a beautiful housekeeper?

Delicious Mother-in-law

January 2020 •Korean

After having been dating for two years, Hansol, who promised to marry Kim Sa-wi, decides to introduce her to her parents at home. There is a father who loves so much at home, and an older sister named Rose Jin, a stepmother whose love is growing differently. Although they love each other in different ways, Hansol loves her family. Sometimes, while meeting with his brother outside, when love bursts as if laughter bursts, Hansol, who cannot stand, discovers the appearance of his stepmother and his lover that night.

The Right Way

June 1970 •Persian

Ali gets a job and, by dint of dedication and patience, achieves a significant promotion and ends up becoming the manager of the company, as well as winning Meltem's love. However, this is not to the liking of his cousin Cihangir and his father, who instead are totally broke and want to get their revenge on Ali.

Roko and Cicibela

January 1978 •

A poor fisherman and his girlfriend live in a small boat under an open sky for decades. Based on a true story.

The Poet and the Boy

September 2017 •Korean

Trapped in routine, a Jeju poet finds himself drawn to a boy—and to emotions he’s never dared name.

Soledad's Shawl

November 1952 •Spanish

Alberto Robles, a young doctor, is faced with the decision to surrender to a life full of comforts and luxuries or to continue dedicating himself body and soul to serving those who need it most.

Scarborough

February 2022 •English

Three kids in a low-income neighborhood find friendship and community in an unlikely place.

Snowstorm

July 1977 •

A story about life adversities of an old emigrant who returns from America to his native village.

God's Lonely Man

January 2024 •English

A guy commits suicide due to severe depression. As his final goodbye, he writes three letters to God to explain his struggles with the world.

The Day I Hate to Go to School

November 2017 •Korean

Eun-jung, who is poor enough to buy a sanitary pad, leaves school without her father's knowledge and sneaks into her house. And they spend the day in their own way, familiarly.

Synoikia to Oneiro

October 1961 •Greek

A poor neighborhood of Athens, Asyrmatos, is the center of the world for the people who live there and try in every way to escape from poverty and destitution. A handsome released youth, Ricos (Alekos Alexandrakis), is trying to make money, at the same time that his lover, Stefi (Aliki Georgoulis), is seeing other men and her father, Nekrophoras (Manos Katrakis), is trying to contribute in family finances. Rico will set up a job, but will spend the money raised before he can put it into action. As a result, one of his "partners" (Alekos Petsos) will commit suicide, leaving his pregnant wife, Eleni (Aleka Paizis), to her fate. Rikos, his beloved and her father, defeated and disappointed because of the expectations that were never fulfilled, will be forced to come to terms with the harsh reality.

Angela's Ashes

December 1999 •English

An Irish Catholic family returns to 1930s Limerick after a child's death in America. The unemployed I.R.A. veteran father struggles with poverty, prejudice, and alcoholism as the family endures harsh slum conditions.

Wendy and Lucy

December 2008 •English

A near-penniless drifter's journey to Alaska in search of work is interrupted when she loses her dog while attempting to shoplift food for it.

Beauty Mark

June 2017 •English

Angie, a poverty-stricken young mother, is taking care of her son and alcoholic mother when she is evicted from her house. Now she has to get money from the only person she knows with any - the man who abused her as a child.

Querido Theo

January 2024 •Spanish

CJ7

January 2008 •

A poor construction worker, who struggles to keep his son in private school, mistakes an orb he finds in a junkjard for a toy which proves to be much, much more once the young boy starts to play with it.

Elizabeth's Gift

April 2012 •English

When a precious little girl dies tragically of a rare heart condition, her grieving parents are left to pick up the pieces of their once perfect life. In a sequence of events influenced by faith (and perhaps miracles), they are guided to a homeless girl on the streets, and a battle ensues to reunite as a family and heal their broken hearts.

Far from Heaven

November 2002 •English

In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife's life is upended by a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in society.