Mpls.-St. Paul International Film Festival offers a cinematic feast

You never know. A film you see at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival could become next season's hit (or miss). The two-week fest offers a deep core sample of world cinema, American indies, documentaries, children's stories, Minnesota-made movies and more.

This year, the event is happening exclusively at St. Anthony Main multiplex on the Minneapolis riverfront. Read on for highlights from the first week, and go to www.vita.mn/mspiff for our online guide, which includes the full schedule, more reviews -- and the chance to add your own.

THURSDAY

★★★ out of four stars

7 & 7:15 p.m. Thu. • Norway Not just for Norwegians, this pulse-quickening epic of WWII espionage nevertheless roots for the home team, proudly saluting the heroism of Norway's most audacious anti-Nazi fighter. As played by swollen-eyed Aksel Hennie (picture Steve Buscemi with more meat on the bone), Max Manus is an ordinary Oslo guy who takes the German occupation as a personal call to action: He learns to fight in the Finnish infantry, jump through windows, bomb German supply tankers with his ill-fated buddies and fire a machine gun from a speeding motorbike. The film is the priciest ever made in Norway, its production values triggering a brisk, Hollywood-style blockbuster vibe. (Subtitled. 118 min.)

ROB NELSON

FRIDAY

7:15 & 7:30 p.m. Fri. • Minnesota-made In his 40s, Terry Hitchcock of St. Paul found himself a widower with three young children and no parenting skills; somehow, he stumbled along, learning on the job. It's fitting that his achievement at an out-of-shape age 57 -- running the equivalent of a marathon for 75 straight days -- was a microcosm of his experience as a single dad, with obstacles including family squabbles and the inevitable mental fatigue and physical breakdowns. His unlikely quest to run from the Twin Cities to the opening ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 is chronicled in director Tim Vandesteeg's touching, if at times overly sentimental, film, narrated unobtrusively by Billy Bob Thornton. Hitchcock's purpose was to raise awareness of the issues faced by single parents, but as evidenced by his encounters along the way, he became a humbling inspiration to folks in every kind of circumstance. (85 min.)

CYNTHIA DICKISON

★★★ out of four stars

8 p.m. Fri. • 3:15 p.m. Sat. • France/Germany The title may sound like a Bukowski-style roll in the gutter, but this is actually a calm yet engrossing celebration of the kind of life we rarely see in feature films: the normal kind. Celebrated filmmaker Claire Denis focuses on a multicultural quartet of attractive characters living in a pleasant apartment block on the outskirts of Paris. Between them, they experience love in all its varieties: parent-child, unrequited, flirtatious, the deep bond between colleagues, love for distant and deceased relations. Without much plot or dialogue, Denis tells us volumes about her characters. Agnès Godard's stunning cinematography gives this deceptively simple tale a luscious gloss. (Subtitled. 100 min.)

COLIN COVERT

Still mourning his wife's recent death, Ignacio decides to return his beloved accordion to his former mentor. Along for the journey is Fermin, a teenage boy who wants to learn the instrument, which Ignacio has all but given up. Writer/director Ciro Guerra delivers a beautifully simple story, sometimes with little or no dialogue, making great use of rural Colombia and his terrific lead actors, Marciano Martinez and Yull Nuñez. An accordion showdown between Ignacio and another player unfolds into a magical music moment for the senses. (Subtitled. 117 min.)

JIM BRUNZELL III

Saturday

★★★ 1/2

Recently competing against "Up" and "Coraline" at the Oscars, this Irish work of old-school hand-drawn animation is quite a wonder in its own right. Using cutout-style figures and no shortage of vivid color, it tells of 12-year-old Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire), who, according to fable, helped complete the ninth-century Book of Kells, an illustrated tome containing the four gospels. To exercise his imagination and fulfill his destiny, abbey-dwelling Brendan must disobey his overprotective uncle (Brendan Gleeson) and brave an enchanted forest (with snarling wolves!) in the company of a Scottish artist, a magical cat and a friendly wolf-fairy. Nightmarish encounters with barbarian Vikings are at once too intense for kindergartners and ideal to enthrall slightly older kids, parents included. (Subtitled. 75 min.)

★★★★ 7 p.m. Sat. • 9:25 p.m. Mon. • China/Canada

Winner of the top prize at the world's preeminent documentary festival in Amsterdam, director Fan Lixin's portrait of Chinese migrant workers is more than a deeply moving story of a Sichuan family's struggle. Spanning years, it also captures a rich period of recent Chinese history, including an economic boom and bust, punctuated by the glorious Beijing Olympics. As part of the largest human migration on the planet, occurring annually at the Chinese New Year, garment factory workers Chen Suqin and her husband, Zhang Changhua, fight for seats on the train that will bring them home to dine with their kids, the eldest of whom would rather go shopping. Ultimately, the generation gap proves less wide than that between economic progress and wage-slave reality. (Subtitled. 87 min.) R.N.

★★ 1/2

Activist documentaries are all the rage. This one follows a landmark court case involving banana plantation workers in Nicaragua and the corporation (Dole) that employs them. Nearly all the workers were exposed to a harmful pesticide, DBCP, that was banned in the United States in the '70s. The film works best when focused on the trial, but it's all filtered through the workers' lawyer, Juan Dominguez, and his prototypical American dream life -- a distraction that feels like filler. (Subtitled. 80 min.)

ERIK MCCLANAHAN

7:15 p.m. Sat. • Australia

An Aussie "Blood Simple," this enjoyably familiar film noir offers yet another gory example of what happens when an adulterous couple goes after the cuckold's cash. "The Square" could well be named for Ray (David Roberts), a dorky construction supervisor who lets his illicit addiction to suburban Sydney hairdresser Carla (Claire van der Boom) drag him headfirst into arson, theft, accidental murder and much worse. It's no criticism of the film to say that all of its characters -- including Ray's passive wife and Carla's aggressive hubby -- are severely unlikable. This isn't a "there but for the grace of God go I" movie so much as a "they deserve what they get" one. (102 min.)

R.N.

★★

Belgian director Geoffrey Enthoven's film finds the recently widowed Claire (Marilou Mermans) in the throes of an end-of-life crisis. The solution? She attempts to lend direction to her rudderless, 39-year-old son Alexander (Jan Van Looveren), an out-of-work R&B musician. There's a hokey air of the old and the young saving each other, as Claire and her fogey friends/bandmates collaborate musically with Alexander. Throw in dementia, some intolerable music and a shrug-worthy ending, and you've got a faux-thoughtful film that's underdeveloped and corny. (Subtitled. 93 min.)

★★★

Now that everyone's a critic except for those who used to make a living at it, this PBS-style documentary by Boston Phoenix writer Gerald Peary is well timed to salute (or eulogize?) a century of cinephilic print reviewing. Interviewing critics about their objects of desire -- J. Hoberman, for example, is still reeling from a childhood glimpse at "The Greatest Show on Earth" -- "Love of Movies" makes the case for print critics' survival in the digital age. The moral of this story is that there's no substitute online or anywhere else for critics who act as performance artists, articulating their preoccupations with immodest wit and flair. (81 min.)

R.N.

★★★★

How far would you go for love? In writer/director Philippe Lioret's drama, Simon, a lifeguard at a Calais municipal pool, hopes to impress his estranged, politically committed wife. Risking prison, he takes in Bilal, a young illegal refugee from Iraq. Confronted by bigoted neighbors and in constant fear of immigration raids, Simon helps Bilal train for the perilous 10-hour swim across the English Channel that will reunite him with his emigrant girlfriend. Vincent Lidon exudes gruff strength and vulnerability as Simon, his eyes gradually opening to the plight of France's unwelcome immigrants, to his own latent racism, and to the sacrifices real love inspires. A handsomely photographed, intelligently scripted and creatively framed immigrant story. (In subtitled French and English. 116 min.) C.C.

The premise of Norah Shapiro's locally shot doc has all the hallmarks of a groaner -- underprivileged city kids unite with earnest mentors to create theater, each with his or her poignant story. But Shapiro sparks interest without manufacturing drama, and gives intimate glimpses of the kids involved in Pillsbury House Theatre's Chicago Avenue Project without exploiting them. Actor and charismatic program leader Payton Woodson is a strong screen presence, even more so than former Minneapolis high-school theater buff Josh Hartnett, who makes a couple of appearances. (60 min.)

KRISTIN TILLOTSON

★★★

The thickly accented Manchester dialogue can be a challenge to decipher, but this is the most accessible movie by kitchen-sink realist and radical lefty Ken Loach in a decade or more. Looking for himself in a cloud of pot smoke, Eric (Steve Evets) is a middle-aged slacker postman who puffs, drinks and swears too much. With the help of his imaginary friend, legendary soccer player Eric Cantona, our scruffy hero cleans up his act, apologizing to his ex-wife (Stephanie Bishop) and even strolling a cute baby around -- until thugs intervene. Clearly having fun, Loach includes archival footage of Cantona's kicks as well as the other Eric's own highlights reel -- boppin' with a blonde cutie at the high school hop. (116 min.)

R.N.

Stephen Rea plays Patrick MacGill, one of Ireland's most celebrated writers. At first, "Child" seems as if it will be a one-man show, as Rea addresses the audience with his eternally weary gaze. Unfortunately, director Desmond Bell doesn't trust his material, and Rea stops acting and starts narrating over vintage photos, old Charlie Chaplin footage or the kind of tepid flashbacks you'd see in a "Biography" episode. Worse, the flashbacks are poorly written and acted, while Rea, a great actor, spends most of the movie staring at a typewriter. Here, the story of MacGill, no doubt fascinating, becomes utterly forgettable. (83 min.)

PETER SCHILLING

★★★ 1/2

This engrossing documentary, about army cooks from across Europe telling their stories of service during the major conflicts of the 20th century, conjures many analogies. It's like a short story collection told evocatively by natural raconteurs. Part food porn (you will be hungry after watching), part food snuff film (graphic slaughters of a cow, chicken and pig), it's a history lesson without being boring. Really, though, it's like a great episode of "This American Life," with director Péter Kerekes acting as Ira Glass, uniting all the stories in one theme. His biggest achievement: making it all visually interesting and cinematic. (Subtitled. 88 min.)

E.M.

What if a life-size inflatable sex doll suddenly gained a heart, mind and voice and started walking around the city? Would she be as attractive to the men who buy these dolls? Would she understand our world? These are some of the questions raised by Hirokazu Koreeda's slow-moving movie about loneliness, lies and love. Nozomi (Bae Doona) is purchased by restaurant worker Hideo (Itsuji Itao). He dines with her, confides in her and has sex with her. When he leaves for work, she goes out into the world and has childlike experiences. Unintended tragedy ensues. I could not help but think of Nozomi as a sort of anime Tin Man, except she does not know what she seeks. There are moments of surprise, but lethargic pacing and a thin narrative weigh it down. (Subtitled. 125 min.)

ROHAN PRESTON

★★★ 1/2

A major documentary discovery at this year's Sundance festival, Laura Poitras' fearlessly, provocatively humane portrait of a former Al-Qaida member turned cabbie is everything that TV news is not. Abu Jandal drives a hack in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, but in the '90s he was Osama bin Laden's bodyguard and a close colleague of Salim Hamdan, who stood trial for terrorism. Poitras approaches Jandal without caution or prejudice, allowing him to talk at length about his conflicted views of jihadism and his recent rehabilitation by the Yemen government. Why wouldn't a man this fascinating be worth getting to know? That Jandal happens to be a mesmerizing screen presence only adds to the myriad complications that Poitras trusts us to sort out for ourselves. (In Arabic and English, subtitled. 97 min.) R.N.

★★★

C.C.

★★★★

In this charming and hilarious comedy, writer/director/star Gianni Di Gregorio plays Gianni, a middle-aged man who cares for his 93-year-old mother in their Rome apartment. When his landlord offers to reduce Gianni's debt if he'll watch the landlord's mother, Gianni agrees. But unexpected guests keep showing up. "Mid-August Lunch" goes down as smooth as the finest Chianti. (Subtitled. 75 min.)

JIM BRUNZELL III

★★★★

E.M.

★★★ 1/2

This stellar example of American independent filmmaking explores the slow dissolution of radical activist energies through the fact-based tale of former Black Panthers trying (or failing) to go straight. In 1976, Jimmy Carter is running for president on the justice-for-all ticket while in inner-city Philly, the war between cops and the African-American underclass continues to rage. Labeled a "snitch" in the 'hood for having acted more personally than politically in '72, Marcus (the fine actor Anthony Mackie, in a post-"Hurt Locker" role) struggles to elude police, who expect him to rat out the last remaining radicals, and to care for those he loves. Exceedingly uncommon in both style and content, director Tanya Hamilton's period piece is a haunting reminder that the past is never dead. (88 min.)

R.N.

★★★

C.C.

★★★

Here's an attention-grabber: Hard-drinking Muslim punk rockers struggle with identity in Buffalo, N.Y., in this fictional film. Yusef is a Pakistani college student whose conservative views clash with his new roommates, a misfit band of Muslims who subscribe to "Taqwacore" -- a renegade music genre based around Islam. Eyad Zahra's first feature is a visual feast, but his story can be a little heavy-handed. Did the house's mohawked leader, Jehangir, really need to say he's "too wrapped up in my mix-matching of disenfranchised subcultures"? Still, the film asks tough questions and can be funny at times. At one point, Jehangir says he's found the solution to their problems -- they're going to stage a really big Muslim punk-rock show. (In English and Arabic, subtitled. 84 min.)

TOM HORGEN

★★★★

★★★

Make a movie about hospice care in Canada in wintertime and you are likely to end up with a depress-a-thon. That is the case with this unflinching, spare and often bleak movie set in Quebec City. Simone (Marie-Helene Bellavance), a 20-something brunette, is dating Boris (Francis Ducharme), a chef and wannabe musician, and volunteering at a local palliative-care ward. A quiet and caring caregiver (with her own disability), Simone becomes preoccupied with the intimate and unpleasant details of dying, many of which are presented onscreen with stark, unsettling realism. Death and old age are all around us, but we rarely see it so intimately on film, which makes "Vital Signs" brave and unforgettable, if not very pleasant. (In French, subtitled. 88 min.)

CLAUDE PECK

★

Brian Cox plays Jacques, a bartender at a tavern (clearly modeled on New York's famous McSorley's), who takes a homeless youth (Paul Dano) under his wing. Jacques wants to teach the kid how to run the place and care for his regulars before he dies from a bum heart. That's not a bad story, but "The Good Heart" peddles clichés and quirk by the yard; the dialogue, meant to be witty or wise, is simply awful; the plot twists are ludicrous. Two great actors flounder in a disingenuous mess. (95 min.)