LITTLE GEMS (nothing to do with lettuce) (30 titles)

A few examples of really good, mid-to-low-profile movies I'm glad I took a chance on.

84.4% from 9 members

Gripping political drama - not afraid to ask difficult questions and address big ideas, i.e. what are serious minded young people supposed to do with themselves when the revolution seems to be over? A must if you've ever had a s**t waiting job. Down with capitalist scumbags!!

- our price: £5.43
The Edukators on DVD (2004)
Starring: Daniel Bruhl, Julia Jentsch, Stipe Erceg
Director: Hans Weingartner
Certificate:
Three activists cobble together a kidnapping plot after they encounter a businessman in his home.

Rate this: 71% from 8,596 members

The Son's Room

Difficult film about grief. Not remotely sentimental, this deeply painful film is stuffed to its eyes with artistic integrity.

- our price: £4.93
The Son's Room on DVD (2001)
Starring: Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Jasmine Trinca
Director: Nanni Moretti
Certificate:
Nanni Moretti's extraordinary drama THE SON'S ROOM, which won the Palme D'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, tells the harrowing story of a once tight-knit, happy family having to come to terms with a devastating loss and get on with their lives. Nanni Moretti, the writer-director of the charming ..read more »

Rate this: 66% from 2,828 members

Spanking The Monkey

Brilliant, audacious, hilarious, bold.

- our price: £5.43
Spanking The Monkey on DVD (1994)
Starring: Jeremy Davies, Alberta Watson, Carla Gallo
Director: David O. Russell
Certificate:
One of America's most acclaimed contemporary screenwriters and directors, David O. Russell made his feature film debut in 1994 with the black comedy Spanking The Monkey, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and caused a stir with its incestuous subplot and portrayal of ..read more »

Rate this: 49% from 2,196 members

4 Months, 3 weeks And 2 Days

So very grim, but so very worth watching. A seriously good film.

- our price: £5.43
4 Months, 3 weeks And 2 Days on DVD (2007)
Starring: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Certificate:
Drama about a woman who assists her friend to arrange an illegal abortion in 1980's Romania and picked up the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Rate this: 67% from 7,792 members

A Short Film About Love

Another gut-wrentcher (sorry) - a brutal, but unforgettable love story. Also very moving.

- our price: £5.43
A Short Film About Love on DVD (1988)
Starring: Grazyna Szapolowska, Olaf Lubaszenko
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Certificate:
A SHORT FILM ABOUT LOVE was expanded from an episode in director Krzysztof Kieslowski's DEKALOG, his cycle of shorts based on The Ten Commandments. A young voyeur falls in love with the older woman he's been spying upon, and, having seen her with a string of lovers, is finally confronted with a ..read more »

Rate this: 69% from 2,837 members

Walking And Talking

Smart, funny, Allen-esque; the kind of psychoanalytical relationships drama America does better than anywhere else.

Walking And Talking (1996)
Starring: Amy Braverman, Miranda Stuart Rhyne
Director: Nicole Holofcener
Certificate:
Manhattanite yuppies Laura and Amelia are close confidantes until Laura gets engaged and their relationship with each other begins to change. While Amelia struggles through romantic misadventures, Laura starts to have doubts about her upcoming nuptials.

Rate this: 52% from 14 members

Sex, Lies And Videotape

Very stylish, tightly structured, erotic - a small but perfectly formed indy smasher. From the days when Soderbergh was fresh and interesting before everything turned to Brad Pitt.

Sex, Lies And Videotape on DVD (1989)
Starring: James Spader, Peter Gallagher, Andie MacDowell
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Certificate:
Steven Soderbergh explodes onto the scene with this provocative, intelligent drama about infidelity and voyeurism. Ann Milaney (Andie MacDowell) lives in a comfortable Louisiana home with her lawyer husband, John (Peter Gallagher). She spends her days fretting over the insurmountable problems of ..read more »

Rate this: 62% from 3,896 members

Vie revee des anges, La

Engrossing odd-couple tragedy - directed with imagination and flair

- our price: £7.93
Vie revee des anges, La on DVD (1998)
Starring: Elodie Bouchez, Natacha Regnier, Gregoire Colin
Director: Erick Zonca
Certificate:
An intimate, and simple film, that packs an emotional punch. Isa (Bouchez) is a wanderer who meets factory-worker Marie (Regnier) when she stops in the northern French town of Lille. Marie agrees to let Isa stay with her in the apartment of a woman who is hospitalized in a coma, and these two very ..read more »

Rate this: 68% from 960 members

I've Loved You So Long

Scott-Thomas puts in a gritty, highly non-starry turn in this sensitive family drama. Hard going, but worth it.

- our price: £7.93
I've Loved You So Long on DVD (2008)
Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius
Director: Philippe Claudel
Certificate:
This powerful story of familial struggles and redemption follows a shell-shocked Juliette (Scott-Thomas), who returns to live with her young sister Lea (Zylberstein) after being banished from the family for 15 years. An enormous critical and box office success in France, Scott-Thomas' phenomenal ..read more »

Rate this: 74% from 16,150 members

Presque Rien

Passionate, tragic, first-love story imaginatively told. Don't be put off by the terrible DVD cover. Yes this movie is gay - but it's not that gay.

Presque Rien on DVD (2000)
Starring: Jeremie Elkaim, Marie Matheron, Stephane Rideau
Director: Sebastien Lifshitz
Certificate:
Matthieu and Cedric meet and fall in love. Once the holidays are over Matthieu has every intention of returning to his lover for good. Despite Cedric wanting the same, the passion boils over and it becomes impossible for them to stay together... French dialogue with subtitles.

Rate this: 61% from 2,292 members