[CIFF] 49th Chicago International Film Festival Recap

After screening 180 films representing over 60 different countries over the past two weeks, the 49th Chicago International Film Festival came to a close last night. With reviews going up practically everyday, it was a bit hard to keep track of all of our coverage. Luckily, as the very responsible and organization nerd that I am, I have compiled our entire CIFF coverage into one nice and neat…

[CIFF Capsule Review] How I Live Now

How I Live Now Director: Kevin MacDonald Country: United Kingdom Release Date: October 15, 2013 (CIFF) Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) is a selfish nihilist sent to the English countryside to stay with family friends due to growing military strife in the United States. While her "cousins' (not blood-related) try their best to make her feel welcome and at home, she's cold and unjustifiably…

[CIFF Capsule Review] Breathe In

Breathe In Director: Drake Doremus Country: United States Release Date: October 19, 2013 (CIFF) Keith (Guy Pearce) is a piano teacher and aspiring cellist for the New York Symphony Orchestra with a loving wife (Amy Ryan) and daughter (Mackenzie Davis). When Sophie (Felicity Jones) arrives as part of a foreign exchange program, she opens up deep questions within Keith's mind that…

[CIFF Capsule Review] La Paz

La Paz Director: Santiago Loza Country: Argentina Release Date: October 18, 2013 (CIFF) Returning home after a stay in a psychiatric clinic, Liso finds himself coddled by his parents and unable to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend. The only people he can connect with, however, are his elderly grandmother and his parents' maid. La Paz examines Liso's attempts to simply find himself…

[CIFF Capsule Review] Miele

Miele Director: Valeria Golino Country: Italy Release Date: October 15, 2013 (CIFF) Miele is a young woman who delivers assisted suicides for families whose loved ones want to dictate how they die rather than succumb to the prolonged process of death. When she's assigned to assist a wealthy, physically healthy man, she has a change of morality and does what she can to prevent the…

[CIFF Interview] Diego Quemada-Diez (La Jaula de Oro)

La Jaula de Oro was one of my favorite films of this year's Chicago International Film Festival. The story about three teenagers escaping Guatemala to achieve their dreams in America was a captivating look at the struggle many migrants face in their journey for a better life. It was recently awarded the Chicago International Film Festival's Gold Hugo, which is given to films making their…

[CIFF Capsule Review] A Pact

A Pact Director: Denis Dercourt Country: Germany and France CIFF Screenings: October 20, 2013 (8:30pm), October 21, 2013 (1:00pm) During the mid-'80s in Germany, Paul tricks Georg into "handing over" his girlfriend, Anna, by forging a handwritten love letter. In exchange, Georg makes Paul agree to a pact stating he can have Anna or someone exactly the same whenever he wants. Paul…

[CIFF Capsule Review] Salvo

Salvo Directors: Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza Country: Italy CIFF Screenings: October 20, 2013 (6:15pm), October 22, 2013 (8:00pm) Salvo is about the eponymous Salvo, a hitman for the Sicilian mafia, who inexplicably shows grace on the blind sister, Rita, of a mob boss that betrayed and took a hit on him. After taking her to an abandoned warehouse for protection, the mafia…