Preview: The 46th Chicago International Film Festival, Week Two

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

There are a few notable films at this year’s festival that either very regrettably weren’t screened for critics or that this critic simply couldn’t attend and we wouldn’t want to exclude them for that reason. So, here’s another five that may deserve your attention but we can’t say for sure with official synopses from the Chicago Film Festival. If we had the time and money, we’d check these out.

Fair Game Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Fair Game”
October 17th, 5pm

A glimpse into the dark corridors of politics, Fair Game is a riveting action-thriller based on the real lives of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) and her husband, diplomat Joe Wilson (Sean Penn). When Joe is drawn into a government investigation and the administration ignores his findings, Joe writes a New York Times editorial, igniting a controversy that affects Valerie’s career when her identity is exposed.

“Made in Dagenham”
October 18th, 7:50pm

Rita (Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky) is one of 187 women from all walks of life who work for the Ford Motor Company in 1960s England. Paid less than their male peers while enduring the condescension of their supervisors, the plucky sisterhood, led by Rita, agitates for their right to fair pay. Capturing the imagination of the public and the attention of progressive politician Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson) with their fight for equality, these courageous women must stand together to win a victory for women everywhere.

“Rabbit Hole”
October 19th, 6:30pm

The screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole, directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) is about a husband and wife who fight to save their marriage after the deepest form of loss. The film is a vivid, honest, and unexpectedly funny portrait of a family searching for what remains possible in the most impossible of situations.

The Tempest Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“The Tempest”
October 18th, 7pm

In her big-screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s mystical thriller The Tempest, Oscar®-nominated Julie Taymor (Across the Universe, Frida, Titus) brings an original dynamic to the story by changing the gender of the sorcerer Prospero into the sorceress Prospera, portrayed by Oscar® winner Helen Mirren (The Queen). Prospera’s journey spirals through vengeance to forgiveness as she reigns over a magical island, cares for her young daughter, Miranda, and unleashes her powers against shipwrecked enemies in this exciting, masterly mix of romance, tragicomedy, and the supernatural.

“The Debt”
October 21st, 7pm

Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington star in The Debt, the powerful story of Rachel Singer, a former Mossad agent who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal.

Star Jessica Chastain and others will be in attendance.

Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for constant CIFF coverage, including red carpet photos and interviews with Danny Boyle, Cecile de France, Doug Liman, and more.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com