Preview: The 45th Chicago International Film Festival, Week Two

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All synopsis information official from the 45th Chicago International Film Festival.

Mammoth Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Mammoth”
October 14th, 6pm
October 17th, 8:45pm

Michelle Williams and Gael García Bernal star in this riveting, Babel-esque drama about the fate of the nuclear family in the age of globalization. An affluent, overworked New York couple relies on their Filipino nanny to care for their young daughter, while in the Philippines her own children grow up motherless. Meanwhile in Thailand a young mother turns to the sex trade to support her faraway daughter. In the space of a few days, the ties binding them all will be tested in life-changing ways.

“Precious: Based on the Book ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Set in Harlem in 1987, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire is the story of a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is pregnant for the second time by her absent father. At home, she must wait hand and foot on her abusive and poisonously angry mother (Mo’Nique). School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with an awful secret: She can neither read nor write. Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Winner of three awards at Sundance, Precious is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome.

“Face”
October 14th, 8:30pm
October 15th, 8:15pm
October 19th, 3:15pm

A four-time award winner at the Festival, master Tsai Ming-Liang (Goodbye, Dragon Inn; What Time Is It Over There?) returns with a sumptuously staged, boldly visual film about a Taiwanese filmmaker who casts French actors in his latest disaster-fraught film—despite not speaking a word of French. An artistic tip of the hat to FranÇois Truffaut and the spirit of the New Wave, Face stars Truffaut regulars Jean-Pierre LÉaud and Fanny Ardant.

Air Doll Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Air Doll”
October 17th, 3:30pm
October 18th, 5:30pm
October 19th, 3pm

The internationally acclaimed director of Nobody Knows, After Life, and Still Walking returns with a romantic fantasy that explores the complexities of love, loneliness, and loss through the story of a life-size inflatable doll. Air doll “Nozomi” is middle-aged loner Hideo’s only companion in life, but when she suddenly comes to life and begins exploring the world on her own, her journey begs the question—what really makes us human?

“A Single Man”
October 19th, 8:30pm

Iconic fashion designer Tom Ford—the mastermind behind designer labels like Gucci, YSL, and his own eponymous line—makes his directorial debut with the richly detailed and aesthetically brilliant A Single Man. Starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, the film is set in Los Angeles in 1962 at the height of the Cuban missile crisis. Gay British college professor George Falconer (Firth) is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his longtime partner. The story is a romantic tale of love interrupted, the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life.

“The Young Victoria”
October 22nd, 7pm

In The Young Victoria, Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) delivers an incredibly appealing performance as Queen Victoria in the turbulent first years of her reign. Rupert Friend (Pride & Prejudice) portrays Prince Albert, the suitor who wins her heart and becomes her partner in one of history’s greatest romances. This love story, set amongst all the intrigue of the court, also features Paul Bettany (Iron Man, The Da Vinci Code), Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Jim Broadbent (The Damned United, The Chronicles of Narnia), Thomas Kretschmann (Valkyrie), and Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Tristan & Isolde).

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]