SFFILM’s Dec. 8 Awards Night fundraiser — honoring director Scott Cooper, actors Benicio Del Toro and Wunmi Mosaku and actor-director Kristen Stewart — is sold out, but the nonprofit that presents the annual San Francisco International Film Festival and conducts educational and artist-development programs year-round, is accepting donations at sfilm.org.
New international releases and a Jane Austen gem merit special attention this week.
From Brazil comes “The Secret Agent,” writer-director Kleber Mendonca Filho’s maximalist man-on-the-run thriller and portrayal of life under an authoritarian regime. It’s set in 1977 in Recife, a city where rowdy Carnival is upstaging political killings linked to the dictatorship. Wagner Moura plays Marcelo, a widowed scientist with a haunting past and a yellow Volkswagen Beetle that annoys the local police. He finds refuge at a safe house run by an elderly woman (Tania Maria) and, assisted by a resistance leader (Maria Fernanda Candido), begins a dangerous journey to reunite (and leave the country) with his young son. Along the way, he encounters hitmen, corrupt police and a murderously vindictive bureaucrat. So much is going on in the movie — which teems with political maneuverings and flashes back to reveal why Marcelo is targeted — it may require multiple viewings to piece everything together. But Mendonca Filho (“Aquarius,” “Bacurau”) deftly navigates this surreal, satirical, sad and sometimes absurdly funny story, which comes with a two-headed cat, sharks (real and Spielbergian) and a “hairy leg.” Intelligent and entertaining throughout, the 158-minute movie has a sizable cast, which includes Udo Kier in his final role. Moura, an international star, gives the movie a solid, multifaceted, sympathetic protagonist. A 21st-century segment in which researchers investigate Marcelo’s story demonstrates the importance of documenting and remembering the past. “The Secret Agent” opens in San Francisco theaters Friday.
Filmmaker Tamara Kotevska of “Honeyland” is back with a new documentary, “The Tale of Silyan.” It’s also set in a North Macedonian world where changing times have harmed traditional livelihoods. Its two real-life stars are in Cesinovo, a village where government policies have devastated rural farms. Nikola, 60, no longer able to sell his land or crops, begins driving a bulldozer to make ends meet, and then, for a stabler life, moves. He forms a tender bond with an injured white stork he calls Silyan, which he saved from a landfill and nurses back to health. Enhanced by Jean Dakar’s widescreen cinematography, the film has fantasy elements that are enchanting but unnecessary. But its nonfiction scenes, with warm humanity and exquisite scenery, are marvelous. Nikola, whether flirting playfully with his wife, visiting an employment agency or feeding fish to Silyan from his palm, is charismatic. Both man and bird have faces made for the close-up. “The Tale of Silyan” opens Friday in theaters.
A Mumbai man confronts the conflict between his traditional roots and his sexuality in “Cactus Pears,” Indian filmmaker Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s quietly moving debut feature. Anand (Bhushaam Manoj), an unmarried, gay 30ish call-center worker, loses his father and travels with his mother Suman (Jayshri Jagtap) to join their rural extended family for the 10-day mourning ritual. The two concoct a lie to dissuade their conservative relatives from pressuring Anand to find a wife. Anand then reconnects with childhood friend Balya (Suraaj Suman), a goat herder. The two reminisce about cactus pear fruits and become romantic. “Cactus Pears” isn’t an emotional knockout or a hard-hitting social drama, but it stands out for its portrayal of grief and mourning traditions — a shot of crows descending on rice balls prepared for the ritual is memorable —and as a gentle and hopeful love story. Manoj and Jagtap, cast for their regional authenticity, share a sweet chemistry. “Cactus Pears” opens Friday at the Roxie in San Francisco.
“The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo,” Chilean director Diego Cespedes’ debut feature, screens at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Roxie. The 1980s-set modern western, Chile’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, follows a preteen girl as she navigates love and vengeance when her queer mining-town family is blamed for a mystery illness that is spreading.
“Sense and Sensibility,” director Ang Lee’s rendering of Jane Austen’s 1811 novel, screens in theaters for its 30th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth. Emma Thompson received an Academy Award for her screenplay adaption of the novel in which two oppositely tempered English sisters (played Thompson and Kate Winslet) experience the challenges of laws and love. It screens Dec. 14 and Dec. 16-17 in theaters.