I Like it a lot!!

Nico And Dani 2000

Nico And Dani 2000
Krámpack (original title)
R | 1h 31min | Comedy , Drama , Romance | 16 June 2000 (Spain)
Storyline:
Coming of age, on a Barcelona beach, during an eventful week: Nico arrives at Dani's for part of the summer. Dani's parents are away, Nico is keen to lose his virginity, and Dani, who's been Nico's friend since grammar school, wants time only with Nico. Dani's plans to hunt and fish are waylaid when Nico catches the eye of Elena and her cousin Berta. He wants to go to the beach with the girls, cook them dinner, and make love to at least one of them. Dani wants social and physical contact with Nico. Watching from a short distance are Sonia, Dani's tutor, and Julian, a gay writer, who picks up Dani's vibes. Can Nico and Dani sort out friendship as well as their mixed desires?
user review:
I completely missed the boat on this one – KRAMPACK (a.k.a. NICO & DANI) is an excellent film. To temporarily ditch any pretense of objectivity, this was very nostalgic – my adolescence was a good bit more modest, but the experiences and conversations (even the summertime setting) at many points through this film hit close to home. I won't rehash the plot, which is well-covered by previous reviewers here, but I will say that the film really gets the mix of unease and anticipation right in depicting the evolving relationship between Nico & Dani. On this front, it's a five-star gay-themed drama.
The performances are quite expressive and naturalistic – no movie-of-the-week feelgood speeches appear here, and none are needed. The slightest changes in expression (contrast Nico's responses to Dani through the first 2/3 of the film, to his responses during the last 20 minutes or so) convey great warmth and understanding, giving him the ability to reaffirm his friendship with Dani (in a 'positive' statement greater than any speech) even as they both understand by film's end that the dynamic of their friendship won't ever be quite the same.

Pianese Nunzio 14 anni a maggio 1996

Pianese Nunzio 14 anni a maggio 1996
1h 54min | Crime , Drama , Romance | 5 September 1996 (Italy)
Storyline:
A young priest crusades against organized crime in his Naples neighbourhood but falls in love with a 13-year old boy. It's the chance the gangsters were waiting for to get rid of the thorn in their side. Will they be able to force the boy to accuse the priest of sexual harassment and have his reputation destroyed?
User review:
This is the very timely story of the relationship between a priest and a teen who wants to be one in modern day Naples. It is portrayed as a pure, honest, innocent relationship on the part of both.
While most of the people close to either of them are aware of the relationship after Nunzio moves into the church, it is refreshing to see how they treat it in an almost matter-of-fact manner. There is some minor ribbing by some acquaintances but nothing like the mean-spirited harsh torture a boy in modern America who willingly participated would be subjected to.

Vito e gli altri 1991

Vito e gli altri 1991
1h 23min | Drama | 19 September 1991 (Italy)
Storyline:
VITO AND THE OTHERS is the groundbreaking film which drew international attention to the problem of neglected youth and street crime in poverty-stricken Naples. The film's opening moments are startling and deeply disturbing. A despairing Rosario has just murdered his wife and daughter at the dinner table on New Year's Eve. Somehow, Vito quietly convinces his father to drop the gun, spare their lives and call the police. Placed in the custody of sexually abusive relatives, Vito is left free to roam the trash-strewn back streets of Naples where he and his friends engage in drug abuse, prostitution and petty crime. Ably acted by a large cast of nonprofessional street kids, VITO AND THE OTHERS is a heartrending portrait of innocents without a future.
User review:
Vito (Nanelo Triola) and others in his gang of delinquents come from troubled backgrounds. Vito lives with his aunt Rosetta after his father murdered his mother and sister. When we meet Vito he already had a few scrapes with the law.
It is one long downhill run, starting with petty crime, but quickly also involving burglaries, robbery and worse. As often happens in these tragic cases, drug abuse also plays a role. A young Vito, only twelve years old, gets arrested and spends some time locked up with other older youths. It is not an easy life; he gets assaulted and it is even hinted that he is raped. His aunt gets a lawyer who insists that Vito is too young to be locked up like that and that she should sue the state and get compensation. When she hears the word 'compensation' her eyes light up; she is clearly intent on making some money rather than just helping the boy.

Out Of Hand aka Keller – Teenage Wasteland (2005)

Out Of Hand aka Keller – Teenage Wasteland (2005)
1h 32min | Drama | 6 March 2008 (Germany)
Storyline:
Sebastian and Paul are two bored boys about 16 years of age. They drink alcohol, steal – and attend a private school. They can't find a sense of meaning in their present adolescent existence. They abduct Sonja and lock her in an old, abandoned factory building. But what shall they do with her? Disorientation, fear, desire and also love are changing to cruel aggressivity.
user review:
This ca 1,5 hour film starts off well, but then, after a certain event related to a checker called Sonja, the power decreases and the scenes become protracted at times, the characters "run aground", even if their development is visible… There are some twists coming, but together with some clichés, paving the way for predictable ending (fortunately, created with versatile accomplishment). As for performances, they are good: Elisabetta Rocchetti as Sonja Ludwig Trepte as Paul, and particularly Sergej Moya as Sebastian. It is the performances that make the film more or less watchable, although there are dozens of stronger youth films available, including from Germany.
Well, on the other hand, I acknowledge that I do not belong to the target audience of the film.

The Summer House 2014

The Abduction of Zack Butterfield (2011)

Arrival 2016

By way of love 2013

The Rebellion of Red Maria 2011

Men in the Nude 2006

Nicholas on Holiday 2014

Panya Raenu 3 Rupu Rupee 2013

Daddy Longlegs 2009

Tenderness of the Wolves 1973

Histoires extraordinaires 1968

Mio in the Land of Faraway 1987

Swiss Family Robinson 1960

Reel 2013

Reel 2013
13min | Short , Drama | 21 March 2014 (Sweden)
Storyline:
It is the last day before Victor has to move to another city with his parents. So he and his best friend Robert do all the things they liked to do together so much: skateboarding, spraying, hanging out. But something is different this time.
Director: Jens Choong
Writer: Jens Choong
Stars: Fanny Ketter, Toft Hervén, Norin Lindgren
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish
Release Date: 21 March 2014 (Sweden)

Pig Pen 2016

Pig Pen 2016
1h 25min | Drama , Thriller | 2016 (USA)
Storyline:
Forced to fend for himself on the streets, 13-year-old Zack has just been pushed out of his dysfunctional home by Wayne, his mother's sadistic boyfriend. When the two are brought back together by a murder, only one will survive this bloody tale of revenge.
User review:
This movie is one dark and depressing story about a young boy and his mother and her violent boyfriend and what happens to them all over the course of a few days.
A lot of the story is told in flashbacks; that illuminate the decisions that the boy and his mother make to try and survive in a cruel world.

Ups & Downs 1981

Ups & Downs 1981
1h 37min | Comedy
User review:
I only took the time to track down this film, because one of the writers is my headmaster at my private school. He attended that same school as a child and has also taught there. This movie is representitive of our school. A North American Co-Ed School with British roots; strict but with heart.
The movie never focuses deeply on one character, but jumps from thread to thread, all of which are easily believed private school situations. At the beginning this can be annoying, keeping the characters straight takes a few scenes (uniforms and all)but the deeper you go into the film, the more satisfying they get.
The movie has its funny and dramatic parts. The acting is good and the setting is perfect. Good authentic Rugby scenes.
I recommend it if you have any interest in private school life, which is honestly the lead in the movie. Obscure and hard to find pick it up, it is worth a look.

Another Country 1984

Another Country 1984
1h 30min | Biography, Drama , Romance | June 1984 (UK)
Storyline:
Based on the award winning play by Julian Mitchell, the film explores the effect of Public School life in the 1930's on Guy Bennett as his homosexuality and unwillingness to "play the game" turns him eastwards towards communist Russia.
User review:
In 1983 Julian Mitchell wrote a play based on fact about a young man (Guy Bennett) who, seeing the constraints of British society circa 1930, embraces his sexuality in a time when even the words were criminal, sees through the sad folly of the British class and empire system, and eventually abandons England to become a spy for Russia. The played starred a young 21-year-old Rupert Everett and a 20-year-old Kenneth Branagh as Guy's heterosexual roommate Tommy Judd, an obsessed Marxist as ready to leap out of the norm of British society as Guy – but for different reasons. Director Marek Kanievska adapted Mitchell's challenging play for the screen, and in 1984 ANOTHER COUNTRY became a sterling recreation of the play and a controversial film introducing the extraordinarily talented and continuingly popular Rupert Everett (who remains one of the few 'out' actors enjoying success in Hollywood). Colin Firth assumed the role of Tommy and Cary Elwes became the gay love interest for Everett's Guy Bennett. The film is one of the finest examinations of the rigid, archaically proper British schools for young men (Eton) where class is paramount in importance, rank reigns, and medieval views of sexuality and out of line thought are treated with public corporal punishment and (worst of all!) the inability to rise in the ranks of the 'important' lads. Throughout the film there is a powerful parallel between Guy's striving to become the head of the class being thwarted by his pursuing is passion for his love of men, and the 'religious zeal' approach of Tommy's absorption in Marxism, seeing Communism as the only way to correct the 'vile sickness' of current British politics and social strata. The undercurrents of bigotry are brought into focus when a fine young lad (Martineau) is caught in a sexual act with one of his classmates and is shamed into hanging himself. And when Guy's sexual tryst with James Harcourt is 'discovered', Guy is beaten in front of his compatriots, prompting him to see (with Tommy in agreement) the dead-end of British society and leave the remnants of a once glorious empire behind.
As a delightful Special Feature on this very well made DVD there is a scene from the stage production in the year prior to the film, and the dialogue between Rupert Everett and Kenneth Branagh is incisive and brilliant. This film is a masterpiece, not only in the screenplay, but also in the sensitive direction, the exquisite cinematography, and the amazingly superb acting of not only Everett and Firth, but of the entire large cast. An absolutely brilliant film.

The Eye Above the Well 1988

The Eye Above the Well 1988
Het oog boven de put (original title)
1h 34min | Documentar y | 29 September 1988 (Netherlands)
Storyline:
A poetic depiction of life and ritual in the south Indian state of Kerala. We see how knowledge is passed down from generation to generation: within the family, through the village economy, and especially from teachers to students. Performance footage shows how song, dance, martial arts, and religion constitute the building blocks of a culture.
User review:
I cannot comment on the subject matter since the film simply has to be seen for it to be grasped. That the idea(s) in the film can hardly, or not as effectively, be expressed in any other medium, serve to credit cinema. Above its existential/philosophical accomplishment, this film can also stand as proof, above most others, of cinema as a medium of expression. This film had an hypnotic effect on me. It is the depiction of a world view — a near impossible task in itself –, and a beautiful one at that.
Director: Johan van der Keuken
Writer: Johan van der Keuken
Country: Netherlands
Language: Dutch
Release Date: 29 September 1988 (Netherlands)
Also Known As: The Eye Above the Well

Meu Pé de Laranja Lima 2012

Meu Pé de Laranja Lima 2012
1h 39min | Drama | 19 April 2013 (Brazil)
Storyline:
My Sweet Orange Tree begins with José Mauro de Vasconcelos (Caco Ciocler) receiving an edition of his finished novel. Then, the film starts to tell the story from the writer's memories, through flashbacks. Zezé (João Guilherme Avila), a boy of eight years who lives in Minas Gerais in a very humble house with his family, consisting of his father (Eduardo Dascar), an unemployed and alcoholic, and his mother (Fernanda Vianna), which works to support the home and his brother and sisters. Despite the lack of understanding, affection and the aggression suffered by from his father and school colleagues, the boy has a great skill for storytelling using his imagination. With financial difficulties, the family has to move. At the new home, Zezé finds an orange tree, which he talks everyday. However, for being extremely extrovert he got involved in several confusions. One of them, he tries to ride on the bumper of Manoel Valadares, the "Portuga" (José de Abreu), but is caught and spanked. The boy feels humiliated and wants revenge, however Valadares ends up understanding Zezé, which turns to share his world of fantasies, and a new friendship arises.
User review:
In my opinion, the best debut so far: A must-see, exciting movie, accurate interpretations, flawless script (suggests more than shows), beautiful music and cinematograph, which transports the viewer to another time (there are some abrupts cameras movement). A dramatic film could slip easily into the fussiness. Marcos Bernstein dose emotions gingerly, without weighing the hand. He could have made a movie with a script more classic like Chico Xaveir or Two Sons of Francisco, but choose another path. People of any age will understand the choices of the director and enjoy the movie. The acting of John Avila and José Guilherme de Abreu are worthy of Oscar. By the way, if you choose Meu Pé de Laranja Lima for Brazil's representative on the prize of the academy, has a chance to be one of the nominees. Many tears (I left dehydrated, needed to take 1 liter of water after the session)
Director: Marcos Bernstein
Writers: Marcos Bernstein (screenplay), Melanie Dimantas (screenplay)
Stars: João Guilherme Ávila, José de Abreu, Caco Ciocler
Country: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Release Date: 19 April 2013 (Brazil)
Also Known As: Mein kleiner Orangenbau

Over the Edge 1979

Over the Edge 1979
1h 35min | Crime , Drama | 7 July 1979 (Japan)
Storyline:
A group of bored teenagers rebel against authority in the community of New Granada after the death of one of their own.
User review:
I generally dislike teen movies. Mainly because they're so unrealistic, romanticized versions of high school and teen life. Usually featuring a bunch of stereotypes and some dumb, superficial plot. "Over the Edge," hovever, is one of the few teen movies that actually gets it right.
The movie focuses on a bunch of teens living in the boring, lifeless town of New Granada. A place with with nothing to do. No mall, no movie theaters, not even a fast food place. Nothing to give them somewhere to go or something to do. The adults in the movie can't be bothered with them and are more interested in bringing people into New Granada and developing the town rather than meet the needs of the town's youth. This makes the teens restless and bored and they resort to drugs, guns and crime to keep them occupied. The also misbehave in school and frustrate their teachers.

Daybreak 2008

Daybreak 2008
1h 15min | Romance | 20 February 2008 (Philippines)
Storyline:
The whole movie occurs entirely in one place; a big white vacation house in Tagaytay, Cavite and only with two male characters. In a single narrative time, intending by way of voyeurism, the film allows viewers to discover what happens when two men spend one night contemplating whether to break up or continue their relationship.
User review:
Perhaps in the play it was Juliet that said "Parting is such sweet sorrow." but in this movie there are only two Romeos. Romeo 1 is a young doctor named William. He's opted for a more traditional route and now has a wife, recovering from an ectopic pregnancy. He realizes that he only somewhat loves her and has decided to move to Australia. Romeo 2, J.P. is his true love. The two apparently met a year or two ago but the back-story is left vague. Romeo 2 also has a girlfriend and a charter-boat business but the two have arranged this evening together, apparently not the first time.
William knows he must say goodbye to J.P. or decide to go for what he really wants and change his plans… Or perhaps convince J.P. to abandon his family and his business and come along to Australia.

Escape from Sobibor 1987

Escape from Sobibor 1987
2h 23min | Drama , History , War | TV Movie 12 April 1987
Storyline:
During WWII, the death camp at Treblinka had an escape, causing the Commandant at a similar camp in Sobibor to vow that his camp would never experience the same thing. But those who were its captives, the Jewish laborers that had been spared from the ovens, knew that they were on borrowed time and that their only hope was to escape… the only question was how to do it. However, because the Germans would kill an equal number of others whenever a group attempted to escape, the captives knew that if ever an escape was tried, all 600 prisoners in the camp would have to be included… logistically precluding any ideas about tunnels or sneak breakouts. Indeed, to have such a mass escape could only mean that the Ukrainian guards and Germain officers would have to be killed, which many of the Jews felt simply reduced themselves to no better than their captors… thus making it a struggle of conscience. And therein lies the story, with the film being based on a factual account of what then happened at that Sobibor prison.
User review:
Without doubt the most emotionally moving film I have ever seen.
The atmosphere created cuts through the fact that it is a movie and puts any normal person actually there.

How to Be a Man 2013

How to Be a Man 2013
1h 25min | Comedy | 15 March 2014 (USA)
Storyline:
When former comedian Mark McCarthy is faced with a rare form of cancer, he hires a young, impressionable cameraman to document his crude and comical lessons on what it means to be a man for his unborn son.
User review:
Proud of your boy I'll make you proud of your boy Believe me, bad as I've been, Ma You're in for a pleasant surprise
I've wasted time I've wasted me So say I'm slow for my age A late bloomer, Okay, I agree

Den bästa sommaren 2000

Den bästa sommaren 2000
1h 31min | Comedy , Drama , Family | 8 March 2000 (Sweden)
Storyline:
The summer of '58, the year Sweden almost won the world championship in soccer over Brazil, Yngve Johansson accepts two children to live with him during the summer, as told through the eyes of a young boy. His name is Mårten, and the other child's name is Annika. She is a rough girl, with many problems. The three of them do not get along, and Yngve is a true dictator to the children's eyes. However, when the children discover that their new guardian has a crush on their teacher (Cecilia Nilsson), they do what they can to bring the two together. Soon enough, the three will discover that they have a lot more in common than they previously imagined, and together they can make their lives worth living again. This is a sweet story about life in Sweden in the mid 1900's. It is about family, love, hate, innocent friendship that we all can relate to, and much, much more. The movie invites laughter as well as tears, and the actors, both the young and the old, are very talented and the best Sweden can offer. One will never forget the scene when Yngve believes the children enjoy speed bumps!
User review:
When I sat down to watch this movie I was rather depressed. "Den bästa sommaren" changed that.
Wonderful film about two orphans spending their summer holidays together in late 50s Swedish countryside. Their "father" for the summer is a seemingly square and restrained coroner, struggling for self-respect and gaining respect from others. With the 1958 soccer World Cup (which was held in Sweden) as a background, the three of them, and the kids' teacher, find their lives changing – for the better.

A Boy Named Cocoy 1992

A Boy Named Cocoy 1992
27min | Drama , Short
Storyline:
A young man arrives in Manila to find work. There he meets another boy who helps him and takes him in. Slowly, he realizes that this guy is gay and may be helping him just for sex. This breaks his heart and disillusions him. He picks a fight with him but feels obligated to return the favor. So he allows him to get physical with him and then leaves soon after because he is not gay and can't deal with the situation.
Director: Piedro de San Paulo
Writer: Piedro de San Paulo
Stars: Jebong So, Brian Olaivar, Andrew Jimenez
Country: Philippines
Language: Filipino | Tagalog

Hans Roeckle und der Teufel 1974

Hans Roeckle und der Teufel 1974
Hans Röckle und der Teufel (original title)
1h 15min | Family , Fantasy | 5 July 1974 (East Germany)
User review:
This movie is based on a contemporary children's book, not the usual Grimm Brothers stock. Hans Röckle is a puppeteer, inventor, blacksmith and more. He is challenged by the Devil (in almost a dozen fancy costumes) who offers him even more inventiveness, against his soul should he ever make money with an invention, build something twice, or cease inventing for 7*7 hours.
The inventions help his fellow men: an automatic sewing kit (fancy animation), a weather-controlling flute. However, the contract with the devil had a clause that the devil can take any invention as plaything for his mother. But even without devil's intervention, the things often have less than desirable effects on people's lives. Roeckle has seen the country of "Tomorrow & Aftertomorrow" in a magic telescope, where poverty and illness are overcome, somehow a communist paradise… so he brings his inventions there, with his amazing Time Boots.
While leaning on fairy tale standards, this story unfolds quite nicely and somewhat surprisingly. I found it very worthwhile watching. Pity the bizarre puppets weren't shown more often :^)
Director: Hans Kratzert
Writers: Gudrun Deubener (scenario), Ilse Korn (fairy tale "Meister Hans Röckle und Mister Flammfuss")
Stars: Rolf Hoppe, Peter Aust, Simone von Zglinicki
Country: East Germany
Language: German
Release Date: 5 July 1974 (East Germany)
Filming Locations: Wernigerode, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

College Boys Live 2009

College Boys Live 2009
1h 34min | Documentary | 9 June 2009 (USA)
Storyline:
In a quiet Orlando, Florida, suburb three young men struggle to escape the wreckage of their pasts and create new lives for themselves. Their new home is CollegeBoysLive.com, a voyeur web cam house rigged with 32 cameras, where their every move is watched by thousands of paying members. The site's creator claims CollegeBoysLive.com is simply about showing that "it's okay to be gay." But the neighbors insist it's a pornographic whorehouse and sue to have them evicted. This intimate and provocative documentary examines a complex subculture, but at its heart is the universal search for family and acceptance.
User review:
Saw this at a small film festival showing (in Sydney) recently, and it really surprised me. The title and subject matter made me think it'd be on the cheap and salacious side. But in fact there's not much here in the way of gratuitous sex or nudity. Instead, it's a frank picture of a group of young gay men running a site showing constant streaming pics from the many cameras in their home – and then really delving into their lives. I think the folks who directed & edited this film did a great job, bringing the human stories out. The doco was shot over an extended period of time, and what it ends up showing is a very clear picture of why the various guys chose to agree to be a part of the unusual set-up, and then following what comes next. Bickering about money, or boyfriends – drunken fights and love spats and problems with the neighbours – stories from these kid's past, some of whom have had a rough time of it. Like any good reality show, you'll end up sympathising with or getting annoyed at certain personalities, the wild ones the quiet ones and the odd ones, wondering what will happen next with each kid. And the interesting side of it is – is that watching a doco like this, or watching Big Brother or The Real World, or watching 'reality porn' – all have a related voyeuristic appeal. People are attracted to watching other people's lives, and sometimes to being watched (though the financial incentive may be the main factor for most of the guys here), and it can be quite liberating for people who would otherwise feel isolated (the way a gay kid in a small town might feel), but we all have different limits about when things have gone too far. At times it's funny and dramatic and sad, and it's fairly unusual to see a film depicting a bunch of young gay guys so genuinely, letting them speak for themselves. They allow themselves to be filmed (for their website, and for this doco) in a way most of us would hate, but the rest of their lives are full of human drama the same as any of us. Recommended!
Director: George O'Donnell
Stars: Zac Adams, Jonathan Greer
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 9 June 2009 (USA)

Seconds Apart 2011

Seconds Apart 2011
R | 1h 29min | Horror , Thriller | 7 July 2011 (Russia)
Storyline:
Seth and Jonah are twins with a dangerous ability: telepathy. Things start to spiral out of their control as their classmates end up dying in twisted and bizarre ways. The police suspect them. But, jealousy begins to divide them and soon they can no longer trust each other. Leading up to a horrific battle against themselves.
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for violence, disturbing images, language and some sexual content
User review:
Identical Twins Edmund and Gary Entin star in Seconds Apart. The title refers to the fact that the two were born exactly that way to their mother. In point of fact for purposes of this film understand that they can't be apart for a second.

Mercurio 2011

Webcam Boys 2016

Devil’s Knot 2013

Devil's Knot 2013
1h 54min | Biography, Crime , Drama | 12 March 2014 (Philippines)
Storyline:
Based on the actual events of the West Memphis Three, where three young boys were savagely murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. Spurred on by the demand from a grieving town, the local police act quickly to bring three "devil-worshipping" teenagers to trial. With their lives hanging in the balance, investigator Ron Lax is trying to find the truth between the town's need for justice and the guilt of the accused.
User review:
For decades now, Hollywood has been mining the headlines for inspiration. It was only a matter of time before studio executives turned their attention to the West Memphis Three: a trio of teenagers who were convicted – most likely wrongfully – of murdering three young boys and sentenced to life in prison. You might imagine that the resulting movie would be every bit as disturbing, tragic and thought- provoking as the actual case itself. But Devil's Knot is more respectful than effective as a film, covering the facts without really getting to the heart of the matter.
On a summer day like any other, Pam Hobbs (Reese Witherspoon) waves goodbye to her little boy Steve as he heads off on his bike with his two friends. It would be the last time she sees him alive. When three bodies turn up in a rain-washed river, the local authorities conclude that the murders bear shades of a Satanic ritual. As a result, other leads – a bloodied man stumbling into a diner near the scene of the crime, a young man (Dane DeHaan) with an odd interest in the boys – fall by the wayside. Instead, three teenagers with an interest in the occult – Damien Echols (James Hamrick), Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether) and Jessie Misskelley Jr. (Kristopher Higgins) – become the targets of a community and legal system eager to find answers, even if it means looking in all the wrong places.

First Position 2011

First Position 2011
1h 35min | Documentary | 10 August 2012 (Taiwan)
Storyline:
First Position follows six talented young dancers (ages 9-19) from five continents as they prepare for a worldwide ballet competition that could transform their lives overnight.
User review:
Producer/Director Beth Kargman has put together a wonderful documentary that follows six young ballet dancers to the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the most important of all ballet competitions worldwide.
The prizes at the competition include awards of recognition, scholarships, and work with major dance companies. The dancers are in several age ranges and ethnicities and include 11-year-old Aaron Bell, Joan Sebastian Zamora, a dancer from Colombia, Michaela Deprince,a black dancer, Jules and Miko Fogarty, of mixed ethnicity, pretty Israeli Gaya Bommer, and all-American girl Rebecca Houseknecht.

Growing Up – Boys

Erik of Het Klein Insectenboek 2004

Erik of Het Klein Insectenboek 2004
1h 37min | Adventure , Family , Mystery | 9 December 2004 (Netherlands)
Storyline:
In this movie -after the classical Godfried Bomans novel of the same Dutch title- with musical elements, Erik is a Dutch ten year-old schoolboy who is studying insects at school, and gets shown and explained a bit about them by his kind and knowledgeable nature-loving grandfather, whose country estate is a good place to do so and turns out to have a book on insects, which allows Erik to pass for one night, rather like Alice in Wonderland, as a miniature man among thus giant-looking, talking insects, who discuss their and other species and their lives with him, mainly winged ones, such as bee, fly and wasp.
User review:
For the amount of money (E 5 million, with only +- 10% for effects) its fantastic. Some bad acting on the butterflies, but a visual masterpiece for that amount of money. Script could have been better, but I can understand some of the changes in the story. Editing is kind of crap, it looks like somebody needed to get rid of 60 minutes but didn't know how. Most of the acting is good, and a fantastic voice for the snail "Wij izss hier ze baazs!" van Johnny Kraaykamp Jr. The kid plays OK too. I wonder what the Dutchees will create when they get the chance to make a E 50 million movie. ( And don't go Ocean Warrior on me 🙂
Too bad the rainworm doesn't die in the end.

Dimenticare Venezia 1979

Dimenticare Venezia 1979
1h 50min | Drama | 14 April 1979 (Italy)
Storyline:
A gay brother visits his childhood home where his lesbian sister still lives. They reminisce about the better past and their parents.
User review:
This movie is the best I've ever seen. It revolves around a brother and sister, both gay and involved, coming together at their mother's house. Many intricate flashbacks lead the viewer through the family's history up to the present importance of the gathering. Ironically, everything turned out exactly the opposite of what earlier years promised to bring. When the mother, an opera singer, dies, both son and daughter are faced with the reality of what they have become. This not only puts stress on them, but also challenges their relationships. The story is told with the most beautiful, almost understated visual themes, making the cinematography alone a feast.
Director: Franco Brusati
Writers: Franco Brusati (story), Jaja Fiastri
Stars: Mariangela Melato, Eleonora Giorgi, Erland Josephson
Country: Italy | France
Language: Italian
Release Date: 14 April 1979 (Italy)
Also Known As: As xehasoume tin Venetia

Dishonored Bodies 2015

Baby(a)lone 2015

Baby(a)lone 2015
1h 30min | Drama | 11 March 2015 (Luxembourg)
Storyline:
Two troubled teens in Luxembourg act out their frustrations on the world, and slowly grow closer.
User review:
Baby(a)lone tells of a young Luxembourgish boy (Joshua Defays) who struggles at school and receives no guidance at home. The boy could be anyone with his anonymity—he literally has no name—and his story is one of many in a fast-paced/oversexed/narcissistic selfie culture where kids run wild. Sparks fly as teen hormones charge between the kids. They drink, smoke, run away, and burn one another with cigarettes. And wait until you hear their language!
The boy is having trouble at school because kids keep teasing him about his mother's sex appeal and her presumed promiscuity. That's not cool by any measure, but neither is fighting back by cracking a lead pipe to a kid's head, which is how the boy retaliates.

Red Dog: True Blue 2016

Red Dog: True Blue 2016
1h 28min | Comedy , Drama , Family | 26 December 2016 (Australia)
Storyline:
An iconic Australian story of family, friendship and adventure, between a young boy and a scrappy one-of-a-kind dog that would grow up to become an Australian legend.
User review:
Australia's favorite dog is back and this time he has a background of where he came from! The most loyal and Australian dog has become a worldwide sensation and has made everyone around the world fall in love with him.
A little boy named Mick (Levi Miller) has moved from Perth and into the outback with his Grandfather until he gets his life on track. Within a couple of days a storm hits and the next day after the storm he finds a little puppy covered in blue. He names him "True Blue" only to later discover he is a Red looking Dog. For a whole year they grow a friendship that could never be broken. Together we see the love they have for each other.

Wild Awakening 2016

Wild Awakening 2016
Salvaje despertar (original title)
1h 45min | Drama | 30 September 2016 (Spain)
Storyline:
Toni (Fabian Castro) and Emma (Julia Hernandez) are brother and sister who owns a stable farm. Ramon (Richie Ormon) and his son, Aaron (Christian Blanch) works for them. Toni is openly gay who loves to party, Emma has a crush on Aaron who is a closeted gay who is afraid that his father might find out, but his father also has a secret that will lead to murder.
User review:
This Spanish LGBT movie is like a cute old-fashioned melodrama, complete with one of those soundtracks that builds up the pitch to exaggerate the tension in this drama with a brother and sister both fighting to win the heart (and body ) of the hot farm hand that works on the horse ranch they own.
The story starts to unfold at the local Police Station when the siblings Toni (Fabián Castro) and Emma (Júlia Hernández) are being questioned for the sudden disappearance of Aaron (Christian Blanch) the object of their affection, who the Police suspect may have been murdered. Also with them is Aaron's father Ramon (Christian Blanch) their foreman who had always given his son a hard time if he ever suspected he was having fun.

A Boy Called H 2013

A Boy Called H 2013
Shônen H (original title)
2h 1min | Drama | 10 August 2013 (Japan)
Storyline:
Narrated and viewed from the perspective of a child in the family, Shoonen H portrays the daily trials and societal difficulties of a Christian family from just prior to the commencement of World War II to its aftermath. Distrusted as Christians, yet steadfast, the parents become sources of reassurance and discipline for the children in a society in turmoil.
User review:
This movie portrays the life of a tailor and his family from their boy's viewpoint. The locale is Kobe, Japan before, under and after the WW2. The husband and wife are protestant Christians, minority in Japanese society even today.
The father looks confident as a tailor, always having positive view of life. The mother has strong sense of mission as a Christian, sometimes excessively strong faith. For the boy, having such mother sometimes makes his daily life difficult, but thanks to his father who even takes him to his foreign clients, the boy learns a lot in life.

L’albero di Guernica 1975

L'albero di Guernica 1975
1h 50min | Drama , War | 19 November 1975 (France)
Storyline:
The Spanish Civil War, as experienced by the town of Villa Ramiro. The local count and his Fascist nephews ally with the rebels; the count's son, indifferent to politics at the outset, later makes a choice; the town's teacher, Antonio Garcia, a pacifist, tries not to take sides but to inspire the children with ideas; a beautiful eccentric woman, Vandale, brings leadership and strength to the town; dwarfs long for equality. The fictive story of Villa Ramiro is inter-cut with archival footage of the war itself. The town is near Guernica, and the local Republicans draw inspiration from its freedom tree.
User review:
I got a chance to see a rare copy of this film, and if you can find it, I recommend seeing it. Arrabal condenses the entire Spanish Civil War into the fictional events around and in Villa Rimira. He masterfully illustrates the social relationships between the different classes while creating a fascinating piece. Very visual. Very metaphoric. A must see.
Director: Fernando Arrabal
Writers: Fernando Arrabal, Francesco Cinieri (collaborating writer)
Stars: Mariangela Melato, Ron Faber, Cosimo Cinieri
Country: France | Italy
Language: French
Release Date: 19 November 1975 (France)
Also Known As: The Tree of Guernica
Filming Locations: Matera, Basilicata, Italy

Weiser 2001

Weiser 2001
1h 35min | Drama , Mystery | 18 January 2001 (Poland)
Storyline:
he hero is Paul Heller, a man who in life was successful. For many years he lived in Hamburg, where he met his wife, and he made quite a pretty good property. After 11 years spent in exile, however, Paul decides to return to the Polish, the country, which since 1989 is the ideal place to start your own profitable business.
User review:
Pawel Huelle's book "Weiser Dawidek" is one of the most wonderful novels of Polish modern literature, but it's film adaptation is not worth your time. The movie is boring, miscasted and has no magic in it. Better read than watch if you can.
Director: Wojciech Marczewski
Writers: Wojciech Marczewski (scenario), Pawel Huelle (based on the novel by: "Weiser Dawidek")
Stars: Marek Kondrat, Krystyna Janda, Juliane Köhler
Country: Poland | Switzerland | Germany | Denmark | France
Language: Polish
Release Date: 18 January 2001 (Poland)
Filming Locations: Janowice Wielkie, Dolnoslaskie, Poland

Elysium 1986

Elysium 1986
1h 58min | Drama , War
Plot:
1944. The Szekeres' are a much honoured intellectual Jewish family in Budapest, therefore they believe that they will be able to survive the Holocaust. One day the ten-year-old Gyurika does not return from the neighborhood. It is too late to learn that the well-behaved little boy was ordered by a gendarme to join the march of yellow-stared people. Gyurika still expects on the train that someone will come for him. The crazy run of his parents is in vain. Gyurika gets into the camp called Elysium, where experiments are carried out on children. Doctor Helmer grows fond of the intelligent little boy who speaks good German and is full of trust for adults again, but this does not save Gyurika from death.
Director: Erika Szántó
Writers: Imre Keszi (novel), Éva Schulze
Stars: Ferenc Bács, Zoltán Nagy, Klaus Abramowsky
Country: Hungary
Language: Hungarian

Top je bio vreo 2014

Top je bio vreo 2014
1h 40min | Drama , War | 15 January 2015 (Serbia)
Storyline:
A grenade fired from a nearby hill kills the parents of a ten year old boy during the siege of Sarajevo in 1992. The Boy looses his ability to speak. A lady neighbor adopts and takes care of him. The Boy is thrown out from his destroyed apartment and begins to prowl around the city with a schoolmate. Too early and too soon, he goes through the process of growing up. He learns the meanings of such words as force, death, sex. He learns how to achieve. He learns about the values. He learns what matters the most. The Lady neighbor that takes care of him tries to shelter him and protect him. Unsuccessfully. The Boy rides to fall. Death and suffering become more frequent, and more severe. When the Lady neighbor's teenage son is killed by a sniper as a collateral damage, she then rejects the Boy. The Boy escapes the siege, and shoots from a cannon at the city.Fifteen years later, the Boy – now twenty five – and the Lady neighbor meet again. They are united in pain and suffering.
Director: Slobodan Skerlic
Writers: Vladimir Kecmanovic (novel), Ales Kurt (collaborating writer)
Stars: Stanislav Rucnov, Anita Mancic, Muhamed Dupovac
Country: Serbia | Bosnia and Herzegovina
Language: Serbian
Release Date: 15 January 2015 (Serbia)
Also Known As: So Hot Was the Cannon
Filming Locations: Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia-Herzegovina