The European Union Film Festival is at the Gene Siskel Center (164 North State Street) this month (March 3rd through 31st) and hopefully most of the films being shown will come back and play longer runs in the Chicago area in the near future. While these titles may be in limited theatrical release soon, many I’m sure some will also become available soon on DVD, Netflix or other streaming platforms as well. Still there is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen for the first time (If I had first seen Lawrence of Arabia or The Third Man or Vertigo for the first time on my computer they would have had half the impact.) It’s too bad that there are so fewvenues on the south side or near south side that shows art films (I miss the Fine Arts and Pipers Alley.) Surprisingly most of the films also come close to suspense or horror.

With so many films being shown at the Festival here are some capsule reviews on some of the cinematic works playing at the Fest that caught my eye. I ranked these films with the traditional star system. Four star films means great (such as Au Hasard Balthazar, Taxi Driver, and Night of the Living Dead), three is good (the Peter Jackson King Kong or The Revenant), two is average (all the films in the second Star Wars trilogy), one star is poor (any Fantastic Four film) and zero applies to your average Adam Sandler flick (Punch Drunk Love is the exception) or any Transformers film.

Embrace of the Serpent (****)-Masterful and mesmerizing travel picture about a German intellectual who encounters ancient pre Christian customs and religions when he travels down the Amazon to find a plant that will cure his illness. He is accompanied by a shaman, a native who hate whites and a native who has been assimilated into modern culture. They meet a sadistic missionary, a man who thinks he is the messiah, and they even see a scene of ritual cannibalism in the movie’s most shocking scene (don’t bring the kids). This film’s entrancing tracking shots capture the immensity of nature brilliantly and they recall the best work of Werner Herzog including Aguirre: The Wrath of God, but the plot recalls Apocalypse Now. This got nominated for best foreign picture at the Oscars this year and lost, but it is much better than most of the nominees for best picture. Mandatory viewing for fans of Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth. Currently playing at the Music Box.

Lolo (***1/2)-Perversely fascinating Oedipal romantic comedy gradually turns into a harsh and horrific drama/thriller. A cultured and classy lady (Julie Delphy) thinks she has found the perfect man, but when her sociopathic son comes to live with her things start to go wrong. The suiter appears drunk at her work event; he loses a big account at work, and worse of all he is accused of cyberterrorism. It turns out that the woman’s sadistic son, Lolo is manipulating events to break up the romance. Things are light and humorous until we see how far Lolo will go. At first the situations and dialogue are rather pedestrian but the film ends up firing on all cylinders and Julie Delphy’s winning performance (she also directed and co-wrote the script) elevates the film. But Vincent Lacoste is brilliant as an art student from hell and his performance captures perfectly the banality of evil. Playing at the Gene Siskel Center as part of the European Union Film Festival on March 17 at 6 pm.

No Home Movie (***)-In this extremely personal documentary, the Belgium feminist director Chantal Ackerman compiles interviews with her dying grandmother who shares some of her memories about growing up and her experiences in the Holocaust (she was an Auschwitz survivor). There are also many Gates of Heaven like shots of wind blowing through the greenery. (They are mostly captivating and occasionally boring.) The film is also poignant because Ackerman’s grandmother died right after the film wrapped, and the director killed herself last year. Ackerman was a first class director but this film does not quite match her best work, but it is still definitely worth a look. Playing at the Gene Siskel Center as part of the European Union Film Festival on March 19 at 3:30 and it will have an extended run at the same theatre on April 8-13.

Therapy for a Vampire (***1/2)-Amusing (although not in a laugh out loud way) situation comedy set in 1930s Vienna. It’s about Count Geza Von Koznom, a vampire who is bored with everything. He’s been married for hundreds of years and he complains “I no longer have a thirst for life.” In desperation he gets therapy from Sigmund Freud, and he sees a painting of a woman in the office who is the spitting image of his long dead love. He suspects that she is the reincarnation of his old love and pursues her even though she is in love with Freud’s assistant and this causes problems in his own marriage. This fresh comedy does not lack bite and it is in the tradition of Polansksi’s quasi classic, The Fearless Vampire Lovers as well as the recent What We Do in the Shadows. Highly recommended. Playing at the Gene Siskel Center on March 19 at 8 pm and Thursday, March 24 at 6 pm. It is also supposed to have an extended run at the Music Box Theatre sometime this spring.
 
The Witch (***)-Moody and atmospheric film about a family that is cast out of Puritan society under false charges and they try to survive on their own in the forest accompanied by some animals including a sinister goat. At first this seems to be about Puritan paranoia but eventually some events occur that appear to have been caused by the supernatural. A boy spits up an apple after he is kissed by a dark clad temptress and one child acts possessed. It takes a long time for this film to build up to something but the creepy climax is definitely worth the wait. Playing at various theatres everywhere including the south side.

The following reviews were added to this article on 032116:

Baby (A)lone (***1/2)-A teen boy gets razzed continuously at school because he’s an oddball who finds it hard to communicate and his mom’s job as a prostitute does not help his rep. The only person who he connects with is a sociopathic, hedonistic girl (her mom is also a hooker) who leads him into mischief. For a while the couple is sweet and sympathetic but like the main character in Breaking Bad they commit worse and worse acts until they cross the line into complete villainy. In Luxembourgish with English sub-titles.

Free Entry (***)-Two sixteen year old emo girls go to a big music festival in Budapest, and they finance their stay by selling pot. One of them flirts with a security guard to get by with the stash but there are other complications. This captures the excitement of young people cutting loose away from their parents for the first time perfectly, and it’s amazing how universal youth culture has become. The girls could almost be Americans. This is much lighter than the other recent films I have recently seen from Eastern Europe. In Hungarian with American sub-titles.

I Don’t Belong Anywhere: Le Cinema de Chantal Ackerman (***1/2)-This companion piece to No Home Movie was shot is about Chantal Ackerman, an important experimental feminist film maker. It was shot as Ackerman as she shot her last movie No Home Movie. Chantal is a fascinating interview subject and she discusses her personal life (she says it is “full of missing links, blanks and I don’t even have a child,”) her film making methods, and the great influence of her mom. This film is particularly poignant because both her and her mom died recently. In French with English sub-titles. The film will have an extended run at the Gene Siskel Center on April 8-13.

Measure of a A Man (***1/2)-This well-acted film concerns the timely story of a 51 year old with a disabled son who loses his job, and his frustrating efforts to find a new one. He finds that his skills are outdated, and he has to take a humbling job as a security guard in a store. Soon he has to make an ethical choice when a struggling employee is caught cheating. Vincent Lindon who was marvelous in the title role won at best actor’s award at Cannes Film Festival, and this is definitely one of the best films at this year’s EU film festival. Playing on the closing day of the festival on Saturday, March 26 at the Gene Siskel Center at 4:15. In French with English sub-titles.

Wondrous Boccaccio (***)-This uneven compilation films adapts five stories by the great Italian literary master. The stories are told to teach others by a bunch of strangers trying to pass the time because they can’t leave during the plague. There are some good moments (especially in the start and last third) but the film isn’t nearly bawdy or clever enough to do Boccaccio justice. Pasolini’s Decameron is still the best Boccaccio film but this isn’t a bad time waster. Directed by the Taviani brothers who also directed the classic Padre Padrone. In Italian with English sub-titles.