MOUNTAIN SHADOW FILM ARCHIVE
What kind of films does our film society bring exclusively to our community? Listed by the year and month the selected film screened at Mountain Shadow, a brief description is included; along with a link to the Mountain Shadow Film Review. For Mountain Shadow members, the vast majority of the films are available through the Member Lending Library.
2019 Film Selections
Paula
January’s Feature: From Germany. Synopsis: In this inspirational bio-pic, young German painter Paula Modersohn-Becker is determined to make her own rules in her turn-of-the-20th-century world. Rejecting convention, she explores her own artistic style, as part of the early expressionist movement. The headstrong artist travels alone to modern Paris, with others, including poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
Biography-Drama • 123 min. • In German & French, with English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Best of the Oscar Shorts, 2019
February’s Feature: A compilation of the “best” of Live-Action, Documentary and Animated Oscar nominees from 2018, including: “Tweet, Tweet,” (Animation, from Russia), “Fauve” (Live-action, from Canada), “End Game” (Documentary, from USA), “A Night at the Garden” (Documentary, from USA), “Weekends” (Animation, from USA), “Madre” (Live-action, from Spain), and “Late Afternoon” (Animation, from Ireland). There is no film review for this show.
Capernaum
March Feature: Nominated for Lebanon’s “Best Foreign Language Film” at the Oscars. Synopsis: A riveting tale of a 12-year old street-wise boy who sues his parent’s for having been born. This powerful film is on par with other titles we’ve brought to Walnut Creek from that part of the world, including “The Salesman” (2017), and “The Insult” (2018).
You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
2018 Film Selections
The Inland Road
January’s Feature: From New Zealand. Synopsis: After surviving a fatal car crash, teenage runaway Tia moves in with the strangers involved in the accident, threatening the family's delicate balance.
Drama • Not-rated • 80 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Best of the Oscar Shorts, 2018
February’s Feature: A compilation of the “best” of Live-Action, Documentary and Animated Oscar nominees from 2017. There is no film review for this show.
The Insult
March Feature: Nominated for “Best Foreign Language Film” at the Oscars. Synopsis: After an emotional exchange between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee escalates, the men end up in a court case that gets national attention.
Drama • Rated R • 113 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Arrangiarsi: Pizza and the Art of Living
April’s Feature - When Matteo Traccone’s life falls apart, he moves into a 1985 VW van, then traces his roots to Naples, birthplace of pizza, and discovers "arrangiarsi," the art of making something from nothing. He realizes he's not only "living the film," but needs to master arrangiarsi to survive.
Documentary • 91 min. The filmmaker presented his work in person. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
A Fantastic Woman
May’s Feature: From Argentina, Oscar winner for “Best Foreign Language Film, 2018.” Synopsis: Marina, a transgender woman who works as a waitress and moonlights as a nightclub singer, is bowled over by the death of her older boyfriend.
Drama • Rated R • 104 min. • From Chile, in Spanish, with English sub-titles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Quest
June’s Feature - autobiographical drama by Bay Area filmmaker, Santiago Rizzo. It’s a touching story between a Berkeley street kid in the ‘80’s who’s a graffiti tagger and a public school teacher who believes there’s no such thing as a bad kid.
Drama • 86 min. The filmmaker presented his work in person. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
The Desert Bride
July’s Feature: Teresa, a 54-year-old woman who works as a domestic employee in a family home in Buenos Aires. For decades she has taken refuge in the routine of her tasks, but now that the family has decided to sell the house, her life begins to totter.
Drama • Not-rated • 78 min. • In Spanish, with English sub-titles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
The Cakemaker
August’s Feature: From Israel and Germany, and Germany’s submission for “Best Foreign Film” at the 2019 Oscars. Synopsis: A German pastry maker travels to Jerusalem in search of the wife and son of his dead lover.
Drama • Not-rated • 113 min. • In German, Hebrew and English, with English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Mountain Shadow’s 4th Annual Short Film Competition
September’s Special Show: From 349 submissions, 10 jury-selected Finalists presented their works in person for audience choice awards. A terrific combination of animated, live-action and documentary shorts! After viewing the dvd, be sure to see the YouTube link of the filmmaker’s Q&A available under Film Reviews on the Mountain Shadow website. See more information here.
The Bookshop
October Feature: From Great Britain. Based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. Synopsis: England 1959. In a small East Anglian town, Florence Green decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop.
Drama • PG-13 • 113 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Pick of the Litter
November Feature: Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they're born and begin their quest to become Guide Dogs for the blind. Along the way, the dogs meet a community of dedicated individuals who train them to do amazing, life-changing things in the service of their human.
Documentary • 81 min. This show included live demonstrations and audience Q&A with certified mobility instructors and volunteer puppy raisers. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Swimming with Men
December: Feature: From Great Britain. Synopsis: A man who is suffering a mid-life crisis finds new meaning in his life as part of an all-male, middle-aged, amateur synchronized swimming team.
Comedy/Drama • Non-rated • 96 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
This month’s show included a delightful animated short film that is subsequently available for viewing on Vimeo, entitled Coin-Operated.
2017 Film Selections
Neruda
January’ Feature – Chile’s Academy Award submission for “Best Foreign Language film” Synopsis: A determined police inspector searches for Chilean politician/Nobel-prize-winning-poet Pablo Neruda after he goes into hiding in 1948. NERUDA is no run-of-the-mill biopic. This is a wildly inventive, poetic, often hilarious, and cinematically daring exploration of the blending of history, fiction, and identity.
Rated R - 147 min. - English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Best of the Oscar Shorts, 2017
February Feature – A compilation of the”best” Live-Action, Documentary and Animated Oscar nominees for 2016. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
The Salesman
March Feature: Winner of “Best Foreign Language Film,” the Iranian filmmaker, Asghar Farhadi (previous Oscar-winning film “A Separation”). Forushande (The Salesman) is the story of a young couple living in Tehran, whose relationship begins to turn sour during their performance of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
Drama / Thriller. From Iran, with English subtitles • Rated PG-13 • 125 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent
April Feature: Both a biopic of a complicated man and an exploration of the gathering forces that converged to shape a new American cuisine and create the cult of "celebrity chef"... A consummate hedonist, Jeremiah Tower's career spans the riotous sexual revolution of the 70's to the high rolling "greed-is-good" spirit of the '80s. Key interviews with celebrities & celebrity chefs cement Tower's influence on today's food culture and reveal how he transformed the restaurant industry and in the process changed the way we eat.
Rated-R, Documentary-Biography, 102 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Lost in Paris
May Feature and a Mountain Shadow favorite: Filmed in Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon’s signature whimsical comedic style, the film stars the filmmakers as a small-town Canadian librarian and a strangely seductive, oddly egotistical vagabond. A wondrously fun and hectic tale of peculiar people finding love while lost in the City of Lights it was judged the most popular show in 2017 by our audiences.
Comedy -- NR -- English Subtitles – 83 Min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
I Daniel Blake
June Feature: “Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, the latest from legendary director Ken Loach is a gripping, human tale about the impact one man can make. Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is a man out of time, the stubbornly self-reliant Daniel must stand up and fight for his dignity.
Rated-R, 100 min. In English, but close-captioned option recommended because of the strong accent. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Note: The wonderful film from the Scottish Film Institute that accompanied this feature film, “Mining Poems and Odes” can found online on both YouTube and Vimeo.
Glory (Slava)
July Feature: A suspenseful political drama. A railroad linesman finds millions in cash on the train tracks. He decides to turn the entire amount over to the police. Tsanko’s humble reality collides with a bureaucratic and media-obsessed professional world. Tough, gritty and real.
Non-rated - From Bulgaria with English Subtitles 101 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
In Pursuit of Silence
August Feature: This unusual documentary is a meditative exploration of silence and the impact of noise on our lives. The film takes you on an immersive cinematic journey around the globe—from a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto, to the streets of Mumbai, the loudest city on the planet—and inspires us to both experience silence and celebrate the wonders of our world. LA-based filmmaker, Patrick Shen, presented his film in person, engaging our audiences in Q&A.
Documentary - 81 min. - in English and Japanese with English Subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Mountain Shadow’s 3rd Annual Short Film Competition
September Special Show: 13 jury-selected finalists presented their works in person for audience choice awards. A terrific combination of animated, live-action and documentary shorts! After viewing the dvd, be sure to see the YouTube link of the filmmaker’s Q&A available under Film Reviews on the Mountain Shadow website. See more information here.
Polina
October Feature: Rigorously trained from an early age, a classical ballet dancer is about to join the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet. But when Polina discovers contemporary dance, she leaves it all and moves to France to work with a famous choreographer (played by Academy Award-winner Juliette Binoche). Once there, she realizes that determination doesn’t always lead to success.
112 minutes - NR - In Russian and French, English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Loving Vincent
November Feature: From Great Britain. Synopsis: In a story remarkably depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.
Animation/Biography • PG-13 • 94 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
JANE
December: Feature: “It took a woman to unlock the secret of early man.” So goes the promotional tagline for this film that’s been described as “Wondrous, Stirring, and truly moving.” (Hollywood Reporter). Chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall challenges the scientific consensus of her time and revolutionizes our understanding of the natural world in the acclaimed documentary JANE. Drawing from over 100 hours of never-before-seen footage, and set to a rich orchestral score from legendary composer Philip Glass, the film offers an unprecedented, intimate portrait of a trailblazer who defied the odds to become one of the world’s most admired conservationists.
90 min. Documentary / Biography. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
2016 Film Selections
Mustang
January Feature: Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. A timely and powerful tale of female empowerment set in present-day Turkey. An astonishing drama about the oppression of five spirited young women whose sexuality frightens the Muslim elders in the community.
Drama • PG-13 • 93 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Best of the Oscar Shorts, 2017
February Feature - A compilation of the”best” Live-Action, Documentary and Animated Oscar nominees for 2016. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
RAMS
March Feature: From Iceland. A New York Times “Critic’s Choice” and Winner, “Un Certain Regard” at Cannes International Film Festival in 2015. And, a surprise favorite at Mountain Shadow! Although two brothers share the land and a way of life, Gummi and Kiddi have not spoken in four decades. A film by Grímur Hákonarson. Icelandic, with
English subtitles • 93 min. • Non-rated • Drama / (dark) Comedy. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Embrace of the Serpent
April Feature: Academy Award nominee for “Best Foreign Language Film.” Filmed on location in the heart of the Amazonian jungle, this is a blistering and poetic tale of the ravages of colonialism on nature and native people. Inspired by actual journals kept by two Amazonian explorers. Co-written and directed by Ciro Guerra. The main American actor made an appearance via Skype for audience Q&A!
Adventure-Drama-History - 125 min - NR - English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Marguerite
May Feature: In 2016, Hollywood released a farcical bio-pic about the life of Florence Foster Jenkins (with Meryl Streep), about a New York no-talent socialite who believes she can sing opera. The French filmmaker, Xavier Giannoli, released this earlier film, as a far more masterful, touching, fictionalized portrayal of this tragi-comic character.
Drama-Comedy from France - 125 min. Rated R - English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
A New Color: The Art of Being Edy Boone
June Feature: “Inspiring portrait of an ebullient activist artist.” - San Francisco Chronicle A joyful and heartrending documentary by Berkeley filmmaker, Mo Morris; about community, art and lives that matter. Spanning one person’s life from Harlem to Berkeley, Edy Boone’s life inspires hope.
Documentary - 57 min. – in English. Note: The Filmmaker, Mo Morris, presented this film in person to our audiences. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
July Feature: This documentary tells the extraordinary story of the renowned international musical collective created by legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma. This brand new HBO feature-length documentary that was just as much a drama followed this group of musicians and storytellers as they explored the power of music to preserve tradition, shape cultural evolution and inspire hope.
Documentary / Music • PG-13 • 96 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
The Dark Horse
August Feature: Based on a powerful true story, this is the uplifting portrait of a brilliant but troubled New Zealand chess champion searching for the courage to lead, despite his struggles with mental illness.
Drama, Rated R, 124 min. Mostly in English, with some subtitles. Note: Due to the strong New Zealand accent, the closed-caption viewing option is suggested! You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Mountain Shadow’s 2nd Annual Short Film Competition
September’s Special Show: Ten jury-selected finalists presented their works in person for audience choice awards. A terrific combination of animated, live-action and documentary shorts! See more information here.
El Clasico
October Feature: A touching tale that combines a Romeo and Juliet story with a Don Quixote-like impossible quest. Two brothers who are two little people from Kurdish Iraq risk their lives to achieve a dream.
Drama-NR • 95 min. in Kurdish / English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Virgin Mountain
November Feature: “A charmingly offbeat romantic comedy.” - Hollywood Reporter Fusi is in his forties, but has yet to find the courage to enter the adult world. When a bubbly woman and an 8-year old girl enter his life, he is forced to take a leap.
From Iceland, with English subtitles - NR - Drama - 94 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Here is Harold
December Feature: A dark-tinged comic drama, in a winter holiday setting! After 40 years, Harold’s successful business selling furniture goes bankrupt when IKEA decides to open a new superstore next door. In anger and despair, he decides to go to Sweden to kidnap the IKEA-founder himself, Ingvar Kamprad.
Dark Comedy-Drama, from Norway, with English subtitles - NR-Strong Language - 87 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
2015 Film Selections
Force Majeure
January Feature: A family vacationing in the French Alps is confronted with a devastating avalanche.
Drama • Dark Comedy • 120 min. English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
The Best of the Oscar Shorts
February Feature - A copy of this film is NOT available. A compilation of the Live-Action and Animated Oscar nominees for 2015. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Reviews here.
Citizenfour
March Feature: Best Documentary Oscar winner. A documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.
Documentary / Biography • 114 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Timbuktu
April Feature: An Oscar nominee for “Best Foreign Language film.” Synopsis: where A cattle herder and his family who reside in the dunes of Timbuktu find their quiet lives -- which are typically free of the Jihadists determined to control their faith -- abruptly disturbed.
Drama • 97 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Marie’s Story
May Feature: From France, the touching, true story of Marie Heurtin, who is born both blind and deaf. Through tenacious sperseverance, Sister Marguerite wins her trust, and teaches her how to express herself.
Biography / Drama • 95 min. * French, with English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
An Honest Liar
June Feature: The life and career of the renowned stage magician turned scientific skeptic of the paranormal, James Randi.
Documentary / Biography / Comedy • 97 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Wild Tales
July Feature: Argentina’s Oscar nominee for “Best Foreign film”, A collection of short vinettes, all about a common theme of revenge.
Comedy / Drama / Thriller • 122 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
About Elly
August Feature: From Iran, a group of middle-class families on a beach holiday deal with the mysterious disappearance of a young woman in their group.
Drama / Mystery / Thriller • 119 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Mountain Shadow’s 1st Annual Short Film Competition
September’s Special Show: Seven jury-selected finalists present their works for audience choice awards. See more information here.
The Second Mother
October Feature: From Brazil. When the estranged daughter of a hard-working live-in housekeeper suddenly appears, the unspoken class barriers that exist within the home are thrown into disarray.
Drama / Comedy • 112 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Surviving Skokie
November Feature: Audience top pick at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October, 2015. filmmakers Eli Adler and Blair Gershkow presented their film in person and engaged Mountain Shadow audiences in Q&A.
Documentary • 66 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Heart of a Dog
December Feature: Creative media artist, Laurie Anderson’s very personal and utterly unique documentary.
Experimental / Documentary • 75 min. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
2014 Film Selections
Mine Vigante (Loose Cannons)
January Feature: In Itlaly, a traditional father struggling to accept two gay sons.
Drama / Comedy / Romance. 110 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Fill the Void
February Feature: When the older sister of Shira, an 18-year-old Hasidic Israeli, dies suddenly in childbirth, Shira must decide if she can and should marry her widowed brother-in-law, which also generates tensions within her extended family.
Drama / Romance • 90 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Wadjda (2014 Oscar Short Film)
March Feature: An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.
Drama / comedy • 98 min. • English subtitles. There is no film review for this show.
Helium (2014 Oscar Short Film)
This 2014 Oscar Best Short-Action film is from Denmark. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Facing Fear
April Film – One of two Short Documentaries, and a 2013 Oscar Nominee for “Best Short Documentary” Synopsis: A former neo-Nazi and the gay victim of his senseless hate crime meet by chance 25 years later. Jason Cohen, the filmmaker, presented his film in person.
There is no film review for this show.
The Lady in #6
April Film: One of two Short Documentaries, and a 2013 Oscar Award winner for Best Short Documentary. Synopsis: The world's oldest pianist and Holocaust survivor shares her story on how to achieve a long and happy life. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
On My Way
May Feature: From France, after some bumps in life, an aging beauty queen (Catherine DeNeuve) hits the road for a trip with her grandson.
Comedy / Drama • 116 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
The Rocket
June Feature: From Australia. A Laotian boy who is believed to bring bad luck to everyone around him leads his family and two new friends through Laos to find a new home. After a calamity-filled journey through a land scarred by the legacy of war, to prove he's not bad luck he builds a giant rocket to enter the most exciting and dangerous competition of the year: the Rocket Festival.
Drama • 96 min. • English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Locke
July Feature: A surprise favorite with Mountain Shadow audiences. From Great Britain, a film starring Tom Hardy in a solo performance. A man receives a series of cell phone calls in his car that dismantles his world by the choices he makes. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Gloria
August Feature: From Chile, a free-spirited older woman faces the realities of her whirlwind relationship with a man she meets out in the clubs. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Siddharth
September Feature: A man travels across India in search of his missing son, hoping for the best, fearing the worst. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Words & Pictures
October Feature: Drama/Comedy (U.S.) An art instructor and an English teacher form a rivalry that ends up with a competition / romance. 2014 Palm Spring Film Festival Nominee, Audience Award for “Best Narrative Feature Film.” You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
3 Still Standing
November Feature: Straight from its premiere at the Mill Valley Film Fest, the filmmakers and two of the San Francisco comics who are still standing presented this amusing, award-winning documentary to our audiences. The film includes interviews with Robin Williams, just shortly before his death. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Life of Riley
December Feature: Three middle-aged couples in the English countryside struggling with life and love, after learning of a friend’s terminal illness. while fearing the worst.
Comedy. From Great Britain. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.This 2014 Oscar Best Short-Action film from Denmark was screened at Mountain Shadow's March event, along with the delighful film from Saudi Arabid, Wadjda.
2013 Film Selection
Joyeux Noel
December Feature: This film first film Mountain Shadow screened in Walnut Creek. It was shown to community members to launch the film society’s first year in 2104. Synopsis: In December, 1914, an unofficial Christmas truce on the Western Front allows soldiers from opposing sides of the First World War to gain insight into each other's way of life.
Drama / History • 116 min. English subtitles. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Film Reviews: Encore Evening Series
Nebraska (U.S.)
Confession: One of Mountain Shadow director’s favorite films of all time! An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize. Starring Bruce Dern.
Adventure / Comedy / Drama • 115 min. One DVD copy available. You can read the Mountain Shadow Film Review here.
Blue Jasmine (U.S.)
One of Woody Allen’s best films, starring Kate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, others. Synopsis: A New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks a million, but isn't bringing money, peace, or love.
Drama • 98 min. There is no film review for this show.
Ida (Poland)
From director Pawel Pawilkowski. Synopsis: Anna, a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland, is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the German occupation.
Drama • 82 min. • English subtitles. There is no film review for this show.
45 Years (Great Britain)
Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay portray a married couple preparing to celebrate their wedding anniversary receives shattering news that promises to forever change the course of their lives.
Drama / Romance • 91 min. There is no film review for this show.
Trumbo (U.S.)
In 1947 Bryan Cranston stars as Dalton Trumbo, who was Hollywood's top screenwriter in 1947, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs.
Biography / Drama • 124 min. There is no film review for this show.
Frantz (French /German)
In the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious Frenchman who visits the fiancé's grave to lay flowers.
Drama / History / Romance • 113 min. • English subtitles. There is no film review for this show.
Death of Stalin (Great Britain)
Moscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly 30 years, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for power.
Comedy / Drama / History • 107 min. There is no film review for this show.
