SIFF Happens, Take Two

The 2008 Syracuse International Film Festival rolls on this week

By Bill DeLapp

   Grandhotel. (widescreen; 93 minutes). Much like the Greta Garbo character from the 1932 MGM classic Grand Hotel, hotel maintenance man Fleischman (Marek Taclik) just wants to be left alone, too.

Wedding Day (25 minutes). Writer-director David Schmoeller’s ambitious comedy of errors traces three unique paths of amour in a truly international production. 

Artefacts. (75 minutes). A half-dozen 20-somethings, seemingly linked only by a group photo and a mysteriously forgotten past, are getting bumped off one by one. 

Dear Lemon Lima (widescreen; 12 minutes). Director Suzi Yoonessi’s brisk coming-of-age comedy about three outsiders maintains a flavorful indie-flick vibe: It’s shot in a widescreen format, features a throbbing palette of primary colors and offers an acute portrayal of tween-age confusion.

All the Invisible Things (90 minutes). The first half-hour of this Austrian drama is hell-bent on shocking viewers, with similarities to the latch-key losers of Larry Clark’s exploitive teen entry Kids (1995). 

Mahek. (75 minutes). From the Children’s Film Society of India comes this charming coming-of-age treat. The highly fanciful daydreams of 11-year-old schoolgirl Mahek Mirza (Shreya Sharma) have an unfortunate habit of colliding with jaw-dropping reality.

The French Lieutenant’s Woman (21 minutes). It’s not a condensation of director Karel Reisz’s 1981 adaptation of John Fowles’ novel, but rather an intriguing spinoff. 

Finding Normal (77 minutes). Brian Lindstrom’s impressive documentary chronicles the work of Central City Concern’s Recovery Mentor Program in Portland, Ore., dedicated to guiding drug and alcohol addicts onto the road of clean-and-sober success. 

A Noisy Boy (12 minutes). The backdrop is a grade school in Korea, although the plot constructed by director Seok-beom Alin is universal.