SF International Film Festival (Part II)

Here are a few more film reviews for the upcoming San Francisco International Film Festival, which starts tomorrow through May 8:

Solitary Fragments (Spain) is a close examination of family dynamics within the circle of human relations. Director Jaime Rosales weaves a natural and unbiased study of people struggling with everyday challenges while Yasuhiro Ozu's creative use of the split screen pieces the intersecting stories together.

Single mother Adela (Sonia Almarcha) leaves her provincial town in search of a better life in Madrid with her infant son. Struggling with a bland job, she moves in with Carlos (Luis Villanueva) and Ines (Miriam Correa). The roommates become friends and open up to each other about their personal lives over shared meals. Ines' mother Antonia (Petra Martínez) soon becomes an indirect acquaintance. A widow with three daughters, Antonia is literally the rock in the family. Dealing with one daughter's cancer prognosis and manipulated by another to help supplement her selfish ambitions, the normalcy of daily life unexpectedly ends for these these women when tragic events occur. The survivors have to find the strength to carry on, and the viewer is strongly drawn to the well-being of each character. I liked how certain silent scenes reflected the inner strength of the main characters. Lonliness, grief, and isolation surround them like an invisible wall yet they manage to maintain their dignity as life goes on, with or without them.

Secret (Taiwan) is a beautifully shot teen romance. Taiwanese pop artist Jay Chou built some acting chops in Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower" and he refined his skill with "Secret." Directing his own script, Chou plays Yeh Hsiang-Lun, an extremely gifted music student entering a prestigious academy. Innocent flirtations abound amongst students and the days are filled with lectures, sports, hi-jinks and 'piano battles.'

One day in an old music room, Lun encounters Lu Hsiao-Yu (Kwai Lun-mei) playing an alluring tune. This melody and the coquettish Yu begin to haunt Lun day and night. Eventually Lun discovers a photograph of Yu with his father (Anthony Wong), and the plot rises to a very dramatic and supernatural turn. Delicate and sweetly mysterious, Yu is the film's emotional center as she and Lun performs their magical symphony for all time.

Just Like Home (Denmark) is a wry comedy about trust and community within a small Danish town. Filled with eccentrics, the characters share their angst and loneliness, including a woman on the lam (Ann Eleanora J√∏rgensen), an angry pill-popper dealing with his childhood (Peter Gantzler), a stuffy poet (Peter Hesse Overgaard), and an optimistic civil servant (Bodil J√∏rgensen) with a shaky hold on her job.

Director Lone Scherfig does a fine job of painting a tableau of a conservative society as the residents struggle with the rumor of a male streaker in their midst. A local pharmacist opens up an anonymous hotline to find the culprit and calamity ensues as the townsfolk use it to air their grievances. Despite their initial misgivings, the hotline volunteers learn to find their voice, help each other, and heal the community. If you've seen "Italian for Beginners," you will want to check this out.

For tickets and information: go to www.sffs.org or call 925.866.9559