Feature Films in Competition at the Zurich Film Festival

Vivamost selected a few Feature Films in Competition at the 16th Zurich Film Festival, starting on Thursday this week.

CHARTER

by Amanda Kernell

Alice can’t wait any longer, she hasn’t seen her two children for months. Full of woe and unable to bear it, she travels from Stockholm to her former home in the north. Although custody is not yet official, her ex-husband has kept the children away from her since their divorce. Against all reason, but driven by love, Alice is determined not to let the bond between herself and her son and daughter slip. Secretly, and without permission, she takes the two of them on vacation to a resort on Tenerife. She wants to use the week on the Canary Island to prove her love and prevent the greatest loss of her life – but as the clock ticks, hope dwindles. With sensitive imagery and brutal honesty, director Amanda Kernell explores the inner struggles of a mother who is about to lose everything. A multi-layered character study set against the beguiling backdrops of an icy north and warm south.

CHARTER Credit photo ZFF

Days, Times, Where
Fri. 25. Sep. 20:45* Corso 2
Sat. 26. Sep. 13:45 Corso 2
Tue. 29. Sep. 15:45 Corso 2
Thu. 01. Oct. 20:30** Kosmos 6
Sun. 04. Oct. 20:30 Corso 2
In attendance of
** Special “Soundtrack Zurich” Screening with Live-commentary by the film’s composer Kristian Eidnes Andersen (English, without subtitles)
Online Q&A
* Amanda Kernell (Director)

Genre: Drama
Country, Year: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, 2020
Runtime: 94 Min
Languages: Swedish
Subtitles: English, German

Cast: Ane Dahl Torp, Sverrir Gudnason, Tintin Poggats Sarri, Troy Lundkvist

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS

by Eliza Hittman

17-year-old Autumn is faced with making serious decisions after an unwanted pregnancy. Abortion is illegal in her home state of Pennsylvania, and the introverted teenager cannot count on getting any support from her family. Only her brash cousin Skylar turns out to be her ally in this difficult situation. In search of prospects, the two young women travel to New York City, where they have to survive without money or accommodation. Director Eliza Hittman sensitively tells the story of a teenager who wants to achieve self-determination in a misogynistic and resistant world. Her poetic imagery captures apparent trivialities to create a mixture of unembellished reality and melancholy reverie. The highly talented newcomers Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder play their roles with impressive naturalness. Under Hittman’s direction, they create one of the year’s most haunting cinematic moments with the scene that gives the film its title.

Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always – credit photo Focus Features

Days, Times, Where
Thu. 24. Sep. 18:15 Kosmos 1
Sat. 26. Sep. 21:30 Arena 3
Mon. 28. Sep. 16:30 Kosmos 6
Sun. 04. Oct. 18:00 Corso 2

Genre: Drama
Country, Year: USA, 2020
Runtime: 101 Min
Languages: English
Subtitles: German

Director: Eliza Hittman
Cast: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Sharon Van Etten, Ryan Eggold

PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME

by Lili Horvát

40-year-old Márta has found the love of her life. She met the mysterious János at a medical congress in New Jersey and arranged to meet him again in Budapest. Never before has she felt such strong feelings for someone. After almost 20 years, she now returns to her homeland in Hungary, leaving her brilliant career as a neurosurgeon and her previous life in the USA behind with the hope of a new, more fulfilling existence. As agreed with János, Márta waits on the Freedom Bridge – in vain. Irritated and disappointed, she sets off in search of the man of her dreams, but when she finds him, he claims to have never seen her before. At a blow, her new life shatters from one moment to the next, and Márta ends up traversing a fine line between love and madness. Packed with feeling and devotion, director Lili Horvát’s virtuosic imagery plunges us deep into the mystery of love and raises the question of what love actually is.

PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME – credit photo ZFF 

Days Times Where
Mon. 28. Sep. 21:00* Arthouse Piccadilly
Tue. 29. Sep. 18:15** Filmpodium
Thu. 01. Oct. 16:00 Corso 4
Sat. 03. Oct. 18:15 Corso 4
In attendance of
* Lili Horváth (Director)
** Lili Horváth (Director)

Genre: Drama
Country, Year: Hungary, 2020
Runtime: 95 Min
Languages: Hungarian, English
Subtitles: English, German

Director: Lili Horvát
Cast: Natasa Stork, Viktor Bodó, Benett Vilmányi, Zsolt Nagy, Péter Tóth, Andor Lukáts, Attila Mokos, Linda Moshier, Júlia Ladányi

SIN SEÑAS PARTICULARES / IDENTIFYING FEATURES

by Fernanda Valadez

Magdalena is searching for her son, who is presumed dead. Months ago, he left Mexico on the infamous 670 bus, to find a better life in the USA. Following vague clues and ignoring all official warnings, Magdalena clings on to his unknown fate. She travels north through a desolate Mexican landscape marked by violence and neglect. En route, she meets Miguel, a young man on his way back home after being deported from the USA. Unequal, yet connected by their odyssey, they continue their journey together through the dangerous, cartel-ruled territories and dark areas of uncertainty. Atmospherically dense and visually captivating, director Fernanda Valadez leads a forsaken mother to the place where victims and perpetrators clash and good and evil slide seamlessly into each other. A poetic thriller about the true drama of a country in danger of sinking into violence. And about the people who get lost in it.

SIN SEÑAS PARTICULARES / IDENTIFYING FEATURES – Credit photo ZFF

Days Times Where

Sun. 27. Sep. 21:00 Arthouse Piccadilly
Tue. 29. Sep. 16:00 Arthouse Piccadilly
Thu. 01. Oct. 19:00 Filmpodium
Fri. 02. Oct. 21:15 Corso 2

Genre: Drama
Country, Year: Mexico, Spain, 2020
Runtime: 97 Min
Languages: Spanish
Subtitles: German, French, English

Director: Fernanda Valadez
Cast: Mercedes Hernández, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela, Ana Laura Rodríguez, Laura Elena Ibarra

by Chaitanya

TamhaneThe ambitious Sharad has reduced his life to a single goal: to become one of the best vocalists of Khyal, a classical Indian singing style. The 24-year-old knows that learning the ancient, extremely demanding musical tradition requires years of practice and sacrifice. He devoutly follows in the footsteps of his late father and the teachings of his guru, while living in his grandmother’s apartment in the heart of Mumbai. But as the years go by, Sharad becomes increasingly disillusioned. He is not only left asking himself whether he will ever achieve the mastery that he strives for, but also whether classical music even has any place at all in modern-day India. THE DISCIPLE is the story of a young artist, his dreams, and the loneliness brought about by his passionate obsession for art. Meticulously staged down to the very last detail, this drama by director Chaitanya Tamhane takes us on a hypnotic journey accompanied by an expertly composed soundtrack.

The disciple – credit photo ZFF

• 16th ZFF
• Charter
• feature film in competition
• films
• NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
• PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME
• SIN SEÑAS PARTICULARES / IDENTIFYING FEATURES
• The Disciple