Classy Subtitle highlights wealth of European film

Swedish satire, The Square, which stars Dominic West, Elisabeth Moss and Claes Bang won the Palme d’Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival. Itl will close this year's Subtitle Film Festival in Galway.

placeholder image — Swedish satire, The Square, which stars Dominic West, Elisabeth Moss and Claes Bang won the Palme d’Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival. Itl will close this year's Subtitle Film Festival in Galway.

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

The Subtitle Film Festival returns to Galway’s Town Theatre later this month, offering people a chance to see foreign-language movies across a range of genres, which have been hits in their own countries. Subtitle opens on Friday night, January 26, with Polish film, Beyond Words – an exploration of identity, migration and family.

Directed by Urszula Antoniak, it draws on her own life as a Polish person growing up in Holland to tell the story of Michael, a successful young Berlin lawyer. There’s nothing to indicate his Polish background until his father, long thought to be dead, shows up. Michael is plunged into an existential crisis which is captured beautifully in this highly cinematic production. It’s on at 7pm on January 26.

That’s followed by Waterboys, a romantic comedy from Holland, which again centres on a father-son relationship. Victor is a crime novelist whose default mode is cynicism, while his son, Zach, is a cellist and a serious soul. Both get thrown out by their partners on the same day and embark on a trip to Scotland where Victor is promoting his latest book. It’s a turbulent experience. Zach needs to lighten up while Victor needs to grow up. Named after Mike Scott’s band, it’ll come as no surprise to learn that this film, directed by Robert Jan Westdijk, has a wonderful soundtrack. It’s on at 9pm on January 26.

The Fury of a Patient Man, a Spanish thriller will run on Saturday from 12 noon to 1.30pm. In this multi-awardwinning movie from first-time director Raúl Arévalo, who is better known as an actor, Curro emerges from prison, having served eight years for a failed robbery. He just wants to find his family and live a normal life. But his plans are thrown into disarray when a mysterious stranger shows up and drags him into a quest for revenge. This film has garnered 25 awards in festivals internationally since its release last year.

French movie, Intouchables, will follow from 2-4pm. This 2011 classic comedy plays with stereotypes around race, unemployment and disability. It’s a favourite on the Subtitle programme and further afield too, having grossed €445 million since its release.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.