A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
The latest offering from the notorious Swedish provocateur Roy Andersson is a typically barmy, oblique black comedy about two travelling salesmen peddling novelty vampire teeth. Winner of the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival.
Vox, Saturday, October 25, 6.45pm
The Salt of the Earth
This documentary celebrates the beauty and fearless work of photojournalist Sebastião Salgado. Directed by European heavyweight Wim Wenders in tandem with the Brazilian photographer’s son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, it acts as a stunning visual ode to a unique talent.
Vox, Friday, October 24, 6.15pm and Sunday, October 26, 3.15pm
Trash
The British filmmaker Stephen Daldry – the big-name director of Billy Elliot, The Hours and The Reader – returns with a heartwarming Slumdog Millionaire-style drama about two Brazilian boys who stumble upon an important wallet while collecting trash from Rio de Janeiro's slums.
Emirates Palace, Saturday, October 25, 9.15pm
Two Days, One Night
Widely regarded as one of the leading filmmakers in Europe, Belgium’s Dardenne brothers offer another heart-wrenching realist drama, starring Marion Cotillard as a laid-off young mother who can only save her job by convincing her co-workers to forgo their bonuses.
Vox, Wednesday, October 29, 9.30pm
Winter Sleep
Winner of the esteemed Palme d’Or at Cannes, this 196-minute epic explores the rich-poor divide through the story of a retired actor who runs a remote mountaintop hotel in Anatolia, alongside a young wife he frequently quarrels with, and a recently divorced sister.
Vox, Tuesday, October 28, 8.45pm
rgarratt@thenational.ae