Color of The Chameleon

Emil Christov's Color of The Chameleon (Bulgaria, 2012) - In the waning years of Communism in Bulgaria, the sad-eyed cipher Batko Stamenoz (Ruscen Vidinliev) is recruited by the secret police to spy on a subversive student group obsessively deconstructing a forbidden novel called Zincograph. When he's summarily dumped by the state spooks, the lifelong nobody finally gets his big chance to become a somebody, as he uses his well-learned wiles in the way of interrogation and counterespionage to create a genuine subversive threat out of entirely bogus fiction. (And possibly hasten the decline of the regime.) A black, absurdist riff on the dank literary labyrinths of Kafka, Le Carré and Don DeLillo, by way of the cinematic influence of David Lynch and Bernardo Bertolucci, Emil Christov's first movie is about how to succeed in politics without really existing. 2012TOR, 2013PALM, 2012THESic, 2013NDNF. RATING: 7.

Lore

Cate Shortland's Lore (Germany, 2012) - Told through the eyes of a Nazi-indoctrinated teenager leading her siblings on a trek to promised safety in the immediate aftermath of World War II, "Lore" offers a fresh, intimate and mostly successful perspective on Germany's traumatic transition from conqueror nation to occupied state. Played in a determinedly understated tone that will appeal to upscale auds and restrict broader commercial appeal, the sophomore feature by Aussie helmer Cate Shortland (2004's "Somersault") holds a marketing trump in the knockout lead perf by newcomer Saskia Rosendahl. World-preemed in the Sydney fest competition, the pic should generate respectable niche biz worldwide. 2012LOCpg, 2012TOR, 2013OE, 2013PALM, 2013ROTsp. RATING: 7.

Camion

MUST SEE: Rafael Ouellet's Camion (Canada, 2012) - 2012KVic Best Director Winner and ecumenical Prize winner. Two adult brothers help their widower father move on after a tragic work-related accident, and in the process find new directions for their own lives, in the poignant, low-key drama “Camion.” Confident helming, spot-on performances, and a closely observed look at a specific Canadian culture lend Quebecois multihypenate Rafael Ouellet’s fourth feature singularity and emotional resonance despite some familiar themes. Expect significant festival mileage for this tender but unsentimental pic, which nabbed director kudos and the ecumenical jury award in Karlovy Vary. French-Canadian rollout through K-Films Amerique begins Aug. 17. 2012KVic, 2012TOR, 2012VAN, 2013JUTRA, 2013PALM.

Voyage In Italy

GREAT MOVIES: Roberto Rossellini's Voyage In Italy (Italy, 1954) - Roberto Rossellini's finest fiction film (1953, 84 min.), and unmistakably one of the great achievements of the art. Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders play a long-married British couple grown restless and uncommunicative. On a trip to Italy to dispose of a piece of property, they find their boredom thrown into relief by the Mediterranean landscape--its vitality (Naples) and its desolation (Pompeii). But suddenly, in one of the moments that only Rossellini can film, something lights inside them, and their love is renewed as a bond of the spirit. A crucial work, truthful and mysterious. 2012CANcl, 1000DT, 1001M. RATING: 9

Paisan

GREAT MOVIES: Roberto Rossellini's Paisan (Italy, 1946) - Roberto Rossellini's follow-up to his breakout Rome Open City was the ambitious, enormously moving Paisan (PaisĂ ), which consists of six episodes set during the liberation of Italy at the end of World War II, and taking place across the country, from Sicily to the northern Po Valley. With its documentary-like visuals and its intermingled cast of actors and nonprofessionals, Italians and their American liberators, this look at the struggles of different cultures to communicate and of people to live their everyday lives in extreme circumstances is equal parts charming sentiment and vivid reality. A long-missing treasure of Italian cinema, Paisan is available here for the first time in its full original release version. 1948NBR, 1950AA, 1995NYFF. 1000DT, 1000NY, 1001M. RATING: 9

Casablanca

GREAT MOVIES: Michael Curtiz's Casablanca (US, 1942) - 1944AA Best Film and Best Director Winner. In this Oscar-winning classic, American expat Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) plays host to gamblers, thieves and refugees at his Moroccan nightclub during World War II ... but he never expected Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) - the woman who broke his heart -- to walk through that door. Ilsa hopes that with Rick's help, she and her fugitive husband (Paul Henreid) can escape to America. But the spark that brought the lovers together still burns brightly. 1942HIT, 1943NBR, 1944AA. 100TIME, 1000DT, 1000NY, 1001M, E500, EGM. RATING: 10

I'm So Excited

Pedro Almodovar's I'm So Excited (Spain, 2013) - Camp, kitsch and deliciously entertaining, cult Spanish director Pedro Almodovar heads back to his wilder comedy roots with I’m So Excited!, a bright, breezy and frothy aircraft-set comedy that is strong on sex and sexuality and light on drama. The film opens in Spain today before international releases through the summer, and has the bold transgressive comedy moves to be a hit with savvy Almodovar-loving audiences. RATING: 7