El balancín de Iván

The Stranger(ja)

Candle to a Crucified(pt)

A slum boy's wake and his father's efforts to give him a last moment of dignity.

Revolution(en)

A coming-of-age story about Jack, a 16-year old Iranian boy growing up in 1989 Los Angeles. With the 1979 Iranian Revolution a distant memory, the AIDS movement as a backdrop, and a haunting score by Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij, Jack learns how to stage his own much smaller revolution within the confines of his traditional family.

I'm Sorry, My Love(en)

A solid middle American couple meet a stranger who will have a big role in history as we know it.

Summer Romance(ja)

This delightful short is a world away from Tomomatsu's later works. It's a lovely story, told well. The reason that I tracked it down is because I'm quite a fan of Alice Sailor's music. She fronts new wave band Amaryllis and I was curious to see her acting. She has frequently supplied theme songs and other music to several of Tomomatsu's films. Indeed, the most disturbing sequence in this movie is accompanied by a psychotic Amaryllis track, 'Haha', and the closing piece is another Amaryllis song, 'Usagi'. This rip comes from the 'Eat The Schoolgirl' DVD, where it was one of the extras. Having just watched the main feature from that disc, I can say with some certainty that I found this tale far more enjoyable.

Fables of Forgotten Things(en)

A mysterious drifter and his young friend must save a frightened, forgetful old lady from a memory eating ghost.

Tooty's Wedding(en)

A young couple's marriage hilariously hits the rocks during a weekend wedding in the country.

Requited(en)

Nicolas, a young man in his mid 20s, struggles to decide whether or not to go to the wedding of his best friend from high school, Aaron, who he's always been quietly in love with. The two had a falling out years earlier after Nicolas inexplicably kissed Aaron's girlfriend. Nicolas clings to an idealized image of his former friend, unconsciously sabotaging his own happiness in the process. The film is a realistic slice-of-life that poses the question "How do you get over something you never had?"

La surface de réparation(fr)

While Pierrot, surrounded by his friends, is glued to the TV watching a soccer match, Stella, his shy girlfriend, must give up celebrating her birthday. She had planned everything but had forgotten that it was a sacred evening - the second round of the playoffs.

Jean Fell in Love(fr)

Jean, 18 years old, is the prodigy heeler of his village rugby club. While his team is defending its title, he falls madly in love with Ayoub, a player from the opposing team. The brotherly relationship he has with his teammates turns out to be more fragile than he thought.

Works of Art(en)

Art Hahn is just one actor numbed by the New York struggle. One day, an unusual proposition from his friend, John Kim, leads him to a remarkable role that jolts his system like never before.

RE-Artists(en)

"Memory Revival" pianist Frederick confronts the "Memory Eraser" in a soul-wrenching duet that forces them both to reckon with memories of their childhood they had long-since forgotten.

The Forged Bride(en)

Professional forger Bill Butters realizes one day that the police are closing in on him, and convinces his daughter Peggy to flee.

Swell(en)

Swell is a smartphone app that changes your mood through sound. When a young couple tries to control each other’s settings, they find their relationship threatened by an unintended cacophony of emotions.

It's Still Your Bed(en)

David comes home from college to his family’s farm to find that his parents have hired a young man named Brent, who is also sharing his room. David is still in the closet and wants to come out to his high school friend, but he finds himself drawn to his new roommate and tries to determine if he is also gay.

Ella(fr)

Ella, a young aspiring actress, stands at a crossroads, pondering her journey on the day of a career-defining audition. her career. No matter how small, every decision can change the course of her day, illuminating the subtle battles of everyday life. In the heart-vibrant chaos of Paris, Ella navigates the complexities of her identity: a foreigner, a woman, and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.

The Night Before(en)

At any age, awaiting surgery can be a traumatizing experience, but at just 12 years old, young Danny Cole - a veteran to hospital stays - is trying to cope with this latest procedure as best he can.

Hair(fr)

Philippe, about thirty, discovers that he is becoming bald. For this backward adolescent musician, the loss of his hair is a real disaster. When he asks his dermatologist how much time he has left, this one tells him that only his father detains the answer to this question.

Everything's Eventual(es)

A reflection on contemporary privileged youth. Based on a short story by Stephen King where a nineteen-year-old loner is recruited by a strange corporation to kill specific targets from his home computer in exchange for a seemingly ideal life.

Symbiosis(hu)

A betrayed wife begins to investigate her husband’s mistresses. Her jealousy is gradually replaced by curiosity.

Animal(es)

Antonio Decoud is a conservative family man who is forced by destiny to face an unexpected situation that shakes him to the core, scrambling up his life and his priorities, pushing him to forget his beliefs and his way of understanding life and follow the most basic instinct: the animal instinct.

Prayers for the Stolen(es)

Ana and her two best friends, Maria and Paula, navigate life in their oppressive countryside village. Whilst their families struggle in the poppy fields harvesting opium, the girls try to grow alongside the creeping terror of their cartel oppressors.

The Substitute(es)

Lucio, a prestigious university professor, takes the position of substitute teacher at a high school in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, where he grew up. Through tales, novels and poetry, he tries to distract his class from the harsh reality of their everyday lives. But soon, he must step out of his professional duties when Dilan, one of his students, is threatened by a local drug kingpin.

Kamchatka(es)

In 1976, Argentina fell into the hands of a de facto government. Thousands of citizens are persecuted and kidnapped. This is the case of the parents of two children, who, knowing they are wanted, decide to hide.

7th & Union(en)

Ex-fighter Raymundo forms an unlikely bond with a disgruntled man whose life and relationship with his daughter are unraveling. The men join forces to win a fight that could very well save Raymundo, his wife and their child.

Enemigos(es)

Chimo turns 18 years and comes from a humble and supportive family. Since childhood he was bullied and even today, while working multiple jobs and dreaming of starting his own business, he continues to face his bully: El Rubio. When Chimo has the opportunity for revenge, he never imagines what begins as an act of retaliation could turn into an unexpected friendship that'll change both their lives.

El Polaquito(es)

At age 13, a street kid known as "El Polaquito" makes his living mostly by singing tangos on Buenos Aires commuter trains. He falls in love with a 16 year old prostitute, also working for the Mafia controlling child exploitation in one of Argentina's busiest train stations. He tries to rescue her from this cruel life with no future. But to do so, he must confront the ruthless adult gang leaders, as well as the young kids who protect them, believing that this Mafia is truly their only option.

The King of Havana(es)

Recently escaped from reformatory, Reinaldo struggles to get by in the streets of Havana in the late 90s, one of the worst decades for Cuban society. Hopes, disillusionment, rum, good humor and above all hunger, accompany him in his wanderings, until he meets Magda and Yunisleidy, survivors like himself. In one or the other's arms, he will try to escape the material and moral misery surrounding him, living love, passion, tenderness and uninhibited sex to the limit.

The Wrath of God(es)

Convinced the tragic deaths of her loved ones were orchestrated by a famous novelist she worked for, Luciana turns to a journalist to expose her truth.

My Neighbor Adolf(en)

South America, 1960. A lonely and grumpy Holocaust survivor convinces himself that his new neighbor is none other than Adolf Hitler. Not being taken seriously, he starts an independent investigation to prove his claim, but when the evidence still appears to be inconclusive, Polsky is forced to engage in a relationship with the enemy in order to obtain irrefutable proof.

Martin (Hache)(es)

After having a nearly fatal drug overdose, 19-year-old Argentine Martin is sent to Madrid, where his film director father lives with his new, younger lover, Alicia, and his bisexual actor friend, Dante.

The Truth About Emanuel(en)

A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.

Linda(es)

Self-assured, mysterious, and captivating Linda agrees to work at an affluent home in Buenos Aires. Her charm sparks strong sexual attraction among all members of the family, exposing how fragile their externally happy veneer really is.

Good Day, Ramon(en)

After five failed attempts to go to the United States, 18-year-old Ramón decides to look for a friend’s aunt in Germany, but never finds her. With no papers or money, and without knowing the language, he barely survives living on the street until he meets Ruth, an old retired nurse who doesn’t speak Spanish. Beyond language barriers and prejudices, they discover that solidarity and humanity make life bearable.

La Ciénaga(es)

Amid the sweltering summer heat in northern Argentina, two middle-class families retreat to a crumbling country estate and a modest townhouse, where strained relationships, simmering tensions, and the presence of children and servants quietly expose the fractures of family life. Between idle days, gossip, and unspoken desires, the boundaries of class, tradition, and faith are reflected in their everyday interactions.

The Enforcer(en)

A noir thriller set in Miami, the film follows an enforcer who discovers his femme fatale boss has branched out into cyber sex trafficking, putting a young runaway he’s befriended at risk. He sacrifices everything to save the young girl from the deadly organization he’s spent his life building.

Under the Same Moon(es)

Tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico.

The Girl in the Book(en)

The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.

The Safety of Objects(en)

In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.

Abzurdah(es)

A disenfranchised 16-year-old girl connects to an older man on the internet and after a brief one-sided affair descends into obsession and anorexia.