Spiritual Exercises: 10 Films by Olivier Smolders(2007)

Burnt by the Sun(ru)

Russia, 1936: revolutionary hero Colonel Kotov is spending an idyllic summer in his dacha with his young wife and six-year-old daughter Nadia and other assorted family and friends. Things change dramatically with the unheralded arrival of Cousin Dmitri from Moscow, who charms the women and little Nadia with his games and pianistic bravura. But Kotov isn't fooled: this is the time of Stalin's repression, with telephone calls in the middle of the night spelling doom - and he knows that Dmitri isn't paying a social call...

The Holiday(en)

Two women, one from the United States and one from the United Kingdom, swap homes at Christmas time after bad breakups with their boyfriends. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.

Marriage Story(en)

A stage director and an actress struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal extremes.

Back to the Future Part II(en)

Marty and Doc are at it again as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.

The Prestige(en)

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

Back to the Future(en)

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

Gladiator(en)

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Coco(en)

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

Good Will Hunting(en)

Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr. Sean Maguire helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.

The Matrix(en)

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

Parasite(ko)

All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

The Green Mile(en)

A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.

Dead Poets Society(en)

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

Aquaman(en)

Half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry is taken on the journey of his lifetime to discover if he is worth of being a king.

Training Day(en)

On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.

12 Angry Men(en)

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.

Pretty Woman(en)

While on a business trip in Los Angeles, Edward Lewis, a millionaire entrepreneur who makes a living buying and breaking up companies, picks up a prostitute, Vivian, while asking for directions; after, Edward hires Vivian to stay with him for the weekend to accompany him to a few social events, and the two get closer only to discover there are significant hurdles to overcome as they try to bridge the gap between their very different worlds.

Child's Play(en)

An innocent-looking doll is inhabited by the soul of a serial killer who refuses to die.

Train to Busan(ko)

When a zombie virus pushes Korea into a state of emergency, those trapped on an express train to Busan must fight for their own survival.

The Wolf of Wall Street(en)

A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.

Web of Desire(it)

Sarah Asproon returns to New Orleans to act as executrix of the estate of a millionaire whom she was once the mistress of. She must decide which one of his surviving family members will inherit his fortune. It's not a decision that she's willing to make alone....

Alphaville(fr)

Lemmy Caution is on a mission to eliminate Professor Von Braun, the creator of a malevolent computer that rules the city of Alphaville. Befriended by the scientist’s daughter Natasha, Lemmy must unravel the mysteries of the strictly logical Alpha 60 and teach Natasha the meaning of the word “love.”

Nurse Diary: Beast Afternoon(ja)

A doctor develops a new scientific breakthrough in female psychotherapy with the discovery of the “Dream Ring,” a device that is inserted into a woman to record her thoughts and dreams. But, one dark and stormy night, the doctor and his assistant end up dead… hanging by ropes from the rafters of their lab. The lovely Reiko suffers from a condition known as “genophobia” (the fear of sexual intercourse), so she is admitted to the Tachibana Clinic for observation. Another group of doctors have the “Dream Ring” device and use it on Reiko to analyze her wildly erotic, and violent, dreams and nightmares. The clinic doctors have more sinister reasons to test this device on Reiko, however, and secretly put her under hypnosis so that the ring is activated at any time she hears the sound of a bell. Can she escape the evil doctors’ experiment and, even if she does, who is that strange person, dressed all in black, following her around?

Julia(fr)

Giulia is an independent young woman who is prepared to offer her body and her spirit against all the religious taboos.

Sex Hunter(ja)

A beautiful young ballet dancer is accepted into a prestigious and exclusive dance academy. Overjoyed at the opportunity to further her career and repair her relationship with her boyfriend, she soon discovers that the academy has a dark side to it--and she may not be able to escape it.

Una mujer de Oriente(es)

A secret agent investigates the death of the scientist who created a deadly ray only to find out his own wife is involved.

Sliver(en)

A woman moves into an apartment in Manhattan and learns that the previous tenant's life ended mysteriously after they fell from the balcony.

Vesuvius(en)

You'll never look at a statue of the Virgin Mary the same way again. Based on the assertion that divine apparitions aren’t what they always appear to be, Vesuvius is an interesting take on the psychopath with Catholicism smacked against the background. Gio Alvarez provides a convincing portrayal of a madman, and people can even argue if this short inclines toward the supernatural or the psychological. Whereas Grave Torture uses darkness impeccably, Vesuvius plays with light so well.

The Duke of Burgundy(en)

Day in and day out, lovers Cynthia and Evelyn enact an elaborate sadomasochistic fantasy as mistress and maid. But as their ritual of domination and submission begins to turn stale, Cynthia yearns for something more conventional, while Evelyn tries to push their taboos even further.

Casablanca(en)

In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.

The Temptation of Kimono(ja)

Mikage will get married to Youiti next year, she agrees to live with Youiti's parents. One day, Youiti's father disrobed Mikage's Kimono and raped her. To her astonishment, her fiancé Youiti whom Mikage considers true love has an affair with his young stepmother. Shocked and devastated, what will Mikage do?

Trampa sexual(es)

The story revolves around the revenge that three girls, raped when they were younger, pretend to perform with all the men who cross their path.

Hidden Treasures(en)

A beautiful woman brings together a group of her friends in order to search for any treasures that may be hidden throughout a mansion given to her by her deceased father, and the girls find that they are more interested in exploring one another.

Erotic Karma(en)

In this erotic thriller, lies, deceit, murder and magic unfold as two rival professors lust after a sultry teacher's assistant.

Sex Tapes(en)

Erotic secrets are revealed to all when the scorching sex tapes made by three couples go missing in this sizzling tale.

The Book of Good Love(es)

Carne(fr)

After a dreadful incident coupled with an ungovernable paroxysm of violence, a butcher will fall into a downward spiral that will burn to the ground whatever dignity still remained in him.

Rebecca(en)

Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter. She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.

Secret Beyond the Door(en)

After a whirlwind romance in Mexico, a beautiful heiress marries a man she barely knows with hardly a second thought. She finds his New York home full of his strange relations, and macabre rooms that are replicas of famous murder sites. One locked room contains the secret to her husband's obsession, and the truth about what happened to his first wife.

Sunset Boulevard(en)

A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.