Preview: The 46th Chicago International Film Festival, Week One

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There are a few notable films at this year’s festival that either weren’t screened for critics or that this critic simply couldn’t attend and we wouldn’t want to exclude them for that reason. So, here’s another four that may deserve your attention but we can’t say for sure with official synopses from the Chicago Film Festival. If we had the time and money, we’d check these out.

Tamara Drewe Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Tamara Drewe”
October 8th, 7pm

When Tamara Drewe sashays back to the bucolic village of her youth, life for the locals is thrown upside down. Tamara—once an ugly duckling—has been transformed into a devastating beauty (with help from plastic surgery). As infatuations, jealousies, love affairs, and career ambitions collide among the inhabitants of the neighboring farmsteads, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play using the oldest trick in the book—sex appeal.

Note: HollywoodChicago.com writer Patrick McDonald did see “Tamara Drewe” and will be publishing an interview with director Stephen Frears next week. Don’t miss it.

Certified Copy Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Certified Copy”
October 9th, 6pm
October 11th, 6:15pm

A gallery owner (Juliette Binoche, named Best Actress at Cannes) invites an accomplished author (William Shimell) on a drive with her to a picturesque Italian town. Their banter about the difference between artistic originals and copies is filled with flirtation, but the nature of their relationship becomes ambiguous when an honest misunderstanding leads to them feigning a marriage. Iranian visionary Abbas Kiarostami directs this meditation on authenticity and artifice.

Black Swan Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Black Swan”
October 12th, 8pm

This psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a dancer in a ballet company who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival (Mila Kunis). Black Swan takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect.

“Black Swan” is sold out but we’d be remiss if we ignored it completely.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives”
October 10th, 3pm
October 15th, 6:30pm

As his failing kidneys bring him face to face with mortality, Uncle Boonmee retires to the countryside to spend his last days there, reconnecting with family-alive, dead, and reborn. Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this visionary yet playful film is an enchanting blend of heady spiritual imagery and tender human drama that confronts the largest of questions-what happens to us after we die?

Come back on October 13th, 2010 for a look at week two and stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for consistent CIFF coverage, including red carpet photos of Ed Norton from tonight’s premiere, and interviews with Norton, Danny Boyle, Stephen Frears, and more.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com