From Canada, ‘Monsieur Lazhar’ is named after the film’s central figure and substitute teacher to twenty young students.  Grappling with their previous teacher’s suicide in their classroom, Lazhar’s unorthodox teaching guides the students through the discomforting reality of death by suicide, and while doing so his own personal tragedy comes to light. Contrary to expectations in this genre, the film does not slip into sentimentality. Rather in the hands of Director Phillipe Falardeau, this surprising gem is a careful and sensitive depiction of how we cope with shock and loss.

From Poland and three-time Oscar nominated Director Agnieszka Holland, ‘In Darkness’, literally and metaphorically true to its title, follows the real life story of a group of Jews seeking refuge in the city sewers. Their unlikely guardian is a local sewer inspector and thief, Leopold Socha. Holland effectively uses the dim light and strict confines of the sewer locations to make the angst and discomfort of her characters very real to the viewer. She admits to over the years turning down dozens of scripts with similar World War II themes, but this particular script caught her attention because it explores much more than the brutality of nations or the horrors of persecution; it captures the intimacies of its characters and how they react to one another once thrust into unforeseen circumstances.

‘Footnote’ is the ninth nominated film from Israel in this category. Director Joseph Cedar was previously nominated in 2007 for ‘Beaufort’. This film patiently and with great attention to detail depicts the rarified academic world of philology, the study of the language of ancient texts. Two rival Talmudic scholars, father and son, must agonizingly deal with the truth of their somewhat unrealized relationship. At a key point in the film the son ruefully exclaims of his father, “I don’t know who he is, its like he is another person.” One cannot help but see the irony of scholars for decades seeking meaningful truth in a few words and perhaps missing it in the admittedly challenging bond of father and son. Obsession, love and jealousy are weaved together to create an unusually entertaining mystery with deep and surprising epiphany.

From Belgium, ‘Bullhead’ follows the true-life story of the Belgian scandal in the mid nineties of illegal hormone fed cattle farming.  Director and Writer Michael Roskam became intrigued by the unusual and surprising synergy of gangster and farmer. Smashing preconceived ideas of how farmers conduct their business, this film is a hard-hitting crime drama also filled with the usual suspects, the unrelenting cop, corrupt officials/politicians and the ubiquitous and violent gangsters. Roskam adds the interesting twist of childhood friends who end up twenty years later on the opposite side of the question in a morality tale.  Roskam admittedly owes a debt to the film noir, and his inspiration to directors Michael Mann and the Coen brothers. With this exceptional effort and his first feature length film, Roskam is definitely one to watch.