My Top 50 films of SIFF 2017
by ratcityfilmsociety | created - 13 Jun 2017 | updated - 13 Jun 2017 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. In Syria (2017)
85 min | Drama, War
A mother attempts to keep her family safe as war rages and a sniper lies in wait outside her home.
Director: Philippe Van Leeuw | Stars: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Abou Abboud, Juliette Navis, Mohsen Abbas
Votes: 2,975
2. Orecchie (2016)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
This tragicomedy begins when a man wakes up with a low ringing sound in his ears and discovers a cryptic note on his fridge "Your friend Luigi has died. P.S. I took the car."
Director: Alessandro Aronadio | Stars: Daniele Parisi, Silvia D'Amico, Rocco Papaleo, Pamela Villoresi
Votes: 536
3. The Oath (2016)
Not Rated | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A troubled father working as a doctor decides to go to extreme measures to save his daughter from the devastating influence of her drug-dealer boyfriend.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur | Stars: Baltasar Kormákur, Hera Hilmar, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Votes: 2,454
4. The Net (2016)
114 min | Drama
A North Korean fisherman breaks his boat engine by accident and drifts down to South Korea. After enduring brutal investigations in the South, he eventually gets sent back to North Korea.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Ryu Seung-beom, Lee Won-geun, Kim Young-min, Choi Gwi-hwa
Votes: 4,616
5. In the Radiant City (2016)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama
A man who testified against his brother returns to his rural Kentucky hometown twenty years later to face his fractured family.
Director: Rachel Lambert | Stars: Michael Abbott Jr., Marin Ireland, Madisen Beaty, Celia Weston
Votes: 240
6. Death in Sarajevo (2016)
85 min | Drama
The major hotel Europe in Sarajevo will receive an important visit on the anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, attack that triggered World War. As the manager of ... See full summary »
Director: Danis Tanovic | Stars: Snezana Vidovic, Izudin Bajrovic, Vedrana Bozinovic, Muhamed Hadzovic
Votes: 1,378
7. My Happy Family (2017)
120 min | Drama
In a patriarchal society, an ordinary Georgian family lives with three generations under one roof. All are shocked when 52-year-old Manana decides to move out of her parents' home and live ... See full summary »
Directors: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß | Stars: Ia Shugliashvili, Merab Ninidze, Berta Khapava, Tsisia Kumsishvili
Votes: 4,221
8. The Nile Hilton Incident (2017)
Unrated | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A maid witnesses a murder at an upscale hotel and a policeman is assigned to the case, but it soon becomes clear that important people don't want the case solved.
Director: Tarik Saleh | Stars: Fares Fares, Mari Malek, Yasser Ali Maher, Ahmed Selim
Votes: 9,284 | Gross: $0.08M
9. Wind River (2017)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A wildlife officer, who is haunted by a tragedy that happened because of him, teams up with an FBI agent in solving a murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation and hopes to get redemption from his past regrets.
Director: Taylor Sheridan | Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Graham Greene, Kelsey Asbille
Votes: 280,729 | Gross: $33.80M
10. Newton (2017)
Not Rated | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
A government clerk on election duty in the conflict ridden jungle of Central India tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels.
Director: Amit Masurkar | Stars: Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav
Votes: 21,221
11. Soul on a String (2016)
142 min | Drama
A killer is entrusted with a sacred mission.
Director: Yang Zhang | Stars: Jinpa, Sonam Nyima, Choenyi Tsering, Siano Dudiom Zahi
Votes: 265 | Gross: $0.00M
12. Patti Cake$ (2017)
R | 109 min | Drama, Music
PATTI CAKE$ is centered on aspiring rapper Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, who is fighting an unlikely quest for glory in her downtrodden hometown in New Jersey.
Director: Geremy Jasper | Stars: Danielle Macdonald, Sahr Ngaujah, Bridget Everett, Mamoudou Athie
Votes: 10,529 | Gross: $0.80M
13. Lady Macbeth (2016)
R | 89 min | Drama, Romance
In 19th-century rural England, a young bride who has been sold into marriage discovers an unstoppable desire within herself as she enters into an affair with a worker on her estate.
Director: William Oldroyd | Stars: Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Paul Hilton, Naomi Ackie
Votes: 27,306 | Gross: $1.13M
14. The King's Choice (2016)
133 min | Biography, Drama, History
April 1940. Norway has been invaded by Germany and the royal family and government have fled into the interior. The German envoy to Norway tries to negotiate a peace. Ultimately, the decision on Norway's future will rest with the king.
Director: Erik Poppe | Stars: Jesper Christensen, Anders Baasmo, Karl Markovics, Tuva Novotny
Votes: 10,084 | Gross: $0.11M
15. Ne gledaj mi u pijat (2016)
105 min | Drama
When Marijana's dominant father falls seriously ill, she takes over the role as head of the family. The new power constellation also gives her new freedom that she has to find out a way to deal with.
Director: Hana Jusic | Stars: Mia Petricevic, Niksa Butijer, Arijana Culina, Zlatko Buric
Votes: 1,269
16. Glory (2016)
101 min | Drama
A reclusive Bulgarian railway trackman finds millions of cash spilled on the tracks and turns them in to the police. When the transport ministry's head of PR Julia Staikova decides to use ... See full summary »
Directors: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov | Stars: Stefan Denolyubov, Margita Gosheva, Alexandra Angelova, Poli Angelova
Votes: 2,518 | Gross: $0.02M
17. Brigsby Bear (2017)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
After being freed from his life in an underground bunker, a man sets out to make a movie of the only TV show he has ever known.
Director: Dave McCary | Stars: Kyle Mooney, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins
Votes: 17,785 | Gross: $0.53M
18. Ivan (2016)
94 min | Drama
An ambulance driver in a small Russian town becomes inspired to make some life changes after he unexpectedly becomes the temporary guardian of a 7-year- old girl.
Director: Alyona Davydova | Stars: Polina Gukhman, Anastasiya Melnikova, Kirill Polukhin
Votes: 48
19. Small Town Killers (2017)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two Danish BFFs have lost interest in their wives and consider divorce, but end up getting drunk and hiring a Russian hitman online instead. The Russian flies in. Unfortunately, their wives get to know the Russian as well.
Director: Ole Bornedal | Stars: Nicolas Bro, Ulrich Thomsen, Mia Lyhne, Lene Maria Christensen
Votes: 2,761
20. At the End of the Tunnel (2016)
Not Rated | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A paraplegic computer engineer in a wheelchair starts hearing noises and voices of bank robbers in his basement.
Director: Rodrigo Grande | Stars: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Pablo Echarri, Clara Lago, Federico Luppi
Votes: 15,641
21. Columbus (I) (2017)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
A Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams.
Director: Kogonada | Stars: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Michelle Forbes
Votes: 20,983 | Gross: $1.02M
22. Camaleón (2016)
82 min | Drama, Thriller
Chameleon invites us into the darkest corners of the human mind as an unexpected guest interrupts a couple's last day together, transforming their peaceful farewell.
Director: Jorge Riquelme Serrano | Stars: Gastón Salgado, Paula Zúñiga, Paulina Urrutia, Alejandro Goic
Votes: 64
23. Say You Will (2017)
TV-14 | 95 min | Drama
A recent high school graduate cares for his mother and navigates his first relationship in the wake of his father's suicide.
Director: Nick Naveda | Stars: Travis Tope, Katherine Hughes, Israel Broussard, Sam Trammell
Votes: 814
24. Infinity Baby (2017)
80 min | Comedy
Owing to a genetic mix-up involving stem cell research, the recently founded company Infinity Baby is able to offer a service for aspiring parents who never want to leave the baby bubble - infants that do not age.
Director: Bob Byington | Stars: Kieran Culkin, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Stephen Root
Votes: 848
25. Gholam (2017)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama
Haunted by his past and with an uncertain future, Gholam gets involved in the conflict of a total stranger and sees it through to the very end.
Director: Mitra Tabrizian | Stars: Shahab Hosseini, Behrouz Behnejad, Nasser Memarzia, Corinne Skinner-Carter
Votes: 463
26. A Dragon Arrives! (2016)
105 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
An orange Chevrolet Impala drives across a cemetery towards an abandoned shipwreck in the middle of a desert landscape. It is the 22nd of January, 1965. The day before, the Iranian prime ... See full summary »
Director: Mani Haghighi | Stars: Amir Jadidi, Ehsan Goodarzi, Homayoun Ghanizadeh, Nader Fallah
Votes: 2,873
27. Goldstone (2016)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
Indigenous detective Jay Swan arrives in the town of Goldstone to search for a missing person, and his simple duty becomes complicated when he uncovers a web of crime and corruption.
Director: Ivan Sen | Stars: Aaron Pedersen, Alex Russell, Jacki Weaver, David Wenham
Votes: 6,247 | Gross: $0.09M
28. The Hippopotamus (2017)
Not Rated | 89 min | Comedy
Disgraced poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend's country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles.
Director: John Jencks | Stars: Roger Allam, Tim Charles, Rod Glenn, Amanda Holt
Votes: 4,329
29. Inversion (2016)
84 min | Drama
With fascinating insights into everyday life in Tehran, the film portrays the 'inversion" of a woman, and her mutiny against male domination.
Director: Behnam Behzadi | Stars: Sahar Dolatshahi, Ali Mosaffa, Alireza Aghakhani, Setareh Pesyani
Votes: 649
30. Borders (2017)
90 min | Drama
Four women from different regions develop friendships during a bus journey across West Africa, as they accomplish an everyday journey while facing the universal challenge of being independent women.
Director: Apolline Traoré | Stars: Olayinka Aklo, Eloi Coly, Djibril Dansokho, Nicolas de Bravo
Votes: 85
31. Weirdos (2016)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama
Just after the end of the Vietnam War and in the midst of the American bicentennial celebrations of 1976, runaway Kit and his girlfriend Alice hitchhike their way along the east coast of Canada.
Director: Bruce McDonald | Stars: Dylan Authors, Julia Sarah Stone, Molly Parker, Allan Hawco
Votes: 561
32. White Sun (2016)
Not Rated | 89 min | Adventure, Drama
Anti-regime partisan Chandra confronts physical, social and political obstacles for his father's funeral. His search for a solution takes him to neighboring mountain villages and encounters with the police and rebel guerrillas. A portrait of post-civil war Nepal during the fragile deadlocked peace process.
Director: Deepak Rauniyar | Stars: Dayahang Rai, Asha Magrati, Rabindra Singh Baniya, Sumi Malla
Votes: 617
33. Knife in the Clear Water (2016)
92 min | Drama
Ma Zishan (Yang Shengcang) is an aging Muslim farmer, part of the Hui minority. He and his family eke out an existence farming on an arid moonscape in China's northwest Ningxia province. ... See full summary »
Director: Xuebo Wang | Stars: Shengcang Yang, Shengcang Yang, Chenghua Li, Chengyou Li
Votes: 162
34. A Date for Mad Mary (2016)
82 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A woman newly released from prison seeks a date to bring to her best friend's wedding.
Director: Darren Thornton | Stars: Seána Kerslake, Carolyn Bracken, Denise McCormack, Barbara Brennan
Votes: 2,322
35. Crown Heights (2017)
R | 94 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
When Colin Warner is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend Carl King devotes his life to proving Colin's innocence.
Director: Matt Ruskin | Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Nnamdi Asomugha, Natalie Paul, Luke Forbes
Votes: 2,925 | Gross: $0.24M
36. Feather (2016)
98 min | Drama
Piuma is the story of Ferro and Cate, your average couple. All of a sudden, an unexpected pregnancy turns their world upside down. Hesitant and tentative, the two main characters navigate ... See full summary »
Director: Roan Johnson | Stars: Luigi Fedele, Blu Yoshimi, Michela Cescon, Sergio Pierattini
Votes: 689
37. Solitaire (I) (2016)
92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Therese, the mayor's wife in a Lebanese village, joyfully prepares for an overnight visit of her daughter's suitor and his parents. She excitedly shares the happy news of the engagement ... See full summary »
Director: Sophie Boutros | Stars: Julia Kassar, Ali El Khalil, Bassam Kousa, Nadine Khoury
Votes: 542
38. The Inland Road (2017)
TV-14 | 80 min | Drama
After surviving a fatal car crash, teenage runaway Tia moves in with the strangers involved in the accident, threatening the family's delicate balance.
Director: Jackie van Beek | Stars: David Elliot, Chelsie Preston Crayford, Jodie Hillock, Gloria Popata
Votes: 156
39. The Man (2017)
94 min | Drama
Simon, king of the Danish art scene, sees his life turned upside down when his unknown son Casper turns up.
Director: Charlotte Sieling | Stars: Søren Malling, Jakob Oftebro, Ane Dahl Torp, Sus Wilkins
Votes: 690
40. The Big Sick (2017)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
Director: Michael Showalter | Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
Votes: 143,639 | Gross: $42.87M
41. Free and Easy (2016)
99 min | Comedy
When a traveling soap salesman arrives in a desolate Chinese town, a crime occurs, and sets the strange residents against each other with tragicomic results.
Director: Jun Geng | Stars: Benbin Gu, Xarxu Wang, Gang Xu, Baohe Xue
Votes: 448
42. May God Save Us (2016)
TV-MA | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Inspectors Velarde and Alfaro must find what appears to be a serial killer. This hunt against the clock will make them realize something they'd never thought about: neither one of them is that different from the killer.
Director: Rodrigo Sorogoyen | Stars: Antonio de la Torre, Roberto Álamo, Javier Pereira, Luis Zahera
Votes: 12,299
43. I, Daniel Blake (2016)
R | 100 min | Drama
After surviving a heart-attack, a 59-year-old carpenter must fight bureaucratic forces to receive Employment and Support Allowance.
Director: Ken Loach | Stars: Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Sharon Percy, Briana Shann
Votes: 64,811 | Gross: $0.26M
44. Searchers (2016)
94 min | Drama
Inspired by the John Ford film The Searchers, an Inuit woman and her daughter are kidnapped by three Inuit men, while her husband and son are away. The Inuit husband sets out on a journey to find his family and punish the perpetrators.
Directors: Zacharias Kunuk, Natar Ungalaaq | Stars: Benjamin Kunuk, Karen Ivalu, Jonah Qunaq, Apayata Kotierk
Votes: 226
45. Mr. Long (2017)
129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Professional hitman Long takes on an assignment in Japan. When things go awry, he has to flee. Badly injured, he takes refuge in a deserted part of a small town.
Director: Sabu | Stars: Chang Chen, Shô Aoyagi, Yi Ti Yao, Run-yin Bai
Votes: 1,689
46. Bad Influence (2016)
89 min | Drama
Against the backdrop of an impending environmental crisis, two troubled adolescents strive to find their place in the world in this stirring debut film from Chile, which weaves together political themes both social and personal.
Director: Claudia Huaiquimilla | Stars: Andrew Bargsted, Eliseo Fernández, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Francisca Gavilán
Votes: 410
47. Gook (2017)
Unrated | 94 min | Drama
Two Korean-American brothers run a shoe store in L.A. county. Their friend, black eleven-year-old Kamilla, drops in and helps. On this day, the Rodney King verdict ignites the 1992 L.A. riots.
Director: Justin Chon | Stars: Simone Baker, Justin Chon, Curtiss Cook Jr., David So
Votes: 2,751 | Gross: $0.25M
48. Kills On Wheels (2016)
103 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Two disabled teenagers looking for meaning in their lives, team up with a wheelchair hit-man.
Director: Attila Till | Stars: Zoltán Fenyvesi, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Ádám Fekete, Mónika Balsai
Votes: 3,852 | Gross: $0.02M
49. The Winter (2016)
95 min | Drama
After years of working on an 'estancia' in Patagonia, the Old Foreman is forced to retire and a younge'r man takes his place. The change is difficult and challenging for both men. Each one must survive the oncoming winter.
Director: Emiliano Torres | Stars: Alejandro Sieveking, Cristian Salguero, Adrián Fondari, Pablo Cedrón
Votes: 275
50. Keom, tugedeo (2016)
122 min | Drama
A middle-class South Korean family where the father is fired from his job of 18 years, the mother feels pressure to be a top salesperson, and the daughter struggles to get into college, attempts to find a new meaning of success.
Director: Dong-il Shin | Star: Hye Eun Lee
Votes: 91
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