THE MAID (LA NANA) (Chile/Mexico 2009) ***** Top 10
Directed by Sebastian Silva

It is very rarely that a seemingly effortless made film covers the raw emotions of vindictiveness, cunning and kindness.  The Golden Globe Nominee for Best Foreign Film THE MAID (LA NANA) from Chile is such a movie.  Cruel, compelling but ultimately charming, this true-to-life tale is clearly one film that will hit you hard.  But in a good way!

THE MESSENGER (USA 2009) **
Directed by Oren Moverman

Nobody likes or wants to watch films about the Iraq war.  Box-office results have proven that.  To make a film about two veterans of the Army’s Casualty Notification Unit delivering sad news of the deceased to the next-of-kin must have proven a hard sell for Oren Moverman making his directorial debut.  But flaws and all, THE MESSENGER is at times, an astonishing work.

DEFENDOR (Canada 2009) ***
Directed by Peter Stebbings

Everybody wants to be a superhero.  DEFENDOR is the story of a simple man, Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson), a construction company worker who dresses up at night to become DEFENDOR, a vigilante who has his way (marbles, wasps and a huge truncheon) with the bad guys. 

PANIQUE AU VILLAGE (A TOWN CALLED PANIC) (Belg/Fr/Lux 2009) ****
Directed by Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar

This is the silliest piece of stop-motion animated nonsense to be shown ever at a theatre this or any year.  But this is not necessarily a bad thing – if you love hilarity like that takes you to new heights of absurdity.

FISH TANK (UK 2009) ****
Directed by Andrea Arnold

Writer/director Andrea Arnold’s latest film could have a lot to do with her Oscar winning short WASP.  Her protagonist could most likely be the daughter of the single mum left outside the pub in WASP while mummy was trying to pick up at the bar.