Warm Spring

Nuan Chun
a film by Wulan Tana

Seeking refuge from abusive foster parents, a seven-year-old orphaned girl runs away and finds safety under the care of a poor, illiterate old man from another village. Despite his lack of money and despite being taunted by friends, the elderly man does everything in his power to protect the young child whom he believes was delivered to him by fate.

Xiao Hua has escaped from her abusive foster parents and finds herself starved and barely conscious in a village of strangers. Though the villagers feel sorry for her, only an infirm old man is willing to take her in and provide for her care. The uneducated, elderly man is a hard worker, so he could afford to send Xiao Hua to school, even though he is barely able to support his own needs. Xiao Hua works hard at school and forms a close bond with the old man, whom she calls Grandpa, but he endures constant bitterness and betrayal from his son, Bao Zhu, and daughter-in-law, Xiang Cao, who is unable to conceive. Xiao Hua attempts to fill this void for them, but her innocence is rejected repeatedly by Xiang Cao's selfishness as she tries desperately to send Xiao Hua away.

The old man's only wish is to provide Xiao Hua with a home and a bright future and he will do anything he can to deliver his promises. While the villagers and his son don't understand what he could possibly expect from the young orphan, the old man's kindness melts away all the boundaries and gradually Xiao Hua thaws the hearts of Bao Zhu and Xiang Cao. This poignant story of selfless love is a study in patience and humility, with a stirring conclusion when the daughter-in-law must face her own intolerance and ingratitude when the truth about her husband is finally revealed.

Adapted from a true story and drawn from the real lives led by many poor, ordinary people, this heart-rending and deeply moving drama with its simple but profound message, illustrates their kindness and suffering endured for the sake of love. Writer/director Wulan Tana's first feature won her the prestigious Golden Rooster Award for Best Directorial Debut at Beijing in 2003.

Lou

A film by Belinda Chayko

Living in rural New South Wales, 27-year-old single mother Rhia is struggling to evade debt collectors and raise three young daughters, Louise, Leanne and Lani. The eldest, and hardened beyond her years, Lou blames Rhia for the departure of her father, who walked out ten months ago and hasn't been seen since. Mother-daughter relations hit bottom when Rhia takes in Doyle, her father-in-law, who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. Doyle turns Lou's initial hostility around with exciting tales of his South Seas adventures. But coursing deepest in his mind are fractured memories of Annie, his late wife, and before long, Doyle sees Annie in Lou and imagines he is courting her all over again.

Eleven-year-old Lou's life was instantly turned upside down when her father walked out on her mother and two sisters. Feeling abandoned, she copes by building a protective shell around her heart – afraid to let anyone hurt her again. Lou blames her mother for her father's departure and refuses to let her get close. However, life suddenly becomes more interesting when her estranged grandfather temporarily moves in to the family's home.

Doyle brings chaos with him, not least because he is ill and befuddled – living largely in the past. In his confused state, Doyle mistakes his granddaughter for his long departed wife, showering her with attention in an attempt to win her affections. Lou, intrigued, plays along with the fantasy, using her bond with Doyle against her mother. As the game progresses, Lou begins to experience genuine care from Doyle. Her tough shell begins to be chipped away and Lou ultimately understands what it is to be loved and to place her trust in adults – in the most unexpected of circumstances.

An intimate, insightful and contemplative slow-paced drama told from a child's point of view; a child taking that step through imagination and affection to discovering a more confident self. With remarkable performances and exceptional naturalism, the film is beautifully shot in and around the cane-growing area of Murwillumbah in northern NSW, the hometown of writer and director Belinda Chayko.

La ciénaga

The Swamp
a film by Lucrecia Martel

Two families spend the summer in the mountains of Salta in north-western Argentina. We hear the insistent clinking of ice cubes in glasses, the scrape of metal chairs on a concrete patio; we observe people splayed in beds trying to sleep through the humidity. Before long, the crowded domestic situation in both homes strains the families' nerves, exposing repressed family mysteries, and tensions that threaten to erupt into violence.

Mecha, the family matriarch, lives in a dilapidated country retreat near La Ciénaga with her husband Gregorio and her teenage children. The humidity is stifling and the only pastime the adults can think of is to drink – constantly. One drinking session by the pool leads to a trip to the hospital, leaving the children, with no adult supervision, to their own devices – sunbathing, hunting, dancing, driving illegally, and diving in the stagnant pool. The only adults who seem to care at all are the Indian servants who are constantly being harassed by Mecha for allegedly stealing towels. What unfolds is a subtle and sly look at intimacies of a middle-class family in crisis, with the microscope artfully observing the infidelities, alliances, prejudices and secret infatuations.

The many disturbing, and somewhat confusing images and dialogue, succeed in conveying the oppression, ills and limitations that plague the lives of the characters. This stunning 2001 debut feature from writer/director Lucrecia Martel offers a glimpse into Argentina's dysfunctional class dynamics and tortured race relations. Its striking and almost feral imagery creates a hypnotic portrait of the torpor and decadence of a decaying bourgeois society.