Like film? Check out this festival

Feel a little bummed since last year’s holiday run of great to good movies ended with There Will Be Blood? Are you finding it hard to make it to the theater to go see Rambo or Meet the Spartans? Well, the Northwest Film Center might have the solution.

Starting this weekend is the 31st annual Portland International Film Festival (PIFF). It will be held at theaters downtown and a dizzying array of foreign and domestic films will be shown for two weeks, so there’s no good reason to miss the many chances to see films from 40 countries that won’t be available on a large-scale after the festival.

But there are also some films that will see a wider release. This includes Gus Van Sant’s latest, Paranoid Park, a drama set in Portland that will see its local debut at the festival. And David Gordon Green, director of indie hit All the Real Girls, will be showing his newest, Snow Angels. But besides a few higher profile directors, there is mostly work by unknown filmmakers. Seventeen directors will have their feature debuts at PIFF. Also showing are several shorts from around the world.

I admit, this is my third year living in Portland and I’ve squandered both of my previous opportunities to attend PIFF. And that’s because, let’s be honest, nine dollars is a lot to spend on a film from a director you’ve never heard of, and a preview you haven’t seen.

Looking at the schedule it seems overwhelming to pick a movie to check out. Like candy at a convenience store, there are almost too many choices. However, unlike the proverbial candy, the products at PIFF are mostly a mystery. But take it from a first-timer, even if you don’t love the film, the culture alone will be worth the price of admission.

Alexandra

Alexandra is a strong woman. She also just lost her husband, and because of her loss, she tells her grandson she has stopped living for other people. The film is set in a Russian military camp in Chechnya, where Alexandra is visiting her only grandchild, who is an officer. She is obviously out of place but holds her own, socializing with the war-fatigued army. The resident Chechens are none the happier about the war–some refuse to sell goods to Russians. So, that’s the setting. Alexandra is a subtle look at a woman overcoming the loss of her husband, struggling with living in a male dominated society where, as she says, “The woman bears the burden.”

Alexandra at the Broadway MetroplexFriday at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at 2 p.m. Sunday at 8 p.m.

Chop Shop

12-year-old Ale lives in a world many would like to pretend doesn’t exist. He has no parents and makes a living on his own working, and living, at a maintenance garage that mostly strips stolen cars. Ale also makes money on the side, selling candy and snatching purses. It seems incredible, but the setting for this human drama isn’t in some far away third world country–it’s in Queens, New York. And Shea Stadium is a backdrop. Ale, like most around him, is chasing his version of the American dream. The dream is simple: He wants to buy a van so he and his sister can cook and sell food.

Alejandro Polanco plays Ale, and he gives a sincere and amazing performance as a child bearing the brunt of adult responsibility. Also, the director did a fine job of creating a world that is so close to the skyline of Manhattan, but also, so far away.

Chop Shop at the Broadway MetroplexTuesday at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at 7 p.m.

For more information and a full festival schedule visit www.nwfilm.org