Pick of the day
“Day Night Day Night” (star)(star)(star)
(U.S., Julia Loktev; 1:34)
Like Santosh Sivan’s 1999 Indian film, “The Terrorist,” this is a tense study of a young woman caught up in act of meticulously planned terrorist violence moving like clockwork toward its violent goal. Only here, the target of the terrorist (Luisa Williams) is New York’s Times Square, and the narrative style is so spare, lean and bleak, you’re reminded of a Kafka fable filtered through a cinema verite documentary or a ’60s Godard. Words and speeches are minimal; the bomber’s black-masked handlers, the agents of destruction, are kept deliberately unidentified. The movie itself develops a chilly anxiety; Williams is remarkable. 8:15 p.m. Mon., LM. –M W.
Other choices
“Street Thief” (star)(star)1/2
(Malik Bader, U.S.; 1:26)
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The mock-documentary genre continues to expand its dramatic parameters, as proven by this small, homegrown bit of deception. Shooting in his native Chicago on high-def digital video, director Bader portrays a burglar named Kaspar Carr. The conceit is this: The thief allows a camera crew to follow him around and make a movie of his steely exploits. Mercurial and manipulative, Carr plays his chroniclers like a fiddle. While the film lacks sharp edges and narrative surprises, it at least asks a good question: At what point does a media witness to a crime become an accomplice? 6:15 p.m. Mon., AMC; 8:30 p.m. Oct. 18, AMC.
— Michael Phillips
“Fireworks Wednesday” (star)(star)
(Asghar Farhadi, Iran; 1:44)
A day in the life of marital dysfunction, “Fireworks” follows Hedieh Tehrani as a suspicious wife who’s convinced her husband is cheating on her and Tareneh Alidousti as a soon-to-be-wed housekeeper who is drafted into a plot to expose the husband’s deceptions. The film marks the third feature outing for Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who might consider snappier pacing next time; “Fireworks,” while moderately entertaining, is at least 30 minutes too long. (In Farsi, with English subtitles.) 4 p.m. Mon., AMC.; 4:45 p.m. Thu., LM.
–Jessica Reaves
“Come Early Morning” (star)(star)(star)
(Joey Lauren Adams; U.S., 1:37).
The “Chasing Amy” co-star’s directorial debut is a sensitively observed, minor-key drama about a small-town woman (Ashley Judd) trying to get over her penchant for hard-drinking, one-night stands. Its Sundance critics knocked it for having a bit of a Lifetime feel, but Judd’s natural tough-tender performance–one of her strongest since “Ruby in Paradise” –powers the film beyond standard cable fare. 7:15 p.m. Mon., AMC; 6:30 p.m. Wed., LM.
–Mark Caro
“Ten Canoes” (star)(star)(star)
(Rolf de Heer; Australia; 1:31)
Some of it borders on the cutesy, but there’s a lot to enjoy in this picture, set 1,000 years ago among the Aboriginal tribes of northern Australia. Reportedly the first-ever feature using actors speaking an indigenous Aboriginal language, it tells the fable of 10 men on a trek for canoe-making materials. Around this another story is wrapped, that of an old man and a younger rival for the old man’s third wife. The pictorial style–formal, wryly comic–plays up the lighter aspects of this tale. I wouldn’t call it an authentic folkloric expression, any more than the (far more manic) “Gods Must Be Crazy” was. But “Ten Canoes” takes you somewhere you likely haven’t been or seen before. 6 p.m. Mon., LM.
— M.P.
“Flannel Pajamas” (star)(star)1/2
(U.S., Jeff Lipsky; 2:04)
Jeff Lipsky’s romantic comedy-drama about a smart New York couple, Stuart (Justin Kirk) and Nicole (Julianne Nicholson), who meet, fall madly in love and marry, carries the tale a good deal farther than films like this usually do–right through the disintegration of a relationship that, at first, seemed perfect. The picture’s intelligence and strong cast (especially Jamie Harrold as Stuart’s mercurial brother) are major assets and its mood, look, literate dialogue and measured rhythm suggest something French rather than American–one of Arnaud Desplechin’s or Eric Rohmer’s talky romances, for example. But writer-director Lipsky isn’t a master of this style yet. Though his people and talk are witty and smart, the movie tends to wear you down before the end. 9:30 p.m. Mon. AMC; 8:45 p.m. Tue. LM; 5 p.m. Fri. LM.
— Michael Wilmington
“The Bridge” (star)(star)
(Eric Steel; U.S.; 1:31)
It’s one way to make a documentary–a morally dubious way, to middling results. For much of 2004, filmmaker Steel pointed his cameras at various spots among the tourists and bikers along the Golden Gate Bridge. His cameras caught nearly two dozen successful suicide attempts in action and one who survived the fall. Interviewing friends and relations of the jumpers, Steel attempts to explain the psychological demons plaguing a disparate variety of people. His film strains to mythologize the allure of the bridge itself, and its “false romantic promise,” as one woman calls it. “The Bridge” spans a sea of generalities. And you may feel, despite the proficient technique, that you’re watching a particularly scenic snuff film. 6:45 p.m. Mon., LM.
— M.P.
“Time” (star)(star)1/2
(Kim Ki-duk, South Korea; 1:37).
How much of our identity is external? Playing on South Korea’s obsession with plastic surgery, Kim Ki-Duk’s 13th feature film follows Seh-Hee, a gorgeous woman with a massive insecurity complex whose desperate attempt to reinvent her physical self has disastrous consequences. Actor Jung-woo Ha, as boyfriend Ji-woo, is great as a man peering into unfamiliar eyes, searching for his permanently altered true love. (In Korean, with English subtitles) 8:30 p.m. Mon, LM; 9:00 p.m. Wed, LM.
— J.R.
“The Paper Will Be Blue”
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(Radu Muntean, Romania; 1:35)
During the night of Dec. 22-23, 1989, mere hours after the fall of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, a squad of confused militia men navigates the chaotic streets of Bucharest rife with warring factions in “The Paper Will Be Blue.” Third feature by Radu Muntean (“The Fury”) adeptly blends docudrama realism and wryly observed humor in a manner comparable to fellow Romanian Cristi Puiu’s recent “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” and other local films, while offering yet another intimate-scaled, off-center examination of the impact of 1989. 5 p.m. Mon., AMC; 4 p.m. Tue., AMC; 6:30 p.m. Wed, LM.
— Leslie Felperin, Variety
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Chicago International Film Festival screenings are held at AMC River East 21 (AMC), 322 Illinois St.; Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema (LM), 2828 N. Clark St.; and Thorne Auditorium, on Northwestern University’s Chicago campus (THN), 375 E. Chicago Ave.. For ticket information, contact Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500 or the Festival hotline at 312-332-FILM. For a complete schedule, visit www.chicago filmfestival.com.