After successfully escaping from East Germany, a young man constructing a tunnel to help his sister to get out finds that many more want to bolt to freedom as well. Based on a true story. [Dir: Roland Suso Richter/ 150min/ Thriller, Action-Adventure, Foreign/ Escape from socialism] How to See It Amazon (DVD) YouTube Video Search Google Video Search Films With … [Read more...]
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
Indian villagers take on British colonial troops in a high stakes game of cricket, the outcome of which will determine whether their village taxes (lagaan) will be raised to crushing levels or eliminated altogether. [Dir: Ashutosh Gowariker/ Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley/ 224min/ Musical/ Anti-Taxation/ Indian/ Hindi with English subtitles] The premise here is … [Read more...]
Das Experiment (2001)
WINNER: TOP 25 LIBERTARIAN FILMS A psychological experiment in which test subjects are divided into "prisoners" and "guards" spins out of control when the "guards" take their authority a little too seriously. [Dir: Oliver Hirschbiegel / Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Berkel, Justus von Dohnanyi / 120min/ Drama, Thriller, Foreign Language/ In German with English subtitles/ Power … [Read more...]
East-West (1999)
A naive Russian émigré and his family repatriate to post-WWII Soviet Union, only to discover, too late, the full truth about life under socialism. [Dir: Regis Wargnier/ Sandrine Bonnaire, Oleg Menchikov, Catherine Deneuve/ 120min/ Drama, Foreign Language/ France/ In French with English subtitles/ Escape from Socialism, Democide] We live in an age when reality, … [Read more...]
Bitter Sugar (1996)
A Cuban family is torn apart by socialist lies and repression. Story inspired by actual events. [Dir: Leon Ichaso/ Rene Lavan, Mayte Vilan, Miguel Gutierrez/ 102 min/ Romance, Drama, Foreign Language/ Cuba, USA/ In Spanish with English subtitles/ Escape from Socialism, Anti-Socialism] At this time of worldwide retreat from socialism, it’s easy to forget that a number of … [Read more...]
The Promise (1994)
The lives of two people are destroyed by the Berlin Wall and by their own weakness in the face of it. [Dir: Margarethe Von Trotta/ Meret Becker, Corinna Harfouch, Anian Zollner, August Zirner/ 115 min/ Drama, Foreign Language/ Germany/ In German with English subtitles/ Escape from Socialism] This German-made story about the Berlin Wall reflects the sad truth. The Wall … [Read more...]
L.627 (1992)
A dedicated French drug enforcement agent fights a hopeless battle to win the “War on Drugs.” [Dir: Bertrand Tavernier/ Didier Bezace, Jean-Paul Comart, Charlotte Kady/ 145 min/ Drama, Foreign Language/ France/ In French with English subtitles/ Legalize Drugs, Working for Government] See trailer here. Apparently the futile and counterproductive nature of the “War on Drugs” … [Read more...]
Luna Park (1992)
An anti-Semitic Russian gang member learns that his father may have been Jewish. [Dir: Pavel Lounguine/ Oleg Borisov, Andrei Goutine, Natalia Egorova/ 105 min/ Drama, Foreign Language/ Russia/ In Russian with English subtitles/ Social Tolerance] For many blue-collar Russians, the demise of the Soviet empire brought not tangible benefits, but simply loss of face. Russians … [Read more...]
The Story of Qiu Ju (1991)
The wife of a man beaten by a local official struggles against the system to get an apology. [Dir: Zhang Yimou/ Gong Li, Lei Lao Sheng, Liu Pei Qi/ 100 min/ Drama, Foreign Language/ China/ In Mandarin with English subtitles/ Law & the Individual, Resistance to Tyranny] An apology might not seem like much to get or ask for as compensation for a beating, but in this … [Read more...]
Europa Europa (1991)
Nazi officials unknowingly promote a young Jewish man to the highest ranks of the Hitler Youth. Based on a true story. [Dir: Agnieszka Holland/ Marco Hofschneider, Rene Hofschneider, Julie Delpy/ 115 min/ Action-Adventure, Biography, Foreign Language/ France, Germany/ In German with English subtitles/ Democide, Government as Bigot] The collectivist concept of racial … [Read more...]