Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While the class goes through a long healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir’s painful former life; nor that he is at risk of being deported at any moment. Adapted from Evelyne de la Cheneliere’s play, Bachir Lazhar depicts the encounter between two distant worlds and the power of self-expression. Using great sensitivity and humor, Philippe Falardeau follows a humble man who is ready to transcend his own loss in order to accompany children beyond the silence and taboo of death.

Father James is a small-town priest in Ireland whose Sunday confessionals suddenly include a threat to kill him in a week’s time as a matter of principle. Deeply troubled and conflicted about how to respond, Father James tries to go on with his calling through that week. However, that proves impossible as he is confronted with a troubling variety of spiritual challenges from both his estranged daughter and his own parishioners. In those dispiriting struggles, Father James’ life begins to fall apart as time runs out towards a confrontation that seems to crystallize his values and what he wants his life to be.
Brendan Gleeson is excellent in the role of Father James. For fans of his previous works such as The Guard and In Bruges, we are in for a real treat. Don’t miss Brendan at his best.

Mismatched lunchboxes lead to an unlikely romance in the Indian drama that’s enchanted festival audiences around the globe, winning an audience award at Cannes and a Best Film nomination at the London Film Festival. A lonely Mumbai office worker receives the wrong packed lunch after a mix-up by the city’s famous dabbawala couriers, and is so impressed by its wonderful cuisine that he returns a note to its sender – a neglected housewife trying to rouse her husband’s affections.
So begins a letter-based romance in the vein of such classics as Shop around the Corner. But this deceptively simple set-up belies an intelligent, beguiling and understated (no Bollywood songs) drama packed with delicious looking food and delightful insight. Bolstered with winning performances from veteran actors Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi) and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, first-time director Ritesh Batra has reworked the classic ingredients of the ‘meet cute’ romantic comedy into a disarmingly original concoction to tantalize the taste-buds and warm the heart.