Aug 2, 2011
SFFILM
Puzzle, (Rompecabezas, Argentina/France 2010), Natalia Smirnoff’s delicate first feature which focuses on a marginalized woman in Latin American society, opens Friday, September 9 at the San Francisco Film Society’s new theatrical home, San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema (1746 Post Street).
A middle-aged housewife, cherished by her husband and two sons but nevertheless taken for granted, discovers an aptitude for jigsaw puzzles in this beautifully modulated character portrait. After a broken dinner plate leads to an epiphany, María del Carmen (played by María Onetto, star of Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman) begins assembling newly purchased puzzles on a small table. Though her husband wonders what the point is, she perseveres, eventually signing up for a competition with a wealthier, more extroverted man named Roberto as her partner. Much of the film’s delight comes from watching the characters develop-as María finds the missing piece in her life, the members of her family tacitly acknowledge the ways in which they were keeping her from becoming whole.
Written by Natalia Smirnoff. Photographed by Barbara Álvarez. With María Onetto, Gabriel Goity, Arturo Goetz. 89 min. In Spanish with subtitles. Distributed by Sundance Selects.
Thursday, September 22 the Film Society will celebrate the official Grand Opening of San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema with an evening of special screenings and an open house reception. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.
For screeners contact hilary@sffs.org
For photos and press materials visit: sffs.org/pressdownloads
At San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema, the supremely stylish state-of-the art theater located in the ultra-contemporary New People building at 1746 Post Street (Webster/Buchanan) in Japantown, the San Francisco Film Society will offer its acclaimed exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs and events on a daily year-round basis for the first time in the organization’s storied 54-year history. For complete up-to-date information on all San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema programming, including buying tickets, visit sffs.org.
Upcoming San Francisco Film Society programs
Opens September 2: Film Socialisme Legendary director Jean-Luc Godard returns to the screen with a magisterial essay on the decline of European civilization.
Opens September 16: Aurora Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu destroys all notions of crime as entertainment in this painstakingly realistic anatomy of a crisis, delivering a chilling character study of an ordinary person driven to extremes.
September 23-25: Hong Kong Cinema New in 2011, presenting recent works from one of the world’s most exciting film industries.
September 26: The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan Private McKinley Nolan vanished 40 years ago on the Cambodian frontier. In 2006, his younger brother travels from rural Texas to Vietnam to try to unravel the story in this moving documentary.
September 27: Film Arts Forum Bimonthly information-sharing, discussion, networking, professional development jamboree for the Bay Area film community.
September 28 & 29: Shaolin With a superstar cast including Andy Lau, Jackie Chan and Nicholas Tse, and the participation of a group of real Shaolin monks, this is an action-packed story of a ruthless warlord’s rehabilitation through Buddhist practice.
Opens September 30: Passione John Turturro’s documentary looks at the musical roots and traditions of Naples, Italy, as well as its influence on the rest of the world.