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LAKE TAHOE

Directed by Fernando Eimbcke
  • YEAR 7 - FILM 3 / 
  • Mexico / 
  • Spanish with English subtitles / 
  • 81 Minutes
LAKE TAHOE DVD & Online Streaming
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Synopsis

Teenage Juan crashes his family's car into a telegraph pole on the outskirts of town, and then scours the streets searching for someone to help him fix it. His quest will bring him to Don Heber, an old paranoid mechanic whose only companion is Sica, his almost human boxer dog; to Luc�a, a young mother who is convinced that her real place in life is as a lead singer in a punk band, and to "The One who Knows", a teenage mechanic obsessed with martial arts and Kung Fu philosophy.  The absurd and bewildering worlds of these characters drag Juan into a one day journey in which he will come to accept what he was escaping from in the first place--an event both as natural and inexplicable as a loved one's death.

AALTRA
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Comedians Beno�t Del�pine and Gustave Kervern, who wrote, directed, and co-star in this irreverent road movie, show a distinct flair for understated physical comedy and defiantly non-PC humor.

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CHOKING MAN
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BEN X
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Ben is different. His life is a universe all to itself, where he avidly plays his favorite on-line computer game in an attempt to train for and block out the reality of his daily experiences.  Ben has Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism that prevents normal communication and makes him ideal fodder for all the school bullies.  As the bullies' relentless attacks push him over the edge and out of control, his on-line dream girl, Scarlite, appears to him and helps him devise a perfect plan to confront the bullies and make them pay for their torment. Director Nic Balthazar's dazzling debut blends fantasy and harsh social realism, based on a true story, to bring us an utterly original and important film.
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ELDORADO
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Yvan and Elie are two loners who wander aimlessly through their lives.  Yvan is a quick-tempered 40-year-old vintage car dealer while Elie is a young burglar and ex-junkie. One day Yvan catches Elie trying to rob him. Instead of beating him up, he becomes strangely attached to him and agrees to drive him home to his parents in his old Chevrolet. Yvan and Elie are both nostalgic about lost relationships, which is what leads them to undertake a bizarre journey through a region that is as spectacular as it is crazy. Both are trying to find the pieces of a puzzle that they want to put back together, but it might be too late.
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SOMERS TOWN
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From the director (Shane Meadows) and star (Thomas Turgoose) of THIS IS ENGLAND comes this wry and captivating coming of age tale. Two teenagers, both newcomers to London, forge an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer. Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) is a runaway from Nottingham; Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a Polish immigrant, lives in the district of Somers Town, between King's Cross and Euston stations, where his dad is working on a new rail link. Marek lets homeless Tomo move into his room, unbeknownst to his father. The pair forms a hilarious bond, as they work odd jobs for an eccentric neighbor and compete for the attention of Maria, a beautiful young French waitress with whom they are both infatuated. But it's only a matter of time before Marek's dad discovers what's going on...
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Editorial Reviews



“Blissful…the film to beat at this year’s [Film Comment Selects] series.”



--Simon Abrams/ New York Press - Review

“Powerful”

--J Hoberman/ The Village Voice - Review

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Customer Reviews


George Napper - Customer Review
Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke proved he was talented with 2004's black-and-white festival darling 'Duck Season.' Here, he proves he is a genius. Just like 'Duck Season,' the film deals with the problems and pressures of adolescence, but unlike 'Duck Season,' it doesn't present any moral question that would take away from its rich, charming characters and deep, raw emotion. Diego Cataño plays Juan, a new driver in Yucatán who crashes his car into a telephone pole. He spends the morning looking for a good mechanic and finally finds one in David (Juan Carlos Lara II). David is a kung-fu nut and praises Shaolin monks and Bruce Lee (he's also the one who says 'give your sensei a hug'). Daniela Valentine plays teen mother Lucia, whose baby cries when in her arms, but is totally serene in Juan's, which alludes to later events in the film. Hector Herrera is excellent as Don Heber, a crotchety old mechanic with a runaway dog. Now, I bet you're wondering: how do all these people and elements tie together? Trust me, they do. It's a great story that has you emotionally invested to the very end. Interjecting the story are beautiful steady shots of the Yucatan landscape and city. Eimbcke obviously understands the gorgeousness of his home country. He also understands how to tell a great story; one that is moving and edgy at the same time; one that's quirky for a reason and not just quirk for quirk's sake. Without a doubt my favorite film of this year's SLIFF, 'Lake Tahoe' is a serene image of Mexican youth and culture wrapped up in a well-told tale that leaves you wanting a little bit more, like any good film should do. Give your Sensei a hug and see 'Lake Tahoe.' 5/5.


Jeff in Seattle - Customer Review
Lake Tahoe's story has a lot of potetnial, but I think it missed the mark with the film-making style. At first, it appears to be about a young man look for someone who could make an effort to help him get his car fixed (which he just crashed). It turned out that he was just struggling to cope with the death of his father. There were a lot of scenes where we see the protagonist walk from one screen to the other, so we can surmise that this is a slow-paced film. Also, there were a lot of black gaps between scenes, which I'd call a "slideshow gap", which is an effect that disconcerted and annoyed me. Maybe that was an intended effect, but it made me feel like turning the movie off. This is a well-intentioned film, but it could have been done better. I did like the wide shots of the buildings around town though.

Photos

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Diego Catano (Juan)
Diego Catano (Juan)
Juan Carlos Lara (David) & Diego Catano (Juan)
Diego Catano (Juan) & Daniela Valentine (Lucía)
Lake Tahoe Poster Art
Fernando Eimbcke (Writer, Director)