Wide Variety of Films Showcased at the 2013 Florida Film Festival Now Through April 14

- Michelle Snow

The 2013 Florida Film Festival is in full swing, but there are still plenty of films, documentaries, and shorts to check out before the fest closes on April 14.

floridafilmfestposter2013Here are a few that we recommend:

Be Good – April 11 at Regal Winter Park Village
Todd Looby’s autobiographically-inspired tale is an evocative portrait of the pressures and rewards of modern parenthood. Amy Seimetz, one of Indiewire’s “Top 25 actors of 2011,” plays a mom who returns to work, leaving her struggling filmmaker hubby (Thomas Madden of Looby’s last film Lefty) in charge of their adorable baby while he tries to bang out a screenplay. The film speaks intimately about fatherhood, dreams put on hold, the bond of mother to child, and the ever-shifting parameters for child rearing.

British Shorts Now! – April 13 at Regal Winter Park Village and April 14 at Enzian
Running 97 minutes, this collection of British short films features the talents of Dame Judi Dench and Michael Fassbender, among others. Tales range from using social media to date to a day in the life of a Northern London pub to a son who tries to deal with the death of his mother only to discover she’s spending her “afterlife” in London.

Broken – April 13 at Regal Winter Park Village
Skunk (newcomer Eloise Laurence) is an eleven year-old diabetic girl who lives with her lawyer-father Archie (Tim Roth) and her older brother Jed. Though their family has been broken apart by divorce, they lead a regular life and share a residence in what seems like a normal British suburb. She hangs out with her brother and au pair Kasia, whose boyfriend Mike (Cillian Murphy), Skunk has a crush on. But when she witnesses one of her neighbors, a mentally disturbed young man named Rick, get beaten up for something he didn’t do by bitter and angry older neighbor Mr. Oswald (Rory Kinnear), things begin to change.

Free Samples – April 12 at Enzian
Jillian (Jess Weixler), a hung over, acerbic law school drop-out who is holding out for the return of her boyfriend, has been roped into dispensing free samples of ice cream from her friend’s food truck. She has not had her morning coffee, wishes she were dead, and manages to alienate nearly everyone in a day that will finally bring her to terms with herself and her life. Supporting cast includes Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Ritter.

The Hunt – April 13 & 14 at Regal Winter Park Village
Mads Mikkelsen, winner of the Best Actor prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, stars as Lucas, a school teacher in a small, close knit Scandinavian town. He limps through an ugly custody battle over his son, only to have the promise of that situation’s resolution ruined by the accusation of his being a child molester. The investigation that follows is nothing compared to the nightmare Lucas finds himself plunged into by the social leprosy of his suspected pedophilia.

Love is All You Need – April 14 at Regal Winter Park Village
In this romantic comedy, Philip (Pierce Brosnan), an Englishman living in Denmark, is a lonely, middle-aged widower and estranged single father. Ida (Trine Dyrholm), a Danish hairdresser recuperating from a long illness, has just been left by her husband for a younger, ditzy co-worker. The fates of these two bruised souls are about to intertwine as they embark for a trip to Italy to attend the wedding of Patrick and Astrid, Philip’s son and Ida’s daughter

Midnight Shorts – April 13 at Regal Winter Park Village
Running a total of 97 minutes, these short films range from 2 to 10 minutes in length and cover genres from horror to raunchy comedy. They usually require an open mind, a strong stomach, and a broad sense of humor. Last Saturday’s showing sold out, so expect a packed house this Saturday, as well.

Mud – April 12 & 14 at Regal Winter Park Village
Told from the point of view of two young Arkansas teenagers, 14-year-old Ellis (Tye Sheridan, The Tree of Life) and his best friend Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), the movie follows these adventurous boys as they explore an island where rumors tell of a boat that’s been stranded high in the trees by the latest flood. What they discover is the hiding place of a charismatic outlaw named Mud (Matthew McConaughey), who befriends the boys and enlists them in his search for his true love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) on the mainland and subsequent attempt to make a clean getaway.

Starbuck – April 12 at Regal Winter Park Village
David Wozniak (Patrick Huard) is an irresponsible, debt-ridden meat deliveryman for his father’s butchery. Unfortunately for him, he made numerous donations to a sperm bank 20 years ago that resulted in 533 children. Kids who have now filed a class action lawsuit with the fertility clinic to find out the identity of their biological father. This bittersweet and touching Canadian comedy is presented in French and Spanish with English subtitles.

Unfinished Song – April 11 at Regal Winter Park Village
In this sentimental comedy, Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) loves nothing more than the senior citizens choir she sings in at the local community center. This is not the case for her husband Arthur (Terence Stamp), who is far more interested in having a pint at the local pub than wasting time on something as frivolous as choir. In addition to his choir disdain, Arthur feels concerned that Marion, who’s in a bitter battle with cancer, just doesn’t have the strength to perform. What Arthur doesn’t seem to realize is that Marion’s passionate focus is exactly what is keeping her going. Gemma Arterton rounds out the leads as the community choir director who arranges fun numbers for the choir by the likes of Motorhead and The B-52s.

V/H/S/2 – April 13 at Enzian and April 14 at Regal Winter Park Village
This horror sequel to last year’s V/H/S is an anthology of dread, madness, gore, and very dark humor. A veritable all-star lineup of underground cult horror and genre filmmakers including Full Sail graduate Adam Wingard (You’re Next), UCF graduates Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale (The Blair Witch Project), Gareth Huw Evans (The Raid: Redemption) and Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun) join forces in this found-footage omnibus that delights in being bloodier, funnier, and way more intense than its predecessor.

For times, to purchase tickets, or to check out the list of other films still playing, visit FloridaFilmFestival.com.

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