An overweight shop clerk who goes on the road with two punk lesbians in Argentinean director Diego Lerman's Suddenly, out on DVD today. Fans of the early black-and-white work of Jim Jarmush and the laconic films of Aki Kaurismäki won't want to miss this treasure.
Also new today: Hal Hartley's Fay Grim, still out in theaters, and Isabel Coixet's The Secret Life of Words.
1. Suddenly
An overweight clerk (Tatiana Saphir) at a lingerie shop is held up at knife point by a pair of sullen punk lesbians in the streets of Buenos Aires. Driven more by curiosity than fear, she embarks on a seemingly aimless journey with Mao (Carla Crespo) and Lenin (Veronica Hassan.) Suddenly, Diego Lerman's brilliant little film, was a winner of audience awards at film festivals in Locarno, Havana, and Buenos Aires. Shot in black and white, Suddenly feels like the Argentinian take on Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise.
2. Fay Grim
Hal Hartley's Fay Grim opened in theaters last week and comes out on DVD today. Seven years after the release of Henry Fool, this sequel has morphed into a highly ironic political thriller. As the title character, Parker Posey travels from Queens to Paris and Istanbul to discover the mystery of her husband's disappearance. Jeff Goldblum, Elina Löwensohn, Chuck Montgomery, and Liam Aiken co-star.