Teutonic Tale of Teen Tampering

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Following the theme of combatting rampant commercialism and consumerism, I recommend the German film The Edukators. Directed by Hans Weingartner, and starring Daniel Bruhl from "Goodbye Lenin" and the recent Maggie Smith/Judi Dench combo "Ladies in Lavender", and Julia Jentsch, who I am eager to see portray Sophie Scholl in the upcoming biopic about the White Rose, the film was shot on DV and maintains the immediacy inherent to that form.

The opening scene hooked me right away. A rich family returns to their mansion to find all their plush furniture piled in a pyramid in the centre of their gargantuan living room, their faux Venus de Milo danging by the neck from a noose, and their collection of Royal Doulton soldiers stuffed into a toilet. Nothing has been broken or stolen, just re-arranged. A note sits on their kitchen table: "You have too much money. Your days of plenty are numbered. The Edukators".

You can watch the Trailer.

Also on the foreign film recommendation list:

The Franco-Algerian Exils, a beautifully shot film showcasing fantastic scenery as the gypsy-duo travel by foot to Algeria, a wicked gypsy-spanish-afro score composed by the Director Tony Gatliff, and a mid-film flamenco sequence!
De Battre Mon Coeur S'est Arrete, also starring Romain Duris from Exils. I saw this sans subtitles when I was in Paris on a rainy afternoon. Mostly hand-held and dreamy blinking neon lights of the nightscape. A little violent, but the soundtrack and gorgeous actor more than compensate.

I found all these films at my local indie store, but they're also at Rogers stores acorss Canada.

Bon Appetit!