Some recommendations for the first week of the Seattle International Film Festival:
“Adam’s Apples.” SIFF’s spotlight on Danish films begins with this very dark and sometimes hilarious black comedy about a surly neo-Nazi who goes into treatment as an assistant to a rather daft but strangely persuasive country preacher (the excellent Mads Mikkelsen, soon to be James Bond’s new nemesis). 4 p.m. today, Pacific Place theater; 6:30 p.m. Monday, Egyptian theater.
“Wah-Wah.” Actor Richard Grant wrote and directed this somewhat autobiographical tale of growing up in Swaziland in the 1970s. The child in question is under the dubious tutelage of a drunken father (Gabriel Byrne), a frosty mother (Miranda Richardson) and brassy American stepmom (Emily Watson). It’s a little drifty, but Byrne gives a moving performance. 4:30 p.m. today, Egyptian; 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Pacific Place.
“Conversations with Other Woman.” A split-screen gimmick fuels this account of a man (Aaron Eckhart) and woman (Helena Bonham Carter) meeting at a wedding reception, who turn out to have more history than they first let on. The he-said, she-said idea is unevenly insightful, but the main problem is believing that Eckhart and Bonham Carter would ever be a couple. 7 p.m. today, Neptune theater.
“The Proposition.” An Australian Western, about outlaw brothers set against each other and a British sheriff (a very good Ray Winstone, from “Sexy Beast”) conflicted about the situation. Grungy and ultra-violent, this movie has some strong moments (a cameo performance by John Hurt is riveting) yet falls short of its potential. Rock star Nick Cave wrote the script; Guy Pearce and Danny Huston are the greasy outlaws. 9:30 p.m. today, Neptune; 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Neptune.
“Wordplay.” Delightful documentary about crossword puzzles, with a focus on New York Times puzzle designers Will Shortz and Merl Reagle and the annual national championship. We meet a group of wizard “solvers,” who gather in Connecticut every year for an amazingly suspenseful (no, really) tourney. 11 a.m. Saturday, Neptune; 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Neptune.
“5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.” The return of a cult classic from 1953, a truly wild movie about a crazed piano teacher and one unwilling student. Dr. Seuss worked on the screenplay. Once you see it, you’ll never forget certain images from this childhood fantasy. 11 a.m. Saturday, Egyptian; 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Broadway Performance Hall (change of venue).
“Twelve and Holding.” An unusual new film from “L.I.E.” director Michael Cuestra. It sneaks up on you: At first we seem to be watching a conventional kids movie, about three misfits dealing with a boy’s death, and then the film becomes increasingly sinister and disturbing – yet with an unpredictable streak of comedy. It doesn’t quite work, but the child actors are convincing. 3:45 p.m. Saturday, Broadway Performance Hall; 1:30 p.m. Monday, Broadway Performance Hall.
“The Scarlet Letter.” The great Nathaniel Hawthorne novel comes to beautiful life in this silent adaptation, which stars the mighty Lillian Gish (in one of her greatest performances outside a film by her mentor, D.W. Griffith). Live music by Donald Sosin, Joanna Seaton and Nick Sosin. 4 p.m. Saturday, Egyptian.
“A Prairie Home Companion.” The longtime radio show comes to the screen, in a story taking place over one night of the program’s final broadcast. Turns out Robert Altman is an inspired choice to direct this fantasy-tinged look at Garrison Keillor’s radio world. The huge cast – in which Keillor is merely a part – includes Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline and Lindsey Lohan. A funny, wise and somehow deeply pleasurable movie. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Neptune.
“1:1.” Danish director Annette Olesen made this tough look at life in a Copenhagen housing project, where the affair between a Danish girl and a Palestinian boy is upended by her brother’s beating. This filmmaker does very delicate, observant work with people (“In Your Hands” was a potent SIFF entry from two years ago), although at times this one seems too intent on delivering a social message as well. 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Harvard Exit theater; 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Harvard Exit.
“This Film is Not Yet Rated.” An entertaining documentary by Kirby Dick (“Sick”), about the ludicrously secret world of the people who assign movie ratings (R, PG-13, PG, et al.). Dick exposes the identities of some of these folks, and asks necessary questions about why certain movies get stricter ratings than others. 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Egyptian.
“Heading South.” An uneven offering from the director of the superb “Time Out,” Laurent Cantet. In the late 1970s, middle-aged women flock to Haiti as sex tourists, hiring young locals for companionship. Cantet never makes his critique of colonial attitudes overt, which seems to trouble some literal-minded viewers, but more bothersome is the going-nowhere story. Charlotte Rampling stars as a lofty, jaded sexual consumer. 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Pacific Place; 11 a.m. Monday, Egyptian.
“The King.” A young man (Gael Garcia Bernal) tracks down his biological father (William Hurt), now a born-again preacher, and proceeds to violently disrupt the man’s family. It’s somewhat one-note in its dourness, but the acting is strong and the music soundtrack is seductive. 4 p.m. Monday, Egyptian; 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Neptune.
“A Conversation with Stewart Copeland.” Once a member of The Police, Copeland has made a fun documentary (“Everyone Stares”) from his own home movies of the band in its early ’80s heyday. More lately a composer of film soundtracks, he will talk about his life in music. 7 p.m. Wednesday, Egyptian (note venue change).
“The Flowers of St. Francis” and “Open City.” Two films to celebrate the centenary of director Roberto Rossellini. First up is a rarely screened study of St. Francis, almost always listed among the finest films about faith ever made (1950). Fellini worked on the script. “Open City” is one of the true film classics, shot in the streets of Rome in the end days of World War II and virtually ushering in a movement called neo-realism. Anna Magnani became a worldwide star because of it (1945). 6:30 and 9 p.m. Thursday, Harvard Exit.
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