Film Picks: German Film Festival

John Lui Film Correspondent recommends

To Be A Teacher PHOTO: GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL
Patti Cake$ PHOTO: THE PROJECTOR
Alone PHOTO: FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL
Back To Burgundy PHOTO: FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL

Three teacher candidates are tracked, reality-show style, in To Be A Teacher (PG, 106 minutes). In Germany, the rigorous teacher training system includes a practical portion that puts trainees in classrooms, a place where expectations crash into an unforgiving reality. Director Jakob Schmidt will be in Singapore to give a post-show talk.

The 21st edition of the German Film Festival, billed as Singapore's largest, will feature more than 30 films spanning almost every genre.

WHERE: Alliance Francaise De Singapour, National Museum Of Singapore, Golden Village cinemas, Singapore Botanic Gardens, The Projector MRT: Various WHEN: Till Nov 12 ADMISSION: From $8.50 INFO: www.goethe.de/singapore/germanfilmfestival


PATTI CAKE$ (NC16)

106 minutes/ 3.5 stars

In this heartwarmer about a girl trying to make it in the man's game of hip-hop, Patricia "Dumbo" Dombrowski has three strikes against her: She is a white, plus-sized woman facing a rap world that treats her as a joke.

That is not the only thing holding her back in this from-the-streets drama that has won acclaim at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Patti is broke and caring for an alcoholic mother and wheelchair-using grandmother.

Australian actress Danielle Macdonald (with Siddharth Dhananjay) is funny and endearing as Patti, the New Jersey girl who feels every putdown hurled her way, then channels her rage and yearning into the art form that feeds her soul.

WHERE: The Projector, Level 5 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road MRT: Nicoll Highway ADMISSION: $13.50 INFO: For bookings and schedule, go to theprojector.sg


FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

In dystopian science-fiction adventure Alone (French title Seuls, NC16, 96 minutes), a teenage girl discovers that she and a band of other young survivors are left behind after some force makes everyone else disappear.

The family drama Back To Burgundy (M18, 114 minutes) has three siblings born in the region famed for its wine. Each has to find a way to reconnect with one another and the land of their birth.

WHERE: Shaw Theatres Lido, Alliance Francaise, The Projector MRT: Various WHEN: Thursday - Nov 19 ADMISSION: $13 INFO: For schedule and bookings, go to www.frenchfilmfestival.sg

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 03, 2017, with the headline Film Picks: German Film Festival. Subscribe