CINEMA LISTING

Cinema Listings

The Washington Diplomat | March 2020

*Unless specific times are listed, please check the theater for times. Theater locations are subject to change.

AMHARIC Anbessa Directed by Mo Scarpelli (Ethiopia/Italy/U.S., 2019, 85 min.) Ten-year-old Asalif and his mother have already been displaced from their homestead to the outskirts of sprawling capital Addis Ababa, and it seems looming cranes are closing in on them again. With little to do, Asalif scavenges wires and bulbs from sprawling construction sites to literally keep the lights on in their makeshift house. Pushed around by new kids in the neighborhood, the sensitive child retreats into his imagination — the only place where he can rage like a lion against the forces he can’t control (NAFF and EFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE MON., MARCH 16, 7:15 P.M.

ARABIC Abou Leila Directed by Amin Sidi-Boumédiène (Algeria/France/Qatar, 2019, 135 min.) In 1994, amid the turmoil of the Algerian civil war, childhood friends and police officers S. and Lotfi embark on an odyssey through the desert in the north of the country as they search for an elusive terrorist named Abou Leila (NAFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE SUN., MARCH 8, 7:15 P.M. Khartoum Offside Directed by Marwa Zein (Sudan/Denmark, 2019, 75 min.) Sara is a remarkable and entrepreneurial young Sudanese woman whose dream is to have a soccer team that will one day compete in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Joined by her teammates, their love of sports, strong bond and street smarts challenge the stan dards and stereotypical perceptions of their country (NAFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE SAT., MARCH 7, 1 P.M., TUE., MARCH 10, 5:30 P.M. The Unknown Saint Directed by Alaa Eddine Aljem (Morocco/France/Qatar, 2019, 100 min.) When a recently released bandit returns to the place he buried the stolen loot, he is surprised to find a new shrine — that of the “Unknown Saint” — perched atop his once-ingenious hiding place. In the years since his arrest, a bustling village has grown next to the much-visited holy site, which is now a valuable tourist attraction relentlessly guarded by an array of quirky locals and a beloved guard dog (NAFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE THU., MARCH 12, 7:30 P.M., SAT., MARCH 14, 9:15 P.M.

ENGLISH 2 Weeks in Lagos Directed by Kathryn Fasegha (Nigeria, 2019, color, 115 min.) Ejikeme, an investment banker, comes home from the United States to invest in Nigerian businesses and falls in love with his partner’s sister Lola. But Ejikeme and Lola first must contend with the political ambitions of Ejikeme’s mother, who has ar ranged a marriage between him and the daughter of a powerful politician who is considering Ejik eme’s father as his running mate for the Nigerian presidency (NAFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE SAT., MARCH 7, 7:15 P.M., TUE., MARCH 10, 9:15 P.M. Atlantics Directed by Mati Diop (France/Senegal/Belgium, 2019, 104 min.) Set in Dakar, Senegal, this supernatural romantic drama ostensibly centers on a secret, star-crossed romance between the newly betrothed Ada and construction worker Souleiman. When Soulei man and his coworkers head out to sea in hopes of finding a better life in Spain, Ada and the other women left behind mourn the men’s absence. After a mysterious arson attempt on Ada’s wedding day, however, a young investi gator becomes convinced that Souleiman has returned and is somehow responsible (English, Wolof, French and Arabic). AFI SILVER THEATRE MARCH 21 TO 25 Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War Directed by Kerry David (U.S., 2019, 110 min.) The complex world of wildlife trafficking is viewed through a feminine lens in this thorough exploration of the emotional toll that poaching and wildlife crime are having on the courageous women fighting on the front lines (EFF). NATIONAL ZOO SAT., MARCH 14, 1 P.M. The Burnt Orange Heresy Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi (U.K./Italy, 2020, 99 min.) Hired to steal a rare painting from one of most enigmatic painters of all time, an ambitious art dealer becomes consumed by his own greed and insecurity as the operation spins out of control. ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., MARCH 13 Caméra d’Afrique Directed by Férid Boughedir (Tunisia/France, 1983, 95 min.) This new 2K restoration of Tunisian director Férid Boughedir’s landmark survey of African cinema features rare footage and in-depth interviews with pioneering African filmmakers and demonstrates how, despite a lack of funds and support, these filmmakers overcame many obstacles to bring inspiring African stories to the screen (NAFF; English and French). AFI SILVER THEATRE THU., MARCH 19, 7 P.M. Camille Directed by Boris Lojkine (France, 2019, 92 min.) In a rare look at the Central African Republic on film, Boris Lojkine explores the last months in the life of French photojournalist Camille Lepage, who was killed in 2014 at age 26 while covering the country’s ongoing civil war (NAFF; English, French and Sango).

*EFF = Environmental Film Festival **NAFF = New African Film Festival

AFI SILVER THEATRE SAT., MARCH 14, 5 P.M., MON., MARCH 16, 5:15 P.M. The Cave Directed by Feras Fayyad (Syria/Denmark/Germany/Qatar/ U.S., 2019, 107 min.) Under the war-torn streets of Ghouta, Syria, is a hospital known as “The Cave,” where pediatrician and managing physician Dr. Amani Ballour and her female colleagues attend to countless wounded civilians and victims of battle (English and Arabic). AFI SILVER THEATRE MON., MARCH 2, 7:20 P.M., WED., MARCH 4, 7:20 P.M. Current Sea Directed by Christopher Smith (U.S./Malaysia/Cambodia, 2020, 87 min.) This environmental thriller follows investigative journalist Matt Blomberg and ocean activist Paul Ferber in their dangerous efforts to create a marine conservation area and combat the relentless tide of illegal fishing. Along the way a new generation of Cambodian environmentalists are inspired to create a better life for their people (EFF). NAVAL HERITAGE CENTER SUN., MARCH 15, 7 P.M. Dying for Gold Directed by Catherine Meyburgh (South Africa/Lesotho/Mozambique/Swaziland, 2018, 98 min.) In 2004, in the biggest class-action lawsuit the country had ever seen, South Africa’s largest gold mining companies were accused of knowingly exposing miners to deadly dust and disease. Through a rich archive of footage from the colonial and Apartheid eras and intimate interviews with miners and their families, this film tells the untold story of the making of South Africa (NAFF; English, Xhosa and Southern Sotho). AFI SILVER THEATRE SUN., MARCH 15, 9:30 P.M. Earth Directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter (Austria, 2019, 115 min.) Several billion tons of earth are moved annually by humans — with shovels, excavators, or dynamite. Nikolaus Geyrhalter observes people in mines, in quarries, and at large construc tion sites, engaged in a constant struggle to take possession of the planet (EFF). NAVAL HERITAGE CENTER TUE., MARCH 17, 7 P.M. EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA WED., MARCH 18, 7 P.M. Emma Directed by Autumn de Wilde (U.K., 2020) Handsome, clever and rich, Emma Woodhouse is a restless queen bee without rivals in her sleepy little town. In this glittering satire of social class and the pain of growing up, Emma must adven ture through misguided matches and romantic missteps to find the love that has been there all along. ANGELIKA MOSAIC LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA Etched in Bone Directed by Béatrice Bijon (Australia, 2018, 73 min.) Jacob Nayinggul, an Aboriginal elder from Australia, knows that bones of his ancestors were stolen by scientists in 1948. For 60 years, they were held by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. When the Smith sonian finally agrees to repatriate the bones, Nayinggul creates a new form of ceremony (EFF). NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY SAT., MARCH 14, 4 P.M. Everything Must Fall Directed by Rehad Desai (South Africa, 2018, 85 min.) When South Africa’s universities raised their fees in 2015, a wave of students took to the streets in opposition. Quickly gaining momentum and scope, the battle cry #FeesMustFall burst onto the political landscape and became a national conversation, bringing attention to the exclusion of poorer black South Africans from higher education (NAFF; English and Zulu). AFI SILVER THEATRE MARCH 7 TO 12 Freedom Fields Directed by Naziha Arebi (Multiple countries, 2018, 97 min.) British-Libyan filmmaker Naziha Arebi’s debut documentary offers an intimate look at post-revolu tion Libya through the eyes of an aspiring all-female soccer team, whose struggle to gain main stream acceptance mirrors the broader challenges facing women in contemporary Libyan society (NAFF; English and Arabic). AFI SILVER THEATRE TUE., MARCH 17, 7:10 P.M. Greed Directed by Michael Winterbottom (U.K., 2020, 104 min.) In this satire on the gross inequality of wealth in the fashion industry, a self-made British billionaire finds his retail empire is in crisis after a damaging public inquiry tarnishes his image. To save his reputation, he decides to bounce back with a highly publicized and extravagant party celebrating his 60th birthday on the Greek island of Mykonos. ANGELIKA MOSAIC LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA OPENS FRI., MARCH 6 The Hidden Kingdoms of China Directed by Emma Fraser (U.K., 2020, 88 min.) China is the world’s most populated country with more than 1.4 billion people inhabiting its vast, extreme wild lands alongside creatures seen nowhere else in the world. Some of its secrets are still undiscovered…until now (EFF). THE AVALON THEATRE SAT., MARCH 21, 10 A.M.

30 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | MARCH 2020 Hope Gap Directed by William Nicholson (U.K., 2020, 101 min.) Grace (Annette Bening) is shocked to learn her husband (Bill Nighy) is leaving her for another after 29 years of marriage, which causes an ensuing emotional fallout on their only grown son. Unraveled and feeling displaced in her small seaside town, Grace ultimately regains her footing and discovers a new, powerful voice. ANGELIKA MOSAIC LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA OPENS FRI., MARCH 6 Kifaru Directed by David Hambridge (U.S., 2019, 79 min.) Two young Kenyan rangers knowingly take on the hopeless mission of caring for the world’s last male northern white rhino as they commit to provide care, comfort and compassion for a creature living on borrowed time (EFF). NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FRI., MARCH 20, 7 P.M. The Last Tree Directed by Shola Amoo (Nigeria, 2019, 98 min.) A British boy of Nigerian heritage enjoys a happy childhood in Lincolnshire, where he is raised by a doting foster mother and surrounded by a tight-knit group of friends — until his real mom re claims him and deposits him into a much different life in her small, inner-London flat (NAFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE FRI., MARCH 13, 5:25 P.M., WED., MARCH 18, 5:15 P.M. Lost Warrior Directed by Nasib Farah, Søren Steen Jespersen (Denmark/Sweden, 2018, 81 min.) Mohammed grew up in England, but was deported at age 19 to Somalia, where he was radicalized and recruited by al-Shabab. After witnessing the damage the terror organization was wreaking on innocent civilians, Mohammed defects and marries Fathi. When Fathi returns to her native London and discovers she’s pregnant, the couple must navigate global poli tics and personal relationships to build a better future for their son (NAFF; English and Somali). AFI SILVER THEATRE WED., MARCH 18, 7:20 P.M. Ordinary Love Directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn (U.K., 2020, 92 min.) Joan and Tom have been married for many years. There is an ease to their relationship that only comes from spending a life time together and a depth of love that expresses itself through tenderness and humor in equal part. When Joan is unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer, the course of her treatment shines a light on their relationship as they are faced with the challenges that lie ahead and the prospect of what might happen if something were to happen to Joan. ANGELIKA MOSAIC LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA Pariah Dog Directed by Jessie Alk (U.S., 2019, 77 min.) This lyrical, kaleidoscopic picture of the city of Kolkata, India, is seen through the prism of four outsiders and the neglected street dogs they love (EFF). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA SAT., MARCH 14, 9:30 P.M. Mulan Directed by Niki Caro (U.S., 2020) A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father in this live-action feature film based on Disney’s “Mulan.” ANGELIKA MOSAIC ANGELIKA POP-UP OPENS FRI., MARCH 27 A Reindeer’s Journey Directed by Guillaume Maidatchevsky (France/Finland, 2018, 86 min.) Vulnerable newborn reindeer Ailo must overcome the challenges that stand in the way of his first year of life in the stunning landscapes of Lapland (EFF; English and Finnish). EMBASSY OF FINLAND SAT., MARCH 21, 3 P.M. The Roads Not Taken Directed by Sally Potter (U.K./U.S./Sweden, 2020, 85 min.) This film follows a day in the life of Leo (Javier Bardem) and his daughter, Molly (Elle Fanning), as he floats through alternate lives he could have lived, leading Molly to wrestle with her own path as she considers her future. ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., MARCH 20 Sea of Shadows Directed by Richard Ladkani (Austria, 2019, 104 min.) When Mexican drug cartels and Chinese traffickers join forces to poach the rare totoaba fish in the Sea of Cortez, their deadly meth ods threaten to destroy virtually all marine life in the region. “Sea of Shadows” follows a team of scientists, conservationists, in vestigative journalists, and courageous undercover agents as well as the Mexican navy as they put their lives on the line to save the marine life and bring the vicious international crime syndicate to justice (EFF). CARNEGIE INSTITUTION FOR SCIENCE FRI., MARCH 13, 7 P.M., SUN., MARCH 22, 4 P.M. Sorry We Missed You Directed by Ken Loach (U.K./France/Belgium, 2020, 101 min.) Hoping that self-employment through the gig economy can solve their financial woes, a hardup U.K. delivery driver and his wife struggling to raise a family end up trapped in the vicious circle of this modern-day form of labor exploitation. LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS FRI., MARCH 27 The Story of Plastic Directed by Deia Schlosberg (U.S., 2019, 93 min.) Unlike any other plastic documentary you’ve seen, “The Story Of Plastic” presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to our cur rent global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry

has successfully manipulated the narrative around it (EFF). NAVAL HERITAGE CENTER FRI., MARCH 13, 7 P.M. WOODROW WILSON CENTER FRI., MARCH 20, 12 P.M. Talking About Trees Directed by Suhaib Gasmelbari (Sudan/France/Chad/Germany/ Qatar, 2019, 93 min.) Four retired Sudanese filmmakers attemp to revive movie0going in a country where the oppressive regime has all but wiped out national film history and culture (NAFF; English, Arabic and Russian). AFI SILVER THEATRE TUE., MARCH 10, 7:15 P.M. Under Thin Ice Directed by Denis Blaquiere (Canada, 2019, 88 min.) This film chronicles an extraor dinary expedition undertaken by Canadian extreme divers and cinematographers Jill Heinerth and Mario Cyr as they dive with belugas and narwhals in the open Arctic Ocean (EFF). EMBASSY OF CANADA WED., MARCH 18, 3 P.M. Vote for Kibera Directed by Martin Páv (Czech Republic, 2018, 90 min.) This powerful documentary, set in one of Africa’s largest slums against the backdrop of Kenya’s 2017 presidential elections, fol lows Don Wilson, a photographer who lives in the Kibera district of Nairobi and aims to show the world aspects of his home that transcend images of trash moun tains and crime (NAFF; English and Swahili). AFI SILVER THEATRE MON., MARCH 9, 9:30 P.M. Wendy Directed by Benh Zeitlin (U.S., 2020, 112 min.) In this wildly reimagined classic story of Peter Pan, Wendy — lost on a mysterious island where ag ing and time have come unglued — must fight to save her family, her freedom and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up. ANGELIKA MOSAIC LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA OPENS FRI., MARCH 6

FRENCH Barkomo Directed by Aboubacar Bablé Draba (Mali, 2019, 76 min.) Set in the 17th century in a small cave-dwelling village in northeastern Mali, this film follows Yamio, a woman who, unable to conceive after 10 years of marriage and shamed by the fertility of her husband’s second wife, throws herself off a cliff. When she miraculously lands without suffering any harm, she she discovers that she is pregnant with a miracle child and has the chance to change the fortunes of everyone around her (NAFF; French and Dogon). AFI SILVER THEATRE SAT., MARCH 7, 2:45 P.M. Le Bonheur Directed by Agnès Varda (France, 1965, 80 min.) Though married to the goodnatured, beautiful Thérèse, young husband and father François finds himself falling unquestioningly into an affair with an attractive postal worker. AFI SILVER THEATRE MARCH 27 TO 31 Cléo from 5 to 7 Directed by Agnès Varda (France/Italy, 1962, 90 min.) Pop chanteuse Cléo, awaiting the results of a medical examination and convinced she is going to die, spends two hours wandering the streets of Paris, her mood swing ing from melancholic to merry as she is strangely enlivened by her existential quandary. AFI SILVER THEATRE MARCH 20 TO 26 Desrances Directed by Apolline Traoré (Burkina Faso, 2019, 95 min.) Francis resettles in the Ivory Coast after the brutal massacre of his family in Haiti. Years later, Francis, his wife Aissey and 12-year-old daughter Haila await the birth of a son, who to Fran cis’s excitement and Haila’s irritation is immediately regarded as the worthy heir to the Desrances name (NAFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE FRI., MARCH 13, 7:30 P.M., TUE., MARCH 17, 9:20 P.M. Dhalinyaro Directed by Lula Ali Ismaïl (Djibouti, 2019, 85 min.) Djibouti’s first feature film is an exuberant portrait of the day-to-day lives of three 18-yearold women as they stand at a crossroads in their lives (NAFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE SAT., MARCH 14, 11:30 A.M. Flesh Out Directed by Michela Occhipinti (Mauritania/Italy, 2019, 94 min.) In keeping with the traditions of her Mauritanian home, the announcement of Verida’s impending arranged marriage brings with it the beginning of gavage — the ritual of over-eating in order to attain a fuller figure more desirable to her future husband. But as the ritual’s becomes increasingly all-consuming, Verida’s resistance to the intense expectations of her culture grows (NAFF; French and Hassanya). AFI SILVER THEATRE SUN., MARCH 8, 3:15 P.M., WED., MARCH 11, 5:15 P.M.

Our Lady of the Nile Directed by Ramata Sy (Rwanda/France/Belgium, 2019, 93 min.) This bewitching, visually lush adaptation recounts the coming of age of a group of schoolgirls at a Belgian-run Catholic boarding school in Rwanda. Set in 1973, the film takes inspiration from true events that would come to foreshadow the 1994 Rwandan genocide (NAFF; French and Kinyarwanda). AFI SILVER THEATRE SUN., MARCH 15, 1 P.M., TUE., MARCH 17, 5:15 P.M. La Pointe Courte Directed by Agnès Varda (France, 1055, 86 min.) The great Agnès Varda’s film career began with this graceful, penetrating study of a marriage on the rocks, set against the backdrop of a small Mediterra nean fishing village. AFI SILVER THEATRE MARCH 21 TO 25

Portrait of a Lady on Fire Directed by Céline Sciamma (France, 2020, 121 min.) In 18th-century France, a young painter, Marianne, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse without her knowing. Therefore, Marianne must observe her model by day to paint her por trait at night. Day by day, the two women become closer as they share Héloïse’s last moments of freedom before the impending wedding (in French and Italian). ANGELIKA MOSAIC LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA The Truth (La Vérité) Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda (France/Japan, 2020, 106 min.) Fabienne is a star of French cinema. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir returns from New York to Paris, where the reunion between mother and daughter quickly turns confrontational, as truths are told, accounts settled, loves and resentments confessed (French and English). ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., MARCH 27 Wine Calling Directed by Bruno Sauvard (France, 2018, 95 min.) There are more than 3,000 wine growers in France but less than 3% of them are working in bio, biodynamic or natural methods of wine production. For ethical reasons, this relatively small community of wine growers has chosen environmentally friendly farming practices aimed at finding the natural expression of terroir (EFF). EMBASSY OF FRANCE MON., MARCH 16, 7 P.M.

GEORGIAN And Then We Danced Directed by Levan Akin (Sweden/Georgia/France, 2020, 113 min.) A passionate tale of love and liberation set amidst the conservative confines of modern Georgian society, this film follows Merab, a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble. The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli — gifted with perfect form and equipped with a rebellious streak — throws Merab off balance, sparking both an intense rivalry and romantic desire. LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

GERMAN Balloon Directed by Michael Herbig (Germany, 2020, 125 min.) This thriller is based on the true events of one of the most daring escapes of the Cold War. In the summer of 1979, the Strelzyk and Wetzel families try to flee East Germany in a self-made hot-air balloon. But after the balloon crash-lands just before the West German border, the Stasi finds traces of the attempted escape and immediately launch an investigation. In a nerve-wracking race against the clock, the two families attempt to build a new escape balloon as the Stasi gets closer and closer (German and English). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

ICELANDIC The Seer & The Unseen Directed by Sara Dosa (U.S./Iceland, 2019, 84 min.) When the elves — invisible spirits of nature that over half of Icelanders believe in — enlist a grandmother to speak on behalf of nature under threat, she begins a journey to protect a lava field set to be razed by road construction — just one of the many needless projects in the wake of Iceland’s 2008 financial meltdown (EFF). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA MON., MARCH 16, 7 P.M.

JAPANESE Inland Sea (Minatomachi) Directed by Kazuhiro Soda (Japan, 2018, 122 min.) Forsaken by the era of modernization of post-war Japan, Ushimado — a small village in Seto Inland Sea, Japan — is rapidly aging and declining. This observational, black-and-white documentary po etically depicts the twilight days of a village and its people by the dreamlike Inland Sea (EFF). JAPAN INFORMATION AND CULTURE CENTER FRI., MARCH 13, 6:30 P.M.

KOREAN Memories of Murder Directed by Bong Joon Ho (South Korea, 2003, 132 min.) Set against the political turbulence of the 1980s, this film traces the friction that develops between a pair of detectives — one a small-town investigator in over his head, the other a young hotshot from Seoul — as they try to catch a serial killer who is mur dering women on rainy nights. AFI SILVER THEATRE SAT., MARCH 28, 7:30 P.M., THU., APRIL 2, 7:45 P.M. Parasite Directed by Joon-ho Bong (South Korea, 2019, 132 min.) Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. But when a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out. ANGELIKA MOSAIC LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

MANDARIN Ash Is Purest White Directed by Jia Zhangke (China/France/Japan, 2019, 136 min.) When provincial gangster Bin is targeted by a rival gang, his tough-as-nails girlfriend Qiao de fends him, firing a warning shot from his handgun. For that action, Qiao is sent to jail for five years. Once out, she goes in search of Bin, who has not once visited the woman to whom he owes his freedom. AFI SILVER THEATRE SUN., MARCH 22, 8 P.M., THU., MARCH 26, 7:15 P.M.

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains Directed by Gu Xiaogang (China, 2019, 152 min.) Struck by the immense changes that development brought both to the natural environment and to the people of his hometown of Fuyang, the director shot this film over the course of two years to capture the changing seasons in the same area that Huang Gongwang, a master artist in the Yuan dynasty, depicted in his painting “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” (EFF). FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., MARCH 15, 2 P.M. The Hole Directed by Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan, 1998, 95 min.) In the final days of 1999, a mysterious virus sweeps rain-soaked Taipei and turns people into human cockroaches. After a plumber leaves a hole in his apartment floor and never returns to fix it, a young man can see into the apartment of his neighbor. The musical numbers — the weirdest this side of David Lynch — eventually unite these two characters in a surreal fantasy of bliss. FREER GALLERY OF ART FRI., MARCH 27, 7 P.M. Vive L’Amour Directed by Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan, 1994, 118 min.) Unbeknownst to one another, a harried real estate broker, her street vendor lover and an eccentric loner all use a vacant luxury apartment for their own secret purposes—until chance brings them together in an unexpected way. FREER GALLERY OF ART FRI., MARCH 13, 7 P.M. What Time Is It There? Directed by Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan/France, 2001, 116 min.) An assertive young woman, who is about to leave for Paris, convinces a watch seller to sell her the watch on his own wrist. Immediately smitten, he acts out his obsession with her by at tempting to change every clock he sees to Paris time. Meanwhile, his grieving mother is troubled by the idea that her dead husband might be reincarnated in another time zone in this metaphysical comedy (Mandarin, French and English). FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., MARCH 29, 2 P.M.

POLISH Corpus Christi (Boze Cialo) Directed by Jan Komasa (Poland, 2019, 115 min.) Twenty-year-old is a juvenile delinquent released from prison to go to a job in a small town. When Daniel arrives one quick lie allows him to be mistaken for the town’s new priest, a vocation he was drawn. Embracing the deception, Daniel starts out fak ing it, but soon his passion and charisma have a moral impact on the community. At the same time, his unpriestly behavior raise suspicions among some of the townsfolk — even more so as he edges toward a dark secret that the community hasn’t revealed in the confessional booth. LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA OPENS FRI., MARCH 6 The Wind: A Documentary Thriller Directed by Michal Bielawski (Poland/Slovakia, 2019, 75 min.) The halny wind comes in cycles, every spring and autumn. One never knows if or when it will turn into a destructive gale. Halny particularly affects the inhabitants of Zakopane, changing picturesque mountain trails into a set for an untamed performance of a human struggle against destructive forces of nature (EFF). HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN SUN., MARCH 15, 2 P.M., SUN., MARCH 22, 2 P.M.

SPANISH The Cordillera of Dreams Directed by Patricio Guzmán (Chile/France, 2019, 85 min.) Patricio Guzmán’s “The Cordillera of Dreams” completes his trilogy investigating the relationship between historical memory, political trauma and geography in his native country of Chile (EFF). NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WED., MARCH 18, 7 P.M. Isla de Plastico (Plastic Island) Directed by José Maria Cabral (Dominican Republic, 2019, 85 min.) This documentary exposes the reality of garbage, plastic and pollution in the Dominican Republic and Haiti (EFF). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA WED., MARCH 18, 7 P.M. Nómados (Nomads) Directed by Emiliano Ruprah (Mexico, 2020, 81 min.) Follow some of the world’s most charismatic animals as they travel to and from Mexico across the span of a year (EFF). AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MON., MARCH 16, 7 P.M.

TURKISH Honeyland Directed Tamara Kotevska (North Macedonia, 2019, 90 min.) Nestled in an isolated mountain region deep within the Balkans, Hatidze Muratova is the last in a long line of wild beekeepers, eking out a living farming honey in small batches to be sold in the closest city. But Hatidze’s peaceful existence is thrown into upheaval by the arrival of an itinerant family, with their roaring engines, seven rambunctious children and herd of cattle (EFF; Turkish, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian and Bosnian). AFI SILVER THEATRE WED., MARCH 18, 7:15 P.M.

XHOSA Letters of Hope Directed by Vusi Africa (South Africa, 2019, 75 min.) After his father is brutally killed in 1976 Apartheid-era South Africa, 16-year-old Jeremiah discovers that he had been delivering secret letters from freedom fighters in exile and prison on his rounds as a postman. When he learns that his father’s last wish was for him to take over this work, Jeremiah — who dreams of joining the police force — faces an impossible choice (NAFF). AFI SILVER THEATRE SAT., MARCH 14, 7 P.M.