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This slyly comic, whimiscal festival favorite from master director Aki Kaurismäki reminds us of life's modest charms and fleeting beauties, and the value of behaving decently. Former author Marcel Marx (André Wilms) has retreated into voluntary exile in the French port city of Le Havre and now shines shoes, which he views as a nobler profession. Dividing most of his time between the neighborhood bar and caring for his bedridden wife (Kati Outinen), Marcel comes alive with a new sense of purpose when he comes to the aid of a young Senegalese stowaway sought by French authorities. Infused with Kaurismäki's signature style of deadpan humor, muted shades, and scene-stealing appearances by French New Wave icon Jean-Pierre Léaud and a dog named Laika, Le Havre is a gentle yet profound tale of friendship, random acts of kindness and small acts of revolution. Finland's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. (Finland/France, 93 min., Not rated, Print courtesy of Janus Films)

See the film's Official Website for more information on film.

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Steven Spielberg's new epic adventure—adapted from the popular children's book and Tony Award-winning Broadway play—is a tale of loyalty, hope, and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. At its heart is the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and Albert (newcomer Jeremy Irvine), the young man who tames and trains him. After Joey must be sold to the cavalry and sent into the trenches of the war, the film follows the horse's extraordinary journey as he changes and inspires the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter. With gorgeous cinematography, a stirring John Williams score, and an aptly grand scale, War Horse is one of the season's most anticipated releases. (U.S., 140 min., PG-13, Print courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures.)

See the film's Official Website to view trailer and more information on film.