Magic Lantern to open Oscar nominee ‘Close’

Above : The Belgian film “Close” is an Oscar nominee for Best International Film. (Photo/A24)

Fresh off being host for the 24th Spokane International Film Festival, the Magic Lantern Theatre has returned to its traditional role of screening films that don’t always fit mainstream tastes.

Two good examples, “Let It Be Morning” and “Close,” will open on Friday. Both are foreign-language productions, and “Close” is an Oscar nominee for Best International Film.

“Let It Be Morning” : A Palestinian resident of Jerusalem returns to his hometown to attend his brother’s wedding and encounters problems when Israeli forces blockade the town.

New York Times critic Ben Keninsberg wrote, “Adapting a Hebrew-language novel by the Palestinian author Sayed Kashua, the screenwriter-director Eran Kolirin uses the escalating absurdity and anger to illuminate social divisions.”

“Close” : Two 13-year-old Belgian best friends find that aging and school-yard attitudes can, as they often do, lead to the painful decisions that maturity sometimes requires.

Washington Post critic Ann Hornaday wrote, “What begins as an idyllic portrayal of the liberation, sweetness and unguarded emotions of youth evolves into an equally beautiful but bittersweet reflection on the getting of wisdom at its toughest and most painful.”

As always, the ticket you buy gives you the opportunity to weigh in with your own opinion.