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Titled after the snarky tune sung by Groucho Marx in the Marx Bros. film Animal Crackers, Hello I Must Be Going is the story of a 30-something woman who becomes re-dependent on her parents after the catastrophe of her divorce. Her emotional slump is changed when she starts a relationship with a young man who happens to be her father’s client’s son (played by Christopher Abbott, from “Girls”). Equally emotionally honest and sexy, the film directed by Todd Louiso and written by Sarah Koskoff proves that this memorable actress is well-deserving of more lead roles in her colorful filmography’s future.

Making her debut in 1994 opposite Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, Lynskey has become a familiar face to both the independent and mainstream film world, appearing in movies like Up in the Air, The Informant!, Sweet Home Alabama, Away We Go, and soon The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

With a start in independent films like Nights and Weekends with “mumblecore” director Joe Swanberg, actress Greta Gerwig has recently expanded her quirky prowess to larger films, both from the independent and Hollywood scene. Recently, she played Russell Brand’s on-screen love interest in Arthur, playing the part once made famous by Liza Minnelli. Now, she’s in Damsels in Distress, the latest movie from Metropolitan and The Last Days of Disco filmmaker Whit Stillman.

In the vibrant comedy Damsels, Gerwig plays a college student named Violet, an eccentric character with an unusual circle of friends. As tap dance-loving Violet falls into a “downward spiral,” her group of friends incorporate a new student (played by Crazy Stupid Love’s Analeigh Tipton) into their deadpan world of boys, suicide prevention centers, and the “Sambola.”

I sat down with Gerwig to talk about her unique character, the difference between working on a...

A 12-year-old girl struggles to protect her family as her stepfather descends into alcoholism and her mother becomes increasingly ill, in a small town full of prejudice and hostility.

The determination of love is key in this moving drama from South Africa.

We follow young schoolgirl Chanda (Khomotso Manyaka), who is forced to become the lynchpin of her disease-stricken family. As the story begins, we see Chanda in a funeral home, choosing a coffin for her dead baby sister as her mother, Lillian (Lerato Mvelase), lies ill at home. Things don't get much easier for the little...

Making lists is not my favorite occupation. They inevitably inspire only reader complaints. Not once have I ever heard from a reader that my list was just fine, and they liked it. Yet an annual Best Ten list is apparently a statutory obligation for movie critics.

My best guess is that between six and ten of these movies won't be familiar. Those are the most useful titles for you, instead of an ordering of movies you already know all about.

One recent year I committed the outrage of listing 20 movies in alphabetical order. What an uproar! Here are my top 20 films, in order of approximate preference.

1. "A Separation"

This Iranian film won't open in Chicago until Jan. 27. It won the Golden Bear at Berlin and was just named the year's best foreign film by the New York Film Critics Circle. It is specifically Iranian, but I believe the more specific...

Chicago – According to multiple reports from the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Oliver Schmitz’s artfully lensed, sensitively acted film received one of the warmest receptions. Set in a modern South African village, “Life, Above All” is one of several recent pictures aiming to illustrate that an HIV-positive diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. It’s a film of grand statements delivered with quiet power.

Like Ramin Bahrani, Schmitz is extraordinarily gifted at eliciting naturalistic performances from untrained actors. At the heart of “Life” is Khomotso Manyaka, a child actress devoid of any self-conscious mannerisms to indicate that she is, in fact, acting. Manyaka’s work is beautiful, but Schmitz’s direction is the key to her success. By allowing his young star to freely inhabit her character, he avoids the usual pitfalls that occur when an overly ambitious director is paired with a blank slate. Schmitz seems to know precisely...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

New Year’s Eve - Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher

The Sitter - Jonah Hill, Ari Graynor, Sam Rockwell

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (limited) - Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy

Movie of the Week

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The Stars: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy

The Plot: In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Oldman) is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6′s echelons.

The Buzz: Great title, great cast, great premise. Sold, sold and sold. Gary Oldman is too cool for school. I can’t wait to see this one. On top of the awesomeness that is Oldman, the film also boasts a bevy of heavy hitters in Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, and Mark Strong. I enjoy all of these actors a great deal, so regarding the cast, this film looks super solid.

We have an exclusive featurette for Life, Above All, which will be released in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack December 6. Click on the video player below to go behind-the-scenes with director Oliver Schmitz on this South African drama.

Click to watch Exclusive: The Community!

Just after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee. Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth. Directed by Oliver Schmitz (Paris, je t'aime) and based on the award-winning novel "Chanda's Secrets" by Allan Stratton.

Special Features:

The Making of Life, Above All

Life, Above All was released July 15th, 2011 and stars Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane, Lerato Mvelase, Harriet Lenabe, Aubrey Poolo, Tinah Mnumzana,...

Met with a ten-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival two years ago, Life, Above All was South Africa’s official submission for the “Best Foreign Language” Oscar. It has since become picked up by Sony Pictures Classics (the same folks behind the record-breaking Midnight in Paris box office push), and was touted by Roger Ebert at his film festival “Ebertfest.”

The film tells the story of a young girl who is forced to carry the weight of her family when her mother runs away after rumors of AIDS in the community spread. Khomotoso Manyaka plays Chanda, the foundation that a whole community needs to understanding the destructive power of gossip, especially as it is hid amongst our own secrets.

I sat down with director Oliver Schmitz and his teenage actress Manyaka to discuss the film and its roots in restoring neo-realism cinema to South Africa.

Life, Above All...

Chicago – As long as one person is inflicted with HIV, or full-blown AIDS, the crisis will never be averted, despite less of a profile in America and Europe. Africa is still in the midst of dealing with the epidemic, and Khomotso Manyaka portrays a symbol of that struggle in the enlightening “Life, Above All.”

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Manyaka plays a 12 year old girl, forced to care for her entire family once the disease overtakes her mother. Her journey through this situation becomes a symbol for all of Africa, and the world, as rejection from friends and fellow villagers force her to expose uncover secrets in searching for the mother that is forced into exile. Manyaka’s natural performance, both innocent and strong, represents a simple plea for humanity during a moment of truth.

Manyaka is Chanda, a bright and sensible soul in the midst of lower middle class circumstances and family distress.

Chicago – The spectre of AIDS seems to have diminished, but the continent of Africa still has a huge problem fighting the disease. Director Oliver Schmitz (”Paris, Je T’Aime”) focuses his lens on this physical and cultural crisis in “Life, Above All.”

The film is a fictional story based on the novel, “Chanda’s Secret,” about a young South African girl (portrayed in the film by Khomotso Manyaka) whose mother is ostracized from their village because she contracts AIDS. Chanda is determined to find where her mother has gone, and sets out on a journey that reveals the truth of the cultural attitude toward the deathly disease.

Khomotso Manyaka as Chanda and Lerato Mvelase as Chanda’s Mother in ‘Life, Above All’

Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classic

HollywoodChicago interviewed director Oliver Schmitz and the young teenage actress who portrayed Chanda, Khomotso Manyaka, during a promotional visit for their new film.

Title: Life, Above All Director: Oliver Schmitz Starring: Khomotso Manyaka, Lerato Mvelase, Aubrey Poolo, Keaobaka Makanyane, Harriet Lenabe A debut at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and the closing night gala presentation at the recent Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Oliver Schmitz’s “Life, Above All” is a well constructed, emotionally rich, issues-oriented drama that unfolds through the perspective of a determined young South African girl. Based on Allan Stratton’s respected novel “Chanda’s Secrets”, the movie should receive modest embrace in arthouse and specialty markets drawn to foreign films, especially given the gravity and unfortunately enduring topicality of the tough circumstances with which its grown-up-too-soon protagonist grapples. In a dust-ridden village on the outskirts...

Life, Above All is something of a blunt instrument, but that doesn’t minimize its crushing impact—this fictional story of the prejudice faced by AIDS-infected people in rural South Africa could wring tears from a stone. Much of that effectiveness is due to a wrenching turn by first-timer Khomotso Manyaka as a 12-year-old staggering under an enormous burden. South Africa is thought to have one of the highest rates of AIDS and HIV infections on the continent, but Life, Above All depicts how fear and a lack of education about the illness have combined with superstition and religion to ...

Title: Live, Above All Directed By: Oliver Schmitz Written By: Dennis Foon, from Allan Stratton’s novel, ‘Chandra’s Secrets’ Cast: Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane, Harriet Lenabe, Lerato Mvelase, Tinah Mnumzana Screened at: Sony, NYC, 6/23/11 Opens: July 15, 2011 Some words are more taboo than the usual four-letter designations, particularly since the movies have made the latter commonplace. Think of these terms: death, died, cancer, AIDS. More often than not, a person has not died but ‘passed away’ or ‘passed’ or ‘is with Jesus’ or ‘is an angel.’ Even worse, kids are sometimes told that their deceased father is ‘asleep.’ As for cancer, this term was verboten to a greater extent...

At the centre of this plain, extremely touching film is a heart-rending performance from Khomotso Manyaka as Chandra, a 12-year-old girl holding her family together in a South African township at a time when poverty, Aids and fading national hopes are tearing communities apart. Without anything smug, ingratiating or sentimental about her, Chandra sets a convincing and necessary example to the stumbling adults around her, and the scenes with her sick mother, her siblings, her prejudiced neighbours and especially a girl her own age driven into prostitution are handled with insight and restraint.

World cinemaDramaSouth AfricaPhilip French

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Heartbeats (15)

(Xavier Dolan, 2010, Can) Xavier Dolan, Monia Chokri, Niels Schnieder, Anne Dorval. 101 mins.

He's young (22), talented, he directs, writes, produces and acts: don't you hate Xavier Dolan already? Those green with envy will find plenty to object to about the French-Canadian's second movie, not least the fact that it's rather good. It's a love triangle for our times: at its apex a charming Adonis who becomes the covert object of desire for two friends, a guy and a girl. Like its characters, it's not quite as sophisticated as it wants to be, but it's honest, accomplished and recklessly romantic.

The Hangover Part II (15)

(Todd Phillips, 2011, Us) Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms. 102 mins.

The location is different (Bangkok – or at least the movie version) but this sequel to the hit amnesiac prenuptial buddy comedy takes no risks with formula or cast (even Mr Chow is back). The adult humour, though,...

An unflinching study of the Aids stigma and how it affects one girl's life in South Africa. There is huge warmth and humanism alongside the bleakness, says Cath Clarke

Hypocrisy, ignorance and fear are seen with almost unbearable clarity through the eyes of a South African girl in this unflinching study of Aids stigma. Not that anyone ever says the word "Aids": in the village they call it "the bug". Newcomer Khomotso Manyaka is heart-wrenching as Chanda, a heroic 12 year-old driven by a child's crystal-clear sense of injustice. We meet Chanda choosing a coffin for her baby sister; her drunken stepdad is a waste of space, her devoted mum seriously ill, putting the burden of looking after the family on her tiny shoulders. It sounds batteringly bleak, but there is huge warmth and humanism, in the vivid details of daily life and superb performances – even if the cathartic ending is a little simplistic.

The spectre of Aids hangs heavily on this modest South African drama. Chanda (Khomotso Manyaka) is a 12-year-old schoolgirl mourning the death of her young sister and struggling to cope with a family that's falling apart: her mother is suffering from a mystery illness, her stepfather is a fall-down drunk, and her best friend is prostituting herself at the local truck-stop.

HeyUGuys brings you the latest in World Cinema film trailers in association with Film Dates UK.

Each week we’ll be showcasing some of most anticipated foreign releases as well as highlighting a few hidden gems which may have fallen off your radar. It’s no surprise that Hollywood has turned to World Cinema for inspiration in recent years with the number of remakes getting more and more popular.

Whilst it remains to be seen how many of these remakes go on to succeed or stay true to their original story counterparts, we decided it was high-time we turned the spotlight onto the next wave of foreign films to grace our screens.

This week we have 3 new trailers for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Angels Of Evil (Vallanzasca – Gli angeli del male) UK Cinema Release Date: Friday 27th May 2011

Synopsis: A biography of Milanese mobster Renato Vallanzasca.

Iframe Embed for Youtube...

The 2011 edition of a movie critic's dream unreels again this week. In my own home town, I'll be able to show the films of my choice in a classic movie palace, flawlessly projected on a giant screen before a movie-loving audience. To paraphrase Orson Welles when he was given the run of Rko Radio Pictures to make his own movie, it's the biggest train set a boy could ever want.

Ebertfest 2011 runs April 27-May 1. The passes have been sold but we've always been able to find room for everyone in line inside the 1,600-seat Virginia Theater. Its long-term renovation continued this year with work on the lobby, the concession stand and the upstairs lobby. The marquee is a work in progress.

The preservation of theaters like this is invaluable; such buildings will never again be constructed, and most of our filmmakers will never have seen their films with such a large audience.

HeyUGuys brings you the latest in World Cinema film trailers in association with Film Dates UK.

Each week we’ll be showcasing some of most anticipated foreign releases as well as highlighting a few hidden gems which may have fallen off your radar. It’s no surprise that Hollywood has turned to World Cinema for inspiration in recent years with the number of remakes getting more and more popular.

Whilst it remains to be seen how many of these remakes go on to succeed or stay true to their original story counterparts, we decided it was high-time we turned the spotlight onto the next wave of foreign films to grace our screens.

This week we have 8 new trailers for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Civilization (Hævnen / In A Better World) UK Cinema Release Date: Monday 21st February 2011 – (Glasgow Film Festival)

Synopsis: Anton is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark,...

See new Life, Above All clips; the South African drama directed by Iliver Schmitz and the countries Oscar contender for Best Foreign Language Film. We have three clips from the drama starring Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane and Lerato Mvelase. Life Above All is written by Dennis Foon based on the international award winning novel "Chanda's Secrets" by Allan Stratton. Also in Life, Above All are Tina Mnumzana, Audrey Poolo and Mapaseka Mathebe. Just after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee...

See new Life, Above All clips; the South African drama directed by Iliver Schmitz and the countries Oscar contender for Best Foreign Language Film. We have three clips from the drama starring Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane and Lerato Mvelase. Life Above All is written by Dennis Foon based on the international award winning novel "Chanda's Secrets" by Allan Stratton. Also in Life, Above All are Tina Mnumzana, Audrey Poolo and Mapaseka Mathebe. Just after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee...

See new Life, Above All clips; the South African drama directed by Iliver Schmitz and the countries Oscar contender for Best Foreign Language Film. We have three clips from the drama starring Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane and Lerato Mvelase. Life Above All is written by Dennis Foon based on the international award winning novel "Chanda's Secrets" by Allan Stratton. Also in Life, Above All are Tina Mnumzana, Audrey Poolo and Mapaseka Mathebe. Just after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee...

See new Life, Above All clips; the South African drama directed by Iliver Schmitz and the countries Oscar contender for Best Foreign Language Film. We have three clips from the drama starring Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane and Lerato Mvelase. Life Above All is written by Dennis Foon based on the international award winning novel "Chanda's Secrets" by Allan Stratton. Also in Life, Above All are Tina Mnumzana, Audrey Poolo and Mapaseka Mathebe. Just after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee...

"35 Shots of Rum". Two couples live across the hall in the same Paris apartment building. Neither couple is "together." Gabrielle and Noe have the vibes of roommates, but the way Lionel and Josephine love one another, it's a small shock when she calls him "papa." Lionel (Alex Descas) is a train engineer. Jo (Mati Diop) works in a music store. Gabrielle (Nicole Dogue) drives her own taxi. Noe (Gregoire Colin) claims only his much-loved cat is preventing him from moving to Brazil.

The four people are in and out of both apartments so readily, we sense they're a virtual family. One night they head out together in Gabrielle's taxi for a concert. The taxi breaks down, it rains, they shelter in a Jamaican cafe, there's good music on the juke box, they dance with one another. During the dancing and kidding around, it becomes clear to them, and to us,...

David from Victim of the Time with one last report from the 54th BFI London Film Festival.

Craig gave you a packed wrap-up earlier today, but I couldn't let you go without getting in another word myself. I caught near to 50 films during the past month (give or take a couple I, er, nodded off during), and I'm happy to say there were an abundance of highs and a general lack of lows - maybe I just chose well, or maybe the programmers did. My standout film remains Kelly Reichardt's menacing Meek's Cutoff (review), while the festival practically brimmed over with stunning female performances, from Michelle Williams' two-hander in Meek's and Blue Valentine (capsule), to Jeong-hee Lee's damaged optimism in Poetry (Nat's review), to Lesley Manville's jittering sorrow in Another Year (capsule). Huge thanks to Nathaniel for hosting Craig and I, huge thanks to the festival for...

It would be easy to watch Life, Above All and then walk away with a smug sense of distance from the tyranny of an all consuming disease slowly but surely eating away at a community. That the community is in South Africa might make it easier for many to distance themselves further, but a very universal tale is being told here – a tale that isn’t unique to Africa.

On the surface, the elephant in the town square in this film is AIDS. I’ve not read the book, “Chanda’s Secrets,” upon which Life Above All is based, but neither HIV nor AIDS is mentioned in the synopsis of the film and not even until very late in. However, mentioning AIDS here is no great spoiler as the secrecy surrounding the cause of death of the baby at the beginning of the film, and the lives and deaths of others as the film progresses,...

Film festivals are a place for discovery of talent behind and in front of the camera. This top ten list looks at the actors and actresses who are in the beginning stages of their acting careers and have managed to, in the context of the Toronto Int. Film Festival, make some sort of splash where I took notice. We begin with: #10. Khomotso Manyaka - Life, Above All I'm cheating a little with this pick – as Life, Above All was selected back in Cannes and isn't fall film festival season fresh. Not sure how elaborate the casting process was in order to find “Chanda”, but Oliver Schmitz couldn't have picked a better lead in Khomotso Manyaka – a child, non-actor who takes on the weighty task of playing the heroine. At times Manyaka makes it difficult to distinguish between performance and what may have been a real life experience – you might buy the performance like I did.

Here’s South Africa’s entry for next year’s Academy Awards – the country’s official selection for the Best Foreign Language Film category.

It’s called Life, Above All, and was directed by white South African, Oliver Schmitz. The film screened out of competition, in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival this year, when we initially profiled it on this blog.

Its story goes… Just after the death of her newly-born baby sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee. Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth.

Take a wild guess at what that “rumor” about her family is… but don’t let that spoil your appetite for the film,...

London -- The South African Academy Award selection committee and the National Film and Video Foundation (Nfvf) have picked "Life, Above All" as the country's official candidate for Best Foreign Language Film.

Directed by Oliver Schmitz, the film stars Lerato Mvelase, Harriet Manamela and Khomotso Manyaka and is based on the novel "Chanda's Secret" by Allan Stratton.

It details the story of a young girl who fights the fear and shame that has poisoned her community predominantly in Northern Sotho. It bowed during this year's Festival de Cannes.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to Oliver Schmitz' drama " Life, Above All." The film about AIDS orphans in South Africa was produced by Dreamer Joint Venture with Enigma Pictures, Senator Film and Niama FIlm. Pic made its premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May. Sony Pictures Classics will handle domestic distribution itself and may set up the film for a late year release, tying it to a possible Oscar campaign. The film was adapted by Dennis Foon from the novel by Allan Stratton. Starring are Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane, Lerato Mvelase, Tina Mnumzana, Audrey Poolo and Mapaseka Mathebe.