Carrie Villeneuve

The Wind and the Water is a beautiful rendition of the country mouse-city mouse Kuna Yala is a group of 365 islands off Panama where the language is Kuna and the currency is coconuts. Thoughtful but restless youth Machi decides to leave Kuna Yala for Panama City, a decision that comes as no surprise to his community and is met with little resistance. Rosy is a typical city girl, into parties, makeup, and chilling with her girlfriends. Both parents are from Kuna Yala, but only speak Spanish in the city and to Rosy, and her father downplays his ethnicity in order to succeed at work, a property development corporation with fresh eyes on Kuna Yala. Machi and Rosy's first meeting is nothing special--Machi is playing traditional pipes and dancing, and Rosy is shy and uninterested in someone so unmodern--but their second meeting is most poignant: now in Kuna Yala, Machi greets her in Kuna instead of Spanish--he has returned for advice from his sage of an uncle, Rosy is there for the first time because her grandfather has died--and not only is Rosy unable to answer, she doesn't even acknowledge he has spoken.

Again on Friday, October 9th, 3:45pm and Sunday, October 11th, 12:45pm, both screenings at Granville 7.

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire is heartwrenching--it will tear out your heart, twist it, throw it down six floors of an apartment building stairwell, and throw the tv down after it. The story is horrible: verbal and physical abuse by a mother, rape by a father, obesity, poverty, illiteracy, AIDS--and all of it on the stolid shouldersGabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe is a perfect fit for Precious, but Mo'Nique as her beast of a mother is what truly drives this horror show.

Last VIFF screening is Friday, October 9th, 2:30pm at Granville 7.