Four Days in September

Four years after their 1964 coup of Brazil's elected government, the military junta suspended civil rights and freedom of the press. When demonstrations erupted, the junta reacted by kidnapping and torturing its opponents, some of whom were Marxists. Four Days in September shows how one communist group, filled with the zeal of youth, theory and revolution, decides to up the ante by kidnapping the U.S. ambassador to Brazil, Charles Burke Elbrick (Alan Arkin). This ragtag group includes both middle-class radicals and ruthless terrorists. They demand recognition and the release of 15 political prisoners. On Sept. 4, 1969, the kidnappers grab Elbrick and begin a four-day countdown that tests the nerve of the terrorists, the Brazilian government and the ambassador. Four Days is an examination of the psychology and behavior of revolutionaries who find themselves forced out of the theoretical realm into a very ugly reality. Some reveal an odd honor, others a cold cruelty; but overshadowing everything are forces that none of the parties can control.

USCC rating: adults.

Everything That Rises

Western Montana's wide, open spaces, vast sky, jagged mountains, and rugged people all make for riveting cinematography. They're also at the heart of Everything That Rises, the first film directed by actor Dennis Quaid, who also plays rancher Jim Clay. His film has the elements of the classic Western. There is a strong, laconic hero, Jim, whose self-containment threatens to distance him from his family and a tough but loving wife, Kiley (Mare Winningham), who has little problem in confronting her husband about this. There is a dissatisfied son, Nathan (Ryan Merriman), and a loyal ranch hand, Garth (Harve Presnell), who is savvy about the outside world. Quaid has updated these familiar elements to the late '90s — the family's cattle ranch is under threat from a housing developer. Complicating all this is a disastrous accident that places nearly intolerable stress on the Clay family. By no means is Everything That Rises a classic. Rather, it's a gorgeously shot family film that teaches the usual lessons about love, loyalty and family commitment.

Maborosi

The Japanese word “maborosi” can be translated as a mysterious, even beguiling light that shines far out to sea. It is the key concept of the film called Maborosi, although the title's significance doesn't emerge until the movie is almost over. Until then, this subtitled film slowly follows the life of Yumiko and her small son, Yuichi. The young Yumiko has been a happy wife, taking delight in her husband, Ikuo, their baby son and their life in Osaka. But, one day, Ikuo commits suicide for no apparent reason. Yumiko is bewildered and devastated. Her practical mother reminds Yumiko of her obligations to her son, and life slowly moves on. Four years later, the young widow consents to a second marriage with a widower. The new husband lives in a remote fishing village on the Sea of Japan, so mother and son travel on a cold, winter day to join Tamio and his daughter. As spring arrives, Yumiko slowly warms to her husband and her new life, but her sadness about Ikuo hasn't been resolved, and she distances herself from Tamio. In the end, he illuminates her bewilderment and gives her a new chance at happiness.

— Loretta G.Seyer