Wages of War ëTurtles Can Flyí Harrowing Tale of Collateral Damage in Kurdistan by Ky N. Nguyen Do you think youíre having a bad day? Imagine being an armless boy, using your mouth to remove mines from a field. Now envision a whole refugee camp of children forced to undertake dangerous demining work in an attempt to eke out a meager living. These are among the memorable images depicted in ìTurtles Can Fly,î the latest harrowing tale from Kurdish-Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi (ìA Time for Drunken Horsesî). Flashbacks reveal a bit about how the kids ended up in this situation, collateral damage from years of war in Iraqi Kurdistan. Currently, on the eve of the 2002 American invasion of Iraq, the villagers hastily make preparations. They seek any information they can get, relying on the armless boyís famed prognostications as well as international news from a satellite dishóinstalled by ìSatellite,î another precocious youngster. Ghobadi employs nonprofessional actors, the common Iranian practice descended from Italian neorealism. He establishes an unforced, natural atmosphereódespite the surreal incidents on screen. Difficult situations unfold without becoming overwhelmingly unwatchable for the viewer. Inde ed, the images are riveting. Coincidentally, during the exact time period in which this movie is set, I had spoken with Ghobadi in Washington, who was promoting ìMarooned in Iraq.î Although no fan of Saddam Hussein, he lamented the potential impact of the impending conflict on the Kurds. Already, he had ideas about what ultimately became ìTurtles Can Fly.î ìTurtles Can Fly (Lakposhtha H?m Parvaz Mikonand)î (Kurdish with subtitles; 95 min.) is now playing at Landmarkís E Street Cinema. Rating: 4.5 stars. ëKontrollí: New Hungarian Cinema Hungarian cinema has a reputation for being bleak. At one question-and-answer session in the 1990s, a Hungarian director explained, ìItís a depressing country.î Hungarian-American director NimrÛd Antalís ìKontrollî involves a serial killer in the scary Budapest subway system, but itís no slow navel-gazing downer. ìKontrollî is an exciting thrill ride for the audience, blending the thriller, drama, comedy and romance genres. Trained in Budapest, Antal keeps the action swiftly moving. His large, energetic cast of underground dwellers seems plucked out of a later Federico Fellini film. Antal creates a Kafkaesque, otherworldly subterranean environment that seems both fascinatingly alien and eerily real. ìKontrollî (Hungarian with subtitles; 105 min.) opens Fri., May 6 at Landmarkís E Street Cinema. It premiered at Filmfest DC and won the Prix de la Jeunesse Award in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Rating: 4.5 stars. ëUp and Downí With ìUp and Down,î Czech director Jan Hrebejkís (ìDivided We Fallî) black comedy recalls the glory days of the Czech New Wave. Itís bitingly satiricalódelivered in a casual, laid-back manner. Life is chaotic in Prague, and the charactersóall carrying heavy baggageóhave moral decisions to make. With limited choices, the characters of ìUp and Downî drive their entrepreneurial ambitions toward a better life as best as they can. For example, a woman who canít adopt a child ends up buying a baby off the back of a truck. Just like the citizens of Prague, Hrebejk maintains the tricky balance necessary to keep life (and the movie) on track. ìUp and Downî (Czech, English, German and Russian with subtitles; 108 min.) is now playing at the Avalon Theatre. Rating: 4.5 stars. ëAnother Road Homeí In ìAnother Road Home,î Israeli filmmaker Danae Elon searches for Musa Obeidalla, the Palestinian man who raised her in Jerusalem as a family servant for more than 20 years. Her quest begins soon after Sept. 11, 2001, after she hears a news report about Arab terrorists in the large Arab-American enclave of Patterson, N.J. Although she had lost touch with Obeidalla, she had heard that his children had emigrated to New Jersey. When she finds him, the reunion demonstrates their enduring fondness for each other, while simultaneously illustrating the difficulties of a relationship between people from cultures divided by history. ìAnother Road Homeî (English; 77 min.) opens Fri., May 13 at the Avalon Theatre. It premiered at the Washington Jewish Film Festival. Rating: 4 stars. ëEnron: Smartest Guys in Roomí I grew up in Houston, but I had moved away before Enronís meteoric stock market rise and subsequent fall. Enron is now the poster child of the accounting scandals that marked the collapse of the stock market bubble in 2000. Enronís culture believed in hiring what they believed to be the smartest talentóeven if the results didnít add up in the end. Director Alex Gibney (writer/co-producer of ìThe Trials of Henry Kissingerî) deftly adapts the best-selling book by Fortune writers Peter Elkind and Bethany McLean. Although the accounting issues are complex, Gibney makes a fair stab at explaining what Enron did to create the fiction of its seemingly boundless financial growth. He uses insider interviews and video/audio clips to illustrate how the culture of greed built a house of cards that folded. ìEnron: The Smartest Guys in the Roomî (English; 120 min.) is now playing at Cinema Arts Theatre and Landmarkís E Street Cinema. Rating: 4 stars. Repertory Notes First Nations/First Features From May 18 to 22, the ìFirst Nations/First Features: A Showcase of World Indigenous Film and Mediaî series celebrates works by indigenous filmmakers from around the globe: Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, the United States, and the Arctic regions of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Siberia. After the opening night event at the Embassy of Canada, featuring the Inuit hit ìAtanarjuat (The Fast Runner),î screenings will be held at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in D.C. and partner venues around town. NMAI continues regular screenings of its signature film, ìA Thousand Roads,î by Cheyenne/Arapaho director Chris Eyre (ìSmoke Signalsî). (www.firstnationsfirstfeatures.org) ((202) 633-1000, www.nmai.si.edu) US ASEAN Film and Photography Festival Through May 4, the US ASEAN Film and Photography Festival brings leading Southeast Asian films (and photos) to the National Geographic Society. An Awards Presentations and Musical Gala takes place on May 7 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Washingtonís only five-star hotel. ((202) 857-7700, thegraceheritage.org/filmfest) Freer Gallery of Art ìTaipei Stories: The Films of Edward Yangî brings back the stellar works of the Taiwanese master (a highlight is 2000ís ìYi-Yiî on May 22). ((202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp) AFI Silver Theatre The American Film Instituteís Silver Theatre continues its grand retrospectives: ìGolden Years: The Later Films of Luis BuÒuelî (through May 31), ìJohn Le CarrÈ on Filmî (through May 5), ìDemyís Monde: The World of Jacques Demyî (through May 12), ìSam Peckinpah Showcaseî (May 13-June 12), and ìHenry Fonda: The Centennialî (May 14-June 6). ((301) 495-6700, www.afi.com/Silver) Snipers, Refuseniks, and Fallen Heroes ìSnipers, Refuseniks, and Fallen Heroes: A Series on Controversy in the Israeli Militaryî screens on May 10, 17 and 24 at the Screening Room of the DC Jewish Community Center, co-sponsored by the Embassy of Israel and Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces. ((202) 777-3247, dcjcc.org) National Gallery of Art ìThe Absurd World of Kira Muratovaî (through May 8) provides an in-depth look at the innovative Russian directorís work. The retrospective of groundbreaking documentarian Robert Flaherty happens on May 15, 28, and 29. ((202) 842-6799, www.nga.gov/programs/film.htm) Goethe-Institut The retrospective of German actor Bruno Ganz (born to Swiss-Italian parents) continues through May 11 at the Goethe-Institut and the National Gallery of Art. ìThinking About the Possible: Jewish Life in Todayís Germanyî kicks off May 23 with ìBye Bye America.î ((202) 289-1200, www.goethe.de/washington) Maryland Film Festival The energetic Maryland Film Festival runs May 5 to 8, in Baltimore, Md., at the Charles Theater and Falvey Hall, and the Brown Center at MICA. ((410) 752-8083), http://www.mdfilmfest.com/20 05) Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.