There's a genuine trans-continental feel to the European selection at the 58th Edinburgh International Film Festival, with titles from Russia (Alexei German's The Last Train), Kazakhstan (Little Men), Ukraine (Mamay), Finland (Pearls And Pigs), Sweden (House Of The Tiger King), Germany (Rhythm Is It!) and Spain (Take My Eyes) all on offer for the adventurous moviegoer.
Yet, as one might expect, there's a preponderance of French features, the pick of which are Agn猫s Jaoui's acclaimed Comme Une Image and Catherine Breillat's controversial Anatomy Of Hell - both of which go on general release later in the year. However, there's also a chance to see actress Isild le Besco's directorial debut, Demi-Turf, and some stylish generic fare in the form of the sinister shocker Calvaire; the more unnervingly atmospheric Hanging Offense; and the espionage thriller, Spy Bound, starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel.
Only one festival premiere has an Oscar nomination to its name and Ondrej Trojan's Zelary thoroughly merits such recognition. Recalling the epics of David Lean, while retaining an intimacy reminiscent of Jan Hrebejk's Divided We Fall, this is a deeply moving love story strewn with the tragedies of war. Ana Geislerova excels as a big city resistance fighter who marries a gentle farmer to evade the Gestapo. But even more impressive is Trojan's recreation of an isolated rural enclave forced to come to terms with the outside world.
Debutant Nimrod Antal explores an enclosed community of a very different kind in Control (pictured), a brooding drama about ticket inspectors on the Budapest Metro that shares several themes with Luc Besson's Subway. Armenian auteur Harutyun Khachatryan adopts a similarly sombre tone for Documentarist, a poetic monochrome compilation of snapshots exposing the grim reality of life in a failing nation.
A cautionary tale about the perils of internet dating, Matteo Garrone's Primo Amore proves equally gruelling, as goldsmith Vitaliano Trevisan's tyrannical obsession with gallery worker Michela Cescon's weight becomes increasingly abusive. A companion piece to Marina De Van's forthcoming study of self-harm, Dans Ma Peau, this is a clarion corrective to the media's cynical preoccupation with body shape.
It's not all gloom and introspection, however. Felipe Vega's Summer Clouds is a Rohmeresque comedy of marital infidelity, while Peter Naess considers the age-old problem of losing one's virginity in the charming Norwegian teenpic, Just Bea. But even more enjoyable and offbeat is Ragnar Bragason's Love Is In The Air, which follows an Icelandic theatre troupe preparing to launch its unique circus interpretation of Romeo and Juliet at the Young Vic in London.
Finally, the festival includes a couple of imaginative tributes. French poet and film-maker Damien Odoul will be on hand to discuss his distinctive canon, while cin茅astes will be intrigued by a retrospective of the eight-film career of Valerio Zurlini, a contemporary of Pasolini, Fellini and Antonioni, who scored a major critical success with Violent Summer (1959) before lapsing into undeserved obscurity following his early death.
The Edinburgh Film Festival runs from 18th-29th August.
