Around the movie world in five days: Golden Globes foreign-film screenings

It’s that time of year. Buck up, buckeroo. Sweat out your holiday cocktailing and get back to business.

In Los Angeles, fortunately, “business” takes the form of “pleasure,” as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the American Cinematheque buddy up for annual screenings of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film award in advance of the Golden Globes ceremony/broadcast. The viewings happen primarily at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica; after which a panel discussion featuring film directors happens at the Egyptian Theatre. This year’s Golden Globes broadcast spools on  January 11, 2015.

LEVIATHAN Sony Classics, Russia, Dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev In a small coastal town in northern Russia, a corrupt mayor (Roman Madyanov) tries to confiscate the home of a man (Alexey Serebryakov) who resists. [Mon Jan 5, Aero]

IDA Poland/Denmark, Music Box Films, Dir. Pawel Pawlikowski While visiting family before taking the vows to become a nun, shy Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) is shocked to learn that her birth name is Ida Lebenstein and that her parents were killed during WWII. [Tues Jan 6, Aero]

TANGERINES Estonia, Dir. Zaza Urushadze Set in Abkhazia during the 1990s, when the region was fighting to separate from Georgia, Old Ivo (Lembit Ulfsak) and neighbor Markus (Elmo Nüganen), who is determined to harvest his tangerine orchard, are the only ones left in their village. [Wed Jan 7, Aero]

GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM Music Box Films, Israel, Dir. Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz This riveting drama follows the five-year struggle of Viviane Amsalem (Ronit Elkabetz) to break from her loveless marriage to husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian); its powerful examination of the roles of men and women in a religious society. [Thurs Jan 8 Aero]

FORCE MAJEURE Sweden, Magnolia Pictures, Dir. Ruben Ostlund An avalanche of consequences for Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) in this perceptive, funny look at family dynamics in a crisis. Gorgeously shot by Fredrik Wenzel, this highly original film picked up the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. [Fri Jan 9, Aero]

Golden Globe Foreign-Language film series | Aero & Egyptian Theatres | January 5 – 10, 2015