Brigands: Chapter VII/Chico [2 Discs] [DVD]

Brigands: Chapter VII
In this satiric comedy/drama from Georgian director Otar Iosseliani, a group of censors gather to pass judgment on a new film. However, the reels are shown out of order, so they find the story jumps from one time period to another as the moral guardians are treated to a parade of sex, violence, and bitterly ironic humor. A group of modern-day snipers perched on a rooftop open fire on unknowing passers-by down below. The ruler of an ancient kingdom journeys to lead his troops into battle after putting his wife in a chastity belt -- not knowing she has a key and revenge on her mind. Arms dealers in Paris eat, drink, and are merry as they enjoy the spoils of their deadly trade. And a Soviet policemen in the Communist era decides to show his son what he does for a living, treating him to a day of watching father beat and torture innocent people. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Chico
A political adventure that incorporates documentary footage and real-life events into its narrative, Chico is the story of a man who bears witness to -- and participates in -- some of the most groundbreaking political events in history. Born in Bolivia, Chico is part Jewish and part Catholic, the product of an upper-middle-class household ruled by his aristocratic Spanish mother and communist father. During his childhood he experiences the dizzying social upheaval of Salvador Allende and the subsequent terrors of the Pinochet coup. As a young man and aspiring political freedom fighter, he travels to communist Hungary and ends up a Party member, only to question Marxist ideology after the fall of communism in both Hungary and the Soviet Union. He then becomes a reporter in Croatia, where he experiences the devastation of war and quickly becomes a soldier, a move that forces him to make a decision that will affect not only his life, but also those of the inhabitants of a small village. Chico was screened at the 2002 Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi