(Bill Forsyth, UK/US 1994, 122 min.)

In one of the most intriguing and underrated films of the 1990s, writer/director Forsyth takes us through several thousand years of history to illustrate the eternal human struggle to find peace and happiness. Robin Williams stars in five separate episodes: as a caveman in prehistorical times, a slave to a Roman citizen (John Turturro), a Medieval wanderer, a Portuguese shipwreck survivor, and a divorced father in contemporary Manhattan. “This being a Forsyth movie, everything is scaled down to human proportions. The movie leaves you feeling there’s more to it than meets the eye.”—Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

(Jacques Tati, France 1974, 85 min., French/subtitles)

For the first time since his feature debut, Tati isn’t playing the iconic M. Hulot; nor is he really the star. Instead, the comic master turns an almost documentary eye toward life under the big top. Clowns tumble and acrobats twirl, and in the middle of it all, ringmaster Tati performs several classic mimes. Tati’s final feature returns him to his music hall roots and serves as a fitting farewell. “It’s a sublime and awesome coda to the career of one this century’s greatest artists.”—Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

(ICH KÜSSE IHRE HAND, MADAME, Robert Land, Germany 1929, 66 min.)

Marlene Dietrich stars as Laurence Gerard, a Parisian divorcee who sets her sights on the dashing Count Lerski. Filmed in her native Germany before Dietrich achieved international stardom in 1930’s The Blue Angel, Madame afforded her newfound American fans a fascinating glimpse of a legend in the making when it was released stateside in 1932. Live piano by Philip C. Carli.

(LA NANA, Sebastián Silva, Chile 2009, 95 min., Spanish/subtitles

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, this nimble comedy provides a fascinating character study of Raquel (Catalina Saavedra, who also won a Sundance jury prize for her performance), a live-in domestic for a Santiago family for more than 20 years who grows weary of her job. But when the family tries to assist by hiring extra help, Raquel reacts with a passive-aggressive jealousy, subtly declaring war on her employers and a series of new maids. Co-presented by the Rochester Labor Council.

(Tim Burton, US 1985, 90 min.)

In the strange and wonderful story of a manchild in search of his beloved bicycle, Paul Reubens introduced movie audiences around the world to one of the iconic figures of the 1980s, Pee-wee Herman. First-time feature director Tim Burton and co-writers Reubens and Phil Hartman craft a narrative and emotional atmosphere that secretly recall the neorealist classic The Bicycle Thief.