Delta Zoo (IndiePix Films)
The Berlin Wall was knocked down hunk by hunk by excited Germans; the East Bloc was disintegrating. In 1990-1991 most everyone imagined a better world coming—and yet, the Soviet Union still existed. Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence but the Soviet army remained in place as crowds filled the streets and old national flags were hoisted.
Lithuanian director Andrius Lekavicius’ documentary Delta Zoo recounts how one group of young men supported the breakaway from the USSR. Although most Soviet troops seemed eager to avoid trouble, one special forces unit waged a terrorist campaign against the nascent Lithuanian state. A counter-unit was formed recruited from young Lithuanians inspired by the movies of Bruce Lee and Sylvester Stallone—VHS copies of Rambo were available on the Soviet black market. Tension permeates archival footage salvaged from 1990-1991. Lekavicius cleverly animates several scenes with pixelated images mirroring the era’s computer graphics.
Time Zone Inn (IndiePix Films)
It’s a peculiar B&B with odd rules devised to keep vacationing couples apart in rooms representing London, Paris, Berlin, Beijing and other metropolises—complete with clocks set to local time zones. Maybe it’s training for long-distance relationships among young professionals? However, a deeper agenda is soon revealed. The acting in this film by Italian director Andrea Di Iorio is spot-on, the conversations are interesting, but the end result recalls the drippy utopianism of circa 1970.
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (Kino Lorber)
Beyond the pageantry of empire and cringeworthy depictions of natives is a story that remains familiar in the 21st century. It’s the Northwest Frontier at the Afghan border and a local leader is preparing to drive out the foreigners, first by sniping and then all-out assault. Here it’s not the U.S. but the British contending with difficult enemies and harsh terrain. Gary Cooper stars as a maverick officer in this 1935 classic of colonialism.
