Winter Foreign Film Festival Begins in January at Westfield Memorial Library

The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present the line up for the Winter Foreign Film Festival, which runs from January through March, with all shows on Mondays at 2 and 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

On Monday, January 14, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” will be shown. Some of the finest actors in England lend their formidable talents to this charming fish-out-of-water yarn. The Brits are planning retirement in a less expensive country. After “thorough research on the Internet,” the group chooses what looks to be a grand, peaceful retreat. It turns out that the bloom is off this marigold--it's shabby, antiquated, and as chaotic as the city in India where it is set. Who can adapt to this very different experience, and who founders? This English film runs 124 minutes.

“Carnage,” which is also a film in English, can be seen on February 11. Kicking off with a deceptively placid shot of kids at play, the screenplay follows the thermonuclear differences of opinion that occur when an upper-crust New York pair invite another couple into their apartment in an attempt to resolve a scuffle between their children. Verbal dustups of all shapes and sizes quickly follow. Carnage delivers a brisk, blackly hilarious 80 minutes in the presence of some wonderfully bad company.

On February 25, “A Separation” will be shown. In Farsi, this 122 minute film begins with a spiral of complications between married couple Nader and Simin. They agree to separate because she wants to give 11-year-old daughter Termeh a better life abroad, and he wants to stay in Tehran to care for his father, who has Alzheimer's disease. Though Termeh would prefer to live with her mother Simin, she remains with Nader in hopes of encouraging a reconciliation. After Nader hires a housekeeper, she loses track of the father, an accident ensues, and the housekeeper ends up in the hospital. This isn't a happy story, but director Farhadi spins out the various twists and turns in an expertly directed, beautifully acted manner, fulfilling the promise of his earlier domestic dramas.

The final film in the series is “Monsieur Lazhar,” A French film that runs 94 minutes on March 4. At a Montreal public grade school, an Algerian immigrant is hired to replace a popular teacher who committed suicide in her classroom. While helping his students deal with their grief, his own recent loss is revealed.

The movies are free and open to Westfield Memorial Library and MURAL cardholders. MURAL cardholders belong to libraries that are part of the Middlesex Union Reciprocal Agreement Libraries. Check our website to see if your library participates.) To register for the program, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , click on the Online Calendar, or call 908.789.4090 ext 0.

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note."