The Forest for the Trees

German writer-director Maren Ade's 2003 debut offers the kind of incisive portrait of female loneliness and raw anger that is rarely seen in contemporary cinema. Green schoolteacher Melanie (Eva Löbau) is on her own for the first time in her life, and things are not going well: she cannot connect with her students (who mock and harass her), and she's rebuffed by colleagues. Eventually, Melanie sets her sights on an attractive neighbor at her new apartment complex, initiating a relationship that will become unsatisfying in more ways than one. The harsh video cinematography perfectly captures the sense of alienation as Melanie slowly falls apart, heading towards a haunting, distressing finale that signals an aching frustration with the disconnectedness of modern life. A festival favorite that picked up a Special Jury Prize at Sundance in 2005, this is recommended. (M. Johanson)