343 articles
Life as a House
Life as a House is a 2001 American drama directed by Irwin Winkler, starring Kevin Kline as terminally ill architect George Monroe, who rebuilds his house and family with son Sam (Hayden Christensen) and ex-wife Robin (Kristin Scott Thomas).
Lilya 4-ever
Lilya 4-ever (Lilja 4-ever) is Lukas Moodysson's 2002 Swedish drama about a 16-year-old post-Soviet girl, played by Oksana Akinshina, who is abandoned, forced into prostitution, and trafficked to Sweden; Sweden's 2003 Oscar submission and a Guldbagge Best Film.
Linger (蝴蝶飞)
Linger (蝴蝶飛/蝴蝶飞) is a 2008 Hong Kong supernatural romantic drama directed by Johnnie To, written by Ivy Ho, starring Li Bingbing and Vic Chou; a Mandarin-language ghost-lover story, To's 48th film, released January 2008 with modest box office.
Lion's Den
Lion's Den (Leonera) is Pablo Trapero's 2008 Argentine prison drama, premiered in Competition at Cannes, starring Martina Gusman as Julia, an inmate raising her son behind bars; shot in real prisons with inmates as extras.
Little Children (film)
Little Children is a 2006 American drama film directed by Todd Field from Tom Perrotta's novel, starring Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson as unhappy suburban parents having an affair.
Little Moth (血蝉)
Little Moth (血蝉, Xue chan) is Peng Tao's 2007 Chinese independent drama, adapted from Bai Tianguang's novel, about a disabled girl sold into begging; it premiered at Locarno 2007 and won Cairo's Golden Pyramid.
Looking for Eric
Looking for Eric is Ken Loach's 2009 comedy-drama, written by Paul Laverty, in which Manchester postman Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) gets life advice from visions of footballer Eric Cantona as himself; Cannes 2009, Ecumenical Jury prize.
Lords of Dogtown
Lords of Dogtown (2005) is Catherine Hardwicke's biographical drama, scripted by Stacy Peralta, dramatizing the Z-Boys, Peralta, Tony Alva, and Jay Adams, whose empty-pool skating in 1970s Venice Beach radicalized skateboarding.
Lost in Beijing (苹果)
Lost in Beijing (苹果, Pingguo) is Li Yu's 2007 Chinese drama starring Fan Bingbing, Tong Dawei, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and Elaine Jin, about two Beijing couples entangled by a rape, pregnancy, and a money-for-baby contract; it premiered at Berlin 2007, earned about RMB 18 million in China, and was banned by SARFT in 2008 with its producer barred for two years.
Lost in Time (忘不了)
Lost in Time (忘不了, Mong bat liu) is a 2003 Hong Kong romantic drama directed by Derek Yee, starring Cecilia Cheung, Lau Ching-Wan, and Louis Koo; it won Cheung the 23rd Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress.
Lourdes (2009 film)
Lourdes is Jessica Hausner's 2009 Austrian-French-German drama starring Sylvie Testud as Christine, a wheelchair-using multiple sclerosis patient healed on a pilgrimage to Lourdes; it won the FIPRESCI Prize at Venice 2009.
Love and Honor (武士の一分)
Love and Honor (武士の一分, Bushi no Ichibun) is Yoji Yamada's 2006 samurai drama starring Takuya Kimura, the final film of his Fujisawa Shuhei trilogy, about a blind poison-taster samurai dueling for honor.
Madeinusa
Madeinusa (2006) is Claudia Llosa's debut feature, a Peru-Spain drama set in an Andean village where sin is suspended during Holy Time; starring Magaly Solier, it won FIPRESCI at Rotterdam.
Manderlay
Manderlay is a 2005 drama film written and directed by Lars von Trier, starring Bryce Dallas Howard and the second film in his unfinished trilogy begun with Dogville.
Marathon (말아톤) (2005 film)
Marathon (말아톤) is a 2005 South Korean drama film directed by Chung Yoon-chul, starring Cho Seung-woo as an autistic young man who trains for a marathon with his mother and a reluctant coach.
Maria Full of Grace
Maria Full of Grace (María, llena eres de gracia), a 2004 drama by Joshua Marston, stars Catalina Sandino Moreno as a pregnant Colombian teen drug mule; Sundance and Berlin winner, Oscar-nominated lead actress.
Marie Antoinette (2006 film)
Marie Antoinette (2006) is Sofia Coppola's Versailles-set drama starring Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman, based on Antonia Fraser's The Journey; booed at Cannes, a box-office disappointment, but winner of Milena Canonero's third Oscar for costumes.
Marley & Me (film)
Marley & Me (2008) is a David Frankel comedy-drama starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, adapted from John Grogan's 2005 memoir about a destructive Labrador; it opened Christmas Day 2008 and grossed about $250 million worldwide.
Mean Creek
Mean Creek is a 2004 American independent drama, the feature debut of writer-director Jacob Aaron Estes, about Oregon teens whose boat-trip prank on a bully (Josh Peck) goes fatally wrong; it won the Humanitas Prize and the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.
Memoirs of a Geisha (film)
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005 film), Rob Marshall's adaptation of Arthur Golden's novel, starring Ziyi Zhang as Sayuri; won 3 of 6 Oscars, drew criticism for casting Chinese actresses as geisha and was titled Sayuri in Japan.
Men of Honor
Men of Honor is a 2000 American biographical drama directed by George Tillman Jr., with Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carl Brashear and Robert De Niro as his instructor.
Mere Jeevan Saathi (2006 film)
Mere Jeevan Saathi (2006), a Suneel Darshan Hindi romantic thriller starring Akshay Kumar, Karisma Kapoor, and Ameesha Patel; released 3 February 2006, a box-office disaster with an IMDb rating of 3.4, distinct from the 1972 Rajesh Khanna film of the same name.
Middle Men (film)
Middle Men (2009) is a George Gallo crime comedy-drama starring Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, and Gabriel Macht about the birth of internet porn billing, based on producer Christopher Mallick; it cost $22 million and grossed under $1 million.
Millennium Actress
Millennium Actress (Sennen Joyū, 千年女優) is Satoshi Kon's 2001 Madhouse anime about retired star Chiyoko Fujiwara; 87 minutes, Murai screenplay, Hirasawa music, Media Arts Festival Grand Prize, DreamWorks worldwide release.
Millennium Mambo
Millennium Mambo (千禧曼波, Qianxi Manbo) is Hou Hsiao-hsien's 2001 Taiwan-France drama starring Shu Qi as Vicky, a Taipei bar hostess narrating her 2001 life from 2011; it won Cannes' Technical Grand Prize and received a 4K restoration.
Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby, also known by its source title Rope Burns story, is Clint Eastwood's 2004 boxing drama with Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman; it won four Oscars including Best Picture and sparked euthanasia and disability controversy.
Miss Potter
Miss Potter (2006) is a biographical drama directed by Chris Noonan, starring Renée Zellweger as Beatrix Potter and Ewan McGregor as Norman Warne; 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, Metascore 57, $3.0M US box office.
Mona Lisa Smile
Mona Lisa Smile is a 2003 American comedy-drama directed by Mike Newell, starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Wellesley students and teachers.
Mondays in the Sun
Mondays in the Sun (Los lunes al sol) is a 2002 Spanish social drama by Fernando León de Aranoa about unemployed shipyard workers in Vigo, starring Javier Bardem; it won the San Sebastián Golden Shell and five Goyas.
Moolaadé
Moolaadé (2004) is Ousmane Sembène's final feature, a Senegal-led co-production in Bambara and French about Collé Ardo, who invokes the customary right of asylum to protect four girls from ritual genital cutting; it won the Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2004.