Past waterfalls, granite cliffs and ocean swells on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro sisters Euridice and Guida momentarily lose each other as they weave through the dense forest. The sisters call out in alarm. Finding each other again, they embrace with such passion as if they have not been together in years.

Soon however the sisters find themselves far apart. Guida falls for a Greek sailor and departs with him in the night on a ship to Athens. She…

The legend of La Llorona in Latin America is of a woman who was abandoned and became a wandering ghost weeping for her children. It is given an unearthly and uniquely Guatemalan twist here. A once fearsome general whose troops committed atrocities under his command is now elderly, frail and charged with genocide. He is declared guilty and yet freed without punishment. Protestors surround his home. At about the same time a mysterious young woman arrives in the household to…

Leaders are expected to be fearless. This is a grave mistake for anyone to make. The danger of this expectation is that we strip leaders of their humanity and put those without empathy on pedestals. “An utterly fearless person,” said Melville “is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.” In fearing nothing, people respect nothing and lead others into danger. One key to the success of The King’s Speech is the understanding of the need for balance and how…

From the heart of the forest in ancient times a farseeing and intrepid woman returns with a magical fire that draws the other women of the community. The bad spells that are cast over them are broken and together the women shine. There is no telling when this mysterious woman might appear.

Because she is mute Sibel is considered bad luck and is bullied by the other women in the village including her little sister. Sibel’s pariah status is partially…

Wounds are still raw in Leningrad in the aftermath of World War II. Two young friends, Iya and Masha, are rebuilding their lives in the shattered and barely functioning city. While each woman is fiercely independent, they approach life differently. Iya, a veteran’s hospital nurse with post-concussion syndrome, suffers paralyzing seizures made worse by stress and anxiety. Through kindness to others she finds some solace and manages to persevere. Having spent time on the front lines of the war, Masha…

A restless and troubled man subscribes to the idea that “the things you own end up owning you.” He finds liberation in letting go of fear, consumerism, rules and other forms of control. Pain has a way of focusing the mind, letting the chips fall where they may, and it becomes something that he craves. With like-minded individuals he creates underground “fight clubs” where anger and depression melt away with severe beatings, increasingly extreme violence and virtual anarchy. By losing…