Steam power by MATTHEW HAYS Steam, the film which enjoyed quite a lengthy run in Toronto cinemas some time ago, has finally arrived in Montreal. Though I've been told I bitch too much, I will take this opportunity to bitch about the fact that movies seem to take so goddamned long to arrive here. Having gotten that out of my system, Steam has been worth the wait. Directed by Ferzan Ozpetek, the film is a gorgeous and intimate portrait of a married couple dealing with a rather jarring evolution. After Francesco (played by the stunning Alessandro Gassman) learns that he has inherited property in Istanbul, he leaves Rome to sell it. But upon his arrival, he finds that the property is a traditional Turkish steam bath, and that the family who took care of the bath for his aunt are a kind and endearing family. Soon enough, Francesco doesn't seem to want to return to Rome and his wife. When wife Marta arrives, she finds Francesco has changed dramatically. She's soon horrified to learn he's having an affair with a young man in the baths. Francesco and Marta's troubles seem real because Ozpetek has kept the performances so low key. Steam is a gorgeously shot film, and probably would have made it onto my top ten list of the year, had we actually managed to see it here a couple of years back when it first came out. See it at the Parc starting this Friday, April 14. Check repertory listings for showtimes. The Vues d'Afrique festival of film continues through this weekend. Organizers report the 16th annual event continues to pack in the crowds, seeing both long and short films from around the world that probably won't be playing as part of your routine multiplex film diet. Check out the line-up at www.vuesdafrique.org or phone 284-2602 for info. One of the masters of French national cinema, the late Robert Bresson, will be the focus of a retrospective at the Cinémathèque québécoise starting this Tuesday, April 18, until May 3. Bresson drew loud praise for forging a style all his own, eschewing both the French old guard and the trendy New Wave. Jean Cocteau once said of Bresson, "He expresses himself cinematographically as a poet would with his pen." While Truffaut said "His cinema is closer to painting than photography." Be on the lookout for Nastassja Kinski, who will be in Montreal this week to star in A Terrified Woman, produced by Motion International. Kinski, of course, is the offspring of the late famous nutjob Klaus Kinski, with whom she had a strained relationship. She caused a sensation when she starred in Roman Polanski's Tess in 1979, but has had a spotty career since (an undeniable highlight is Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas). Kinski has been managing a solid comeback in the past few years, with noteworthy performances in Mike Figgis' One Night Stand and Neil LaBute's Your Friends and Neighbours. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts' recreation of famous film sets, A Moment on the Set, has been extended until April 16 due to popular demand. Check it out! COMMENTS: matt_hays@babylon.montreal.qc.ca