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>> Some German picks at the World

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

This year, the World Film Fest is hosting a spotlight on current German cinema, which means a spotlight on reunification angst and skeletal stormtroopers in the closet, of course--but a whole lot more too, thankfully. Here's a trio of highlights from the Focus on German Cinema series.

Endstation: Tanke (Middle of Nowhere): Set in the dead-end hamlet of Friedfelde, out in the boonies of the former East Germany, this flick owes a lot to the old American western vibe, in its inevitable karmic comeuppance and dusty slide-blues score if not flying lead (the film is firearm-free). When a petty thief robs a nasty financial agent and assumes his identity, he finds himself in hot water with the surly townsfolk. And hot and bothered with Margot, the handicapped misfit at the gas station where he seeks refuge when said townsfolk get all old-school with the torches and pitchforks. Don't worry, everyone gets what's coming to them.

Das Experiment (The Experiment): This one's in competition, and has already been raking in the awards and blowing the doors off cinemas in Germany. Remember Moritz Bleibtreu, who played Lola's doofus boyfriend in Run Lola Run? He stars in this super-tense thriller that sounds like it would make for a reality-TV show worth watching. Twenty men spend two weeks in a simulated prison, as either "guards" or "prisoners," with a fat 20 Gs waiting at the fortnight's end. Card games, weight lifting and mystery meat? No, it gets a lot uglier than that, as, you know, the reality line gets blurred and all that.

Der Schöne Tag (A Fine Day): This follows the pretty but cranky Deniz, a 21-year-old struggling actress, through one particularly pivotal "day in the life," meditating on her inability to find and hold onto, or even recognize, love. She dumps her boyfriend, flirts with a new boy, psychoanalyzes over coffee with her female kinfolk and goes about her day. Nothing too dramatic--Serpil Turhan, playing Deniz, communicates a young woman's frustrations very effectively by muting them under almost stoic composure--but steady pacing and a sure footing carry this thoughtful film through.

The German spotlight runs throughout the World Film Fest. For showtimes see schedule or www.ffm-montreal.org