While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."
When her social-climbing father is relocated from small-town North to his native Rome, 12-year-old Caterina enrolls to his old school, finding herself at sea with an environment where students sort themselves by social class and their parents' political affiliation.
The Kobayashi family finally get the chance to move out of their tiny, cramped Tokyo apartment in favour of the suburban house of their dreams. But all is not well: the house is infested by termites and the family starts cracking up: Son Masaki is studying so obsessively for his exams that he's losing his mind; daughter Erika is oblivious of all but her forthcoming record company audition, grandfather Yasukuni starts getting World War II flashbacks and father Katsuhiko is so worried about his family's "sickness" that he thinks can only be cured by group suicide.
After separating from the father of her son, a young French woman tries to find lodging and a fresh start in L.A. for herself and her son.
When a small-town baseball coach gets the offer of a lifetime from a larger 6A high school, he uproots his family and leaves the only home he's ever known. But as a man of faith, he soon faces extreme opposition to his coaching methods from the school superintendent.
Ferry owner Benjamin has a regular passenger, Chedeng, who is studying to become a midwife. Chedeng has a friend and neighbour, Maria, and without either of them knowing about it they both have a relationship with Benjamin. When Mary finds out she’s pregnant, things get difficult.
In search for the better life, three peasants Radovan, Jeremija and Gaša leave for a big city. Despite their expectations, there are many trials and temptations. Radovan manages to fit in by going to the evening school. The oldest of them, Jeremija, goes back to the village, while Gaša, after unreturned love, leaves to look for happiness somewhere else.
On the night before he is set to leave his Rhode Island home to study photography in New York City, Rocco must decide how much he's willing to give up to follow his dreams.
Bad luck forces two men to resort to Plan B.
An innocent Afrikaans farm girl goes to the city and gets herself pregnant out of wedlock.
A dorky college student falls for a free-spirited musician, and is faced with a decision—let her fly away to follow her dreams, or follow his heart.
Currently Mongolia’s capital has 1.5 million inhabitants - half the population of the country. 50-year Tumurbaatar is only one of many coming to the city to fulfil their dreams of a better life.
Ella is about to commence the next chapter of her life. Within three months her world will change, whether she can persevere and deal with whatever is thrown at her is yet to be seen.
A young man having omitted to make the ritual offerings of voodoo, suffers the wrath of the spirits.
"The Return" deals with rural exodus, the return to the land, the antagonism between two worlds: that of urban dwellers and of the rural areas deeply rooted in tradition. Ranaivo lives in Antananarivo. To make ends meet, he sells ice lollies. his father, Ratovo, comes to the capital to ask for his son’s help. he needs money to organize the turning of the dead ceremony. After the village celebration, Ranaivo decides to leave the capital and emigrates to the highlands where everything is open to those who want to get back to the land.
Goodbye Tornio is a vivid depiction of being young, fearlessly following your dreams and figuring things out on your own as you go. Eighteen-year-old Vilma celebrates her graduation from high school, with toasts from loving parents and parties with best friends, before leaving her hometown in Lapland and moving to the big city.