AFI FILM FEST: THE FINAL WEEK

T he following are capsule reviews of this week’s screenings at the AFI Film Festival of Los Angeles. Screenings take place at the Los Feliz Theater, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., Hollywood, except where noted. Tickets and information: (213) 520-2000 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. MONDAY

“Tarot” (West Germany, 1985, 5:15 p.m.). This updated adaptation of Goethe’s psychological romance “Elective Affinities” turns the original characters into film director, actress, scriptwriter and guitar student: all literate, all talking beautifully and lucidly, all coming unglued by passion. A dubious idea? Director Rudolf Thome and a brilliant cast--including Rudiger Vogler and Hanns Zischler of “Kings of the Road”--make every nuance count, every choice resonate; only Goethe’s climactic string of catastrophes weakens their grip. It’s a real actor’s show. Recommended.