Sneaks ’93 : Foreign

A year of foreign movies that begins wth a Fellini film has a lot to live up to. In addition to next month’s “Intervista,” the Italian “Il Ladro Di Bambini,” a Grand Jury winner at Cannes, arrives for a Los Angeles run, as does the intriguing Mexican box-office favorite “Like Water for Chocolate.” “Leolo,” a favorite of critics and film crowds, arrives later this year, along with Agnieska Holland’s follow-up to “Europa Europa,” “Olivier, Olivier.” Also: new films by Claude Chabrol, Agnes Varda and “Raise the Red Lantern” director Zhang Yimou.

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Betty. Director Claude Chabrol takes on Georges Simenon’s novel of a young woman who leaves her bourgeois Parisien existence for Versailles, where her life begins to change. Marie Trintignant stars. French/English. (MK2 USA)

Dr. Petiot. A trusted physician in Nazi-occupied Paris is in fact a vicious serial killer who preys primarily on unsuspecting Jews. Based on a true story. Christian de Chalonge directs; Michel Serrault stars. French/English. (Aries)

Halfaouine. The title refers to a colorful section of Tunis, where 12-year-old Noura experiences his sexual coming-of-age. Ferid Boughedir wrote and directed. Tunisian/English. (Aries)

Herman. Anders Danielsen Lie is Herman, a curious young boy who is quickly becoming bald. He uses his fertile imagination to block out the other kids’ taunting and grows up with dignity. Erik Gustavson directs. Norwegian/English. (RKO)

Il Ladro Di Bambini. A Grand Jury winner at Cannes. Antonio, a peppy Italian military police officer, develops a relationship with two children while escorting them from Milan after their mother’s arrest. Directed by Gianni Amelio. Italian/English. (The Samuel Goldwyn Co.)

Intervista. Federico Fellini plays himself in this film-within-a-film illustrating the making of Kafka’ as “Amerika,” with the requisite behind-the-camera squabbling. With Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg. Italian/English. (Castle Hill)

Jacquot. Agnes Varda writes and directs this loving tribute to acclaimed French filmmaker Jacques Demy (Varda’s husband). Philippe Maron stars. French/English. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Leolo. The whimsical study of a boy who daydreams as an escape from a large, suffocating family into his own world of poetry and dawning sexuality. Jean-Claude Lauzon writes and directs. (Fine Line)

Life According to Agfa. An intense look at the lives of 10 people over 12 hours at one of Tel Aviv’s most celebrated bars. This official Israel Oscar entry was written and directed by Assi Dayan and stars Avital Dicker. Israeli/English. (Distribution pending)

Like Water for Chocolate. When a young woman is not allowed to marry her true love, he marries her sister to be as close to his real love as possible. Set during the Mexican Revolution. Lumi Cavazos stars; Alfonso Arau directs. Spanish/English. (Miramax)

Martha and I. Marianne Sagebrecht (“Bagdad Cafe”) stars as the warmhearted German bride of a serene Jewish doctor in pre-World War II Czechoslovakia. The rise of the Nazis presents unrelenting hardships for the heretofore happy couple. Michel Piccoli also stars; Jiri Weiss directs and writes. German/English. (Aries)

The Oak. Lucian Pitilie writes and directs the story of a rebellious young teacher whose father was a communist secret police loyalist. After his death, she falls for a brilliant surgeon. Maia Morgenstern stars. Romanian/English. (MK2 USA)

Olivier, Olivier. Years after a young boy disappears in a tiny French town, a local police inspector arrests a delinquent he claims is the boy. From “Europa Europa” director Agnieszka Holland; Francois Cluzet stars. French/English. (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Story of Qiu Ju. “Raise the Red Lantern’s” noted director Zhang Yimou tells the tale of a pregnant young woman of rural China who is persistent in her attempts to set things right when her husband is wronged. Gong Li stars. Chinese/English. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Un Coeur en Hiver. “Jean de Florette’s” Emmanuelle Beart and Daniel Auteuil return in a love triangle with Beart as a violin virtuoso who becomes involved with a violin repair shop owner and his most trusted employee. (October Films)

Volere, Volare. Maurizio Nichetti’s mixed-media comedy tells the story of a painfully shy sound technician (Nichetti himself) who dubs strange, new sounds into classic American cartoons. Italian/English. (Fine Line)