One week of SIFF down, three weeks of film festival to go! Be sure to check the SIFF updates page to see which films are already sold out or are selling fast. Individual tickets for most films cost $11 for the public and $9 for SIFF members. Matinees are a bit cheaper ($8/$7) and those who are more willing to commit can consider all sorts of passes still for sale as well as slightly discounted packs of tickets in bundles of 6 or 20.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what SIFF films all of us at The SunBreak saw this week as well as the films that we’re most looking forward to seeing over the next couple days. Note that this weekend is ShortsFest Weekend, SIFF’s exploration of mini-masterpieces.

WHAT WE SAW:

Josh: I can see why Natural Selection charmed the pants of audience and jury alike at SXSW. Rachel Harris is luminous as a dowdy Christian housewife who, in shock from learning that her husband’s been secretly donating sperm at the clinic while keeping their marital bed chaste, undertakes a wild road trip to fulfill a his stroke-addled mumbled request to find one of his children. Her quest turns up an escaped convict on the run and the mismatched pair hit the road. In his first feature Robbie Pickering strikes a near-perfect blend of comedy and drama. (Friday May 27, 4 p.m. @ Egyptian)

I misread a description, accidentally saw a burlesque movie, and sort of liked it! On Tour finds Mathieu Amalric directing himself as a fallen impresario leading an American “New Burlesque” troupe around the harbor towns of France. As the women get restless from shuffling from venue to venue without seeing much of the country but hotels and theaters, Amalric’s motivations for returning to France after a stint in the U.S. slowly become more clear. The film captures the sense of being constantly on the move without really going anywhere. The same could be said for the story, which plays like a hybrid documentary and narrative (the dancers are all real performers) but the vignettes, performances, and behind-the-scenes looks at the unglamorous aspects of show business make it worthwhile. (Saturday, 9 p.m. @ Admiral; June 9, 9:30 p.m. and June 11, 3:30 p.m. @ the Neptune)

MvB: Page One, the behind-the-scenes New York Times documentary, is both tumultuous and a lot more fun than you might expect of a film that begins with mass layoffs as newspapers across the country die. Director Rossi gets into meetings that even Times staffers don’t get to attend, and you meet an unlikely star, David Carr, a recovering addict who also happens to break huge stories as you peer over his shoulder or listen in to phone calls. (Saturday, 11 a.m. @ the Egyptian; Monday, 3:30 p.m. @ Everett)

Steam of Life, if you’re up for confessional sauna-ing, is a fascinating glimpse of unflinching male soul-baring as you traverse the Finnish social spectrum in the company of Nordic men. At times hard to watch, it’s also beautiful, surprising, and funny, as men damaged by divorce and custody hearings break down, homeless men find a respite from the world, and Santas ruefully discuss a lack of respect for the office, all within sauna walls. (June 7, 6:30 p.m. @ the Admiral)

Treatment is a bumpy, semi-pro local comedy that both delights and bores in almost equal measure. Scenes between a cherubic, bushy-bearded Sean Nelson and John Hodgman sparkle–this is the film you’d like to see–while the main story about a hustler screenwriter who infiltrates a swanky rehab to net a star for his film just isn’t that compelling. (Saturday, 11 a.m. @ the Neptune)

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

Friday, May 27

• Rothstein’s First Assignment Richard Knox Robinson finds unsettling stories beneath the surface of New Deal photographer Arthur Rothstein’s documentation of Depression-era Appalachia.  (6:30 p.m. @ Admiral; Saturday, 3:30 p.m. @ Harvard Exit)
• Jucy This Australian “womantic” comedy focuses on the ups and downs of the platonic bond between two best friends. (6:30 p.m. @ the Egyptian; Saturday, 3:30 p.m. @ Harvard Exit)
• ShortsFest Opening Night Celebrate the best in shorts! (7 p.m., SIFF Cinema)
• The Poll Diaries It’s not easy being an orphaned teenage girl in Germany on the verge of WWI. (9 p.m. @ the Admiral, Monday, 9:30 p.m. @ the Neptune)
• Hit So Hard Hole’s original drummer and all her issues are the subject of this documentary. (9 p.m. @ the Egyptian; May 29, 4 p.m. @ Neptune)

Saturday, May 28

• Mysteries of Lisbon Have five hours to kill? Sink into this 19th century continent-spanning epic. (1 p.m. @ Egyptian)
• The Whistleblower Based on a true story, Rachel Weisz battles sex trafficking in a war-torn Bosnia. (6:45 p.m. @ Egyptian; Sunday, 1 p.m. @ Egyptian)
• Saigon Electric Explore the inner world of Vietnamese hip hop dance battles. Or just hit up the post-film Asian Crossroads party at the Hotel Deca. Free movie ticket here with RSVP. (7:15 p.m. @ the Neptune; May 30, 3 p.m. @ Pacific Place; June 1, 6:30 p.m. @ Everett)
• Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same Because either you’re interested or not, based on the title alone. (9:45 p.m. @ Egyptian; 4:00 p.m. @ Egyptian)
• Above Us Only Sky In this German drama, when a woman’s husband disappears, she takes up with another man, who strongly resembles her husband. But is she able to have feelings for him? (9:30 p.m. @ Pacific Place; May 29, 4 p.m. @ Pacific)
• Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure follows two punk kids in San Francisco who recorded the rants of their crazy neighbor, that then went viral. (10 p.m. @ Neptune; May 30, 9 p.m. @ Egyptian)