A look at the six films featured in the 2011 Telluride by the Sea weekend in Portsmouth, plus a preview of SNOB and NH Film Festival.

It’ll be tough to follow up on the caliber of films presented in the 2010 Telluride by the Sea in Portsmouth. A highlight of last year’s event was “The King’s Speech,” which went on to win Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. A new batch of six international films will take the screen at The Music Hall from Friday to Sunday, Sept. 23 to 25, again culled from the many new features recently shown at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. As usual, the titles this year come from around the world and include a diverse array of established cinema stars and new talents. The Music Hall is at 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, 603-436-2400. Individual movie passes are $12.50, patron and weekend passes are also available. For more information, visit www.themusichall.org.

Albert Nobbs, Friday at 7:30 p.m. 

Ireland, 2011, 108 minutes, Roadside Attractions

Glenn Close has had a long-running relationship with the character of Albert Nobbs. She first played the role to Obie-winning acclaim in an off-Broadway production in 1982. Here we are nearly 20 years later seeing her in the same role on the big screen. “Albert Nobbs” tells the story of a woman living as a male hotel butler in Dublin in the late 19th century. She meets a dashing young painter who helps begin her journey toward realizing her own womanhood. The film is directed by Rodrigo Garcia, best known for his work directing episodes of such HBO offerings as “Carnivale,” “Six Feet Under,” “Big Love,” and “In Treatment.” Close also co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay. Best known for her recent television work on “The Shield,” her most celebrated film roles happened back in the 1980s, when she was nominated for five Oscars and played starring roles in the sumptuous “Dangerous Liasons” and the bunny pot-boiler “Fatal Attraction.” If the Academy’s past fascination with cross-dressing is any indication (see “Tootsie,” “The Crying Game” and “Transamerica”), Close’s portrayal of Nobbs is sure to get a nod from old Oscar. —Sarah Lachance

Le Havre, Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Finland/France (subtitled), 2011, 103 minutes, Janus Films

Indigence, infirmity, homelessness. These are the kinds of ingredients Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki will look at and proclaim, “Heart-warming comedy, coming up!” Never one to shy away from the complexity and ambiguity of the human condition, Kaurismäki always seems able to find the humor in even the toughest of social situations and, like a modern-day Buster Keaton, describe them with a face of pure stone. Except for all the laughter it drew, his “Man without a Past” never once gave the slightest hint that it was supposed to be funny. He may be telling us that it’s the heaviest things in life that really need uplifting. After premiering at Cannes and winning the festival’s top Fipresci award, his latest work, the story of a dried-up old shoe shiner (André Wilms) with a desperately ailing wife (Kati Outinen) who takes a hopelessly lost African boy under his wing, looks like the probable selection for Finland’s official Oscar submission this year. Take that, heaviest things! —Trevor F Bartlett

A Dangerous Method, Saturday at 6:45 p.m.

UK, 2011, 98 minutes, Sony Classics

When no one was looking, Viggo Mortensen became director David Cronenberg’s muse. It’s an odd match but a perfect fit, especially as Cronenberg’s cinematic career has transitioned from outright psychological horror to digging up the darkness that lurks under the surface of polite society. In 2005’s “A History of Violence” and 2007’s “Eastern Promises,” Mortensen adopted roles as a seemingly normal man harboring a complex, shocking inner life. In “A Dangerous Method,” based on Christopher Hampton’s play “The Talking Cure,” Mortensen stars as Sigmund Freud, who, at the outset of his career, finds himself mentoring and competing with Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender). Caught between them is Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), the daughter of a wealthy family who’s been diagnosed with acute hysteria. Historical melodrama isn’t typical Cronenberg territory, but all the usual hallmarks are there: weird sexuality, psychological suspense, and the transformative power of personal tragedy. And, of course, Viggo Mortensen. —Larry Clow

 We Need to Talk about Kevin, Saturday at 9 p.m.

UK/US, 2011, 112 minutes, Oscilloscope Pictures

In 2009’s “I Am Love,” Tilda Swinton led a large, sprawling cast through the outrageous fortunes and passions of a bourgeois Italian family in upheaval. Swinton’s performance was operatic and stylish, but with plenty of subtlety and emotion. Her latest film, “We Need to Talk about Kevin,” couldn’t be more different. Directed by Lynne Ramsay and based on Lionel Shriver’s bestseller, “Kevin” explores the aftermath of a shocking tragedy. Swinton stars as Eva, a woman who must come to grips with the guilt and responsibility she feels for her son, Kevin, the perpetrator of a high school shooting spree. John C. Reilly co-stars as Kevin’s estranged father. “Kevin” is harrowing and heartbreaking, small in scope but heavy in weight. Once again, Swinton stands at the center; not quite as stylish as she was in “I Am Love,” but no less captivating. —Larry Clow

In Darkness, Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Poland (subtitled), 2011, 145 minutes, Sony Classics

Director Agnieszka Holland has two Oscar nominations under her belt already, for “Angry Harvest” (1986) and “Europa, Europa” (1992). She has more recently helmed some other impressive works, most notably, episodes of well respected television series “The Wire,” “Cold Case,” “Treme” and AMC’s “The Killing.” Arguably now at the top of her game, she’s chosen to adapt Robert “All the King’s Men” Marshall’s harrowing collection of real-life memoirs about a selfish petty criminal and all-around bastard who extorts money from a group of Jewish refugees to keep them hidden away in the labyrinthine sewers below Lvov in Nazi-occupied Poland. Already chosen as Germany’s submission to the Academy for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film award, Holland says the film “shows how fine the line is between the best and the worst of human nature.” Telluride by the Sea has a history of reserving the Sunday afternoon slot for some of the most serious, disturbing and, well, depressing investigations into the moldy bread and rotten potatoes of human survival. You can probably expect this one to deliver no less. —Trevor F Bartlett 

The Kid with the Bike, Sunday at 6:40 p.m.

Belgium (subtitled), 2011, 87 minutes, IFC Films 

From Vittorio de Sica’s “Bicycle Theives” in 1948 to Tim Burton’s “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” in 1985, the separation of a man from his bicycle is serious stuff. “The Kid with a Bike” is the latest film produced and directed by Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. The Dardennes are critical favorites, with films like “La Promesse” and “L’Enfant,” which take an unflinchingly direct look at life with both harshness and sweetness honestly portrayed. The brothers have had several appearances and awards at Cannes, where “The Kid with the Bike” made its debut and took home the Grand Jury Prize. After being abandoned by his father, Cyril (Thomas Doret, in his big screen debut) escapes the children’s home where he’s been placed to go in search of the bicycle he left behind. Along the way, he meets up with Samantha (Cécile de France), a hairdresser who befriends him and helps him in his journey to reclaim his bike. Will Cyril get his bike back, and how will this boy who’s never had a supportive family take to Cécile’s compassion? —Sarah Lachance

Fitcarraldo: Telluride by the Sea’s patron passholders are invited to see Werner Hertzog’s 1982 classic “Fitzcarraldo” on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 10:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m., and the accompanying documentary about its making, “Burden of Dreams,” on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 10:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at The Music Hall Loft at 131 Congress St.

NH Film Festival

Thursday, Oct. 13 - Sunday, Oct. 16

One of the largest independent film festivals held annually in the Northeast, NHFF drew an estimated 9,000 people to Portsmouth when it celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2010. The four-day fest returns this year to venues across downtown Portsmouth, to showcase independent film from New Hampshire and around the world. Events include educational seminars and networking opportunities, and often feature a surprise appearance or two from Hollywood celebrities and indie film luminaries. Tickets and schedule at www.nhfilmfestival.com.

SNOB Film Festival

Thursday, Sept. 15 - Sunday, Sept. 18

A grassroots celebration of independent film, with four days and nights of movies—features, documentaries, animation, shorts, even grindhouse fare—on the agenda at the Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival, plus filmmaker meet-ups, panel discussions and awards. The 10th season is a true community event, with some films airing on local cable access while events are held at Red River Theater, Barley House, Capital Center for the Arts and Concord City Auditorium. Visit www.snobfilmfestival.com.