My Last 5 Girlfriends

In a vein similar to Stephen Frears' High Fidelity or last year's EIFF hit A Complete History Of My Sexual Failures, Duncan (Brendan Patricks) is a man on the cusp of chucking in the towel on love, but not before he tells us why. Based on the work of Alain de Botton, Emmy award-winning director Julian Kemp successfully serves up a romantic comedy minus the fluff.

My Year Without Sex

Trundling along from day to day with their domestic lives in check, Ross (Matt Day), Natalie (Sacha Horler) and their two children are the average Aussie family. But when Natalie's health takes a turn for the worse things suddenly don't look quite as rosy as celebrated Australian director Sarah Watt explores.

Modern Love is Automatic

Nurse by day, dominatrix by night, Lorraine (Melodie Sisk) makes a daring move to reconnect with the world around her by donning PVC and dabbling in S&M. Dark, dysfunctional and ultimately sexy this little number ain't afraid to crack the whip in a bid to push the limits of female empowerment.

The Calling

University graduate Joanna (Emily Beecham) has long closeted her desires to become a nun and eventually runs off to join the convent. On arrival, her imaginings don't quite match the reality but as she gradually becomes one of a tight knit group of women spiritual satisfaction as well as secrets from the past slowly begin to surface.

The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee

A supportive partner to her successful and much older husband Herb (Alan Arkin) and a model mother to their two children, Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) has played her role as housewife to a tee, until now. Moving to a plush retirement complex for the ageing rich and famous, Pippa Lee's existence hits crisis point as Rebecca Miller's adaptation of her own novel examines to witty and memorable effect. 

Adam

The closing night film at this year's EIFF, Adam is a romcom with a difference as director Max Mayer explores a blossoming yet not so straightforward relationship between two neighbours, Beth (Rose Byrne) and Adam (Hugh Dancy). As this delicate plot unfurls so does Beth's understanding of 'normal' as Adam's Asperger's Syndrome opens her eyes to a different way of life.