The precocious 12 year old (or were they 8 year olds): Valentin (Argentina), Elina (Sweden), Whale Rider (New Zealand), and Hard Goodbyes (Greece) each dealt with an overly wise child coping with world of adults.

Valentin was charming, but definitely slight. It's a very cute film, but doesn't have much to say. Whale Rider and Hard Goodbyes, on other hand, bowl you over with power of what they have to say and how they say it. In Whale Rider, winner of both audience award for best picture and best director, an 11 year old Maori girl bucks tradition to bring Maori attitudes about communalism into 21st century. In Hard Goodbyes, my favorite film from festival, a young boy in 1960s Greece refuses to believe that his father is dead. The film is a lyrical look at denial and growing up.

The Embalmer (Italy), sends a politically incorrect message.

The dwarf as sexual analogy:

Both "Wild Dogs" (Canada) and "The Embalmer" (Italy) use a dwarf character to show sexual dissolution. In Wild Dogs, filmmaker actually has a point to make and film is engrossing and moving. The Embalmer, unfortunately, is just a big mess of a film with a politically incorrect message to spread about sexual obsession and a gay dwarf who can only be happy by falling in love with a straight man.

The Hebrew Hammer (U.S.) is a fun and silly film.

The silly silly film: So Close (Hong Kong), In July (Germany), and The Hebrew Hammer (U.S.) each had such a thoroughly implausible plot but were all equally enjoyable that they all made for memorable viewing. So Close is about two Hong Kong assassin sisters (or is that sister assassins) and CSI style Chinese American forensics specialist who chases them. There was a lot of slow motion falling glass in this one, but any film that allows stiletto heels to be part of an assassin's arsenal has to be on a must-see list. In July stars Moritz Bleibtreu, so obviously everybody with an eye for an attractive male star should see this one. It's a road movie, and you'll just have to suspend disbelief and go with destiny/coincidence storyline and enjoy film. The Hebrew Hammer was billed as first ever "Jewsploitation" film and producers weren't kidding. It was hysterically funny with Andy Dick as evil Santa Claus intent on ridding world of phrase "Happy Holidays" and getting rid of Hanukkah altogether while Adam Goldberg plays The Hebrew Hammer. The film even steals shots and music from classic blaxploitation films, mostly Shaft series (definitely not Samuel L. Jackson remake version).

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Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

Here's one you won't hear in city: Steve Richert recalled time his son Josh and several other kids had treed a bear in yard and had gone and fetched knives to tuck into their belts like a pack of would-be Davy Crocketts. We howled at Steve's description of practical, down-home parental discipline dispensed through an open window to a bunch of kids milling about under a tree: "Leave that bear alone!"

There were plenty of others: day Rick almost bought a farm implement by accident at auction, County's road-paving techniques, and Terry's use of propane bombs to get prairie dogs out of his pastures. I'd go back to Yellowstone Country for stories alone.

It had been a fairly mild winter, and ranchers needed to protect their stock early against ticks and other pests. At Crazy Mountain Cattle Company, where Rick Jarrett and Karen Searle raise cattle and sheep, we started with their nine ranch horses. Rick sprayed them with an insect repellent and then vaccinated them for such ailments as "strangles" and West Nile Virus. Most of animals took it well, but two were rather spooked by spray bottle. Sometimes it's hard to predict what will scare a horse.

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Rob LaGrone, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com