Second Chance

Second Chance tells a story of Ukrainian orphaned children and the Canadian volunteers who spend their summers working along side them. The film follows first time volunteer and filmmaker, Adriana Luhovy, as she learns about the children and becomes witness to their strengths and resilience. Converging in Yaremche in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine, over 500 orphaned children come together from all over the country. At first quiet and fearful, they learn to trust one another and their counsellors. By countering heartbreaking statistics - 60% of orphaned girls are trafficked within the first year of leaving the orphanage; 50% of boys end up in jail; 10% commit suicide - the volunteers are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of orphaned Ukrainian children.

The soothing pace of the film shows a woman's journey to reinvent herself, as Anna serves 15 years for a murder she committed as a teenager, and although her sentence has expired, the strange looks around her mean that her trial is not yet over. Anna travels far from home to a small town and finds a job, ready to start a new life, but she still struggles with closure, fear, prejudice, and the black holes left by the old days that she must fill herself.

After experiencing the first major trauma of her young life, Nia retreats to her family summer home in the Himalayas where time, nature and unlikely friendships help her heal.

Second Chance interweaves three stories of three women living in the same block of flats, creating a kaleidoscopic observation of the experience of being a mother and the self-sacrifice involved in bringing another life into this world. At a time of absurdities as Macedonia teeters on the brink of civil war, each of these women struggle to find meaning in their existence, each facing their own demons while trying to preserve their humanity.

Carlos is a tormented young man who reflects in bitter loneliness on the terrible events that led to an accident in which he and his parents were involved. Carlos recalls happy family moments, but he also remembers his father's angry claim upon discovering his big secret, that he is homosexual. Carlos begs for "A second chance" to talk about what was trapped in his heart; at that moment he opens his eyes to reality.

When an accident causes a woman to lose her memory, her husband Jack does everything in his power to keep her from remembering that they are total opposites and that their marriage is doomed. Now Jack is hoping for a second chance, and a little Christmas magic, to help rekindle their relationship and fall in love all over again.

A college professor is pursued by a stalker two years after her actions led to a young woman's death.

After 15 years, Pat moves home from Hawaii with his two sons and through a series of coincidences, or Godwinks, ends up stuck in traffic next to his high school sweetheart, Margie, at Christmas.

Julia and Moises fell in love and got married when they were young, idealistic, and passionate; now in their 30s, their marriage has cooled and their lives have sunken into the mediocrity they had sought to avoid. This realization inspires a quest to regain the lost dreams of their youth, which is complicated when a handsome student begins to pursue Julia. She begins an affair with the fiery young activist that may just put the excitement back into her marriage. This is a funny and insightful exploration of the intricacies of relationships, love, and idealism, and Jesus Ochoa as Moises turns in a stellar performance.

Two lovers, who are oceans apart, discover that distance can either make the heart grow fonder or render it numb with grief.

Jenny McLean is a single mom working at a 911-call center struggling to make ends meet and raise her two kids, Elsie and Luke. Although still reeling from her divorce, Jenny can’t help but flirt when she gets emergency calls from Jeff, a local firefighter she nicknames “Cowboy” for his handsome voice. When Jeff is hurt in the line of duty, he finds himself unable to climb stairs and needing to rent a first floor room from Jenny. It isn't long before the sparks are flying but can Jenny allow herself to take the risk?

E-po, a widowed 85-year-old grandma, lives a humdrum existence in her tiny Phuket home. Every now and then, her caretaker Fong receives a phone call from Bangkok: a reminder to check on E-po's gambling problem.

Two men meet and bond while finalizing their divorces. They eventually find new romantic pursuits, but realize that starting again isn't so easy.

Artur is forced to leave his country due to the war in Ukraine. Despite is long connection to Portugal, the adaptation to a new routine is one of the hardest things he has ever had to go through.

A man survives a double suicide attempt, while his girlfriend does not.

A normal summer morning in "Outstanding Pool House," Shine is getting ready for school. Shine is a beautiful and chic girl, but there is a bit of melancholy in her face. Six months ago, her parents died in a terrible car accident and left her nothing beside this pool house. Now, Shine even needs to face the fact that she will be sent to a foster home if there is no one from the family that can come and take care of her. Feng, Shine's uncle, an ex-expert in billiards knows this and decides to come home and takes care of his niece. However, Shine does not appreciate this since, first of all, she is not familiar with his uncle at all. Secondly, after losing everything for gambling, Feng drinks and smokes all day, and those are what Shine hates the most. All in all, how can these two people find the way to reconnect with each other through billiards? Moreover, how can they see the love that runs in their veins for making them the family?

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A man put in hellish scenario must decide whether to fight his way out of it, or become another victim in a long line of many before him losing not only his sanity, but quite possibly his soul as well. Only time will t(H)ell.