The enlightening Iranian documentary "Be Like Others" may well come as a shock in light of the recent statement by Iran's president that there are no homosexuals in Iran, since the reason for that is the Iranian government authorizes more sex changes than anywhere else in the world. The subject is almost jaw-dropping — but the documentary itself is more or less stuck on "one note," dealing primarily with just two or three cases, causing our interest to flag somewhat before the film ends.

In the World Cinema Dramatic Film category, a definite standout is "Mermaid" from Russia. Unusual right from the start, this tale of a very different girl, born to an exceptionally fat woman and a sailor who all too soon deserts her, is guaranteed to hold your interest to the very startling end. This is certainly one of the most unusual, refreshing and best-liked films at the festival.

Two other foreign films, both so intense and wrought with mystery that they'll be sure to keep you glued to the screen from beginning to end, are Denmark's "Just Another Love Story" and Spain's "Transsiberian." Both have their weak spots, but they look exceptionally good and have first-rate and exciting actors in their leading roles.

The Scandinavian "Just Another Love Story" deals with a woman's temporary amnesia and the already-married photographer who is inadvertently mistaken to be her lover and, though unwilling at first, is eventually drawn to play the role. "Transsiberian," with Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson, Eduardo Noriega, Kate Mara and Ben Kingsley, becomes a thrilling "chase film" set almost entirely on a highly atmospheric weeklong train ride from Beijing to Moscow.

Other World Cinema films worthy of your attention are the Chinese film "The Drummer," which intriguingly contrasts the gangster environment of Hong Kong that a young man seems inextricably involved in and a gorgeous green mountainous setting where he reluctantly renews himself among a Zen drumming troupe.

"Strangers" throws together, by accident, an Israeli fellow and a Palestinian woman, both finely acted by Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal, during Berlin's recent World Cup Finals. And though there are no real surprises nor much tension in "Under the Bombs," the story of a woman seeking her son and sister in war-torn Lebanon, it still allows us to see more firsthand a world we mostly know only from brief glimpses on CNN.