Shadows @ Fragments

Fragments Festival
28.Sep-1.Oct.23
at the Genesis Cinema, London #Fragments2023

Fragments features, shorts and events that are inclusive and accessible. Audience awards are presented for best feature, short and young filmmaker...

Opening film: 
The Old Oak
dir Ken Loach; with Dave Turner, Ebla Mari 23/UK ****
Ken Loach and Paul Laverty once again take an unflinching look at the English psyche, this time highlighting the deep-seated racism and xenophobia that are delivered with hideous foul-mouthed vitriol right after the words "I'm not a racist, but..." or "I don't mean any disrespect, but...." Shot in a remarkably loose, authentic style, the film ultimately offers a glimmer of hope that is presented here as a challenge... FULL REVIEW >

Closing film: 
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
dir-scr Anna Hints; with Kadi Kivilo, Maria Meresaar 23/Est ****
Immersive and visceral, this documentary takes the audience into the intimate setting of a smoke sauna in southeast Estonia. In addition to capturing cultural traditions, filmmaker Anna Hints is provocatively exploring the nature of being a woman in society, including a range of big issues. It may sometimes meander into metaphysical swirliness, but this is a remarkable depiction of the importance of having a profound human connection with no barriers... FULL REVIEW >

Big Boys
dir-scr Corey Sherman; with Isaac Krasner, Dora Madison 23/US ****
There's an internalised, autobiographical tone to this warm comedy-drama about a young teen on a journey of self-discovery. Writer-director Corey Sherman knowingly observes small details and larger themes, which helps the audience resonate strongly with this witty, sometimes sexy odyssey. This is a story about a boy realising that it's time for him to come out to those closest to him. And taking that first step is terrifying... FULL REVIEW >

Unidentified Objects
dir Juan Felipe Zuleta; with Matthew August Jeffers, Sarah Hay 22/US ****
Wildly inventive, this lively road comedy has a wonderful fantastical streak, even as the story grapples with seriously grounded themes. It may be a bonkers adventure involving a gay little person and female sex worker, but the writing, direction and acting have a lot to say about overcoming fear. It's also a hugely engaging journey that's packed with wonderfully surreal touches and moments that are both hilarious and moving... FULL REVIEW >

Hidden Letters
dir Violet Du Feng; scr Violet Du Feng, John Farbrother 22/Chn ****
Beautifully shot and edited, this fascinating documentary finds a sharply knowing perspective on a little-known way women learned to express themselves throughout China's history. Because she keeps things specific and personal, director Violet Du Feng finds enormously powerful echoes in the wider world. It's a riveting, moving film, assembled with a remarkable fluidity to make its important points almost subliminally. And the observations are unusually complex and nuanced... FULL REVIEW >

Oink [Knor]
dir Mascha Halberstad; with  Hiba Ghafry, Kees Prins 22/Ned ****
With brightly energetic and wonderfully detailed stop-motion animation, this Dutch adventure is like a balm for the soul. Witty verbal and visual touches fill each scene, creating superbly complex characters, including a cuddly pig that simply can't control itself. The story takes a series of riotous twists and turns along the way, and at its heart centres on the sweet connection between a young girl and her beloved pet...
FULL REVIEW >

GINGER & HONEY MILK
dir: Mika Imai, Japan

SUBJECT
dir: Camilla Hall, Jennifer Tiexiera, USA

For information, FRAGMENTS >

LFF: Blow the roof off

I'm covering the 66th London Film Festival a little differently than usual. Opting out of purchasing accreditation this year (for several pointed reasons), I am watching films from the outside this time around, which means I'll be seeing fewer of the big blockbuster gala movies (which I'll see anyway) and focussing on smaller offbeat things. So it should be rather good fun. I'll be posting every other day here, so keep an eye out for little gems as well as a few heavy hitters. Here are some highlights for the first couple of days...

Klondike
dir-scr Maryna Er Gorbach; with Oksana Cherkashyna, Serhii Shadrin 22/Ukr ****
Set during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014, this earthy and gorgeously shot drama is infused with pitch-black irony. The setting is reminiscent of the American West, with isolated farms and endless horizons, but writer-director Maryna Er Gorbach fills scene with present-day attitudes and feelings that are more timely than she could have imagined. Seen through a woman's eyes, it's a gripping mix of personal drama and punchy themes... FULL REVIEW >

Hidden Letters
dir Violet Du Feng; with Hu Xin, Wu Simu 22/Chn ****
Beautifully shot and edited, this fascinating documentary finds a sharply knowing perspective on a little-known way women learned to express themselves throughout China's history. Because she keeps things specific and personal, director Violet Du Feng finds enormously powerful echoes in the wider world. It's a riveting, moving film, assembled with a remarkable fluidity to make its important points almost subliminally. And the observations are unusually complex and nuanced.

These four films, which I saw at Venice Film Festival, are also playing in London...

Argentina, 1985
dir Santiago Mitre; with Ricardo Darin, Peter Lanzani 22/Arg ****
Including a heavy dose of sharp humour in the screenplay helps make this rather momentous true story unusually accessible. So while it hinges on a procedural investigation and historical courtroom trial, director-cowriter Santiago Mitre continually reveals the humanity of the characters, pulling us in deeper. And the case itself is harrowing, a landmark moment when a military dictatorship went on trial for its horrific crimes against the people... FULL REVIEW >

Bones and All
dir Luca Guadagnino; with Taylor Russell, Timothee Chalamet 22/US ****
Essentially a romantic horror road movie, this offbeat drama delights in provoking extreme reactions with its vampiric premise. But it's also almost jarringly grounded, with authentic situations and characters who may not be likeable but are strongly sympthetic. Director Luca Guadagnino is always terrific at cutting through surfaces to find human connections and deeper societal truths. So while this film gets very grisly indeed, it remains surprisingly sweet... FULL REVIEW >

Casa Susanna
dir-scr Sebastien Lifshitz; with Katherine Cummings, Diana Merry-Shapiro 22/Fr ****
Illustrated with a wonderful collection of home movies and snapshots, plus some terrific scene-setting newsreel footage, this quietly observational documentary offers a glimpse into a secret society from the early 1960s where cross-dressers could gather without fear. Director Sebastien Lifshitz gets out of the way and simply allows these people and their children tell the story with colourful anecdotes, big feelings and a lovely sense of nostalgia... FULL REVIEW >

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
dir Alejandro G Inarritu; with Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani 22/Mex **.
It would be hard to imagine a more indulgent, rambling, throw-everything-at-the-screen kind of movie. But Alejandro G Inarritu isn't a filmmaker you can dismiss, as each sequence is skilfully laced with moments of visual brilliance, thematic provocations and darkly emotional honesty. Channelling Fellini at his most flamboyant, Inarritu pours personal and artistic energy into this epic Mexican odyssey. Although a leaner, earthier approach would have been more effective... FULL REVIEW >

All London Film Festival reviews, once they're uploaded, will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >

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C R I T I C A L   W E E K

Outside of the festival, I watched Christian Bale and Margot Robbie in Amsterdam, Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan in The Lost King, Mila Kunis in Luckiest Girl Alive, the lively Bronte biopic Emily, BJ Novak's offbeat comedy Vengeance, the independent comedy All Sorts, the Chilean ghost rom-com Phantom Project and the Sadler's Wells dance/choreo comedy Nora the Many.

This coming week's films include Shawn Mendes as Lyle Lyle Crocodile, Eva Green in Nocebo, Noomi Rapace in You Won't Be Alone and Hero Fiennes Tiffin in The Loneliest Boy in the World. Plus of course rather a lot of festival movies.