Critical Week: A big bromance

I've been taking it a bit easier this week, catching up after the film festival. But there have been a few screenings to attend. First there was the mammoth sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, screened to the press in Imax. Essentially a cartoon with a few humans running around in the margins, this is a movie that will make die hard fans happy, but others might be wise to steer clear. Meanwhile, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway have a lot of fun layering on insinuating intrigue in Mothers' Instinct, a Hitchcock-style slow-burn thriller that's thoroughly entertaining.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
The Beautiful Game
Disco Boy
PERHAPS AVOID:
Godzilla x Kong
ALL REVIEWS >

Even better is the British feel-good drama The Beautiful Game, about a homeless football team. Thankfully, the on-pitch action is kept in check for more character-based comedy and drama. Liam Neeson and Kerry Condon are terrific in the gritty thriller In the Land of Saints and Sinners, set during the Troubles in 1970s Ireland. And the French drama Ama Gloria takes a child's eye view for a slice of life with a couple of momentous moments along the way.

This coming week I'll continue catching up on things, and I have screenings of Scoop, The First Omen, Woody Allen's Coup de Chance, If Only I Could Hibernate and Someone Like You.

BFI Flare: Reveal yourself

The 38th BFI Flare wrapped up on Sunday, after Saturday night's closing ceremony and the world premiere of Lady Like, starring Lady Camden, who brought her starry glamour to the evening. It was a great festival, with lots of excellent films. Although without a delegate centre or team, it was tricky for press to see the films. And of course the best thing about this event each year is catching up with my Flare friends! Here are some final highlights, plus comments on the relatively few short films I managed to see and my 10 best films of the fest...

Lady Like
dir-scr Luke Willis; with Rex Wheeler, Shiloh Brody-Clarke 24/US ***
There's a terrific story at the centre of this documentary, tracing the life of drag star Lady Camden from her London childhood to TV stardom and beyond. Filmmaker Luke Wheeler has wonderful access, capturing Camden's alter-ego Rex Wheeler with unusual openness and authenticity. But the film itself isn't edited together with momentum or a clear structure, circling around and repeating emotional points. So it's entertaining, but never as moving as it wants to be.

Unspoken
dir-scr Jeremy Borison; with Charlie Korman, Michael Zapesotsky 24/US ****
Sensitive and introspective, this teen drama plays out almost like a mystery thriller. Sharply shot with a vivid attention to detail, the film has a focussed perspective that's both riveting and involving. Writer-director Jeremy Borison maintains narrative momentum along with a knowing sense of how it feels to be gay in a religious community. And because the story is connected to history, it carries surprising weight and complexity.

Love Lies Bleeding
dir Rose Glass; with Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian 24/US ****
Cleverly using excessive audio and visual flourishes to heighten the mood, filmmaker Rose Glass takes the audience on a pitch-black adventure that propels forward without mercy. The film is dark and often intensely gruesome, but there's a terrific undercurrent of raw emotion even in the more outrageous situations. So as it closes its grip on us, the movie becomes a skilfully lurid, heady mix of romance, murder and bodybuilding.

Orlando, My Political Biography
dir-scr Paul B Preciado; with Paul B Preciado, Oscar Miller, Janis Sahraoui 23/Fr ****
Breathtakingly original, this drama-documentary hybrid is a loose adaptation of Virginia Woolf's classic novel blurred inventively with portraits of trans people who connect with and elevate the book's story and ideas. Writer-director Paul Preciado maintains a cheeky tone, mixing plot elements with real-life details to create a movie that's colourful and often hilarious. And it also takes on several enormous issues with wit and knowing observations, challenging audience preconceptions.

Baldiga: Unlocked Heart
dir Markus Stein; with Jurgen Baldiga, Ulf Reimer 24/Ger ***.
Shot and edited with a contemplative, artful sensibility, this documentary focusses on thoughts and feelings as it recounts the life of German photographer Jurgen Baldiga, remembered depicting the truth in his images, which was uncomfortable to gay men during the Aids epidemic. Even if it's a bit slow and ponderous, the film is a remarkable depiction of a man who was hungry for everything life had to offer.

Flare Shorts

I wasn't able to watch as many shorts as I hoped to see, because they didn't make them accessible to the press this year. So I only managed to catch 12 of them - including the Five Films for Freedom. My favourite was from Spain, The First Kiss (dir Miguel Lafuente), a sharply clever drama that goes from funny to cute to intense in 15 minutes. I also really enjoyed The Lime Green Shirt (UK, Kaushik Ray), a lovely mother-son drama that's moving and provocative; Halfway (India, dir Kumar Chheda), a simple and inventive relationship drama with a quirky twist; We Collide (UK, dir Jason Bradbury), a two-minute thrill ride through a nightclub; Car Wash (Spain, dir Lucas Sogas), a complex drama about closeted football players; and A Bed for Three (Germany, dir Jan-Peter Horstmann), a silly but pointed comedy with a witty Ikea kick.

Rich’s Best of the Fest

1. 
   Crossing
2. Orlando, My Political Biography
3. The Summer With Carmen
4. Unspoken 
5. Unicorns
6. Love Lies Bleeding
7. Toll
8. Calls From Moscow
9. Riley
10. Desire Lines

All full reviews will be posted soon and linked on Shadows' BFI FLARE PAGE >
For festival information, BFI FLARE >

BFI Flare: Family matters

The 38th BFI Flare powers into its final weekend with even more movies and events, including a big closing night party tomorrow. It's been great to have filmmaker Q&As at every public screening I've attended, while having time between films to catchup with them and with my festival friends here in London. Of course, festivals wear us out (we watch too much then have to find time somewhere to work!), so I'll be glad to have my life back on Monday. But until then, there's miles to go. Here are more highlights, plus a brief Critical Week roundup...

Our Son
dir Bill Oliver; with Luke Evans, Billy Porter 23/US ***
While this drama features a new angle on the usual child custody narrative, its script never achieves the complexity needed to bring the situation to life. Instead, it feels more like a TV melodrama in which each conflict happens simply because the formula says it should. Thankfully, the cast rises above the sometimes simplistic dialog to deliver involving performances that knowingly touch on important issues. So even if it isn't memorable, the film is warm and engaging.

Pine Cone
dir Onir; with Vidur Sethi, Sahib Verma 23/Ind ***.
With a sensitive story that's groundbreaking for Indian cinema, this warm gay romantic drama takes a deep dive into its central character's relationship history through a robust flashback structure. Filmmaker Onir finds earthy honesty in scenes that grapple with connections, while eliciting layered performances from an excellent cast of newcomers. It may look a bit flatly digital (it was largely shot on an iPhone), and the music may feel somewhat insistent for Western audiences, but the film is powerfully involving.

Don't Ever Stop
dir Stuart Pollitt; with Fergie, Andy Buckley 24/UK ****
It's appropriate that a documentary about Tony De Vit, Britain's Godfather of Hard House, would pulsate with the thumping rhythms of a sweaty nightclub. This is a knowing and warmly personal portrait of a man whose influence on the music industry has been enormous, and it expands to explore his legacy by also recounting the story of his protege Fergie, one of the biggest DJs in the world. Filmmakers Stuart Pollitt and Phill Smith have poured a lot of love into this film, which makes it powerfully involving.

Commitment to Life
dir Jeffrey Schwarz; with Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bruce Vilanch 23/US ****
Centred around the queer community in Los Angeles and its response to the Aids epidemic, this knowing and sensitive documentary chronicles how a range of people took high-profile action that changed attitudes around the world. Master documentarian Jeffrey Schwartz assembles this beautifully, with a superb range of personal interviews offering firsthand commentary alongside the extensive archival material.

B E S T    O F    Y E A R
20,000 Species of Bees
dir-scr Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren; with Sofia Otero, Patricia Lopez Arnaiz 23/Sp ***
From the Basque Country, this loose drama circles around an important issue with honesty and emotion. But writer-director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren makes it difficult to engage with the characters. Not only are there too many ill-defined people on-screen, but the meandering structure never offers a way in. That said, the film looks beautiful, skilfully using the setting and culture. And the cast is excellent across the board... FULL REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI FLARE PAGE >
For festival information, BFI FLARE >

~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~
C R I T I C A L  W E E K

I've only caught a couple of non-festival movies this week, namely the franchise continuation Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which feels the strain of too many characters and a distracting plot. But there is still some fun to be had. Kristen Stewart is excellent in Love Lies Bleeding (also at Flare as it happens), the anticipated twisted thriller from Rose Glass (St Maud). It's wonderfully original. And from Australia, Limbo is a gorgeously stylish mystery shot in black and white by the gifted filmmaker Ivan Sen. In the diary for next week, I've got Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, plus In the Land of Saints and Sinners, The Beautiful Game, The Origin of Evil, Ama Gloria and Carnal Sins.

Dance: An epic final battle

Assembly Hall
by Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young
produced by Kidd Pivot
performers Brandon Alley, Livona Ellis, Rakeem Hardy, Gregory Lau, Doug Letheren, Rena Natumi, Ella Rothschild, Renée Sigouin
music and sound Owen Belton, Juliani and Meg Roe
set Jay Gower Taylor • costumes Nancy Bryant
lighting Tom Visser • video Cybèle Young
Sadler's Wells, London • 20-23.Mar.24 ★★★★

Thrillingly rendered as a collision between dull annual meeting and wild adventure fantasy, this show is visually outrageous, wildly hilarious and fairly impossible to grasp. Choreographer Crystal Pite, writer Jonathon Young and Pite's Vancouver-based company Kidd Pivot are taking on big ideas about how people work in groups, especially when threatened with oblivion. And their witty approach is thoroughly entertaining on multiple levels, even as we strain to understand why it should feel quite so momentous.

The performers act out the recorded dialog with their entire physicality, punching key words and playing up the hilarious banter. Eight people gather in a run-down assembly hall, the Benevolent and Protective Order is holding what some are calling its last meeting. But they still need to put the club's dissolution to a vote, once they get through some minor points of order and a report on a new member outreach programme. Dwindling interest means that they are struggling to pay the bills. And as some members refuse to accept defeat, the meeting spirals out into an epic medieval battlefield.

Each performer creates a vivid character with a specific point of view. At the centre is Gail (Ellis), the primary instigator rebelling against the closing of the society. And then there's the languorous Dave (Lau), who ends up as a knight in very shining armour, while Sean (Lethern) assumes the role of the triumphant king. Essentially, are waging a war for their own identity and community. Or maybe they've decided to go out with a very big bang.

An often staggering combination of sound, lighting, costumes and choreography, this show continually takes the breath away with its glorious tableaux and darkly resonant emotions. The movement is expressive, especially in a number of spinning solos and duets that shift effortlessly between liquid fluidity and jagged spikiness. The zippy dialog pushes the physicality to move at a slightly accelerated pace, which sometimes evokes the tone of a madcap silent movie. And there is a steady stream of jaw-dropping visual freeze frames.

All of this is performed with remarkable precision and a huge blast of humour, from the refreshment break to a full-on sword fight. It's absolutely mesmerising, conveying a sense that there is method to the enormous dramatic madness. The final section feels like it contains a series of big cathartic moments, but because we can't quite follow the thread, they end up feeling intense and beautiful, but utterly bewildering.

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >  

photos by Michael Slobodian, Sasha Onyshchenko • 20.Mar.24

BFI Flare: See the world

Past the halfway point now, the 38th BFI Flare is running at full speed on the Southbank in London, with a continuing series of screenings and events, plus parallel screenings on the BFIPlayer online, including the annual #FiveFilmsForFreedom shorts, which are available globally during the festival. I'm still running around to screenings, meeting with filmmakers and actors, and generally enjoying the festive atmosphere (which seems to be missing from most festivals, as talent is now separated from everyone else). Here are some more movie highlights...

Aligned
dir-scr Apollo Bakopoulos; with Panos Malakos, Dimitris Fritzelas 23/Gr ****
A lyrical drama about two dancers, this Greek film is infused with body movement that's photographed with a lovely sense of sunlight, bodies and musicality. While the plot is fairly simple, the way the story is told is sensitive and sensual, focusing on thoughts and feelings as deeper yearnings come into conflict with practicalities. With an attention to detail, filmmaker Apollo Bakopoulos takes an approach that feels knowingly autobiographical... FULL REVIEW >

Toll [Pedágio]
dir-scr Carolina Markowicz; with Maeve Jinkings, Kauan Alvarenga 23/Br ****
Snappy characters and colourful visual touches add spark to this gritty Brazilian drama about a mother and son who find themselves at odds with each other. Writer-director Carolina Markowicz balances earthy authenticity with a deadpan sense of humour and remarkably complex characters who are just getting on with the challenges of life. Infused with irony, the plot unfolds with twists and turns that are funny and darkly harrowing... FULL REVIEW >

What a Feeling
dir-scr Kat Rohrer; with Caroline Peters, Proschat Madani 24/Aut ***.
Bright and snappy, this Austrian romantic comedy centres on two workaholic women who make an unexpected connection. Even though it feels a bit frantic and out of control, writer-director Kat Rohrer creates an engaging mix of earthy interaction and nutty slapstick. While there are bigger themes gurgling within the story, it remains light and easygoing, so a happy ending is never in doubt. Bring on a stand-and-cheer musical finale... FULL REVIEW >

The Queen of My Dreams
dir-scr Fawzia Mirza; with Amrit Kaur, Nimra Bucha 23/Can ***.
Recounting a young woman's story alongside the experiences of her mother, writer-director Fawzia Mirza deploys a range of flashbacks and Bollywood-style musical sequences that are bursting with colour and culture. So while the constant cross-cutting is disorienting, the film overflows with textures of life in multiple generations of this Pakistani-Canadian family. And what emerges is a richly detailed look at the threads that hold loved ones together... FULL REVIEW >

Desire Lines
dir Jules Rosskam; with Aden Hakimi, Theo Germaine 24/US ****
With an almost restlessly inventive approach, filmmaker Jules Rosskam mixes documentary and drama to explore the rarely recounted experiences of gay trans men, asking whether testosterone treatment can shift sexuality. The film knowingly grapples with larger ideas of identity and attraction, offering vital firsthand observations alongside intriguing dramatic scenes. And it is an important rebuke to anyone who insists that there are hard and fast rules about these things... FULL REVIEW >

B E S T    O F    Y E A R
Rustin
dir George C Wolfe; with Colman Domingo, Aml Ameen 23/US ****
Smooth and sparky, this biopic about the often overlooked Civil Rights pioneer is directed by George C Wolfe to vividly capture a pivotal point in American history. And Bradford Marsalis' jazzy score ripples with emotion, as the terrific actors create intriguing, complex layers in the characters. But what brings this film outrageously to life is the combination of a smart script and a blazing performance by Colman Domingo... FULL REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI FLARE PAGE >
For festival information, BFI FLARE >

BFI Flare: Sing it loud

The 38th BFI Flare heads into the week with a continuing flurry of screenings and events. Over the weekend it was great fun to hang out with actors and filmmakers who are in town to present their films. The post-screening Q&As have been lively, revealing how important these movies are as they are appreciated by such a wide range of people in the audience. And of course films with a British connection get even more audience love, with round of applause for each cast and crew member. Or in the case of the Merchant Ivory doc, post-film selfies with the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Greta Scacchi, James Wilby, Rupert Graves, Natasha McElhone and many more. Here's another set of highlights...

Unicorns
dir Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd; with Ben Hardy, Jason Patel 23/UK ****
With a sometimes dreamlike sensibility, this British drama follows two young men who are struggling to make sense of their lives, and may find the answer together. Directing alongside screenwriter James Krisna Floyd, Sally El-Hosaini maintains an optimistic but clear-eyed and honest tone, even as the film takes on some big issues in a situation that feels impossible. It's also remarkably sympathetic to its very different central characters... FULL REVIEW >

Riley
dir-scr Benjamin Howard; with Jake Holley, Colin McCalla 23/US ****
Earthy authenticity infuses this warm drama, as writer-director Benjamin Howard knowingly captures the pervasive masculinity in sporting culture, which expresses itself in ignorant homophobia. He also gets into the mind of a teen athlete grappling with his sexuality. As the drama gets increasingly serious, the film grabs hold powerfully. So even if things begin to turn a bit melodramatic, there's truth in the way the story plays out... FULL REVIEW >

Hidden Master:
The Legacy of George Platt Lynes
dir Sam Shahid; with Bernard Perlin, George Platt Lynes II 23/US***.
Essentially making the case that photographer George Platt Lynes deserves a place in art history, this well-researched documentary recounts his career with eye-opening detail. Director Sam Shahid spent a decade compiling the interviews and hunting down archival material that fill this movie to overflowing. And Lynes' stunning images gain meaningful context through the fabulous first-hand anecdotes about a little-known but hugely influential segment of the art world from the 1930s to the 1950s. 

Merchant Ivory
dir Stephen Soucy; with James Ivory, Ismail Merchant 24/US ***.
Beautifully assembled with extensive interviews and film clips, this engaging documentary takes thorough look at the team behind the eponymous game-changing production company best known for its 1980s period dramas. As this story unfolds, filmmaker Stephen Soucy unearths some eye-opening things about the film industry and society at large. This is both a story about moviemakers who work outside the system, making first-rate projects against the odds, and an involving account of a decades-long love story that has never been told before. 

B E S T    O F    Y E A R
Bottoms
dir Emma Seligman; with Ayo Edebiri, Rachel Sennott 23//US ***
Both broadly silly and thematically pointed, this high school comedy moves at a brisk pace through a plot that's laced with absurdity. But the satire is cleverly grounded in big issues and emotional resonance, which makes even the silliest gags hilarious. Director-cowriter Emma Seligman gleefully pushes the characters and story right to the edge. So even as the transgressive nastiness takes over, the film has plenty of heart... FULL REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows's BFI FLARE PAGE >

For festival information, BFI FLARE >

Dance: Dazzling sights and sounds

Company Wayne McGregor
direction and choreography Wayne McGregor
dancers Winnie Asawakanjanakit, Rebecca Bassett-Graham, Naia Bautista, Jordan James Bridge, Chia-Tu Hsu, Hannah Joseph, Jasiah Marshall, Salomé Pressac, Salvatore De Simone, Mariano Zamora Gonzalez
dramaturgy Uzma Hameed
Sadler's Wells, London • 12-16.Mar.24

The almost absurdly talented, groundbreaking Company Wayne McGregor returned to Sadler's Wells in March with two shows...

Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography (v95)
music Jlin • set Ben Cullen Williams
lighting Lucy Carter • costumes Aitor Throup ★★★★★

Each performance of this piece is different, as a selection of 23 individual segments are sequenced by an algorithm based on McGregor's own DNA sequence. So the overall show takes on different shapes and moods as the production progresses. The choreography is physically demanding, and the dancers perform this with an astonishing liquidity under a suspended lighting rig. As the show progresses, there's a powerful sense of yearning and breathlessness, which makes the performance forward-looking and literally alive.

Each piece is distinct, made up of solos, duets and group numbers that are eye-catching and powerfully involving. Movement echoes and confronts, responding and breaking out, continually finding new expressions in specific settings and roles. The music is a mix of instruments, sounds and rhythms that vary the mood and propel the action, often with a rumbling bass that vibrates the audience's bones. Meanwhile, changing lights, costumes and smoke add distinctive touches to each piece.

McGregor's choreography has a floaty sensibility that's often dazzling, smoothly combining modern and classical movement. It's so physically expressive, that the pieces seem to bleed into each other. Highlights include the arena-like Instinct, with its almost martial arts sensibility; World, with some stunning back-lighting trickery; and Sleep, as the ceiling frame drops to the floor while the dancers crawl underneath. Along the way, there are moments of romantic swooniness, arch posturing and dreamy sensuality. Some of it is fast and powerfully energetic, other segments are slow and meditative. And because of the way each performance is assembled, you can never see the same show twice.

photos by Ravi Deepres • 12.Mar.24

UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey

music Joel Cadbury • film design Ravi Deepres
lighting Lucy Carter • costumes Philip Delamore, Alex Box
spoken word artist Isaiah Hull ★★★★

Based on the 1982 Jim Henson film, this fantastical tale unfolds with fairy tale imagery and technical wizardry. It's an immersive, haunting saga, with big ideas about good and evil and a strong sense of ecology. While following the plot itself is virtually impossible, this is a show that washes over us with often spectacular stagecraft, a skilful combination of movement, music, costumes and projections. It's a gorgeous shifting tale that becomes mesmerising and hypnotic as it shimmers and prowls through sometimes jarring tonal shifts.

The show opens with an extended film clip, a fish-eyed exploration of a cluttered library that hints at the folklore and legends that will swirl throughout what follows. When dancers take the stage, they are joined by a gigantic 3D projected teleporting fish that looks very cool indeed. This interaction between projections and performance continues. And the costumes add to the atmosphere, often covering the performers' faces, evoking images of iconic figures or altering their physicality. The choreography is athletic and often acrobatic, creating lovely shapes and emotional intent.

The soundtrack features an elaborate musical mix, plus spoken word pieces exploring climate change themes. All of this combines in a way that's seriously impressive, especially the visual audacity in the lighting, colour and iconography. And these gifted performers throw themselves into each scenario with expressive abandon. So even if it begins to feel a bit random and impenetrable, there's so much beauty in both their solo turns and their interaction with each other that we can't look away.

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Andrej Uspenski • 15.Mar.24