Stage: Lockdown diaries

Jab
by James McDermott
dir Scott Le Crass
with Kacey Ainsworth, Liam Tobin
lighting Jodie Underwood • music & sound Adam Langston
Park Theatre, London • 2-26.Apr.25 ★★★

Inspired by true events, James McDermott's drama feels like a period piece, set very specifically during the pandemic. And while it nostalgically journeys through the key events and issues of those years, the focus is on a marriage that was already in trouble before lockdown pushed it over the edge. The two actors are excellent, playing the short, sharp scenes with punchy interplay that is often wordless. But the story never feels layered enough to resonate meaningfully.

It opens as NHS worker Anne (Kacey Ainsworth) starts working from home during the covid outbreak. Her well-paying job has supported raising two sons with her husband of 29 years, Don (Liam Tobin), who runs a vintage shop that doesn't bring in much. And now that it is forced to close, his only earnings are from government grants. Anne never lets Don forget that she's the breadwinner and he's a slacker. And he never shows any respect for her at all, beliveing it's her role to cook, clean and take care of his sexual needs. So it's not surprising that being stuck at home together brings larger tensions to the boil.

Much of this is very ugly, even if there are glimpses of affection and camaraderie between Anne and Don, plus some warm nostalgia when they're drinking. But there is also verbal and physical abuse. So neither is very likeable, striking low blows that cut deep as they increasingly separate from each other across the four armchairs lined up on the stark living room set. As the title suggests, vaccines play into the story, as Don refuses to get the jab, even as Anne is working in vaccination and testing centres. He resents her insisting that he should be vaccinated, when his beloved Daily Mail shouts nonstop about fake side-effects. And she tells him she'll resent him when he dies.

No prizes for guessing where this goes. Director Scott Le Crass stages this cleanly in the small studio space, as events unfold in sometimes very tiny fragments over many months. Both Ainsworth and Tobin are gifted actors who are able to provide some subtext to their roles. This makes the characters intriguing, even if they're only rarely engaging. But the main problem is that this is a pointed play about the strain covid put on relationships, and it never finds much to say to us five years after the fact.

For info, PARK THEATRE >

photos by Steve Gregson • 3.Apr.25

Critical Week: Battle scarred

There were three big film screenings this week. The filmmakers and much of the cast turned up for the European premiere of Warfare, at which I had chats with Kit Connor (pictured), Will Poulter, Michael Gandolfini and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. Depicting an intensely gripping battle during the Iraq War, this is easily the best film I've seen so far this year. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Four Mothers • Freaky Tales
The Most Precious of Cargoes
ALL REVIEWS >

I also attended the UK premiere of The Amateur, attended by the filmmakers and Rami Malek, Laurence Fishburne and Caitriona Balfe. It's an engaging original thriller, but a little underpowered. And while the stars were at the premiere on the other side of Leicester Square, I was at a lively press screening of the enjoyably dopey A Minecraft Movie.

In addition, I caught up with Miguel Gomes' stunningly lyrical road movie Grand Tour and the entertaining, gripping and very offbeat British bad-neighbour thriller Restless. The 39th BFI Flare also wrapped up over the weekend with a number of films and a big party.

This coming week I have very few screenings in the diary for some reason. But I'll be watching Viola Davis in G20, the documentary One to One: John & Yoko and there are sure to be others.

BFI Flare: People get ready

The 39th BFI Flare festival wrapped up this weekend with a terrific closing night film in Night Stage, which led to a superbly celebratory wrap party. Here are comments on that film and one other, plus notes on the shorts I managed to catch and my best films of the festival..

Night Stage [Ato Noturno]
dir-scr Filipe Matzembacher, Marcio Reolon; with Gabriel Faryas, Cirillo Luna 25/Br ****
From the opening shot, this Brazilian drama channels the surging operatic sensibilities of Brian De Palma's 1980s erotic thrillers. But what's coming is thoroughly rooted in the present day, mixing more open-minded public opinion with ideas that are still transgressive. Filmmakers Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon create a wonderfully lurid visual sensibility alongside characters who are complex, shady and likeable. And they delight in making us think.

Some Nights I Feel Like Walking
dir-scr Petersen Vargas; with Miguel Odron, Jomari Angeles 25/Ph ****
Lush cinematography captures the colours and textures of the Philippines, creating a vivid backdrop for this gritty drama about a group of fast-talking teens who run wild in the streets. The plot sends them on an odyssey that's strongly involving, largely because the characters and situations are so complex. Writer-director Peterson Vargas includes a terrific mixture of emotions in these found brothers who care for each other in the face of hatred.

Shorts 
I only saw 11 short films at this year's Flare, which is a very small number for me. These include this year's strong selection of Five Films for Freedom, which are available free to view worldwide during the festival. My favourite was one of these, Dragfox (Lisa Ott, UK), a witty stop-motion musical comedy about a boy who is coaxed by a cheeky fox (voiced by Ian McKellen) to let his true self out into the world. Other favourites included the earthy street-kid drama Home (Donja R Love, US) and the snappy dress-up-and-sing comedy Wait, Wait, Now! (Ramon Te Wake, NZ).

Rich's Best of the Fest

1. 
   High Tide (Calvani, US)
2. Viet and Nam 
   (Truong, Vie)
3. Night Stage
   (Matzembacher/Reolon, Br)
4. The Astronaut Lovers (Berger, Arg)
5. Memorabilia
   (Lum/Verow, US)
6. Departures 
   (Eyre-Morgan/Ely, UK)
7. Some Nights I Feel Like Walking (Vargas, Ph)
8. Really Happy Someday (Stevens, Can)
9. We Are Faheem & Karun (Onir, Ind)
10. The Wedding Banquet (Ahn, US)

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI Flare page when published.

Dance: Birds of a feather

Julie Cunningham & Company / Jules Cunningham
Crow / Pigeons
choreography Jules Cunningham
performers Harry Alexander, Nafisah Baba, Yu-Chien Cheng, Jules Cunningham, Matthias Sperling
Crow: soundscore JD Samson • design Julie Verhoeven
Pigeons: music Julius Eastman • costumes Loe D'Arcy
lighting Joshie Harriette
Sadler's Wells East, Stratford • 27-28.Mar.25 ★★★★

Part of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, this show features two pieces by Jules Cunningham, both of which use birds to explore issues of marginalisation in the vast but intimate new space at Sadler's Wells East. Each of these performances looks at issues of isolation and community, obstacles and freedom, through the eyes of vulnerable beings in the big city. So there are moments in each piece that are dazzlingly powerful, especially in the way the music combines beautifully with the skilled dancers' movement. At the same time, they also remain just a little out of reach.

Crow features Cunningham and Harry Alexander performing on a huge stage dotted with offbeat artefacts that create little spaces. In one of these, JD Samson performs live at a DJ deck, interacting with the dancers. Dressed like New Romantics, their movements resemble crows, individualistic but mimicking each other, moving in start-and-stop circles and striking staccato poses, reacting to the music. They also observe their surroundings, including an extended period when they amusingly stare down the audience. The lighting features red and black against a background screen featuring a swirling collage of colours and shapes. The kinetic performances are loose and offhanded, creating lovely rhythms and shapes without even a hint of emotion.

By contrast, Pigeons is more lyrical from the start, as all five dancers fill the stage by darting around in various formations, spiralling off on their own or moving together in fascinating layers of synchronicity. The costumes are floaty, deconstructed streetwear, and the way they group together and spin apart is fluid and naturalistic, beautifully augmented by Julius Eastman's multiple-piano piece Gay Guerilla. With very little arm movement and no lifts, the dancers convey feelings of isolation as well as unity, creating engaging connections that soar and resonate lightly. They also leave us with something to think about after the show. 

For details, SADLER'S WELLS >

conceptual photos by Studio Long • 27.Mar.25

BFI Flare: Dance the night away

We're coming into the final weekend of the 39th BFI Flare, and I still have quite a few films to watch, including the closing film Night Stage, followed by a party, which I think we all need after such a busy 12 days. I also want to catch up on this year's Five Films for Freedom. Here are some more highlights...

A Night Like This
dir Liam Calvert; with Alexander Lincoln, Jack Brett Anderson 25/UK ***
Because this film is so beautifully shot in locations around London, it doesn't really matter that the city's geography is rather fantastical, as are two major coincidences in the plot. As lonely people at the end of their rope intersect over one fateful night, it's the big ideas rippling through Diego Scerrati's script that hold the interest. And director Liam Calvert maintains a warm, intimate tone that nicely balances the sometimes overpacked dialog and performances.

The Astronaut Lovers 
[Los Amantes Astronautas]
dir-scr Marco Berger; with Javier Oran, Lautaro Bettoni 24/Arg ****
Smart and very funny, this romcom from Argentina takes an audacious premise and spins it with snappy dialog that playfully references a wide range of movies along with the titular metaphorical running gags. Writer-director Marco Berger takes his usual astute look at masculinity and identity, avoiding cliches while playfully remaining faithful to the genre. Indeed, he includes an unapologetic romance that sneaks in through character-based wit. 

Sandbag Dam 
[Zečji Nasip]
dir Cejen Cernic Canak; with Lav Novosel, Andrija Zunac 25/Cro ***.
Set in rural Croatia, this relaxed drama skilfully captures the everyday rhythms in this place, focussing in on a young gay man who finds himself at a crossroads in his life. The title refers to a wall of sandbags that protects a village from rising river levels, and of course this also represents the wall this guy has built to hide himself from those around him. As a slice-of-life drama, this is a very powerful film that has a lot to say about how a culture can push people away.

Winter Kept Us Warm 
dir-scr David Secter; with John Labow, Henry Tarvainen 65/Can ****
Pristinely restored, this Canadian drama was made in 1965 by student filmmaker David Secter, starring his classmates. In the style of the French New Wave, the film features a subtly gay narrative at a time when homosexuality was criminalised. So it's understandable that the approach to the topic is discreet, but the plot is remarkably sophisticated, taking what today feels like a fresh run at this kind of narrative. This makes it both involving and surprising.

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI Flare page when published.

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

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Time Travel Is Dangerous
Holy Cow • The Penguin Lessons
Misericordia • Viet and Nam
PERHAPS AVOID:
A Working Man
ALL REVIEWS >

Aside from films at BFI Flare, I also watched Jack Quaid in the guilty-pleasure action comedy Novocaine, Jason Statham in the derivative A Working Man, Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson in the engaging true story The Salt Path, Steve Coogan and Jonathan Pryce in the engaging true story The Penguin Lessons, plus two live stage performances at Sadler's Wells: Outsider and Crow/Pigeons.

This coming week I'll be watching A Minecraft Movie, whatever that is, Rami Malek in The Amateur, Miguel Gomes' Grand Tour and British drama Restless, plus more films at BFI Flare's closing weekend.

Dance: Reach for the stars

Rachid Ouramdane
Outsider
Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève
choreography Rachid Ouramdane
highliners Nathan Paulin, Tania Monier, Louise Lenoble, Daniel Daruelle
music Julius Eastman • set Sylvain Giraudeau
costumes Gwladys Duthil • lighting Stephane Graillot
Sadler's Wells, London • 26-27.Mar.25 ★★★★★

Outsider has its UK premiere as part of the Dance Reflections season by Van Cleef & Arpels, featuring 24 dancers from Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, plus four athletic high-wire and slack-line experts. This hour-long piece is very physical, packed with audacious acrobatic movement, and it is performed with an unusual fluidity that makes the most of the liquid choreography, pulling the audience into the yearning expectancy of the dancers. Which makes the show feel like a churning blast of buoyant energy.

It's unusual to see such a huge crowd of dancers on-stage together, running like a pack, smoothly lifting each other in ways that seem to defy gravity. It's celebratory and playful, and while there's a lot going on there's never a question of where to look. Lighting is soft, almost monochromatic, echoing the performers' black and tan body suits. So as they spin, fly and float, the show begins to soar. Then four wire walkers slowly emerge on lines stretched above the stage, moving slowly. 

In the heart-stopping silence, the dancers on the stage begin to reach upwards, stretching to join these strangers in the sky. The lifts become intentional and intense. And the highliners also reach down, reaching toward the people below. Yes, this might be a simple metaphor, but it plays out with such smooth, kinetic movement that we are taken right along with the performers. And Julius Eastman's multiple-piano score fills the theatre with lush waves of sound.

While the dancers are required to use strength, balance and precision synchronicity, the performers above use stillness. At one point they stop and just watch, without even the slightest bobble, for what feels like an eternity. They also dangle and bounce, and at one point finally manage to catch upstretched hands from below. It's a simple, fiendishly effective show that leaves us breathless. We want to get up there on-stage and join them, and maybe even take our chances on one of those wires.

For details, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Gregory Batardon • 26.Mar.25

BFI Flare: Hit the road

We're into the second half of the 38th BFI Flare film fest, and I've been enjoying the wide range of films in the programme. The four highlights noted here are quite an eclectic bunch, very different styles of moviemaking from four countries — a comedy, drama, collage and documentary...

Drive Back Home
dir-scr Michael Clowater; with Alan Cumming, Charlie Creed-Miles 24/Can ****
Based on a true story that took place at a time in Canada when men were sent to prison for being gay, this film bristles with dark humour as it recounts a story involving brothers and entrenched societal homophobia. Writer-director Michael Clowalter and his cast fill the screen with sparky attitude and offbeat character touches that are both funny and honest. It's a lively, entertaining movie that cleverly uses its period to explore present-day attitudes.

The Pleasure Is Mine [El Placer Es Mío]
dir-scr Sacha Amaral; with Max Suen, Katja Alemann 24/Arg ***.
Like its central character, this drama from Argentina is a bit flippant and enigmatic, pulling us in with pure charm. Unfolding in fragments of scenes, this observant film follows a quick-thinking hustler who finds it easier to manipulate people than to make a meaningful connection. Writer-director Sacha Amaral shoots with offbeat wide-screen camerawork that sharply captures the characters, which makes it eerily easy to put ourselves in their shoes.

Memorabilia
dir-scr Charles Lum, Todd Verow; with JJ Bozeman, Justin Ivan Brown 24/US ****
Planned by filmmaker Charles Lum before his death and completed by his collaborator Todd Verow, this experimental film is a collage-style film memoir tracing a gay man's sexual journey, including things rarely spoken of on film. It's also unusually honest in its depiction of inner yearning, creating a gorgeously lusty vibe that runs through even in the more prosaic interludes. So the cumulative effect is dreamy and resonant.

Fatherhood 
[Tre Fedre]
dir-scr Even Benestad, August B Hanssen; with Kristopher, David, Sindre 25/Nor ***.
Warmly soft-spoken, this documentary presents three men in a relationship in a matter-of-fact way. Being gay in Norway has never been a problem for these guys, although being a throuple did catch people off guard, as did the way they planned to become parents. These are earthy, funny men who will clearly make good fathers, and the film knowingly traces their journey as they prepare for the birth.

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI Flare page when published.