BFI Flare: Let it shine

Finally back in-person, BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival kicked off with a gala opening night on Wednesday,  as Finnish filmmaker Alli Haapasalo presented her Sundance-winner Girl Picture before a lively party at the May Fair Hotel. This is London's most festive film fest, where everyone mingles together without the usual segregation between talent and audiences. And it's great to see both the friends who make this an annual highlight and the filmmakers and actors who are here to show their work. Some highlights to start with...

Girl Picture
dir Alli Haapasalo; with Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen 22/Fin ****
There's a refreshing authenticity to this Finnish coming-of-age drama that continually catches the viewer by surprise, as director Alli Haapasalo continually subverts the usual cinematic tropes in lieu of something that's engagingly honest. The story follows three girls as they face a range of pressures over three Fridays. This contained structure allows for a loosely observational style that feels improvisational and raw. And it also makes it surprisingly resonant.

Benediction
dir-scr Terence Davies; with Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi 21/UK *****
Master filmmaker Terence Davies takes a gorgeously poetic look at the life of poet Siegfried Sassoon, blending funny, sexy and wrenchingly emotional moments into a collage that continually catches us by surprise. As the film grapples with the nature of time and mortality, this swirl of punchy scenes and period newsreel footage isn't afraid to tackle hard truths about humanity. It's an elegantly devastating work of art... REVIEW >

Cop Secret
dir Hannes Thor Halldorsson; with Audunn Blondal, Egill Einarsson 21/Ice ****
Wild and loose, this punchy 1970s-style police thriller from Iceland starts with a bang and never lets up. Hilariously over the top, the film gleefully deploys the tough-guy genre cliches. The film is entertaining both for its gritty crime action and the way it makes the usual homoerotic subtext in a buddy movie much more central to the narrative. But can the nation's toughest cop admit that he's gay?... REVIEW >

F R O M   T H E   A R C H I V E S
Madame Satã
dir-scr Karim Ainouz; with Lazaro Ramos, Marcelia Cartaxo 02/Br ****
This gritty tale from 1930s Rio de Janeiro tells the real story of Madame Satã, Queen of Carnival from the '40s to until his death in 1976. Writer-director Ainouz creates a remarkable atmosphere--dark and sweaty, with a disarming style of cinematography and editing that makes it feel almost like a fantasy. It looks fantastic! There's a knowing, witty playfulness that keeps us gripped, even when we're not quite sure what's going on or who's whom... REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked to Shadows' BFI Flare PAGE 
For tickets and information, visit BFI FLARE 

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C R I T I C A L   W E E K

 

The Batman was the only movie I saw during my three weeks in Los Angeles - I was there to spend time with family and friends after two strange years! Back in London, I dove straight into BFI Flare, and also began to catch up on other films that are coming out, including Pixar's superbly observed animated adventure Turning Red and the slickly insinuating mystery Deep Water, starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas. 

In the coming days, I'll be watching Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in the comedy The Lost City, Francois Ozon's Everything Went Fine, the horror comedy Followers and the shorts collection The French Boys 4.