LFF: Play to the crowd

We've crossed the halfway point in the 67th London Film Festival, which this year feels like an absolute glut of big-name gala premieres. There are two or three major movies on every day, while dozens of smaller films are also screening outside the spotlight. I'm trying to cover a range of films, although generally I'm only invited to cover the ones that have UK distributors. But that's plenty, frankly! I need to get some sleep, after all. Here are a few highlights for today...

Maestro
dir Bradley Cooper; with Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan 23/US ***.
Taking an ambitious approach to the life of Leonard Bernstein, Bradley Cooper creates ravishing stylistic period flourishes while going deep into the music itself. The introspective approach allows the adept cast to create complex characters that defy stereotypes. But this begins to feel gimmicky as the decades whiz past, mainly because relationships remain sketchy. So there are punchy emotional moments along the way, but the bigger picture remains unfocused.

All of Us Strangers
dir-scr Andrew Haigh; with Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal 23/UK *****
Like Weekend's more challenging big brother, this contained British drama from Andrew Haigh uses incisive storytelling to explore connections in a fractured society. He shoots it in his usual bracingly naturalistic style, this time augmenting the story with a surreal sensibility that draws on the creative process itself. And it's beautifully played by a focussed, invested cast. This is a gently involving, darkly personal film that carries a massive emotional wallop.

Robot Dreams
dir-scr Pablo Berger; with Ivan Labanda, Esther Solans 23/Sp ****.
Charmingly animated in a cheeky cartoon style, this lively animated drama traces an offbeat friendship with unusual nuance. Even without a single word of spoken dialog, multiple characters reveal complex textures as they head on momentous journeys. Genius filmmaker Pablo Berger (see Blancanieves or Torremolinos 73) has made a thoroughly grown-up movie that has something important to say to children too. It deserves to become a cult classic.

That They May Face the Rising Sun
dir Pat Collins; with Barry Ward, Anna Bederke 23/Ire ***.
Based on John McGahern's acclaimed novel, this gentle 1980s-set Irish drama has a documentary tone, observing a year in the everyday life of a rural community. The sense of place is immersive, surrounded by epic verdant fields, mountains and lakes. And there's poetry in the musings of older characters who make pointed observations about everything. This sometimes feels a bit overwritten, but the film is packed with lovely insight.

Haar
dir-scr Ben Hecking; with Kate Kennedy, Balazs Czukor 23/UK ***.
Shot on wonderfully grainy Super 8 film, this British drama maintains a loose, observational structure following a young woman around a European city. Filmmaker Ben Hecking captures knowing details everywhere, with witty encounters and a few amusing surprises. It's a free-flowing series of scenes that are punctuated with a range of emotion from silliness to anguish. The meandering approach is a bit challenging, but it's worth sticking with it.

All full festival reviews will be linked to Shadows' LFF PAGE >