LFF: Smile for the camera

Into the second week of the 67th London Film Festival, the star-free red carpets continue to play out every night in front of the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank. The paparazzi look rather bored, so I've been chatting to them as I go by, finding out which of the film's crew members are in town, and perhaps some B-list celebs as well. Then I spot an Oscar-nominated A-lister incognito in the crowd and say hi; she's been enjoying movies as an audience member, adeptly honouring the actors strike by avoiding the cameras. Word has it that most stars have a bag packed so that once the strike is over they can rush off to support their movie projects. But in the meantime, we still have the movies. Here are a few more highlights...

Priscilla
dir-scr Sofia Coppola; with Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi 23/US ***.
Maintaining a sharp perspective from start to finish, Sofia Coppola explores the relationship between Priscilla and Elvis Presley with strikingly intimacy. The film digs under the surface to explore much more than the familiar story of a teenager who married the world's most famous singer. The anecdotal structure sometimes feels a bit jarring, and the ending is abrupt, but the narrative offers a remarkably involving exploration of gender politics... FULL REVIEW >

Nyad
dir Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin; with Annette Bening, Jodie Foster 23/US ****
Powerfully involving, this true drama is shot in a riveting documentary style with the addition of real-life footage. It also features fabulous roles that Annette Bening and Jodie Foster can properly sink their talented teeth into. Without over-egging the story's inherent adventure elements too much, directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin let the events play out authentically, and the engaging characters make it both gripping and unmissable.

Foe
dir Garth Davis; with Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal 23/Aus ***
Beautifully shot, this lightly futuristic romantic thriller centres tightly on three characters who are skilfully played with intense emotionality. But filmmaker Garth Davis tries to be tricky with a plot that simply doesn't hold water. Explanations come far too late to put anything that happens into context, so watching the film is an exercise in frustration. Even so, it has some important things to say about curiosity and compassion... FULL REVIEW >

The Lost Boys [Le Paradis]
dir Zeno Graton; with Khalil Gharbia, Julien De Saint Jean 23/Bel ****
Set in a juvenile detention facility, this sensitive Belgian drama traces a romance between two teen boys with hushed sensitivity. It's a beautifully observed story that unfolds in earthy and sometimes tender interaction, skilfully directed by Zeno Graton to put us into the mindset of a powerfully engaging central character. And it manages to be authentic, hopeful and even occasionally grim without ever resorting to prison movie cliches.

Totem
dir-scr Lila Aviles; with Naima Senties, Montserrat Maranon 23/Mex ****
Loose and authentically chaotic, this Mexican drama features refreshing rhythms of family life over a pivotal day. Filmmaker Lila Aviles is an expert observer of human behaviour, filling the house with fully formed characters who have their own preoccupations and little sense of allowing others their personal space. The wonderfully open-handed filmmaking constantly reveals things about people who are both connected and disconnected at the same time.

Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
dir Elene Naveriani; with Eka Chavleishvili, Temiko Chichinadze 23/Geo ****
With deadpan charm, this Georgian film opens with a woman picking blackberries on the edge of a riverbank when a blackbird distracts her and she falls, imagining her death below. Filmmaker Elene Naveriani maintains a quiet, slow-burning vibe that ripples with underlying humour and tensions. The characters are wonderfully real, while the film has a colourful, sardonic Kaurismaki-like quality that's thoroughly winning. And the underlying message is hugely empowering.

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

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

In addition to lots of festival films, this week I also saw Laura Linney, Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates in the engaging and pointed Irish comedy-drama The Miracle Club, the quirky and dark British comedy Mind-Set, and enjoyably cheesy voyeurism nastiness in 15 Cameras. Films this coming week include several more LFF films, the animated musical sequel Trolls Band Together. the girls' comedy Bottoms, and Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie in Eileen. Then I'll be on a plane to visit family in California for a couple of weeks.