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 >

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