LFF: The usual suspects

The 66th London Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday night with the European premiere of Glass Onion, the Knives Out sequel. Most of the cast was on-stage to introduce the film and have a post-screening Q&A along with filmmaker Rian Johnson. This was follows by the first LFF closing party I've ever been invited to (thanks, Netflix!) - a huge event themed around the movie. In the end, I saw 40 festival films, which isn't bad at all for not being press accredited. And I have several more screening over the coming weeks. Here's a final list of highlights, plus the award winners and my favourites from the festival...

Glass Onion
dir-scr Rian Johnson; with Daniel Craig, Janelle Monae 22/US ****
After the gleeful chaos of Knives Out, writer-director Rian Johnson returns with another fiendishly well-constructed whodunit for Daniel Craig's lively sleuth Benoit Blanc. This film isn't quite as camp, but it's even funnier as the plot crashes through its crazy twists and turns, subverting the mystery genre itself before giving in to its more enjoyable pleasures: make everyone a suspect before unpeeling a satisfyingly thumping conclusion.

The Inspection
dir-scr Elegance Bratton; with Jeremy Pope, Gabrielle Union 22/US ****.
There's striking artistry in the way filmmaker Elegance Bratton recounts an autobiographical narrative about a Black gay man in US Marines boot camp during the "don't ask, don't tell" years. Never preachy, the film has an earthy, intensely internalised tone that puts its complex characters into a razor-sharp perspective. And its knowing authenticity adds both deep emotion and a textured, vital comment on the nature of bigotry

My Policeman
dir Michael Grandage; with Harry Styles, Emma Corrin 22/UK ***
Because there's such a compelling story at the centre of this British drama, it is packed with strikingly emotional and provocative moments. But the filmmaking is oddly timid, thinning the material in a way that makes it feel soapy. Set in two intriguing periods, the premise raises important issues that deserve attention. So more nuance in the characters and storytelling could have provided an even more potent kick... FULL REVIEW >

Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande
dir Tim MacKenzie-Smith; with Patrick Patterson, Sam Kelly 22/UK ***.
Unsung and hugely influential, the British group Cymande is overdue for a documentary, and this beautifully assembled film is a superb overview. Shot and edited with the same soulful groove the band injected into the music industry, the movie features an entertaining collection of interviews, music and archival film. Director Tim MacKenzie-Smith clearly has a lot of affection for the band. And so do we after watching his film.

A W A R D S

• Best Film: CORSAGE
• Audience Award: BLUE BAG LIFE
• Documentary: ALL THAT BREATHES
• First Feature: 1976
• Immersive: AS MINE EXACTLY
• Short Film: I HAVE NO LEGS AND I MUST RUN
• Audience Award - Short: DROP OUT
• Surprise film: THE MENU

R I C H ’ S   B E S T   O F   F E S T

1. NO BEARS
2. CAUSEWAY
3. DECISION TO LEAVE
4. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
5. LIVING
6. THE INSPECTION
7. ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED
8. TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
9. BLUE JEAN
   
10. GLASS ONION

As I have time, full reviews of London Film Festival films will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >

LFF: Ground yourself

As the 66th London Film Festival comes into its final days, I know that not being press accredited has meant that I have missed quite a few of the big titles, but I've also been able to discover lots of smaller unexpected gems along the way. And I'll see the bigger films anyway when they are released (or in awards season screenings). I've also been just as busy each day, but without those nasty 8am starts. And I haven't been in a single queue. I've also, for the first time in 28 years, been invited to the closing night party, although the invite came from Netflix not the LFF. I'll have one last post on Monday with a few more films, the award winners and my best of the fest. In the meantime, here are more highlights...

You Won't Be Alone
dir-scr Goran Stolevski; with Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert 22/Ser ****
Delighting in a particularly yucky grisliness, this dramatic horror film has a timeless quality to it, feeling almost like a tone poem as it explores elemental feelings in an almost primordial setting. Writer-director Goran Stolevski has a wonderfully original approach to building tension in mostly wordless scenes, playing with light and sound while dipping into some genuinely nasty imagery. And a deeper exploration of gender makes the film haunting.

Decision to Leave
dir Park Chan-wook; with Tang Wei, Park Hae-il 22/Kor ****.
Whizzy visual touches make this far more intriguing than the usual police procedural thriller. But then, master filmmaker Park Chan-wook doesn't make simplistic movies, and this churning mystery is packed with jagged humour, eerie violence and an understated but powerfully heated noir-style romance. It's a dazzling film that tightens its grip with an intricately constructed drama that's both witty and emotionally powerful.

Inland
dir-scr Fridtjof Ryder; with Rory Alexander, Mark Rylance 22/UK ***
Infused with moody atmospherics, this dark and insinuating British fairy tale has a densely wooded setting and characters who are driven by past events they may not understand. Using inventive, sometimes experimental filmmaking, writer-director Fridtjof Ryder keeps the tone otherworldly from the start, evoking primal emotionality and ancient pagan rituals. But the storytelling is so loose that details of the plot feel just out of reach.

The Blue Caftan [Le Bleu du Caftan]
dir-scr Maryam Touzani; with Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri 22/Mor ****
Opening on luxuriant folds of blue silk, this Moroccan drama maintains a fluid tone that pulls the audience deep inside. Writer-director Maryam Touzani beautifully depicts details that are disappearing in the modern world, where people are too impatient to wait for hand-crafted tailoring. And the narrative is unusually involving, weaving in personal themes that have a strong emotional impact.

Crows Are White
dir Ahsen Nadeem; with Ahsen Nadeem, Kamahori, Ryushin 22/US ****
Beautifully photographed in otherworldly locations that have been rarely seen by outsiders, this documentary has a compelling narrative structure as it explores the nature of faith and traditions in the present day, specifically looking at Buddhism and Islam. Set out as a personal journey, this complex odyssey centres on filmmaker Ahsen Nadeem as he explores extreme lengths people go to in search of enlightenment. The offbeat result is witty, personal, revealing and strongly resonant. 

Plus one of the best films I saw in Venice...

The Banshees of Inisherin
dir-scr Martin McDonagh; with Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson 22/Ire ****.
Focussing on seemingly inconsequential events, this witty Irish drama becomes a startlingly vivid look at human interaction. Writer-director Martin McDonagh has an uncanny ability to sharply capture connections in small communities while echoing larger themes. So this often absurdly funny film brings continually surprising textures and impacts, with a literal civil war taking place in the distance. And the contained story at the centre is almost criminally satisfying... FULL REVIEW >

All London Film Festival reviews, once they're uploaded, will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >

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C R I T I C A L   W E E K

There were a few non festival movies this week, including Jamie Lee Curtis' final (supposedly) movie in the 40-year franchise, Halloween Ends, which is enjoyably grisly but not very scary; the silly and surprisingly sophisticated comedy adventure Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, with a singing-dancing Javier Bardem; the creepy and clever Irish horror-drama Nocebo; and the unexpectedly involving zombie pastiche The Loneliest Boy in the World.

Coming this next week are Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam, Billy Eichner in Bros and several more LFF movies, including Harry Styles in My Policeman and Daniel Craig in the closing movie Glass Onion, plus films for both the Iris Prize Festival and the London East Asia Film Festival, followed closely by Raindance. Yes, it's a festival traffic jam this month.

LFF: Own the night

It's odd to experience the 66th London Film Festival from the outside, after 28 years covering it as accredited press. I'm seeing as many films as usual, but the process is far less stressful, as I'm working with distributors and publicists who invite me to screenings, rather than queuing up for early morning press shows. It's still very busy, but it's remarkable how less stressful it is when you see whatever you can and don't worry about anything else. This has also provided some nice surprises this year so far. Here's another bunch of highlights...

Empire of Light
dir-scr Sam Mendes; with Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward 22/UK ****
Writer-director Sam Mendes packs perhaps too much into this personal 1980s drama. Infused with a love of cinema, the film's central storyline also takes on loneliness, racism, sexual harassment and mental illness. It's rather a lot for such a warmly beautiful film, but if any actress can bridge all of this material together it's Olivia Colman, who radiates emotional resonance that brings focus to each theme and makes this well worth a look.

Utama
dir-scr Alejandro Loayza Grisi; with Jose Calcina, Luisa Quispe 22/Bol ****
The title of this Bolivian drama is the Quechua word for "our home". Set in the highlands, it focusses on the details of life for an elderly couple that is grappling with an extended drought. Writer-director Alejandro Loayza Grisi assembles this in a documentary style, creating a vivid depiction of the local culture. It's a gorgeous slice of life with properly momentous undertones.

Rodeo
dir-scr Lola Quivoron; with Julie Ledru, Yannis Lafki 22/Fr ***
Diving headlong into a subculture, this French drama spirals around a young woman who is obsessed with riding off-road motorbikes in street gangs. There's little context to the characters or situations, and the script's plot feels rather over-familiar as it develops a series of moral conundrums. But writer-director Lola Quivoron blasts energy through each scene, which makes the film feel urgent and involving. And biker-turned-actress Julie Ledru has terrific screen presence.

And four films I saw previously...

Triangle of Sadness
dir-scr Ruben Ostlund; with Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean 22/Swe ****
Another lively provocation from Swedish filmmaker Ruben Ostlund, this pitch-black comedy overflows as big ideas are laced through an ambitiously epic tale. It's an exploration of the divisive nature of class, gender, race, disability and language. And as the plot spirals through its pointed chapters, the film can also be seen as a social media parable. It's messy, but the way it challenges the viewer is also exhilarating... FULL REVIEW >

The Whale
dir Darren Aronofsky; with Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau 22/US ***.
Based on Samuel Hunter's play and retaining a stagey claustrophobia, this pointed drama is unusually contained for Darren Aronofsky. It's about how people impact each other for good and bad, and is likely to divide viewers along lines of optimism and cynicism. Although few will be able to resist a startlingly winning performance from Brendan Fraser, even from within an enormous fat suit. And the deeper ideas strike a nerve... FULL REVIEW >

Butterfly Vision
dir Maksym Nakonechnyi; with Rita Burkovska, Liubomyr Valivots 22/Ukr ****
Beautifully observed with a sharp attention to detail, this Ukrainian film is packed with powerful issues but plays out matter-of-factly, without exaggerated melodrama. Set during Russia's long campaign in Donbas, before this year's invasion, the film is less timely than timeless, with scenes that are packed with complex issues and personal nuance. And as it takes on bigger ideas, this clear-eyed but over-serious film becomes often unnervingly resonant... FULL REVIEW >

The Damned Don't Cry [Les Damnés Ne Pleurent Pas]
dir-scr Fyzal Boulifa; with Aicha Tebbae, Abdellah El Hajjouji 22/Mor ****
Grounded and earthy, this Moroccan drama finds resonance in a complex relationship between a woman and her teen son. It's the kind of film in which the audience must work to discover deeper truths about the events depicted. The premise feels bracingly realistic, impossible to predict as it cycles through events that are hopeful and darkly troubling. And this authenticity in the story and characters bravely takes on the system... FULL REVIEW >

All London Film Festival reviews, once they're uploaded, will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >

LFF: Soak it in

The 66th London Film Festival moves into its second week with more nightly galas and special events. I'm largely watching from outside this year, but I attended the starry screening of Allelujah last night in the Royal Festival Hall, introduced by cast and crew including Jennifer Saunders, Judi Dench, Richard Eyre, Bally Gill, David Bradley and pretty much everyone else who worked on the movie. But I'm seeing most of these films thanks to distributors who have invited me to other screenings or sent online links for me to watch them. It sure beats sanding in queues for two hours before press screenings. Here are more highlights...

Causeway
dir Lila Neugebauer; with Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry 22/US ****.
Theatre director Lila Neigebauer makes a remarkable feature film debut with this delicately crafted drama, which explores a topical issue through an especially internalised perspective. This requires sensitive performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry, who are extraordinary as two people struggling to get their lives back on track after serious injuries. Never obvious about anything, the film gets deep under the skin.

Allelujah
dir Richard Eyre; with Jennifer Saunders, Bally Gill 22/UK ****
Based on the Alan Bennett play, this gently edgy comedy is a celebration of the tenacity of Britain's National Health Service in the face of relentless government interference, from sell-offs to cut-backs. It's is a remarkably complex, engagingly freeform romp. And coming on the heels of a pandemic, it could hardly be more timely. But the filmmakers hold back their biggest statement until a seriously powerful wallop the final moments.

Emily the Criminal
dir-scr John Patton Ford; with Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi 22/US ***.
There's a serious theme running through this engaging drama set in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. Writer-director John Patton Ford cleverly pulls the audience in along with a hugely engaging central character adeptly played by Aubrey Plaza. It's a remarkable look at a society that makes it almost impossible for someone to escape their past. So even if it dips into several thriller cliches, it remains gripping.

Godland [Vanskabte Land, Volaða Land]
dir-scr Hlynur Palmason; with Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigurdsson 22/Ice ****
Under gloomy skies in unforgiving landscapes, this visually striking epic follows a Danish priest to rural Iceland in the 19th century, where he confronts both a strange new land and also his own beliefs. It's a dark and brooding drama, but continual moments of wit and artistry make it remarkably compelling. And writer-director Hlynur Palmason digs deeply into the souls of the characters to challenge the audience to think about big issues in new ways

1976
dir Manuela Martelli; with Aline Kuppenheim, Nicolas Sepulveda 22/Chl ****
This strikingly thoughtful dramatic thriller tells a story set in the wake of Chile's 1973 coup, as a dictator cracked down on the country. Filmmaker Manuela Martelli takes an observational approach, letting the narrative take shape in bits and pieces with characters who are afraid to say too much to each other. It's beautifully shot and edited, and performed with steely understatement by a gifted cast.

And four more LFF films that I saw in Venice...

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
dir Laura Poitras; with Nan Goldin, Megan Kapler 22/US ****.
With this extraordinary film, documentarian Laura Poitras takes a multifaceted look at a fascinating artist. As a biography of photographer Nan Goldin, this is a clear-eyed look at her life, work and survival. And it seamlessly connects her efforts to raise awareness of the Sackler family's direct responsibility in more than half a million deaths from opioid addiction. All of this is skilfully woven together with a remarkably gentle hand... FULL REVIEW >

No Bears
dir-scr Jafar Panahi; with Jafar Panahi, Vahid Mobasheri 22/Irn ****.
Despite being banned from making movies, master filmmaker Jafar Panahi continues to tell powerful cinematic stories from Iran. This hugely involving film uses wry humour to capture cultural absurdities that have an impact on two love stories, while further complicating the process of making movies. More importantly, this is a personal depiction of people who are struggling to survive when traditions and borders turn them into desperate refugees... FULL REVIEW >

The Son
dir Florian Zeller; with Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern 22/UK ***
After The Father, writer-director Florian Zeller adapts another of his thorny plays for the big screen, this time about parents trying to help a troubled teen son. It's a dark story, with rare moments of lightness as characters struggle with elusive ideas that defeat almost everybody. Clinical depression is an important topic to dramatise, although it also means that the plot needs to retain a nagging level of uncertainty... FULL REVIEW >

Saint Omer
dir Alice Diop; with Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanga 22/Fr **.
There's a terrific story at the centre of this French drama, bursting with powerful themes and clever juxtapositions. But filmmaker Alice Diop remains in her head while she puts this onto the screen, as chilly, inexpressive scenes remain stubbornly out of reach. It's very sharply shot, as a genuinely riveting courtroom case steals focus from the loosely undeveloped plot thread that is clearly meant to be the film's main thrust... FULL REVIEW >

All London Film Festival reviews, once they're uploaded, will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >

LFF: Talk it through

The 66th London Film Festival is powering along into its first weekend, and I'm trying to watch it from outside. But of course being in the business I have been sucked into various events and screenings. The best part of this is getting the chance to hang out with filmmakers and actors at various receptions, which ironically is something I've rarely done when I've been press accredited because I was too busy waiting in lines for screenings. This week I've had terrific chats with the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Florence Pugh and Letitia Wright, to name three amazing actresses. Here are some more hightlights...

Aisha
dir-scr Frank Berry; with Letitia Wright, Josh O'Connor 22/Ire ****
An almost overwhelming sense of realism floods through this moving drama, which follows a Nigerian refugee facing a series of obstacles as she seeks safety and stability in Ireland. It's clear that writer-director Frank Berry has exhaustively researched these characters and situations, so scenes are able to play out without the need for dialog, pushing the narrative forward through the power of the emotions that churn under the surface. It's an unusually delicate, understated film, and it packs a big punch.

My Father's Dragon
dir Nora Twomey; voices Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo 22/Ire ***.
With the same colourfully hand-made quality as her previous animated films, like Wolfwalkers and The Secret of Kells, Nora Twomey's latest fantastical odyssey feels like it came from the mind of a particularly imaginative child. So young viewers are especially likely to enjoy its mix of goofy slapstick and gently thrilling action. There is also quite a bit of wildly outrageous anime-style nuttiness and dazzling visual panache running through this energetic romp.

Klokkenluider
dir-scr Neil Maskell; with Amit Shah, Sura Dohnke 22/UK 1h24 ***.
Using the Dutch word for whistleblower as its title, this blackly comical British thriller delights in putting its characters into awkwardly intense situations. Actor-turned-filmmaker Neil Maskell finds an array of sharp-edged detail in this collision between an offbeat group of people who are facing a situation that might be quite dangerous. Or maybe not. It's a very well-assembled little film, and its only weakness lies in how it remains so deliberately elusive.

Peter Von Kant
dir-scr Francois Ozon; with Denis Menochet, Isabelle Adjani 22/Fr ****
French filmmaker Francois Ozon returns to German maestro Rainer Werner Fassbinder, this time riffing on his 1972 drama The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. Genders and much more are flipped around here, turning the film into a loose biopic about Fassbinder himself. With an eye-catching sense of style, the film is also entertaining for its visual panache, pitch-black wit and a provocatively lacerating look at the movie industry. Plus a collection of unforgettable characters.

Lynch/Oz 
dir-scr Alexandre O Philippe; with Karyn Kusama, John Waters 22/US ****
Taking a journey through American cinematic history, this entertaining documentary explores the resilience and timelessness of The Wizard of Oz, and how its story and iconography have had such a massive impact since its release in 1939. Cleverly weaving in hundreds of clips, filmmaker Alexandre O Philippe finds fascinating parallels everywhere, and especially in the films of David Lynch.

Fragments of Paradise
dir KD Davison; with Martin Scorsese, John Waters 22/US ****
Poet and avant-garde Lithuanian filmmaker Jonas Mekas recorded everyday life with his cameras for 70 years, from his arrival in New York in 1949 with his brother Adolfas until his death in 2019. Sifting through this footage, director KD Davison mixes clips with interviews and archival audio to create a striking account of the immigrant experience. And the film also a remarkably intimate look at Mekas himself and an undervalued aspect of the cinematic landscape.

And two films I'd seen earlier...

Living
dir Oliver Hermanus; with Bill Nighy, Alex Sharp 22/UK ****.
With a smart, delicate script by Kazuo Ishiguro and incisive direction by Oliver Hermanus, this remake of Kurosawa's 1952 classic Ikiru is skilfully shot in period style. Sensitive filmmaking and a punchy story tackle themes that feel powerfully relevant 70 years later, and everything is delivered in a subtle, understated way that's carefully tied in with the story's characters and setting. It also offers Bill Nighy a wonderful lead role... FULL REVIEW >

Blue Jean
dir-scr Georgia Oakley; with Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes 22/UK ****
Set in a northern English seaside town during the tumultuous Thatcher years, this drama has an earthy realism that finds timely themes almost 35 years ago. While the personal story is compelling and full of involving detail, it's not always easy to watch a film in which everyone is so miserable. Thankfully, writer-director Georgia Oakley finds moments of humour and joy along the way, and the cast is excellent... FULL REVIEW >

All London Film Festival reviews, once they're uploaded, will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >

LFF: Blow the roof off

I'm covering the 66th London Film Festival a little differently than usual. Opting out of purchasing accreditation this year (for several pointed reasons), I am watching films from the outside this time around, which means I'll be seeing fewer of the big blockbuster gala movies (which I'll see anyway) and focussing on smaller offbeat things. So it should be rather good fun. I'll be posting every other day here, so keep an eye out for little gems as well as a few heavy hitters. Here are some highlights for the first couple of days...

Klondike
dir-scr Maryna Er Gorbach; with Oksana Cherkashyna, Serhii Shadrin 22/Ukr ****
Set during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014, this earthy and gorgeously shot drama is infused with pitch-black irony. The setting is reminiscent of the American West, with isolated farms and endless horizons, but writer-director Maryna Er Gorbach fills scene with present-day attitudes and feelings that are more timely than she could have imagined. Seen through a woman's eyes, it's a gripping mix of personal drama and punchy themes... FULL REVIEW >

Hidden Letters
dir Violet Du Feng; with Hu Xin, Wu Simu 22/Chn ****
Beautifully shot and edited, this fascinating documentary finds a sharply knowing perspective on a little-known way women learned to express themselves throughout China's history. Because she keeps things specific and personal, director Violet Du Feng finds enormously powerful echoes in the wider world. It's a riveting, moving film, assembled with a remarkable fluidity to make its important points almost subliminally. And the observations are unusually complex and nuanced.

These four films, which I saw at Venice Film Festival, are also playing in London...

Argentina, 1985
dir Santiago Mitre; with Ricardo Darin, Peter Lanzani 22/Arg ****
Including a heavy dose of sharp humour in the screenplay helps make this rather momentous true story unusually accessible. So while it hinges on a procedural investigation and historical courtroom trial, director-cowriter Santiago Mitre continually reveals the humanity of the characters, pulling us in deeper. And the case itself is harrowing, a landmark moment when a military dictatorship went on trial for its horrific crimes against the people... FULL REVIEW >

Bones and All
dir Luca Guadagnino; with Taylor Russell, Timothee Chalamet 22/US ****
Essentially a romantic horror road movie, this offbeat drama delights in provoking extreme reactions with its vampiric premise. But it's also almost jarringly grounded, with authentic situations and characters who may not be likeable but are strongly sympthetic. Director Luca Guadagnino is always terrific at cutting through surfaces to find human connections and deeper societal truths. So while this film gets very grisly indeed, it remains surprisingly sweet... FULL REVIEW >

Casa Susanna
dir-scr Sebastien Lifshitz; with Katherine Cummings, Diana Merry-Shapiro 22/Fr ****
Illustrated with a wonderful collection of home movies and snapshots, plus some terrific scene-setting newsreel footage, this quietly observational documentary offers a glimpse into a secret society from the early 1960s where cross-dressers could gather without fear. Director Sebastien Lifshitz gets out of the way and simply allows these people and their children tell the story with colourful anecdotes, big feelings and a lovely sense of nostalgia... FULL REVIEW >

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
dir Alejandro G Inarritu; with Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani 22/Mex **.
It would be hard to imagine a more indulgent, rambling, throw-everything-at-the-screen kind of movie. But Alejandro G Inarritu isn't a filmmaker you can dismiss, as each sequence is skilfully laced with moments of visual brilliance, thematic provocations and darkly emotional honesty. Channelling Fellini at his most flamboyant, Inarritu pours personal and artistic energy into this epic Mexican odyssey. Although a leaner, earthier approach would have been more effective... FULL REVIEW >

All London Film Festival reviews, once they're uploaded, will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >

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C R I T I C A L   W E E K

Outside of the festival, I watched Christian Bale and Margot Robbie in Amsterdam, Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan in The Lost King, Mila Kunis in Luckiest Girl Alive, the lively Bronte biopic Emily, BJ Novak's offbeat comedy Vengeance, the independent comedy All Sorts, the Chilean ghost rom-com Phantom Project and the Sadler's Wells dance/choreo comedy Nora the Many.

This coming week's films include Shawn Mendes as Lyle Lyle Crocodile, Eva Green in Nocebo, Noomi Rapace in You Won't Be Alone and Hero Fiennes Tiffin in The Loneliest Boy in the World. Plus of course rather a lot of festival movies.

LFF 10: Close with a bang

And that's it. The 60th BFI London Film Festival came to a close tonight with the red carpet UK premiere of Ben Wheatley's Free Fire. Most of the cast were on hand (that's Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Michael Smiley, Enzo Cilenti, Jack Reynor and Cillian Murphy, above), and I'm sure the party was a lot of fun. Not that I'd know: in the 19 years I've been covering the LFF I have never been invited to a festival party. But never mind - it's about the films for me, and here are some final highlights from Sunday...

Free Fire
dir Ben Wheatley; with Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley 16/UK ***.
With a bracingly simple premise and a screen full of hilariously quirky characters, Ben Wheatley plays a jazz riff on Tarantino in this riotous shoot-em-up. The plot may be under-defined and only barely developed, but the actors are having so much fun adding various shades of comedy and intensity to their roles that they keep the audience chuckling from start to finish.

Mascots
dir Christopher Guest; with Jane Lynch, Ed Begley Jr 16/US ***.
Using his improvisational mock-doc style, Christopher Guest takes on the world of sports mascotery. As in films like Best in Show and A Mighty Wind, Guest's gifted ensemble provides a constant flow of verbal and visual gags, playing up the wackier aspects of this subculture. There's nothing particularly new here, no innovation to the format, but the movie is consistently hilarious.

The Salesman
dir-scr Asghar Farhadi; with Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti 16/Irn ****
Here's yet another almost overpoweringly perceptive everyday drama from Asghar Farhadi, putting a normal couple through a series of events that push them to the breaking point. The plot centres on unexpected conflicts that provide challenging comments on both morality and forgiveness. This is a subtle, personal film that holds the audience in its grip, unable to work out where it might be going next.

The Last Laugh 
dir Ferne Pearlstein; with Mel Brooks, Sarah Silverman 16/US ****
Like The Aristocrats, this documentary explores the boundaries of what's appropriate in comedy. The specific topic here is when it's OK to crack a joke about a tragic event, specifically something as big and horrific as the Holocaust. What makes the film worth a look is how director Ferne Pearlstein strikes such a remarkable balance between the views of comics and survivors.

And finally, another film I saw in Venice was the Golden Lion winner The Woman Who Left, the riveting, nearly 4-hour drama by Lav Diaz. It was a last-minute addition to the London programme.

LFF 9: No sudden movements

The 60th London Film Festival heads into its final day with a flurry of starry red carpets, interview events and rather a lot of challenging movies (that's Dog Eat Dog above). The festival awards were handed out tonight to films I was unable to see, simply because of the sheer number of movies showing (it's been impossible to see about a third of my want-to-see list). Certain Women took the competition award, Julia Ducournau won the Sutherland Award (first feature) for her film Raw, the Grierson Award (documentary) went to Starless Dreams, and Steve McQueen was awarded the BFI Fellowship. Some highlights from Saturday...

Dog Eat Dog
dir Paul Schrader; with Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe 16/US ***
Paul Schrader goes all John Waters on us with this super-trashy crime comedy populated by a bunch of trigger-happy knuckleheads. It's violent and utterly absurd, and yet every scene is quietly saying something important about America's badly dysfunctional justice system. Still, the message isn't particularly easy to hear over the gunfire.

Snowden
dir Oliver Stone; with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley 16/US ****
Oliver Stone tackles another iconic figure in this urgent, robust biopic, which skilfully maintains an even keel while digging into a touchy political subject. Was Edward Snowden a patriot or a traitor? That's the question that haunts every frame of this film, and Stone does his best to let the audience make up its own mind.

Staying Vertical [Rester Vertical]
dir-scr Alain Guiraudie; with Damien Bonnard, India Hair 16/Fr ***.
Bold and full-on, this parable from Alain Giraudie has a wilfully absurd story that gets increasingly symbolic as it goes along. This is a provocative exploration of the creative process, likening it to giving birth and nurturing a particularly fussy infant while threatened from various sides. And it's underscored with a jaded sense of humour that keeps things lively, plus a central character who is oddly sympathetic.

La Noche 
dir-scr Edgardo Castro; with Edgardo Castro, Dolores Guadalupe Olivares  16/Arg ***.
An experimental drama set on the dark side of Buenos Aires, Edgardo Castro's debut film is audacious and challenging in just about every way. But while the lack of a proper narrative structure will leave many viewers lost, there's a raw honesty to the movie that carries an unexpected emotional punch. And he also has some important things to say about a generation of people whose lives have been derailed by a new economic and political reality.

And another film I saw in Venice that's part of the LFF programme is Emir Kusturica's nutty Bosnian War comedy-drama On the Milky Road, costarring Monica Bellucci.

LFF 8: Back home again

I entered the press screening of Xavier Dolan's latest film here at the 60th London Film Festival with some trepidation. It was met with harshly mixed reviews at Cannes, booed by audiences, slated by critics and yet winning one of the top awards. I've been a fan of this young filmmaker since the start of his prolific career, and I was happy to immediately feel at home in his twisted, dysfunctional world. I also thought his filmmaking and the amazing cast (Vincent Cassel, Gaspard Ulliel, Marion Cotillard, Lea Seydoux and Nathalie Baye, above) were astonishing. This is my best film of the festival so far, and there are only two days to go. Highlights for Friday...

It's Only the End of the World 
dir-scr Xavier Dolan; with Gaspard Ulliel, Marion Cotillard 16/Can *****
Few filmmakers are as bold as 27-year-old Canadian Xavier Dolan, who regularly takes on family relationships using bravura filmmaking that brings out unexpected, unfiltered emotions. This film, based on a play by Jean-Luc Lagarce, is a staggering dissection of the dynamic between parents, children and siblings. It's heightened to the point that it's often painful to watch, but it's also urgent, honest and essential.

Trespass Against Us 
dir Adam Smith; with Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson 16/US ***.
Like a slap in the face, this edgy Irish comedy-drama comes at the audience at full tilt and never really lets up. This is a story about a family stuck in a cycle of ignorance and criminality, and writer Alastair Siddons and director Adam Smith take an approach that's unapologetic. The plot isn't hugely developed, and the message is rather muddled, but the sharp cast keeps it entertaining.

The Innocents 
dir Anne Fontaine; with Lou de Laage, Agata Buzek 16/Fr ****
Based on real events, this harrowing true story is told with sensitivity and humanity, making it easy to engage with every step along the way. Even though the setting is somewhat alien - it's a Polish convent at the very end of WWII - the story resonates with themes that are instantly identifiable, especially the choices everyone has to make between following the rules and showing some compassion.

Ethel & Ernest 
dir-scr Roger Mainwood; voices Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn 16/UK ***.
A collection of gentle slice-of-life anecdotes, this is a warm account of 20th century life as a son retraces his parents relationship. Raymond Briggs told their story through drawings in his graphic novel, and now those scenes have been adapted into a movie with refreshing pen-and-ink style animation and a gently involving narrative free of gimmicks.

I saw Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals in Venice, and it was also a big gala presentation here, attended by Amy Adams and Armie Hammer (both of whom also have other films at LFF), as well as Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ford himself.