Critical Week: Mother knows best

The glittering Bafta Film Awards on Sunday had controversy in their wake, thanks to some bad decisions by both Bafta and the BBC regarding editing, disclaimers and an offensive but completely involuntary Tourette's tick. But the show itself included some terrific surprises that have shaken up awards season, including Wunmi Mosaku's well-deserved supporting actress award and especially Robert Aramayo taking lead actor alongside his rising star award for I Swear, a film that speaks far more meaningfully to the controversy than clumsy online commentators. Jessie Buckley also cemented her hold on lead actress with the best speech of the night. And the biggest highlight was seeing Huntr/x perform Golden live.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Sirat • All You Need Is Kill
The Testament of Ann Lee
ThePresident's Cake
Palestine Comedy Club
PERHAPS AVOID:
Scream 7
ALL REVIEWS >

As for movies this week, Neve Campbell is back for Scream 7, a fact that fuels the movie's wittiest meta-jokes. Otherwise, this is the least scary, knowing, twisty instalment yet in the series. Lithuanian filmmaker Romas Zabarauskas is back with another thoughtful drama, The Activist, and this one has ripples of a thriller as it explores anti-LGBTQ+ violence. Matthew Simpson made the London-set thriller Disremember entirely on his own (both on camera and behind it), and it's a stylishly riveting thriller about memory and mental instability. And the documentary Palestine Comedy Club follows a group of seriously intrepid standups as they face the outbreak of war in their homeland with sharply observational wit. I also attended a special premiere of the steamy fifth episode of Bridgerton season 4 part 2, followed by a Q&A with cast members Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha, plus showrunner Jess Brownell and director Tom Verica (see below).

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary, Glen Powell in How to Make a Killing, Pixar's new movie Hoppers, acclaimed Chinese epic Resurrection, Belgian drama Wild Foxes and anime crime drama The Last Blossom. I'm also attending the UK premiere of the new series The Madison, which stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell.

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Critical Week: Look at yourself

Things should be quieting down this month, but the screening schedule has continued to be fairly busy with an eclectic collection of movies to watch. Making a very strong debut, writer-director Christian Swegal gives the fact-based drama Sovereign an unusually sensitive spin, centred around smart, thoughtful performances by Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay as a father and son with radical views that lead to tragedy. At the other end of the spectrum is James Gunn's witty, colourful new take on Superman, starring a likably human David Corenswet alongside Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult. It's big and entertaining, but never surprising.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
The Other Way Around
Sovereign • Baby
Hidden Master
ALL REVIEWS >

The Dardenne brothers are back with Young Mothers, another riveting doc-like Belgian drama that pulls us deeply into a real-life situation, this time with teen girls who have babies. Jonas Trueba's Spanish comedy-drama The Other Way Around is the engagingly clever story of a couple planning to celebrate their separation, with added witty meta-filmmaking touches. From Brazil, Baby is a sensually shot and played drama about a teen just out of detention as he discovers connections in the tough streets of Sao Paulo. I also had an advance screening of the British drama I Swear, based on the involving true story of Tourette's campaigner John Davidson. It stars the always superb Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson and Peter Mullan, with remarkable performances from Scott Ellis Watson and Robert Aramayo in the lead role at two ages (it'll be out in October). 

This coming week is also full. I'll be watching the new Smurfs movie, with Rhianna as Smurfette, Celine Song's new drama Materialists, Helena Bonham Carter and Pierce Brosnan in Four Letters of Love, Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson in Friendship, the German black comedy Dying and the first chapter in the Oslo Stories Trilogy, Dreams. 
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