BFI Flare: Dance the night away

The 38th edition of the British Film Institute's Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival heads into its first weekend with a flurry of special screenings and guest actors and filmmakers. I'll be chatting with quite a few of them over the next couple of days, plus a number of Q&As alongside screenings. There aren't many film festivals left that allow audiences and moviemakers to mix, and this one sometimes feels like it's slipping away, as it begins to feel more corporate each year. But there's still some life and sass left at BFI Southbank, so if you can get there, it's worth the time. And the movies have been notable this year. There's a strong presence from Canada in the highlights here..

Crossing
dir-scr Levan Akin; with Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankava 24/Geo ****
After his moving drama And Then We Danced, Swedish-Georgian filmmaker Levan Akin continues to explore society's margins with this involving story set in the persecuted trans subcultures of Georgia and Turkey. Bracingly observant, this humane film tackles big issues with unusual sensitivity, refusing to focus on harsher aspects of life for people simply trying to exist in a place that rejects them. So the film is engaging, uplifting and important... FULL REVIEW >

Close to You
dir Dominic Savage; with Elliot Page, Hillary Baack 23/Can ***
Shot improv-style, with intensely intimate camerawork, this Canadian drama relies on the strong presence of Elliot Page as a young man confronting his connections with his family and lingering feelings for an old flame. Director Dominic Savage finds moments of honest insight within scenes that are continually heightened by conflict. This allows the actors to play emotional scenes with unusual nuance, but it also leaves the film feeling somewhat meandering and indulgent.

Backspot
dir DW Waterson; with Devery Jacobs, Evan Rachel Wood 23/Can ***
Centred around teen cheerleaders, this Canadian drama has plenty of punchy energy in its handheld camerawork, raucous song score and high-energy acrobatics. And the cast is excellent. But the writing and direction leave little space for the audience to get involved, as every thought and feeling is carefully chosen and depicted without nuance. Still, there are moments when we can identify with the characters, and the larger themes are vivid... FULL REVIEW >

We Forgot to Break Up
dir Karen Knox; with Lane Webber, June Laporte 24/Can **.
There's a strong mix of musical and visual sensibilities in this Canadian period drama, which traces the life of a high school band into the big time. Oddly, there's the feeling that this was written to a screenplay formula, rather than capturing firsthand experience of real life, so all of the characters and plot points feel constructed. This makes it tricky to engage with either the people or their story, as it feels cinematic rather than authentic. But the larger themes running through the film make it worth a look.

B E S T    O F    Y E A R

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... FULL REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI FLARE PAGE >

For festival information, BFI FLARE >

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 >

Venezia74: Flying the flag on Day 3

The weather shifted here on the Lido with an extended series of thunderstorms in the middle of the night, which left the Venice Film Festival rather drippy and wet for most of the day, a drastic change after the sunshine of the previous two days. There was also a shift in the films, from the thematically overheated to more overwhelmingly emotional adventures. Here's what I saw today, including one film that will surely be among my best of the whole year...

Brawl in Cell Block 99
dir-scr S Craig Zahler; with Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter 17/US 2h12 ****
After infusing the Western with horrific new life in 2015's Bone Tomahawk, S Craig Zahler is back with a thunderous reinvention of the prison movie. Set in the present day but playing out like a 1970s exploitation thriller, this increasingly grisly story unfolds with choreographed precision, grinding the audience into its emotional depths with several genuinely hideous plot turns. And it's anchored by a superbly thoughtful/fierce performance from Vince Vaughn.

Lean on Pete
dir-scr Andrew Haigh; with Charlie Plummer, Steve Buscemi 17/US *****
There's an unusual depth of character to this finely crafted odyssey about a teen who hits the road in a last-gasp effort to find some semblance of hope in his life. While there's plenty of potential for bleakness, writer-director Andrew Haigh instead infuses the film with warmth and honesty, facing the darkest moments head-on as the only way to get through them. It's an extraordinarily tough story told with a light touch that brings the viewer right into the journey

Our Souls at Night
dir Ritesh Batra; with Jane Fonda, Robert Redford 17/US ***.

In addition to screening their new film,
Redford and Fonda are receiving
a special award here in Venice.

Gentle and never pushy, this homespun drama spins a love story between two people who are pushing 80. Although it might be a little unrealistic, since they're played by perhaps the fittest 79 and 81 year-olds on earth: Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. Both actors easily reignite their on-screen chemistry, adding character details that give the film a strong emotional kick. It's all a bit cozy, but it touches on some sharper-edged themes.

Tainted Souls [Il Contagio]
dir Matteo Botrugno, Daniele Coluccini; with Vinicio Marchioni, Maurizio Tesei 17/It **.
This ambitious multi-character drama takes aim at several potent issues plaguing Italian society, from organised crime and drug abuse to the machismo that leaves men too proud to get a job. But the film's tone is all over the place, veering from quirky comedy to gruelling nightmare, more like a melodramatic TV series than a feature film. And the characters feel equally uneven as they look for happiness in all the wrong places.

35th Shadows Awards: Happy New Year!

There were two films this year that got deep under my skin, and ultimately it was Charlie Kaufman's extraordinary Anomalisa that demanded the top spot on my best of the year list, with Andrew Haigh's 45 Years in close second. (Note that Anomalisa doesn't come out in the UK until March, so won't feature in British awards until next year.) Here are my top picks in the main categories, and as usual there are full top 10s and a lot more on the site...

BEST FILMS

1. Anomalisa (Charlie Kaufman)
2. 45 Years (Andrew Haigh)
3. Room (Lenny Abrahamson)
4. Tangerine (Sean Baker)
5. Carol (Todd Haynes)
6. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy)
7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (JJ Abrams)
8. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour)
9. The Salt of the Earth (Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado)
10. The Tribe (Miroslav Slaboshpitsky)

DIRECTOR 
Andrew Haigh (45 Years)

WRITER 
Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs)

ACTRESS
Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

ACTOR
Alfredo Castro (From Afar, The Club)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elizabeth Banks (Love & Mercy, Pitch Perfect 2, Magic Mike XXL, Mockingjay Part 2)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

WORST FILMS

1. Absolutely Anything (Terry Jones)
2. Unfinished Business (Ken Scott)
3. Pixels (Chris Columbus)
4. The Gallows (Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing)
5. Accidental Love (Stephen Greene)
6. The Cobbler (Tom McCarthy)
7. Ratter (Branden Kramer)
8. The Visit (M Night Shyamalan)
9. The Scorch Trials (Wes Ball)
10. Buttercup Bill (Emilie Richard-Froozan, Remy Bennett)

Critical Week: A winning couple

I'd been looking forward to seeing Andrew Haigh's new film 45 Years ever since it was announced, and even more so when lead actors Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay won the acting awards at the Berlin Film Festival (above). So it was an extra pleasure that it turns out to be my kind of film: a gentle, beautifully observed masterpiece. Rather less amazing but still entertaining: Survivor is a nicely human-scaled thriller starring Milla Jovovich as a security expert chased by Pierce Brosnan's icy killer; Gemma Bovery is a loose French comedy starring Fabrice Luchini as a bored guy in rural France whose imagination is sparked by a new English neighbour (Gemma Arterton); and the genuinely scary Belgian horror movie Cub is a scouting holiday with a nasty twist right out of a campfire story.

There were also three documentaries: That Sugar Film is a punchy, entertaining, seriously essential Super Size Me-style doc about the effects of the sugar in our diets, and it should change the way we think about food; the sensitive, eye-opening Czech doc Daniel's World is difficult to watch as it takes a bracingly honest, balanced approach to one of the biggest taboos, pedophilia; and Before the Last Curtain Falls is a lovely document about a group of seriously engaging Belgian transsexuals at the end of a triumphant stage tour. There was also a launch for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which takes place later this month. There's a very strong programme this year, and I'm sad that I won't be able to travel up to Scotland to enjoy it, but I'll cover it as much as possible from London.

I also caught up with Nightingale, an HBO movie starring David Oyelowo as an unhinged young man who kills his mother and then struggles to make a life for himself. Told through this young man's frazzled perspective, there isn't another actor on-screen, and Oyelowo is magnetic and more than a little terrifying. The film elusively swirls in all kinds of big issues, from post traumatic stress to religious fanaticism to the repression of sexuality. Written by Frederick Mensch and directed by Elliott Lester, it's the kind of movie that provokes a lot of thought, then wisely lets us work out what it means for each one of us.

This coming week, I have more horror with a screening of Insidious Chapter 3, plus the sequel/reboot blockbuster Jurassic World, the New York romance Those People, the Sao Paulo comedy Boys in Brazil, and the Vidal/Buckley doc The Best of Enemies.