Critical Week: Where the buffalo roam

As a heatwave sets in around Britain, creating our hottest week of the year so far (in September!), audiences are likely to avoid cinemas in lieu of parks and beaches. So box office data is likely to disappoint come Monday. But there's plenty to see, including one of my very best films of the year, Past Lives. Meanwhile, I finally caught up with Riley Keough and Gina Gammell's award-winning debut War Pony, a strikingly authentic and pointed Native American drama. Nia Vardalos and family are back for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, another charming mess of a movie that wins us over despite ourselves. And Richard E Grant, Julie Delpy and Daryl McCormack have a lot of fun with the arch melodrama of The Lesson, an overwrought thriller that doesn't quite hold water but keeps us entertained.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Past Lives • La Ronde
Rotting in the Sun
REVIEWS >

A bit further afield, Carol Morley is back with a bracingly original look at mental illness in Typist Artist Pirate King, which traces an adventurous road trip with under-appreciated British artist Audrey Amiss, powerfully played by Monica Dolan. Rotting in the Sun is a smart and provocatively original mashup of mystery, drama and crime comedy from Sebastian Silva. The British doc A Life on the Farm highlights a true eccentric who made hilariously nutty home movies. And the Australian series (released as a compilation) Single, Out is charmingly awkward as it follows a young guy navigating gay life. I also attended Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at 65 at Sadler's Wells.

This coming week I'll be watching Pablo Larrain's bonkers Pinochet vampire thriller El Conde, Kenneth Branagh's whodunit A Haunting in Venice, British battle epic Gurkha Warrior, Canadian immigration drama Brother, animated adventure Robot Dreams, Spanish drama 20,000 Species of Bees, Laotian monks drama Samsara, Santana doc Carlos, Anselm Kiefer doc Anselm and live shows Deeper and Deeper and Myra Dubois: Be Well.

Flare 1: Start with a question

The British Film Institute's 29th Flare: London LGBT Film Festival kicked off at BFI Southbank on Thursday night with an intriguingly controversial opening film: I Am Michael, the true story of a gay activist who converted to Christianity and became an outspoken critic of homosexuality. The festival started as it means to go on, grappling with issues in an intelligent, balanced way that will force people to take sides. It should be a fun one. Here are some highlights from the first two days...

I Am Michael

dir Justin Kelly; with James Franco, Zachary Quinto 15/US ****

With remarkable restraint, director Kelly and his cowriter Miller tell a provocative true story without taking sides. Written and directed with an artistic flair that cuts beneath the surface, this is a story that raises questions without overtly answering them. It's also the kind of movie that will divide audiences and generate hopefully positive dialog.

Futuro Beach

dir Karim Ainouz; with Wagner Moura, Clemens Schick 14/Br ****

Intense and foreboding, and yet deeply human and emotional, this offbeat Brazilian drama explores the lives of three young men who are unsure about where they are headed. Shot and edited for a maximum visceral kick, the movie resists standard filmmaking structures for something much looser, forcing the audience to get involved in a story that remains intriguingly elusive... FULL REVIEW >

The Falling

dir-scr Carol Morley; with Maisie Williams, Maxine Peake 14/UK ****

There's a fiercely original sensibility to this film, which boldly explores female puberty through a series of rather outrageous events. By combining life and death with sexuality, writer-director Morley is definitely courting controversy, and some of the plot points feel like a step too far. But it's so strikingly intimate and fiercely artistic that it can't be ignored.

Fulboy

dir Martin Farina; with Tomas Farina, Facundo Talin 14/Arg ***.

This beautifully shot and edited voyeuristic documentary explores the life of professional footballers in Argentina, revealing things fans never get to see. While following his brother's team, filmmaker Farina seeks to capture the truth: work, fun and everything in between. And the film raises intriguing questions about whether that's even possible, since everyone edits themselves when a camera is around.

Dior and I

dir Frederic Tcheng; with Raf Simons, Pieter Mulier 14/Fr ****

Much more than a documentary about a fashion house, this film finds real resonance in its central characters, people who bring an open passion, artistry and depth of feeling to their everyday work. So watching them get ready for a pivotal show becomes utterly riveting. And by the time we reach the big event, the emotional catharsis is contagious.

BEST OF THE YEAR SCREENINGS

Appropriate Behaviour

dir-scr Desiree Akhavan; with Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson 14/UK ****

Actor-filmmaker Desiree Akhavan is clearly exorcising personal demons with this lively comedy, which echoes the style of Girls by presenting the central character as a likably flawed real person doing her best to get through a messy life. (Intriguingly, Akhavan appears in the next series of Girls.) It's a very funny movie, with a remarkably astute script and some surprising textures along the way... FULL REVIEW >

Pride

dir Matthew Warchus; with Ben Schnetzer, George MacKay14/UK *****

Based on a seriously rousing true story, this British feel-good comedy-drama is energetically written and directed, and it's sharply played to get under the skin of a variety of characters. Even though the events took place 30 years ago, they have a present-day resonance that makes this one of the most important films of this year... FULL REVIEW >

LFF 5: Let's hear it for the girls

Reese Witherspoon took London by storm today - and it was a properly stormy day - with the London Film Festival gala screening of her new movie Wild. She braved the rainy red carpet tonight with Cheryl Strayed, the intrepid author she plays in the film, and screenwriter Nick Hornby. Also on the red carpet today were Sally Hawkins, Rafe Spall and Asa Butterfield (for X + Y); and Sophie Okonedo, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Shaun Evans and Antony Sher (for War Book).

After gorgeously sunny, crisp weather over the weekend, today was a thorough wash-out, with spray from the heavens all day. It wasn't much fun walking around; it's the kind of day you really want to be sitting in a cinema. Here are some more festival highlights (full reviews are coming!)...

Wild
dir Jean-Marc Vallee; with Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern 14/US ***.
Based on the memoir by Cheryl Strayed, this film depicts her journey as launching with a badly overstuffed backpack, which is just the first metaphor in this overstuffed thematic odyssey. Fortunately, it's directed with skill and artful insight by Vallee and acted with rare transparency by Witherspoon. The trick is to not let the onslaught of aphorisms weigh you down.

My Old Lady
dir-scr Israel Horovitz; with Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith 14/UK ***.
An oddball sensibility keeps this gentle drama from ever turning maudlin or sentimental, even as the story explores some potentially melodramatic issues. Relaxed performances and a script packed with revelations (based on writer-director Horovitz's play) keep the audience entertained while being poked by some surprisingly sharp edges.

The Falling
dir Carol Morley; with Maisie Williams, Maxine Peake 14/UK ****
There's a fiercely original sensibility to this film, which boldly explores female puberty through a series of rather outrageous events. By combining life and death with sexuality, writer-director Morley is definitely courting controversy, and some of the plot points feel like a step too far. But it's so strikingly intimate and fiercely artistic that it can't be ignored.

Appropriate Behavior
dir Desiree Akhavan; with Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson 14/UK ****
Actor-filmmaker Desiree Akhavan is clearly exorcising some very personal ghosts with this lively comedy, which echoes the style of Girls by presenting the central character as a likably flawed real person doing her best to get through a messy life. (Intriguingly, Akhavan appears in the next series of Girls.) It's a very funny movie, with a remarkably astute script and some surprising textures along the way.

A Girl at My Door
dir July Jung; with Doona Bae, Kim Sae-ron 14/Korea ****
A chilling tale of social evils in small-town Korea, this drama centres on an offbeat friendship between two damaged women who draw the suspicions of everyone around them. Filmmaker Jung is playing with perceptions, letting the audience see things only slightly more clearly than the bigoted locals. It's a riveting film that never offers easy answers.