Sundance London: Best friends forever

The Sundance Film Festival London is always a short, sharp shock, as it only lasts four days but features a flurry of acclaimed films. On the final day, I caught up with the short film programme and also attended the surprise film screening...

Zola 
dir Janicza Bravo; with Taylour Paige, Riley Keough 20/US ***
Based on a "true" story from a Twitter thread, this arthouse movie is loose and deliberately cartoonish. Director-cowriter Janicza Bravo keeps the story moving with chattering dialog that feels like a joke the audience can't possibly get. Meanwhile, the selective sound mix and swirling camerawork echo a leery male gaze. And as characters hit the road over a long weekend, what the story reveals about youth culture is chilling... FULL REVIEW >

Misha and the Wolves 
dir-scr Sam Hobkinson; with Misha Defonseca, Jane Daniel 21/Bel ****
This may be a documentary, but it has more outrageous twists than most mystery thrillers. Filmmaker Sam Hobkinson tells the story with range of inventive techniques, including firsthand interviews, archival photos and clips, dramatic recreations, animation and some movie-style trickery. And the people interviewed on-screen have a wonderfully earthy charm. What emerges is a riveting exploration of the power of storytelling itself, especially when sympathy is brought into play.

After last year's virtual festival, Sundance London's surprise film screening returned this year, only revealing the title once everyone was ready for it to begin. The film itself was a disappointing choice, as it comes from Sundance 2020 (all others were from Sundance 2021), and it also previously screened in the main programme for the London Film Festival 2020, where I first saw it. But it's a good film, and the awesome Harriet Walter was there to introduce it in person...

Herself
dir Phyllida Lloyd; with Clare Dunne, Harriet Walter 20/Ire ***.
Intensely personal, this Irish drama quickly gets under the skin as it centres on a woman who has been a victim of horrific domestic violence finds an inventive solution to her precarious situation. It's an intriguing mix of the happy and bittersweet, plus a few downright awful moments, beautifully directed by Phyllida Lloyd to catch internal feelings and earthy realism. And actor-cowriter Clare Dunne is terrific in the central role... FULL REVIEW >

Sundance Shorts
Sundance London brought seven short films from its January festival, a fascinating range of mini-epics. Each of these shorts has a singular perspective, exploring situations that centre on nationality, ethnicity and religion while inventively using drama, archival documentary and animation. Six were from the USA, often with international angles, while my favourite, Les Criminels, is a terrific drama set in Turkey. It's about as a two amorous young university students who are threatened with arrest and worse as they seek somewhere they can have a bit of privacy.

• For more festival information: PICTUREHOUSE: SUNDANCE
• Visit Shadows on the Wall's anchor page for SUNDANCE LONDON for links to all reviews.

LFF: Find your family

As the London Film Festival continues, I enjoyed attending one of the live virtual screenings last night, at which the filmmaker and lead actor of Days (see below) offered an engaging Q&A. Otherwise, it's been more about watching one movie after another on my computer, without much sense that a festival is happening. But there have been some great films already, and we're only three days in. Here are four more highlights - full reviews will be up this weekend...

Herself

dir Phyllida Lloyd; with Clare Dunne, Harriet Walter 20/Ire ***.

Intensely personal, this Irish drama quickly gets under the skin as it centres on a woman who has been a victim of horrific domestic violence finds an inventive solution to her precarious situation. It's an intriguing mix of the happy and bittersweet, plus a few downright awful moments, beautifully directed by Phyllida Lloyd to catch internal feelings and earthy realism. And actor-cowriter Clare Dunne is terrific in the central role.

Relic

dir Natalie Erika James; with Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin 20/Aus ***.

Overloading the creepy atmosphere from the start, filmmaker Natalie Erika James unnerves the audience with the usual cinematic freakery. Although the film's murky imagery and achingly slow pace may challenge some viewers, it immediately becomes clear that there's something more profound going on here, as decay in the family house has a bigger metaphorical meaning. This may be somewhat obvious, but it plays out with a beautiful darkness.

180º Rule

dir-scr Farnoosh Samadi; with Sahar Dolatshahi, Pejman Jamshidi 20/Irn ***.

This drama vividly highlights the lack of power women have in Iranian culture. It's a gripping story, beautifully well-told to explore the issues without preaching, even though it's precisely clear what is so drastically wrong. With her first feature, writer-director Farnoosh Samadi skilfully explores a situation in which a seemingly easy decision becomes bleakly momentous. It's somewhat melodramatic in its approach, but the film carries a strong wallop.

Days

dir-scr Tsai Ming-liang; with Lee Kang-sheng, Anong Houngheuangsy 20/Tai ****

Opening with long static shots of a man staring at the rain and sleeping in a bath, there's a sense that veteran filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang is indulging in cinematic imagery, with movement only in the faintest ripples. This style continues throughout this essentially wordless film, but both movement and a narrative emerge from the stillness. This is a gloriously filmed meditation on human connection, but it does demand patience.

NB. My anchor page for the LFF is HERE and full reviews will appear in between these daily blog entries. That's the plan anyway.