BFI Flare: Family matters

The 38th BFI Flare powers into its final weekend with even more movies and events, including a big closing night party tomorrow. It's been great to have filmmaker Q&As at every public screening I've attended, while having time between films to catchup with them and with my festival friends here in London. Of course, festivals wear us out (we watch too much then have to find time somewhere to work!), so I'll be glad to have my life back on Monday. But until then, there's miles to go. Here are more highlights, plus a brief Critical Week roundup...

Our Son
dir Bill Oliver; with Luke Evans, Billy Porter 23/US ***
While this drama features a new angle on the usual child custody narrative, its script never achieves the complexity needed to bring the situation to life. Instead, it feels more like a TV melodrama in which each conflict happens simply because the formula says it should. Thankfully, the cast rises above the sometimes simplistic dialog to deliver involving performances that knowingly touch on important issues. So even if it isn't memorable, the film is warm and engaging.

Pine Cone
dir Onir; with Vidur Sethi, Sahib Verma 23/Ind ***.
With a sensitive story that's groundbreaking for Indian cinema, this warm gay romantic drama takes a deep dive into its central character's relationship history through a robust flashback structure. Filmmaker Onir finds earthy honesty in scenes that grapple with connections, while eliciting layered performances from an excellent cast of newcomers. It may look a bit flatly digital (it was largely shot on an iPhone), and the music may feel somewhat insistent for Western audiences, but the film is powerfully involving.

Don't Ever Stop
dir Stuart Pollitt; with Fergie, Andy Buckley 24/UK ****
It's appropriate that a documentary about Tony De Vit, Britain's Godfather of Hard House, would pulsate with the thumping rhythms of a sweaty nightclub. This is a knowing and warmly personal portrait of a man whose influence on the music industry has been enormous, and it expands to explore his legacy by also recounting the story of his protege Fergie, one of the biggest DJs in the world. Filmmakers Stuart Pollitt and Phill Smith have poured a lot of love into this film, which makes it powerfully involving.

Commitment to Life
dir Jeffrey Schwarz; with Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bruce Vilanch 23/US ****
Centred around the queer community in Los Angeles and its response to the Aids epidemic, this knowing and sensitive documentary chronicles how a range of people took high-profile action that changed attitudes around the world. Master documentarian Jeffrey Schwartz assembles this beautifully, with a superb range of personal interviews offering firsthand commentary alongside the extensive archival material.

B E S T    O F    Y E A R
20,000 Species of Bees
dir-scr Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren; with Sofia Otero, Patricia Lopez Arnaiz 23/Sp ***
From the Basque Country, this loose drama circles around an important issue with honesty and emotion. But writer-director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren makes it difficult to engage with the characters. Not only are there too many ill-defined people on-screen, but the meandering structure never offers a way in. That said, the film looks beautiful, skilfully using the setting and culture. And the cast is excellent across the board... FULL REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI FLARE PAGE >
For festival information, BFI FLARE >

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C R I T I C A L  W E E K

I've only caught a couple of non-festival movies this week, namely the franchise continuation Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which feels the strain of too many characters and a distracting plot. But there is still some fun to be had. Kristen Stewart is excellent in Love Lies Bleeding (also at Flare as it happens), the anticipated twisted thriller from Rose Glass (St Maud). It's wonderfully original. And from Australia, Limbo is a gorgeously stylish mystery shot in black and white by the gifted filmmaker Ivan Sen. In the diary for next week, I've got Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, plus In the Land of Saints and Sinners, The Beautiful Game, The Origin of Evil, Ama Gloria and Carnal Sins.

LFF: Get some fresh air

The 67th London Film Festival is winding down, heading into its final weekend with a bunch of big titles still left to premiere. I've had a quieter festival than usual, avoiding press screenings to instead attend movies with the public, and often with the filmmakers on hand as well. The line-up is packed with very big films, and there are quite a few important ones that I haven't been able to see here, so I will have some catching up to do. Here are some more highlights...

The Zone of Interest
dir-scr Jonathan Glazer; with Christian Friedel, Sandra Huller 23/Pol ****.
Inventively recounting a devastating narrative, writer-director Jonathan Glazer skilfully puts the audience through a moral and emotional wringer. Unlike other Nazi death camp dramas, this film keeps much of the horror off-screen; what we see in our minds is even more powerful. This is expert filmmaking, shot with precision and accompanied by a ruthless sound mix and flat-out performances from Christian Friedel and Sandra Huller. It's absolutely unmissable.

In Camera
dir-scr Naqqash Khalid; with Nabhaan Rizwan, Amir El-Masry 23/UK ****
With its witty, observational approach, this British drama is a knowing exploration of a struggling actor's life. First-time writer-director Naqqash Khalid adeptly captures the soullessness that infuses the industry, which is especially felt by people of colour. The focussed, internalised tone is powerfully involving, leading the audience into intensely provocative places. This is bracingly ambitious filmmaking, performed with daring audacity by Nabhaan Rizwan. And it's often devastatingly sharp.

Samsara
dir Lois Patino; with Amid Keomany, Toumor Xiong 23/Sp ****
While this experimental film has a challenging story and themes, it's also breathtakingly original, shot gorgeously on grainy, colour-drenched 16mm film and packed with fascinating documentary details. Spanish filmmaker Lois Patino is exploring reincarnation, transitioning from rural Laos to the beaches of Tanzania by way of a 15-minute sound and light odyssey through the bardo. It's such a singularly audacious experience that it's worth seeing on the big screen.

The Delinquents 
[Los Delincuentes]
dir-scr Rodrigo Moreno; with Daniel Elias, Esteban Bigliardi 23/Arg ***.
While this film is far too long, including a myriad of unnecessary details, it's also sharply well-made and infused with a superbly dry sense of humour. Argentine writer-director Rodrigo Moreno beautifully captures the rhythms of everyday life, letting scenes play out and often meander off down a side road before eventually returning to the central narrative. And it's shot with a sunny vibe that nicely contrasts city and countryside.

20,000 Species of Bees [20.000 Especies de Abejas]
dir-scr Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren; with Sofia Otero, Patricia Lopez Arnaiz 23/Sp ***
From the Basque Country, this loose drama circles around an important issue with honesty and emotion. But writer-director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren makes it difficult to engage with the characters. Not only are there too many ill-defined people on-screen, but the meandering structure never offers a way in. That said, the film looks beautiful, skilfully using the setting and culture. And the cast is excellent across the board.

Anselm 
dir Wim Wenders; with Anselm Kiefer, Daniel Kiefer 23/Ger ****
German maestro Wim Wenders composes an artfully lyrical 3D documentary about artist Anselm Kiefer. Instead of the usual biographical approach, this film traces Kiefer's artistic voice from childhood to the present in a swirl of memory, using locations and archival footage to contextualise drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations and performances. Watching it is a fascinating, moving experience, and it makes us feel that the whole world is a gallery.

All full festival reviews will be linked to Shadows' LFF PAGE >