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 >

Critical Week: Let's get weird

After two straight months of film festivals, I made the decision to sit out the 30th Raindance Film Fest, which is underway in London this week. It's always packed with great screenings, unsung films often with filmmaker Q&As. But I've needed some mental health space. I also had to prepare for the annual Critics' Circle Services to the Arts award today, which this year went to Emma Thompson. As chair of the Film Section, I sat next to her for lunch and then delivered a speech about her career before she replied with a fabulous speech of her own about the nature of criticism and its impact on her life. There were about 75 members of the Circle in attendance from across all six sections - film, theatre, dance, music, books and art. A superb afternoon.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Causeway • Living
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Missing • Utama • Neptune Frost
PERHAPS AVOID:
Dear Zoe
ALL REVIEWS >

Movie-wise, the surprising highlight was the pastiche biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe as the king of parody songs. It's a riotously hilarious film, and the screening was accompanied by a lively launch party for Roku in the UK. Other films included the violent and entertaining action drama Medieval, starring Ben Foster, Michael Caine and Sophie Lowe; the superbly unsettling urban horror drama Nanny, with Anna Diop as a Senegalese woman in New York; the remarkable Sadie Sink in the melodramatic and rather slushy drama Dear Zoe; the latest from Cornish filmmaker Mark Jenkin, the folkloric freak-out Enys Men; and a new inventively nutty mind-bender from Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the paranormal adventure Something in the Dirt.

Movies to watch this next week include the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek in Sam & Kate, Romain Duris in Final Cut, Latin American horror in Blood-Red Ox, the Australian romance Expired and the surreal comedy Homebody.

LFF: Power to the people

The 64th BFI London Film Festival kicked off today with a flurry of sold-out screenings around the country for Steve McQueen's film Mangrove. I tried to get a cinema ticket, but they were gone within minutes, which meant I watched the film in an online virtual press screening, the way I'll see all of the festival's movies. Which kind of removes even the slightest sense of this being a festival. There's also no printed programme, no press credential, no parties. Basically it's a two week web-based movie glut. But these are some of the best films of the year, so it's worth the effort. Here are some highlights...

Mangrove
dir Steve McQueen; with Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes 20/UK *****
This British drama recounts the first legal case that acknowledged racial bias in the London police force. With his fine artistic eye, Steve McQueen assembles this in period style, taking an everyday kitchen-sink approach that feels like a vintage soap opera, complete with flashes of sharp wit and dark emotion. This story is urgent and involving, moving at a quick pace as it follows engaging people through a jaw-dropping trial... FULL REVIEW >

Kajillionaire
dir-scr Miranda July; with Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez 20/US ***.
Another absurdly offbeat comedy from Miranda July, this wilfully wacky movie centres on a family of dysfunctional crooks who pull one tiny hustle after another. The plot defiantly refuses to travel in expected directions. And amid the nuttiness, this becomes a remarkably sensitive coming-of-age for a 26-year-old who is only just beginning to understand who she might actually be. This is a bold, bonkers movie with a warm, beating heart... FULL REVIEW >

Honeymood
dir-scr Talya Lavie; Avigail Harari, Ran Danker 20/Isr ***.

Set over one long night, this Israeli romantic-comedy superbly navigates a range of earthy emotions as a couple faces the first hours of their marriage. It's an entertaining, surprising film, shifting from funny to thoughtful as it explores issues of relationships and interconnections from a variety of resonant angles. The plot meanders and is sometimes a bit too pointed, but it's both engaging and provocative.

NB. My anchor page for the LFF is HERE and reviews will appear in between these daily blog entries.