BFI Flare: Live it up

This is a busy week at the 40th BFI Flare with a flurry of premieres, including the world premiere of the flambuoyant British biopic Madfabulous, with much of the cast and crew in attendance. I've enjoyed watching shorts and features every day, and now we're heading into the final weekend (epic party incoming!). Here are five more highlights from the festival, and Critical Week is down below...

Madfabulous
dir Celyn Jones; with Callum Scott Howells, Ruby Stokes 26/UK ***.
An outrageous figure from the British aristocracy gets the lively biopic treatment here. Wrestling his unruly story into a movie structure weakens the momentum in the second half, but this is a superb depiction of how difficult it is to be yourself within the constrains of polite society. Director Celyn Jones creates several superb sequences, augmented by particularly magnificent costumes. And the performances have a lovely depth.

Big Girls Don't Cry
dir-scr Paloma Schneideman; with Ani Palmer, Noah Taylor 26/NZ ****
From New Zealand, this introspective drama follows a teen girl on a journey of discovery that's involving, moving and sometimes disturbing. Writer-director Paloma Schneideman evokes her perspective beautifully, complete with contradictions and misconceptions. So the film continually finds inventive ways to challenge the audience to understand the messiness of navigating a desire that doesn't fit with everything you've been taught. 

On the Sea
dir-scr Helen Walsh; with Barry Ward, Lorne MacFadyen 25/UK ****
Earthy and realistic, this understated drama set in North Wales quietly explores masculinity with characters ranging from 15 to 70. It's an observational film that gets under the skin with layers of interaction that's dryly humorous, and a central storyline about a man taking an unexpected journey into his own sexuality. Writer-director Helen Walsh has a terrific eye for complex family dynamics and deeper personal feelings.

To Dance Is to Resist
dir Julian Lautenbacher; with Jay LeReve, Vol'demar Kabus 26/Ukr ****
Spanning four years in Kyiv from Russia's February 2022 invasion right up to the present, this documentary centres on two young men who demonstrate their resilience through performance art. The film vibrates with a rave-style vibe, blending rehearsals and shows with fly-on-the wall scenes of everyday life, all under the constant threat of bombs. It's an engaging, evocative expression of personal freedom and, yes, resistance.

Mickey & Richard
dir Ryan A White, AP Pickle; with Richard Bernstein 26/US ***.
Shot in black and white with full-colour clips, this documentary tells the story of Richard Bernstein, better known as the beefy 1980s pornstar Mickey Squires. Narrated by Richard, this is a frank and openhanded walk through the life of a man who simply took advantage of everything that came along and enjoyed every moment of the ride. And filmmakers Ryan A White and AP Pickle allow his warm sense of humour to shine.

Full reviews will be linked to the SHADOWS @ BFI FLARE page.

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C R I T I C A L  W E E K

Party alert! There were three festive screenings this week that inspired special posts on my Instagram: Halle Bailey and Rege-Jean Page star in the corny but entertaining romcom You, Me & Tuscany; Zazie Beetz leads the charge in the nutty horror comedy They Will Kill You; and Riz Ahmed premiered his hilariously sharp new TV series Bait. I also caught up with Judy Davis, Miriam Margolyes and Jacki Weaver as sassy nuns in the charming New Zealand road movie Holy Days, plus lots of movies at BFI Flare. There was also a live performance of Where There Is No Time at Seven Dials Theatre

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Adam Scott in Hokum, horror thriller Undertone, Laszlo Nemes' new film Orphan, and a special screening of the Marilyn Monroe/Clark Gable classic The Misfits, plus many more films at BFI Flare.

Critical Week: Looking for answers

With so many critics away in Cannes this week, you'd think it would have been a quiet one back here in London. But screenings have continued as usual, and will get even busier after the holiday weekend. For the next few months, there will be the blockbuster of the week to track down, plus whatever movies intrepid distributors decide to put up against them, either as counter-programming or to give audiences something else to feed their hunger for big-screen spectacle. For a critic, this can feel rather exhausting, as the smaller, more intriguing movies get lost in the shuffle. 

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But there are some guilty pleasures lurking in the studio output, such as Robert Rodriguez's twisty thriller Hypnotic, starring Ben Affleck and Alice Braga. It's brainy enough to feel smart, even if it isn't. But it's thoroughly entertaining. Disney's remake of The Little Mermaid is still largely animated, now with the heads of ace human stars like Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy grafted to the digital fish-bodies. Halle Bailey is likeable as Ariel, the story and songs are engaging, but the visuals are murky and the tone feels rather grim.

Off the beaten path, Breaking Infinity is a small-budget British thriller that plays around with time travel. It's choppy but involving, and Neil Bishop is a terrific leading man. From China, the animated adventure Boonie Bears: Guardian Code is funny and silly, and also rather chaotic. And Mark Cousins' documentary My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock has some fun with the filmmaking master, to the delight of fans. There were also two stage shows: the prickly romantic drama The Misandrist the Arcola and the dazzlingly acrobatic dance piece Corps Extrêmes at Sadler's Wells.

This next week I'll be watching two highly anticipated comic book blockbusters: The Flash and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, plus Paul Mescal and Melissa Barrera in Carmen, Chris Messina in The Boogeyman, French drama The Innocent, Italian drama The Neighbour and International Male documentary All Man. I'll also attend live performances of The Ruggeds: State Shift at Sadler's Wells (review here soon), and the immersive revival of Guys and Dolls at the Bridge.