Critical Week: On the road again

Hello from Rome! I'm here for a few days this week, my first-ever visit to the city, so I plan to do a lot of walking. I've also caught up with a London Film Fest movie here at the Rome Film Festival, namely Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident, a riveting comical romp with dark undertones that surge to the surface in the haunting final act. Panahi was on hand to accept a special award before the screening last night, then today I attended a conversation with him about his extraordinary career. Before coming to Italy, I watched several films during London Film Fest's closing weekend, including Paolo Sorrentino's Venice festival opener La Grazia, another outrageously gorgeous odyssey starring Toni Servillo as a wry, reflective Italian president.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Bugonia • Hedda
Love+War
ALL REVIEWS >

Also at LFF: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere offers Jeremy Allen White another wonderfully textured role as the Boss, so the film is entertaining even if it never surprises us. Richard Linklater brought his second film this year, Nouvelle Vague, a French comedy-drama about the making of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, shot completely in period style. It looks amazing and is a lot of fun. There was also a lavish premiere for Annemarie Jacir's historical drama Palestine 36, beautifully dramatising a pivotal moment in time. The vast ensemble cast is excellent. From UAE, the psychological horror The Vile is a superbly unnerving thriller about a woman confronting her male-dominated culture. And the photography doc Love+War profiles top conflict photographer Lynsey Addario as she balances work with a lively family life.

My favourites from the London Film Festival:

1. 
   Is This Thing On? (Cooper, US)
2. Hamnet (Zhao, UK)
3. Rental Family (Hikari, Japan)
4. La Grazia (Paolo Sorrentino, Italy)
5. Wake Up Dead Man (Rian Johnson, UK)
6. Palestine 36 (Annemarie Jacir, Palestine)
7. Lurker (Alex Ross, US)
8. The History of Sound (Oliver Hermanus, UK)
9. Train Dreams (Clint Bentley, US)
10. Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos, US)

All festival film reviews are linked here: SHADOWS @ LFF >

Back in London this next week I'll see the horror thriller Shelby Oaks and the Argentine drama Belen, and I want to catch up on a couple of films that I missed because I was unable to attend screenings, including The Mastermind and Tron: Ares. I also have a live performances of Thikra: Night of Remembering.

LFF: Soak it in

The 66th London Film Festival moves into its second week with more nightly galas and special events. I'm largely watching from outside this year, but I attended the starry screening of Allelujah last night in the Royal Festival Hall, introduced by cast and crew including Jennifer Saunders, Judi Dench, Richard Eyre, Bally Gill, David Bradley and pretty much everyone else who worked on the movie. But I'm seeing most of these films thanks to distributors who have invited me to other screenings or sent online links for me to watch them. It sure beats sanding in queues for two hours before press screenings. Here are more highlights...

Causeway
dir Lila Neugebauer; with Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry 22/US ****.
Theatre director Lila Neigebauer makes a remarkable feature film debut with this delicately crafted drama, which explores a topical issue through an especially internalised perspective. This requires sensitive performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry, who are extraordinary as two people struggling to get their lives back on track after serious injuries. Never obvious about anything, the film gets deep under the skin.

Allelujah
dir Richard Eyre; with Jennifer Saunders, Bally Gill 22/UK ****
Based on the Alan Bennett play, this gently edgy comedy is a celebration of the tenacity of Britain's National Health Service in the face of relentless government interference, from sell-offs to cut-backs. It's is a remarkably complex, engagingly freeform romp. And coming on the heels of a pandemic, it could hardly be more timely. But the filmmakers hold back their biggest statement until a seriously powerful wallop the final moments.

Emily the Criminal
dir-scr John Patton Ford; with Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi 22/US ***.
There's a serious theme running through this engaging drama set in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. Writer-director John Patton Ford cleverly pulls the audience in along with a hugely engaging central character adeptly played by Aubrey Plaza. It's a remarkable look at a society that makes it almost impossible for someone to escape their past. So even if it dips into several thriller cliches, it remains gripping.

Godland [Vanskabte Land, Volaða Land]
dir-scr Hlynur Palmason; with Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigurdsson 22/Ice ****
Under gloomy skies in unforgiving landscapes, this visually striking epic follows a Danish priest to rural Iceland in the 19th century, where he confronts both a strange new land and also his own beliefs. It's a dark and brooding drama, but continual moments of wit and artistry make it remarkably compelling. And writer-director Hlynur Palmason digs deeply into the souls of the characters to challenge the audience to think about big issues in new ways

1976
dir Manuela Martelli; with Aline Kuppenheim, Nicolas Sepulveda 22/Chl ****
This strikingly thoughtful dramatic thriller tells a story set in the wake of Chile's 1973 coup, as a dictator cracked down on the country. Filmmaker Manuela Martelli takes an observational approach, letting the narrative take shape in bits and pieces with characters who are afraid to say too much to each other. It's beautifully shot and edited, and performed with steely understatement by a gifted cast.

And four more LFF films that I saw in Venice...

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
dir Laura Poitras; with Nan Goldin, Megan Kapler 22/US ****.
With this extraordinary film, documentarian Laura Poitras takes a multifaceted look at a fascinating artist. As a biography of photographer Nan Goldin, this is a clear-eyed look at her life, work and survival. And it seamlessly connects her efforts to raise awareness of the Sackler family's direct responsibility in more than half a million deaths from opioid addiction. All of this is skilfully woven together with a remarkably gentle hand... FULL REVIEW >

No Bears
dir-scr Jafar Panahi; with Jafar Panahi, Vahid Mobasheri 22/Irn ****.
Despite being banned from making movies, master filmmaker Jafar Panahi continues to tell powerful cinematic stories from Iran. This hugely involving film uses wry humour to capture cultural absurdities that have an impact on two love stories, while further complicating the process of making movies. More importantly, this is a personal depiction of people who are struggling to survive when traditions and borders turn them into desperate refugees... FULL REVIEW >

The Son
dir Florian Zeller; with Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern 22/UK ***
After The Father, writer-director Florian Zeller adapts another of his thorny plays for the big screen, this time about parents trying to help a troubled teen son. It's a dark story, with rare moments of lightness as characters struggle with elusive ideas that defeat almost everybody. Clinical depression is an important topic to dramatise, although it also means that the plot needs to retain a nagging level of uncertainty... FULL REVIEW >

Saint Omer
dir Alice Diop; with Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanga 22/Fr **.
There's a terrific story at the centre of this French drama, bursting with powerful themes and clever juxtapositions. But filmmaker Alice Diop remains in her head while she puts this onto the screen, as chilly, inexpressive scenes remain stubbornly out of reach. It's very sharply shot, as a genuinely riveting courtroom case steals focus from the loosely undeveloped plot thread that is clearly meant to be the film's main thrust... FULL REVIEW >

All London Film Festival reviews, once they're uploaded, will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >

Venezia79: And the winners are...

I saw 43 films at the 79th Venice Film Festival, spread across the various selections, including Competition, Out of Competition, Venice Days, Horizons and International Critics Week. One of my favourites was the documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, which won the Golden Lion for director Laura Poitras (above). Here are the other big winners, followed by my favourites from the festival and then a report on my first proper foray into virtual reality...

A W A R D   W I N N E R S

• 
  Golden Lion: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
• Silver Lion: Saint Omer
• Special Jury Prize: No Bears
• Director: Luca Guadagnino - Bones and All
• Screenwriter: Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin
• Actress: Cate Banchett - Tár
• Actor: Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin
• Young Actor: Taylor Russell - Bones and All
• Debut Film: Alice Diop - Saint Omer
• Queer Lion: Skin Deep
• Audience Award: Nezouh
• Horizons: World War III
• Venice Days: Blue Jean
• International Critics Week: Eismayer
• Fipresci Prize: Argentina, 1985

M Y   B E S T   O F   F E S T

1. 
   No Bears (Jafar Panahi, Iran)
2. The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh, Ireland)
3. Athena (Romain Gavras, France)
4. Blonde (Andrew Dominik, US)
5. Skin Deep (Alex Schaad, Germany)
6. Tár (Todd Field, US)
7. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras, US)
8. Blue Jean (Georgia Oakley, UK)
9. On the Fringe (Juan Diego Botto, Spain)
10. The Damned Don't Cry (Fyzal Boulifa, Morocco)

The next 10: When the Waves Are Gone (Philippines); Call of God (Kyrgyzstan); Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (US); Argentina, 1985 (Argentina); Immensity (Italy); Anhell69 (Colombia); Bones and All (US); Wolf and Dog (Portugal); Ordinary Failures (Czech Republic); Dreamin' Wild (US).

~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~
V E N I C E   I M M E R S I V E

This was by first real experience with virtual reality on a festival level, and it's great to see how far the technology has come. It still has a way to go, mainly in making headsets less intrusive and the imagery crisper. I'd also love to see more narrative projects, but I'm sure those will come. Here's what I saw on the Venezia79 Immersive Island, in order...

Alex Honnold:
The Soloist VR

dir Jonathan Griffith; with Alex Honnold, Nicolas Hojac 22/UK 60m

The technology behind this film is almost as impressive as the seriously supernatural skills of Honnold (Free Solo) as he free-solo climbs a series of insane rock faces in Yosemite, the Dolomites and the French Alps. The camera seems to hang just off the cliff with him, allowing us to look 360 degrees: straight up and down, and also to take in the glorious views. In between the climbs we get to know Honnold as he chats to a journalist and prepares with fellow climber Hojac. So this is a brisk hour, packed with spectacular footage, and definitely not for anyone afraid of heights.

Dazzle: A Re-assembly of Bodies

dir Ruth Gibson, Bruno Martelli, Alexa Pollmann, Bine Roth; with Harry Alexander, Hannah Burfield, Emily Coates, Ruth Gibson, Axelle De Groote, Francesca Orlando, Alice Tatge 22/UK 45m 

Mixing live performance with a virtual experience, this ambitious project puts the audience amid cast members. On arrival we're assigned a role, and I was put in an observational one, sitting on the side watching, which was a bit dull as I wanted the fill experience. In front of me were two dancers in mo-cap suits and two audience members in VR gear with screens that showed the virtual environment they were engaged with. Hopefully next time I get a chance to get more involved. 

All Unsaved Progress Will Be Lost

dir Melanie Courtinat 22/Fr 10m

Using written quotes from people who were told to leave their homes after the Chernobyl incident, this animated virtual reality piece glides through a futuristic landscape under which a meadow of colourful wildflowers wave in the breeze. Up above are what look like concrete overpasses and rising tower blocks. The quotes refer to displacement, clinging to memories in specific places and ultimately to heading out to create a new world. Even immersed in this environment, watching this is a bit passive, but it's packed with pointed moments.

Space Explorers: The ISS Experience - Spacewalkers

dir Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphael; with Akihiko Hoshide, Andrew Morgan, Christina Koch, Jessica Meir, Megan McArthur, Luca Parmitano, Oleg Ivanovich Skripochka, Thomas Pesquet 22/Can 10m

Lajeunesse and Raphael sent a 360-degree virtual rig to the International Space Station and, for this experience, attached it to the extending arms outside. The effect is like simply floating in space, between the station and the earth, while astronauts do a series of repairs. Not only is this a fascinatingly detailed glimpse at the exterior of the station (complete with a Spacex capsule docked there), but it's a magnificent way to see how it feels to stare down at our planet, with the sun and moon appearing around the horizons.

Space Explorers: The ISS Experience - Unite

dir Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphael; with Christina Koch, Andrew Morgan, Jessica Meir, Luca Parmitano, Hazzaa Almansoori, Alexey Nikolaevich Ovchinin, Oleg Ivanovich Skripochka, Aleksandr Alexandrovich, Skvortsov 22/Can 35m

This time, Lajeunesse and Raphael's camera rig is inside the station, as various astronauts and cosmonauts interact with each other, go about their business, enjoy leisure time and show the viewer around the remarkably cluttered station. How they live and work is riveting to see so up-close and personal, as they share their own thoughts and feelings. And the coming and going of various crew members adds to the atmosphere, giving us a glimpse of the camaraderie and playfulness of these scientific experts who are still in awe when they look down on the Earth from above.

Eggscape

dir German Heller; scr German Heller, Federico Heller, Jorge Tereso 22/Arg 10m

Finally, I thought I'd attempt one of the game experiences, and this one looked particularly intriguing, as the physical site contains a series of tiny sets built with a witty attention to detail. And once you put on the VR headset, they come to life with augmented reality. You control a little egg who collects capsules while dodging obstacles, fighting monsters and trying not to fall off the sets and splat on the floor. It's colourfully animated, wildly inventive and absolutely hilarious. Thankfully they also give you infinite lives so you can make it to the exhilarating ending.

I still have a lot of writing to do, but full reviews of the films will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page as soon as possible.

Venezia79: Staring at the sky

The 79th Venice Film Festival is holding its final screenings today before handing out awards tonight. I'll report those here tomorrow, along with my own best films of the festival and a report on my immersive/virtual reality experience here. But I'm now done with screenings, and I certainly won't miss having the opening of each movie interrupted by restless and late-arriving audience members who clamber over you right when the lights go out without warning (I have actual bruises) then refuse to settle down or sometimes carry on chatting at full voice. While the ushers shine flashlights in your eyes. In other words, it will be nice to once again be able to settle in and watch how a movie starts. Here are my final films...

The Listener
dir Steve Buscemi; with Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Hall 22/US ***
Anchored around a sensitive performance by Tessa Thompson, with no one else on-screen at all, this is an engaging look at the life of a helpline operator. It's also directed by Steve Buscemi to be achingly picturesque, while Alessandro Camon's script is somewhat overwritten, making each character perhaps too articulate. Combined with the film's cozy production design, this makes everything feel somewhat artificial. But even if the big emotional beats in a series of phone calls are perhaps too tidy, there are continual points of resonance. [Closing film of Venice Days]

The Hanging Sun
dir Francesco Carrozzini; with Jessica Brown Findlay, Alessandro Borghi 22/UK ***.
Based on a Jo Nesbo novel, this British-Italian production is a dark drama with subtle undertones of a thriller. A solid cast brings intriguing textures to the characters and situations, while director Francesco Carrozzini maintains some gently gnawing tension and an earthy sense of connection between people in a community that seems to sit right on the edge of the world. So it's a bit frustrating that Stefano Bises' script never digs very deeply, and also simply abandons at least one major plot thread along the way. [Closing film of Venezia79]

Pearl
dir Ti West; with Mia Goth, David Corenswet 22/US ***.
There's an outrageously heightened style to this bonkers horror comedy, which is a prequel to filmmaker Ti West's previous movie X, this time cowritten with star Mia Goth. The film harks back to classics from The Wizard of Oz to Psycho, but everything is drenched in Technicolor hues. As a story of a young woman who feels trapped by her life, there's some emotional resonance along the way, but the seriously grisly nuttiness continually undercuts this. What remains is an entertainingly nasty tale about the birth of a killer.

No Bears
dir-scr Jafar Panahi; with Jafar Panahi, Vahid Mobasheri 22/Irn ****.
Despite being banned from making movies, master filmmaker Jafar Panahi continues to tell powerful stories about life in Iran. This hugely involving film uses wry humour to capture the absurdities of culture as they have an enormous impact on two love stories. It's also a knowing glimpse into the art of making a movie in such a convoluted place, as well as a deeply personal exploration of the situation for people who are struggling to survive when traditions and borders turn them into desperate refugees.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page, eventually!  It may take awhile to catch up.

Critical Week: It's all coming back to me

The pandemic continues to affect releasing schedules. Even with twice as many movies in need of cinema slots, studios are being unusually tenuous in getting movies out to audiences. This week, the two biggest releases were only screened once to the press, a few days before the films opened. Even though the films are finished and sitting on shelves waiting to go into cinemas, studios are more protective than ever, which means they're effectively killing any chance at word of mouth. This is obviously why some major releases have stumbled recently, but no one is saying this. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Annette • Underground
Censor • Sabaya
PERHAPS AVOID:
Rare Beasts
ALL REVIEWS >

The biggest release this week is Reminiscence, in which Hugh Jackman uses sheer charm to sustain a futuristic plot that's full of gaping holes. And costars Rebecca Ferguson and especially Thandiwe Newton help too. The other big UK release is Snake Eyes, again rescued by its lead actor Henry Golding, even though the GI Joe action movie's script isn't up to much. A lot more intriguing, and much more challenging, is the darkly satirical show-business musical Annette, starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. It's a movie that could only have come from the minds of musicians Sparks and filmmaker Leos Carax.

Less mainstream, Underground is a French-Canadian drama that astutely unpicks issues of masculinity, and Demonic is a gritty horror film from Neill Blomkamp that almost works. The American indie The Land of Owls is a sensitive, occasionally insightful look at relationships. A new French animated version of Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days is very quirky, and more fun than it should be. And seven filmmakers contribute segments to The Year of the Everlasting Storm, exploring the impact of covid lockdowns in ways that are witty, pointed and hauntingly personal.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Elijah Wood in No Man of God, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Powder Keg, sci-fi thriller The Colony, Beau Knapp in Mosquito State, and the horror films Bloodthirsty and Knocking.

Critical Week: Beardy men unite!

That's Vin Diesel in the photo above. Yes, really. He's going a rather decent Tom Hardy impression in the olde worlde scenes in his new franchise hopeful The Last Witch Hunter, which was screened to London press on Monday only a couple of days before it opens in cinemas. Whether that franchise materialises depends on the audience's appetite for a batty supernatural thriller that mixes Game of Thrones with Underworld. But it got a lot of laughs from the critics!

Most of the films I watched over the previous week were London Film Festival offerings. Some of these have release dates coming up, including Danny Boyle's exhilarating Steve Jobs starring Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet; Jack Black in the manic comedy-horror romp Goosebumps; Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford in the true journalism drama Truth; the artful, surprisingly moving documentary The Fear of 13, about a man on death row; and Jafar Panahi's Taxi Tehran, his superbly mischievous third film as a banned filmmaker in Iran.

Tomorrow comes the first press screening of one of the year's most anticipated movies, Sam Mendes' Spectre, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond. I've also got the British comedy A Christmas Star in the diary, as well as Josh Duhamel in Lost in the Sun and the pre-apocalyptic Mexican buddy movie Velociraptor. I'm also planning to binge watch the entire old series of David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks in preparation for a press trip to The Owls Are Not What They Seem, a themed cafe-club night in a secret London location. Watch this space for a full report!

LFF 10: See the world

The gang from Youth lined up on the red carpet last night at the London Film Festival: Paul Dano, Harvey Keitel, Paloma Faith, Rachel Weisz, Michael Caine and director Paolo Sorrentino. I had a slightly slower day today - just two films and a night off at the theatre! Here are a few more highlights...

Dheepan
dir Jacques Audiard; with Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan 15/Fr ***
With a powerfully topical subject, this drama both grapples with big issues and gives in to some oddly slanted politics that seem to convey a rather lopsided message. It's strikingly well made, with a solid cast and a sometimes startling realism. But filmmaker Jacques Audiard seems to get caught up in both the violence and the unrealistic dreams of refugees.

Taxi Tehran 
dir Jafar Panahi; with Jafar Panahi, Hana, Omid 15/Irn *****
Banned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi continues to make sharply clever films that manage to just fit within the rules of his sentence (this is his third). Once again cleverly exploring the nature of filmmaking itself, this film also offers a strikingly earthy, funny exploration of Iranian culture. And human nature.

Gold Coast 
dir Daniel Dencik; with Jakob Oftebro, Danica Curcic 15/Den **.
Beautiful landscapes and an artful, almost experimental approach make the most of this rather pointed drama about colonial Europeans in Africa. Packed with big ideas about how humans bend the laws of nature at their peril, the film is ambitious but also self-important and morally simplistic. And the way the story is told eliminates any opportunity for either narrative kick or emotional resonance.

Chemsex
dir William Fairman, Max Gogarty; with David Stuart, Matt Spike 15/UK ****
An unblinking exploration of one of London's more disturbing drug scenes, this documentary plays on both fascination and distaste for sexual activities that go against the flow. It sometimes feels sensationalised, veering perilously close to Reefer Madness territory, but the issue is real. And what it has to say about both addiction and sexuality is hugely important.

Screen Talk:
Todd Haynes

The filmmaker sat down with festival director Clare Stewart to talk about his work in front of an audience of 450 gripped cineastes. The conversation was extremely literate, as Haynes went into his thought processes, methods and experiences while making Superstar, Poison, Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven, I'm Not There, Mildred Pearce and Carol. He discussed running themes (illness, isolation, societal demands) and recurring actresses - he clearly adores both Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett and offered intriguing insights into the different ways they work. 

LFF 4: Meet the filmmakers

I've reached that point in the London Film Festival when my backlog of reviews begins to swell, and my lack of sleep begins to affect my ability to carry on a coherent conversation. But it's been a good weekend of movies, wrapped up with Pawel Pawlikowski (above with festival director Claire Stewart, photo by me on the front row) presenting his gorgeous new film Ida, one of my favourites so far. The stars and filmmakers were out in force over the weekend, enjoying the crisp sunshine on Saturday and the gloomy rainshowers on Sunday. Here are some more highlights...

All Is Lost 
dir JC Chandor; with Robert Redford 13/US ***.
Shot with an astounding attention to detail, this film puts us right in the middle of a life-or-death situation with its only character, a sailor whose boat founders in the middle of the Indian Ocean. But Chandor's remarkable skill as a director is slightly undone by a plot that piles on too many disasters... FULL REVIEW >

Enough Said 
dir-scr Nicole Holofcener; with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini13/US ****
With her usual style of off-handed honesty, writer-director Holofcener gives the rom-com formula a welcome grown-up twist. And even if the story is somewhat simple, the characters bring out layers of insight in every scene. It's smart and often very funny, with brittle, flawed people we can easily identify with... FULL REVIEW >

The Zero Theorem 
dir Terry Gilliam; with Christoph Waltz, Melanie Thierry 13/Rom *** 
Terry Gilliam updates the look and feel of Brazil to the digital age with this lively and raucously imaginative adventure-drama. So it's a shame that the plot runs out of steam about halfway through, leaving us unable to piece together the big ideas that flood through every corner of the script... FULL REVIEW >

Closed Curtain 
dir Jafar Panahi, Kambuzia Partovi; with Kambuzia Partovi, Maryam Moqadam 13/Irn *** 
Banned filmmaker Panahi continues to work by making movies with other filmmakers and distributing them outside Iran. Packed with clever ideas, this feels more like an expression of his frustration than a fully formed feature. After an intriguingly provocative first half, it turns surreal and far too metaphorical... FULL REVIEW >

Teenage
dir Matt Wolf; with Jena Malone, Ben Whishaw 13/US **. 
An odd hybrid, this film mixes authentic newsreel footage with fictional re-creations to explore the concept of the teenager, which didn't exist before World War II. But ultimately the film merely traces American and European history from 1904 to 1945, only offering a flash of insight in its final moment... FULL REVIEW >