Raindance: Shall we dance

The 29th Raindance Film Festival came to a close last night with a screening of the Brazilian freak-out Medusa, followed by a party. It's been another terrific season of independent films, this year screened at cinemas around London. Although I've mainly watched the films at home using the press site. Since I didn't have to travel to screenings, I was able to watch several more films than expected. Here are some final highlights, including two of my favourites. And the awards winners are at the end...

My Heart Goes Boom! [Explota Explota]
dir Nacho Alvarez; with Ingrid Garcia-Jonsson, Veronica Echegui 20/Sp ****
Using the songs of iconic Italian singer Raffaela Carra, this brightly colourful Spanish musical is irresistible. Filmmaker Nacho Alvarez infuses a swooning romantic farce with a continual flow of witty touches. And it's knowingly underscored by punchy topical themes. While the film is perhaps is a bit overlong, it maintains a breezy tone that keeps the audience smiling, complete with a series of delightfully energetic musical numbers... FULL REVIEW >

The Pop Song
[La Cançó Pop]
dir-scr Raul Portero; with Raul Portero, Joan Carles Suau 21/Sp ****.
Shot in an experimental style, this intimate comedy-drama is a remarkable depiction of the way life impacts friendships. A collection of short, sharp scenes sometimes captured in single long takes, the film is packed with knowing observations. Actor-filmmaker Raul Portero has a terrific eye for detail, infusing moments with knowing wit that balances the deeper emotions. It's a moving, beautifully textured look at powerful feelings everyone can recognise... FULL REVIEW >

The Drowning of Arthur Braxton
dir Luke Cutforth; with James Tarpey, Johnny Vegas 21/UK ***
Delving into the mind of a teen overwhelmed by life, this British drama uses fantasy and horror to add intriguing angles to the story. The film is nicely directed by Like Cutforth, using vivid visual touches to get under the surface of the characters. As a broader mythology begins to take shape, everything gets a bit overwrought, putting perhaps too much spin on the more involving internalised angles... FULL REVIEW >

The Noise of Engines
[Le Bruit des Moteurs]
dir-scr Philippe Gregoire; with Robert Naylor, Tanja Bjork 21/Can ***.
Cleverly shot with a witty, almost absurd sensibility, this bold Canadian drama continually plays with audience perceptions. Writer-director Philippe Gregoire adds a range of twists throughout the story that keep us on our toes, unable to predict where things are headed. And underneath the sometimes nutty surface, the film continually challenges us as it grapples with how officials seem to be determined to know our most personal secrets... FULL REVIEW >

RAINDANCE AWARD WINNERS 2021

• International Feature: MEDUSA
• UK Feature: THE DROWNING OF ARTHUR BRAXTON
• Documentary: WHITE NOISE
• Music Documentary: I'M WANITA
• Director: Luana Bajrami (THE HILL WHERE LIONESSES ROAR)
• Screenplay: Renata Pinheiro, Sergio Olivera, Leo Pyrata (KING CAR)
• Performance: Lucia Moniz (LISTEN)
• Cinematography: Sam Levy (MAYDAY)
• Discovery: Luana Bajrami (THE HILL WHERE LIONESSES ROAR)
• Raindance Icon: Michael Caine

Full reviews of festival films are linked at Shadows' RAINDANCE HOMEPAGE 
For full festival information, visit RAINDANCE FILM FEST 

Critical Week: Feeling festive

More festival films this week! The first four here are at the London Indian Film Festival (21-29 June). Venus is the closing film, and it comes from Canada. It's a comedy about a trans woman who discovers that she has a son from a teenage fling. It's beautifully written, witty and well played. Eaten by Lions is a British comedy about two brothers (above) searching for long-lost family members in Blackpool. It's very sharply written, with a nice multicultural angle to it. From India, My Son Is Gay is a powerful Tamil drama about a young man whose mother simply can't accept his homosexuality. Gorgeously shot, the film is thoughtful and tough. And Bird of Dusk is a documentary about the acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, whose films had an unusually complex depictions of women.

From the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles (7-17 June), I caught up with At the End of the Day, a snappy drama about a Christian university professor who infiltrates an LGBT group to scupper their plans to build a community centre. But of course he gets an education instead. It's knowing, and nicely well-made. And from FilmOut San Diego (7-10 June), Golden Boy is a drama about a young man's odyssey of homelessness and drug-fuelled clubbing in Los Angeles. It's gritty and involving, and a little over-plotted.

Other releases include The Endless, a fiendishly clever low-key sci-fi thriller in which two brothers return to the bizarre cult they escaped from as teens. And Beach House is a contained drama about four characters on the Long Island coastline, shifting slowly from a drama into a nasty thriller.

I'm travelling in rural America over the next couple of weeks, so whether I get near a cinema is anyone's guess. It's a family trip to a part of the country I've never visited. Films out over there that I'd like to catch up with include Incredibles 2, Sicario 2: Soldado and Tag.