Flare: Tell your story

Spring has definitely sprung in London - it's not a lot warmer, but the sun has made its presence felt. So it's perhaps not as easy to sit indoors and watch movies at home. The 35th BFI Flare continues as a virtual event, with screenings, Q&As and screen talks every day this week. Press screenings ended on Sunday night, so I've seen the vast majority of films now, and am enjoying watching a range of short films this week, plus the conversations with filmmakers and actors. Tickets and information are available at BFI FLARE, including free access to all the talks and short films. Here are a few more festival highlights...

Dramarama
dir-scr Jonathan Wysocki; with Nick Pugliese, Anna Grace Barlow 20/US ****
Like The Breakfast Club for drama queens, this snappy comedy centres on theatre nerds having one last party before life splits them up. It's brightly silly and thoroughly engaging as it plays with a range of bigger issues. With his feature debut, writer-director Jonathan Wysocki taps into his own background and meaningfully explores issues from sexuality to religion through the eyes of five over-expressive teenagers on one eventful night... FULL REVIEW >

Kiss Me Before It Blows Up
dir-scr Shirel Peleg; with Moran Rosenblatt, Luise Wolfram 20/Ger ***.
Busy and funny, this Israeli comedy follows the transgressive romantic adventures of a young woman and her grandmother. Writer-director Shirel Peleg keeps the tone light even as serious themes gurgle up from the subtext. Things wobble a bit later on, both due to the serious topics and of course the requirements of the romcom formula. But the characters remain sympathetic, and the movie has a warmly affirming message... FULL REVIEW >

No Ordinary Man
dir Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt; with Billy Tipton Jr, Susan Stryker 20/Can 1h24 ***.
This documentary centres on groundbreaking American musician Billy Tipton, who has essentially been erased from history due to a lack of understanding about trans-masculinity. Strikingly well shot and edited, the film features artists and authors who discuss the bigger themes, which kind of sidelines Tipton's fascinating life. But his son offers telling firsthand memories, and the way the issue is explored has real power to change perceptions... FULL REVIEW >

Note that all full reviews from the festival are linked on the site's BFI FLARE page. The Five Films for Freedom are there now, with more shorts coming soon.

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CRITICAL WEEK 

I only saw a few non-festival films this week, although at four hours Zack Snyder's Justice League might count as two or three. It's like binge-watching a series, so is of course far more satisfying that Joss Whedon's cut of the film. It's also still rather murky and messy. I also saw seven very strong shorts about young men coping with masculinity and sexuality issues in The Swedish Boys. I have quite a few things to catch up with once the festival finishes on Sunday.

Critical Week: Another day of sun

I'm in Los Angeles this week visiting my parents for Thanksgiving and enjoying the warm late-November sunshine. There were no movies on the flight's entertainment system that even remotely tempted me, so I just watched TV comedies and documentaries.

I've caught up with one film in the cinema - because I missed the press screening in London. Justice League is the latest DC movie, and it has a refreshing comic book tone that some of the more recent films have lacked. It also centres on characters rather than moody violent spectacle, although there is still too much of that. But at least the actors had more to work with this time, and it bodes well for already in-the-works movies to come. I also watched an awards screener (more of these to come)...

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The Hero
dir Brett Haley; with Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon 17/US ***
This gently loping drama never says anything terribly original, but it gives Sam Elliott a terrific role as an ageing actor facing up to both his life and his mortality. It's written and directed in a relaxed style that never challenges the audience, other than the usual cringe at an unlikely romance. But it's nicely shot, beautifully acted, the themes are never overstated, and it ends on a warmly ambiguous note.

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There are a few films I'm hoping to catch in cinemas and at screenings over the next week while I'm here, including Wonder, Coco, The Disaster Artist and Lady Bird. But we'll see if I can tear myself away from the sunshine...