Shadows @ Fragments

Fragments Festival
28.Sep-1.Oct.23
at the Genesis Cinema, London #Fragments2023

Fragments features, shorts and events that are inclusive and accessible. Audience awards are presented for best feature, short and young filmmaker...

Opening film: 
The Old Oak
dir Ken Loach; with Dave Turner, Ebla Mari 23/UK ****
Ken Loach and Paul Laverty once again take an unflinching look at the English psyche, this time highlighting the deep-seated racism and xenophobia that are delivered with hideous foul-mouthed vitriol right after the words "I'm not a racist, but..." or "I don't mean any disrespect, but...." Shot in a remarkably loose, authentic style, the film ultimately offers a glimmer of hope that is presented here as a challenge... FULL REVIEW >

Closing film: 
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
dir-scr Anna Hints; with Kadi Kivilo, Maria Meresaar 23/Est ****
Immersive and visceral, this documentary takes the audience into the intimate setting of a smoke sauna in southeast Estonia. In addition to capturing cultural traditions, filmmaker Anna Hints is provocatively exploring the nature of being a woman in society, including a range of big issues. It may sometimes meander into metaphysical swirliness, but this is a remarkable depiction of the importance of having a profound human connection with no barriers... FULL REVIEW >

Big Boys
dir-scr Corey Sherman; with Isaac Krasner, Dora Madison 23/US ****
There's an internalised, autobiographical tone to this warm comedy-drama about a young teen on a journey of self-discovery. Writer-director Corey Sherman knowingly observes small details and larger themes, which helps the audience resonate strongly with this witty, sometimes sexy odyssey. This is a story about a boy realising that it's time for him to come out to those closest to him. And taking that first step is terrifying... FULL REVIEW >

Unidentified Objects
dir Juan Felipe Zuleta; with Matthew August Jeffers, Sarah Hay 22/US ****
Wildly inventive, this lively road comedy has a wonderful fantastical streak, even as the story grapples with seriously grounded themes. It may be a bonkers adventure involving a gay little person and female sex worker, but the writing, direction and acting have a lot to say about overcoming fear. It's also a hugely engaging journey that's packed with wonderfully surreal touches and moments that are both hilarious and moving... FULL REVIEW >

Hidden Letters
dir Violet Du Feng; scr Violet Du Feng, John Farbrother 22/Chn ****
Beautifully shot and edited, this fascinating documentary finds a sharply knowing perspective on a little-known way women learned to express themselves throughout China's history. Because she keeps things specific and personal, director Violet Du Feng finds enormously powerful echoes in the wider world. It's a riveting, moving film, assembled with a remarkable fluidity to make its important points almost subliminally. And the observations are unusually complex and nuanced... FULL REVIEW >

Oink [Knor]
dir Mascha Halberstad; with  Hiba Ghafry, Kees Prins 22/Ned ****
With brightly energetic and wonderfully detailed stop-motion animation, this Dutch adventure is like a balm for the soul. Witty verbal and visual touches fill each scene, creating superbly complex characters, including a cuddly pig that simply can't control itself. The story takes a series of riotous twists and turns along the way, and at its heart centres on the sweet connection between a young girl and her beloved pet...
FULL REVIEW >

GINGER & HONEY MILK
dir: Mika Imai, Japan

SUBJECT
dir: Camilla Hall, Jennifer Tiexiera, USA

For information, FRAGMENTS >

Critical Week: Camera ready

It's been a ridiculously busy week, with too many film releases and too many screenings as well, perhaps because Venice Film Festival ended last weekend. Eclectic screenings this week have included the terrific Gael Garcia Bernal in the biopic Cassandro, a colourfully well-made biopic about the exotico wrestler. Ken Loach's latest, and perhaps final, film The Old Oak is a triumph, a staggeringly clear-eyed depiction of ugly British attitudes with an emotive glimmer of hope. And Pablo Larrain's El Conde is a viciously inventive satire that depicts Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire with a jaw-dropping mentor.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Golden Delicious • Love Life
Cassandro • Fremont
A Haunting in Venice
ALL REVIEWS >

Kenneth Branagh is back this week with another all-star Agatha Christie adaptation, and A Haunting in Venice is the best one yet, a superbly gothic mystery thriller packed with shifty characters. Michael Jai White directs and stars in Outlaw Johnny Black, an enjoyable 1970s style action-comedy Western. Aaron Pierre lights up the screen in the small Canadian drama Brother, a dark drama celebrating tenacious immigrant mothers. And Pablo Berger's animated Robot Dreams is a pure delight, tracing the complex friendship between a lonely dog and his robot friend.

And there were even more: Bolan's Shoes is a melodramatic British drama that's beautifully acted but deliberately enigmatic. The Latent Image is an inventively freaky meta-thriller about storytelling; 20,000 Species of Bees is a moving Spanish drama about an 8-year-old wondering why he feels so uneasy about his gender; Gurkha Warrior is a skilfully made rah-rah celebration of the military prowess of the Gurkhas; and Samsara is an offbeat experimental drama that takes the audience on an inventive trip between lives. There were two docs: Carlos is a chatty visit with legendary musician Carlos Santana, while Summer Qamp profiles an extraordinary retreat centre for queer kids in rural Canada. There were also live shows Deeper and Deeper and Myra Dubois: Be Well.

Films this coming week include the all-star action sequel Expend4bles, Almodovar's Western A Strange Way of Life, Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson in The Great Escaper, Accused, Relax I'm From the Future, Ballywater, Rebel and the live show The White Factory.

37th Critics' Circle Film Awards: words and pictures...

These three ladies were the stars of Sunday night's 37th London Critics' Circle Film Awards, held at the May Fair Hotel. I'm the chair of the event, so spend most of the year organising it with a hard-working committee, lots of helpers and some great sponsors. And we spread the winners around this year. Above: Kate Beckinsale won British/Irish Actress, Isabelle Huppert won both Actress of the Year for Things to Come and the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, and Naomie Harris won Supporting Actress for Moonlight.

Here's the team: me, our actor-filmmaker hosts Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, and Critics' Circle President Anna Smith.

When Isabelle Huppert was presented with the Dilys Powell Award - an honour we have wanted to bestow on her for years - the audience rose for a standing ovation.

Tom Bennett won Supporting Actor for Love & Friendship, Ken Loach won British/Irish Film of the Year for I, Daniel Blake.

Lewis MacDougall won Young British/Irish Performer for his work in A Monster Calls, while writer-director Babak Anvari won Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker for Under the Shadow.

Naomie Harris poses with her award alongside her Moonlight costar Alex Hibbert, who accepted the Supporting Actor award for Mahershala Ali. And on the right, director Brady Hood with his lead actress Jessica Barden - winners of British/Irish Short Film of the Year for Sweet Maddie Stone.

Accepting the Documentary prize for Fire at Sea were editor Jacopo Quadri and producer Donatella Palermo. And here's an intriguing couple: will we see Isabelle starring in Ken's next movie?

Some winners who couldn't be with us recorded video messages. These included Casey Affleck, who won Actor of the Year for Manchester by the Sea, and Andrew Garfield, who was named British/Irish Actor of the Year. Two winners sent written messages: Kenneth Lonergan for Screenplay accepting Manchester by the Sea, and Maren Ade accepting Foreign-Language Film for Toni Erdmann.

Damien Chazelle recorded his video to accept Film of the Year for La La Land on his phone just after landing on a flight to China. Laszlo Nemes sent thanks for Director of the Year for Son of Saul from the middle of pre-production on his new film in Hungary. And cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grovlen thanked the critics for his Technical Achievement Award for Victoria from Montserrat.

Nominees celebrating with us for the evening included Dave Johns (I, Daniel Blake), Sennia Nanua (The Girl With All the Gifts) and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Sing Street).

More nominees: writer-director Mia Hansen-Love (Things to Come), filmmaker Otto Bell (The Eagle Huntress) and composer Mica Levi (Jackie).

Special guests with us included Love & Friendship costars Morfyd Clark and Emma Greenwell, as well as George MacKay.

And finally, here are a couple of snaps of me - on the left with Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen, and on the right with Kate Beckinsale. The Sun ran this photo hinting that I was her "dapper" date for the evening. Hmmm!