BFI Flare: The best version of yourself

Heading into the final stretch of the 37th BFI Flare, it's been interesting to see how the films are reflecting a much broader experience of LGBTQIA+ people. Indeed, the formerly titled London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival has expanded to tell more complex trans and intersex stories, including this year's centrepiece film Who I Am Not. I can't remember a previous year in which both the opening and centrepiece titles were documentaries, and both of these films recount powerful narratives while highlighting experiences that are rarely if ever put on-screen. Here are some more film highlights from Flare, plus my usual Critical Week below...

Who I Am Not
dir-scr Tunde Skovran; with Sharon-Rose Khumalo, Dimakatso Sebidi 23/SA ****
Intersex babies are normal but rare, and yet many societies seem unable to accept this fact. From South Africa, this film finds honesty, humour and moving emotions as its subjects describe how it feels to be neither male nor female biologically. Romanian actor-turned-filmmaker Tunde Skovran simply watches them as they interact with family members, doctors and each other. She also incorporates art and boldly imaginative imagery to meaningfully explore how society can embrace these special people.

Chrissy Judy
dir-scr Todd Flaherty; with Todd Flaherty, Wyatt Fenner 22/US ****
While this story is told from the perspective of someone who thinks that 30 is old, it's a lovely look at how friendships ebb and flow over the years. Actor-filmmaker Todd Flaherty has an astute ear for dialog and a terrific eye for comedy, shooting in black and white to give this a classic screwball flavour, complete with a series of lovely nods to Some Like It Hot. Yes, the film is that ambitious, even on what is clearly a very small budget. It's also deeply charming.

Lie With Me [Arrête Avec Tes Mensonges]
dir-scr Olivier Peyon; with Guillaume de Tonquedec, Victor Belmondo 22/Fr ****
Surging with deep emotions that are never sentimental, this French drama explores the power of narratives themselves as a writer confronts an unfinished relationship from his past. Writer-director Olivier Peyon deploys gorgeous cinematography and skilful editing to keep scenes grounded in realism while also cranking up some seriously intense feelings. So the film is romantic, sexy and also provocative in the way it challenges us to meaningfully confront our own history.

Narcissism: The Auto-Erotic Images
dir-scr Toni Karat; with Toni Karat, Birgit Bosold 22/Ger ***
Director Toni Karat perhaps takes on a bit too much with this ambitions project, combining a photography book with a documentary film to explore the idea of self-love. While the images are absolutely stunning, they say even more than the talky interviews, which sometimes feel academic and perhaps even strident. Yes, each point made is an important one, especially when commenting on gender disparity in society. But the nuance gets lost in the spoken words.

BEST OF YEAR
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 >

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C R I T I C A L   W E E K

I've been struggling to fit in theatrical releases alongside the festival films this week, but I did manage to see Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman in A Good Person, a perhaps overlong but strongly resonant drama about human connections. Keanu Reeves returned for John Wick: Chapter 4, which is a vast improvement over the last couple of chapters, feeling fresher, more stylish and dramatically deeper. Supercell is a rather silly storm-chaser thriller with Skeet Ulrich and Alec Baldwin, overloaded with melodrama and cliches, but still entertaining. And from Italy, The Eight Mountains is a spectacular epic about a complex friendship between two very different young men.

As BFI Flare continues until Sunday, I will also be watching next week's action-fantasy blockbuster Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, Ben Affleck's Nike biopic Air, Alexandra Shipp in Space Oddity, the screen-based thriller Missing, horror comedy Summoning Sylvia, Japanese drama Plan 75, political thriller Cairo Conspiracy and Moroccan drama El Houb. And I also have a stage show to see (review here soon).

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).

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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: Time to refuel

The 79th Venice Film Festival continues to build pace, as today was Timothee Chalamet day, with fans following his every move around the Lido then screaming raucously as he walked the red carpet. His film caught us all by surprise this morning, with its grisly cannibalistic theme and warm centre, We were even more caught off guard by a barnstorming French film, which is my pick of the festival so far. Here are today's highlights...

Bones and All
dir Luca Guadagnino; with Taylor Russell, Timothee Chalamet 22/US ****
Essentially a romantic horror road movie, this offbeat drama delights in provoking the audience to extreme reactions with its vampiric premise. But it's also almost jarringly realistic, with authentic situations and characters who may not be likeable but are easy to sympathise with. Director Luca Guadagnino is always terrific at cutting through surfaces to find human connections and deeper societal truths. So while this film gets very grisly indeed, it remains surprisingly sweet.

Athena
dir Romain Gavras; with Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane 22/Fr *****
Blisteringly current, this feels like a story that is just about to happen in several places around the world, as social tensions erupt into all-out civil war. French filmmaker Romain Gavras is making an almost shockingly pointed political statement here, but the urgent and involving story centres on the much deeper emotional connections between three brothers at the epicentre of an epically violent standoff. The film is also skilfully directed with astonishing bravado, using long and exceptionally complex takes that are simply breathtaking.

A Couple
dir Frederick Wiseman; with Nathalie Boutefeu 22/Fr **.
At 92, rightfully venerated documentarian Frederick Wiseman makes his first narrative feature, but his approach remains the same, filling the screen with tiny details that build up a larger picture. The problem is that, while the story itself has vitality, the film is too mannered and one-note to provide a needed emotional punch. Based on letters between Leo Tolstoy and his wife Sophia, this is a one-woman show as Nathalie Boutefeu strikes poses in various picturesque sites in nature, speaking Sophia’s letters and reading Leo’s in voiceover or to-camera. Her expression is unwaveringly pained, and she repeats the cycle of marital emotions between adoration and agony. The larger arc is fascinating, from naive, hopeful 18-year-old bride to an exhausted older woman who feels she had to work hard and remain invisible to make way for her husband’s genius. A more textured telling of this story would be devastating. This is a bit dull.

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
dir Laura Poitras; with Nan Goldin, Megan Kapler 22/US ****
With this extraordinary film, gifted documentarian Laura Poitras takes a multifaceted look at a fascinating artist. As a biography of acclaimed photographer Nan Goldin, this is a clear-eyed look at her life, work and the decades she has survived, leading to related areas of activism. Which connects into her efforts to raise awareness of the Sackler family's direct responsibility in the deaths of half a million people from opioid addiction. All of this is skilfully woven together with a remarkably gentle hand.

Valeria Is Getting Married
dir-scr Michal Vinik; with Lena Fraifeld, Dasha Tvoronovich 22/Isr ****
A collision of cultures and clashes fuels this Israeli-Ukrainian drama, which opens with a lightly happy tone then steadily cranks up the deeper drama. It's sharply well-assembled by writer-director Michal Vinik to get under the skin of four central characters, and it makes some fascinating observations about the nature of power in relationships, especially transactional ones like these. The plot centres on a Ukrainian woman (Lena Fraifield) who has found a husband in Israel and now brings her sister Valeria (Dasha Tvoronovich) to marry her own man. The key elements here are emotions, which haven't factored into the arrangements and blow up over the course of a very stressful day. It's a fairly simple narrative, but ripples with deeper resonance.

Full reviews will be linked at Shadows VENICE FILM FESTIVAL page, eventually! 

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.