LFF: Start the party without me

The 62nd London Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday evening with Steve McQueen's Widows. Unfortunately, I was halfway around the world at the time, in the tiny town of Kavieng on New Ireland island in Papua New Guinea. A family event (more on that in another post) took me away from the London Film Festival for 10 days this year - my 22nd year covering the event. I've seen several films beforehand, and will be back to binge on movies over the final five days. So my coverage won't be quite as deep as usual. But here we go with some highlights from the first three days, starting with something bracingly original (pictured above)...

Border [Gräns]
dir Ali Abbasi; with Eva Melander, Eero Milonoff 18/Swe ****
This Swedish film is such a genre mash-up that it's relentlessly surprising, with an engaging through-line that also makes it darkly satisfying. Mixing comedy, romance, mystery, horror and Norse mythology, each scene provides a thrill of the unexpected as secrets are revealed and the interconnections between the rather oddball characters continually shift... FULL REVIEW >

Colette
dir Wash Westmoreland; with Keira Knightley, Dominic West 18/UK *****
Much more than a period biopic, this inventive film digs beneath the surface of its people and situations to offer both a refreshing angle on history and a bold comment on the world today. Finally, it ends up feeling bracingly current, exploring both gender issues in ways that are both honest and understated. And it's beautifully written, directed and performed... FULL REVIEW >

Lizzie
dir Craig William Macneill; with Chloe Sevigny, Kristen Stewart 18/US ***.
The sensational true story of Lizzie Borden is told in an intriguingly naturalistic style by filmmaker Craig William Macneill. It's a remarkably thoughtful film, packed with insinuating plot points and earthy performances. And Macneill uses deliberately choppy editing to drop hints and reveal the chain of events out of sequence. It's rather chilly, and very cleverly made... FULL REVIEW >

Mandy
dir Panos Cosmatos; with Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough 18/Bel ***.
Set in 1983, this film has a strong period vibe, echoing the era's horror thrillers everything from the themes to the typeface. Benjamin Loeb's grainy widescreen cinematography and Johann Johannsson's haunting score further add to the tone. Filmmaker Panos Cosmatos creates a deliciously deranged mix of grisly violence and witty characters, although the inevitable climactic carnage is at least 30 minutes too long... FULL REVIEW >

The Breaker Upperers
dir-scr Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek; with Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek 18/NZ ****
With this engaging comedy, the Kiwi duo Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami keep up a steady stream of hilarious gags from beginning to end in each of their roles: as writers, directors and actors. Much of the film has the awkward, absurd tone of Taika Waititi's work (he's a producer), creating riotously sloppy characters who are deeply likeable even when they're doing something painfully stupid.

Papi Chulo
dir-scr John Butler; with Matt Bomer, Alejandro Patino 18/Ire ***.
Irish filmmaker John Butler traces an offbeat friendship in this engaging comedy-drama, which takes a turn that adds a complex exploration of a deep theme. It's a charming story with intriguing characters who interact in honest, messy ways. So while the events in the movie sometimes tip over the top, the story and characters remain easy to identify with.

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CRITICAL WEEK

I haven't had time to check out what films are showing in Port Moresby - it's rather nice not to think about it, frankly! Meanwhile, First Man is hitting US and UK cinemas this week...

Critical Week: Who runs the world?

It's been a busy week for screenings in London, as we're starting to get to see autumn festival titles. This week I was happy to catchup with Wash Westmoreland's biopic Colette, starring Keira Knightley as the iconic French author. It's a fiercely clever film, quietly subverting the period drama while addressing issues that are still current. Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born is the fourth version of this involving tale of a fading artist (Cooper as a rocker) being eclipsed by his emerging-sensation girlfriend (Lady Gaga, surprisingly excellent). Damiel Chazelle's First Man stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in the run-up to the moon landing. It's moving and intriguingly internalised. And Night School features the powerhouse team of Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, although the script leaves them hanging.

Other films this week are featuring in the forthcoming London Film Festival (10-21 Oct), including Nicolas Cage in the gonzo horror Mandy, the hilarious Kiwi comedy The Breaker Upperers, Zhang Yimou's silvery-riveting 3rd century Chinese thriller Shadow, and the Indonesian ghostly horror freak-out The May the Devil Take You. There were also two rock 'n' roll docs: Bad Reputation follows the queen herself, Joan Jett, while After the Screaming Stops traces a reunion of Bros twins Matt and Luke Goss. I also saw one film that's in the now-underway Raindance Film Festival (26 Sep-7 Oct): Dizzy Pursuit is a hilarious one-room micro-budget comedy about distracted filmmakers. And then there were these two Supreme Court documentaries...

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RBG
dir Betsy West, Julie Cohen; with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bill Clinton
release US 4.May.18 • 18/US Storyville 1h38 ****
This engaging, gentle documentary traces the extraordinary life of the 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Born at a time when women didn't dare to be lawyers, she was encouraged by her parents and later her husband to pursue her dreams. Her life is a remarkable story of overcoming barriers, refusing to take no for an answer. Then as a lawyer, professor, judge and justice she has been able to help bolster the law to create a more equal system. The film beautifully portrays her efforts to help men understand how it feels to be a second-class citizen as she pursued landmark cases to the Supreme Court in the 1970s, at a time when no one believed there was such a thing as gender-based discrimination against both women and men. There are also sections that explore Ginsburg's personal life as a wife, mother, grandmother, dedicated opera fan and terrible cook, as well as her unexpectedly close friendship with Justice Scalia. The filmmakers include a terrific range of archival photos and film, as well as interviews with her friends, family, colleagues and other public figures. The film captures her personality as a quiet, thoughtful woman with a steel-trap mind, determined to make the world fairer. She's soft-spoken, but her words have real power, and her lively sense of humour makes her even more likeable. Ginsberg is a living American hero, a champion for equality at various levels of society.

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Reversing Roe

dir Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg; with Tony Perkins, Gloria Steinem
release US 13.Sep.18, UK 19.Sep.18 • 18/US Netflix 1h39 ***.
Bang up to date, this propulsive documentary opens as Texas passes laws restricting access to abortion, with a stated goal to ultimately overturn Roe v Wade. "Everything about abortion is a sin," say the proponents. And the other side replies, "Women have always had abortions whether or not they're legal, so if you want to stop them, help stop unwanted pregnancies." The filmmakers take an open-handed approach, exploring the collision of politics and religion that led to the Supreme Court's landmark decision in 1973 and then on to today's standoff. Both sides have their say as the doc carefully outlines the history of the issue in America, including the way Reagan and the Republicans switched sides on abortion (it was a deliberate strategy to lock in a voter base), as did Planned Parenthood (which was originally against abortion). Today the issue has turned religious, arguing against the murder of unborn infants. This has led to a system in which voters make their choice based on this issue alone, not whether the candidate is suitable for office. And in the 1980s it led to violence, including fatal shootings and bombings, perpetrated by fanatics who hypocritically called themselves pro-life. As it carefully balances the presentation of each argument, the film can hardly help but have a pro-choice slant, simply because the separation of church and state makes the issue legally clear. And also because the pro-life side is driven by men who use sleazy tactics. But the film also avoids exploring the idea that abortion is the taking of a human life, focussing instead on the fact that women should choose, not government officials. And certainly not middle-aged male politicians.

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This coming week I have a lot more films for Raindance and London festivals, plus regular releases like Rowan Atkinson in Johnny English Strikes Again, Joaquin Phoenix in Don't Worry He Won't Get Far on Foot, Tilda Swinton in Suspiria, Aubrey Plaza in An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn, Emily Rajtakowski in Cruise, and the animated film Tehran Taboo.