BFI Flare: Take back the streets

The 37th edition of the British Film Institute's Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival kicked off last night at BFI Southbank in defiance of the government-caused strike that shut down the entire Tube network. This is one of the largest and most important film festivals in the UK, and its influence goes global as a celebration of the very best films tackling queer topics. It's also one of my favourite festivals, because the Southbank becomes party central for 10 days. We all love reconnecting our "Flare friends" each year - a particularly great bunch of people. And it's also a rare festival that still has filmmakers mixing in with the audience. Here are some highlights for the first couple of days (with my usual Critical Week down below)...

The Stroll
dir Zackary Drucker, Kristen Lovell; with Kristen Lovell, Ceyenne, Carey 23/US ****
Documenting a specific period in the New York queer scene, this film has a sense of urgency about it that's impossible to escape. These are the stories of real people who transcended their circumstances to make a huge impact on society, and yet they're still battling against hateful bigotry. Filmmaker Kristen Lovell bravely puts her life on the screen, adeptly codirecting with the gifted Zackary Drucker, revealing the humanity of transgender sex workers who are still seeking basic human rights.

Egghead & Twinkie
dir-scr Sarah Kambe Holland; with Louis Tomeo, Sabrina Jie-a-fa 23/US ****
Colourfully augmented with eye-catching animation, this lively teen road trip comedy is bright and funny, and it has a strongly pointed edge as well. Writer-director Holland includes such personal details that this must be an autobiographical story. The characters have remarkably authentic layers to them. And while the film is aimed at a young audience, it says a lot about the complexities of figuring out who you are and finding your way in a world where you feel like a social oddball.

Three Nights a Week [Trois Nuits par Semaine]
dir Florent Gouelou; with Pablo Pauly, Romain Eck 22/Fr ***.
Beautifully shot with lush light and colour, this French drama spins around a warm, offbeat relationship that catches two people, and their friends, by surprise. The drawn-out narrative plays like a gay fantasy, as that cute guy isn't as straight as he thinks he is. So the plot sometimes feels over-deliberate. But honest feelings run through each scene. And director Florent Gouelou isn't afraid to lean into a feel-good moment... FULL REVIEW >

1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture
dir Sharon "Rocky" Roggio; with Kathy Baldock, Ed Oxford 22/US ***.
Aimed at viewers who know their way around the Bible, this documentary features people who take Christianity seriously as they take on a hot potato topic: looking into what the Bible actually says about homosexuality. Using scholarly research, the film finds proof of mistranslations that have led to misunderstandings, extensive abuse and ruptured relationships. And filmmaker Sharon Roggio is grappling with this topic in a way that's remarkably personal... FULL REVIEW >

FROM THE ARCHIVES
Strip Jack Naked: Nighthawks II
dir Ron Peck; with Ron Peck, Nick Bolton 91/UK ****.
Not actually a sequel, this is an experimental making-of doc that also serves as a detailed autobiography of the filmmaker. It's telling, provocative and extremely personal, and has its own important place in film history. Peck assembles the material in a kaleidoscopic way, framed with images of men in an editing suite looking at clips from 1978's Nighthawks, including scenes from the fundraising pilot and extensive footage that was cut out of the film... FULL REVIEW >

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C R I T I C A L  W E E K

Movies to watch this week included the star-packed 80 for Brady, which is sustained by the powerful wattage of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field, despite an odd, unfunny script. The superhero sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods abandons the brightly funny original's tone for more dour grey-hued effects-based mayhem, which seems like a silly mistake (see also the recent Ant-Man sequel). Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game is an engaging biopic that distracts the audience with far too much geek-out detail about the origins and importance (!) of pinball. Rye Lane is one of the best British romantic comedies in recent memory, original and very funny, with charming leads and terrific South London locations. And I of course had to check out Andrea Riseborough's Oscar nominated performance in To Leslie. She's great, the film's ok.

This coming week I'll mainly be watching films that are part of BFI Flare, plus Keanu Reeves back for John Wick Chapter 4, Florence Pugh in A Good Person, the Italian drama The Eight Mountains, the true-life Spanish thriller The Beasts and the doc Kubrick by Kubrick. And I also have a couple of theatre press nights (reviews here soon).

Critical Week: Baby you're a firework

I've only had one actual press screening in the last week - Ang Lee's new drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. It's a fascinating idea, made with a striking technical approach and a solid cast. But even they can't quite sell the rather simplistic dialog. On disc, I also caught up with the Swedish comedy-drama A Man Called Ove, a delightfully engaging story about a grumpy old man who begins to understand why he's like he is. Zero Days is another expertly assembled and deeply chilling documentary from Alex Gibney, this time about how a computer worm invaded the world and changed the nature of warfare. Another film doesn't have a UK release date, so here are my comments...

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Hello, My Name Is Doris

dir Michael Showalter;
with Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Tyne Daly, Stephen Root, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kumail Nanjiani, Peter Gallagher, Natasha Lyonne 16/US ***
The clever premise of this comedy is somewhat undermined by its slapstick slant. Field is terrific as the retirement-age Doris, who has been caring for her mother all her life, and is only now getting her first taste of freedom, so she develops a crush on a hot new employee (Greenfield) in her office. Where this goes is warm and funny, and sometimes movingly astute. But the film is infused with corny touches, from Doris' frankly absurd clothing to her quirky bumbling. Refreshingly, she's also realistically web-savvy and open to pop musicality, which allows Field to transcend the limits of the writing and direction. And the plot has some nice surprises up its sleeve, most of all the chemistry between Field and Greenfield. And it thankfully avoids sentimentality. And it's great to see not only Field in such a meaty role, but also the fabulous Daly as her lifelong pal. Both should really be on our screens all the time.

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I don't have any screenings until January 10th, but I still have several unwatched screener discs at home to catch up on, plus an endless supply of screener links, if I can cope with watching movies hiccupping and buffering along the way. There are also unwatched TV series to catch up on, as well as hopefully some non-screen time if the weather isn't too terrible.