BFI Flare: Let it shine

Finally back in-person, BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival kicked off with a gala opening night on Wednesday,  as Finnish filmmaker Alli Haapasalo presented her Sundance-winner Girl Picture before a lively party at the May Fair Hotel. This is London's most festive film fest, where everyone mingles together without the usual segregation between talent and audiences. And it's great to see both the friends who make this an annual highlight and the filmmakers and actors who are here to show their work. Some highlights to start with...

Girl Picture
dir Alli Haapasalo; with Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen 22/Fin ****
There's a refreshing authenticity to this Finnish coming-of-age drama that continually catches the viewer by surprise, as director Alli Haapasalo continually subverts the usual cinematic tropes in lieu of something that's engagingly honest. The story follows three girls as they face a range of pressures over three Fridays. This contained structure allows for a loosely observational style that feels improvisational and raw. And it also makes it surprisingly resonant.

Benediction
dir-scr Terence Davies; with Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi 21/UK *****
Master filmmaker Terence Davies takes a gorgeously poetic look at the life of poet Siegfried Sassoon, blending funny, sexy and wrenchingly emotional moments into a collage that continually catches us by surprise. As the film grapples with the nature of time and mortality, this swirl of punchy scenes and period newsreel footage isn't afraid to tackle hard truths about humanity. It's an elegantly devastating work of art... REVIEW >

Cop Secret
dir Hannes Thor Halldorsson; with Audunn Blondal, Egill Einarsson 21/Ice ****
Wild and loose, this punchy 1970s-style police thriller from Iceland starts with a bang and never lets up. Hilariously over the top, the film gleefully deploys the tough-guy genre cliches. The film is entertaining both for its gritty crime action and the way it makes the usual homoerotic subtext in a buddy movie much more central to the narrative. But can the nation's toughest cop admit that he's gay?... REVIEW >

F R O M   T H E   A R C H I V E S
Madame Satã
dir-scr Karim Ainouz; with Lazaro Ramos, Marcelia Cartaxo 02/Br ****
This gritty tale from 1930s Rio de Janeiro tells the real story of Madame Satã, Queen of Carnival from the '40s to until his death in 1976. Writer-director Ainouz creates a remarkable atmosphere--dark and sweaty, with a disarming style of cinematography and editing that makes it feel almost like a fantasy. It looks fantastic! There's a knowing, witty playfulness that keeps us gripped, even when we're not quite sure what's going on or who's whom... REVIEW >

Full reviews will be linked to Shadows' BFI Flare PAGE 
For tickets and information, visit BFI FLARE 

~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~
C R I T I C A L   W E E K

 

The Batman was the only movie I saw during my three weeks in Los Angeles - I was there to spend time with family and friends after two strange years! Back in London, I dove straight into BFI Flare, and also began to catch up on other films that are coming out, including Pixar's superbly observed animated adventure Turning Red and the slickly insinuating mystery Deep Water, starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas. 

In the coming days, I'll be watching Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in the comedy The Lost City, Francois Ozon's Everything Went Fine, the horror comedy Followers and the shorts collection The French Boys 4.

The Best of 2021: 41st Shadows Awards

It's been another strange year, with more lockdowns, uncertain film releasing schedules and on-off film festivals. As always, these are my favourites from the movies I actually watched in 2021, regardless of when they were released (some weren't). As in the past two years, I was reluctant to choose this particular film as my best, simply because everyone else seems to be naming it too. But it's the one I haven't been able to get out of my head since I saw it on a big screen in October.

What follows here are my top 10s in the main categories. There is rather a whole lot more ON THE WEBSITE. 

BEST FILM: 

1. 
   The Power of the Dog
2. Benediction
3. Quo Vadis, Aida?
4. Judas and the Black Messiah 
5. Flee
6. Petite Maman 
7. Night of the Kings 
8. Tick, Tick... Boom! 
9. Drive My Car 
10. Dune

DIRECTOR: 

1. 
   Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog
2. Jasmila Zbanic - Quo Vadis, Aida?
3. Celine Sciamma - Petite Maman
4. Terence Davies - Benediction
5. Laura Wandel - Playground
6. Denis Villeneuve - Dune
7. Philippe Lacote - Night of the Kings
8. Shaka King - Judas and the Black Messiah
9. Ryusuke Hamaguchi - Drive My Car
10. Kaouther Ben Hania - The Man Who Sold His Skin

SCREENWRITER:

1. 
   Terence Davies - Benediction
2. Celine Sciamma - Petite Maman
3. Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog
4. Jasmila Zbanic - Quo Vadis, Aida?
5. Asghar Farhadi - A Hero
6. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe - Drive My Car
7. Pedro Almodovar - Parallel Mothers
8. Marley Morrison - Sweetheart
9. Ramin Bahrani - The White Tiger
10. Sian Heder - Coda

ACTRESS: 

1. 
   Penelope Cruz - Parallel Mothers
2. Jasna Djuricic - Quo Vadis, Aida?
3. Olivia Colman - The Lost Daughter, Mothering Sunday
4. Cate Blanchett - Nightmare Alley, Don't Look Up
5. Nell Barlow - Sweetheart
6. Maya Vanderbeque - Playground
7. Jennifer Hudson - Respect, Monster
8. Tilda Swinton - Memoria, The French Dispatch, The Souvenir: Part II
9. Julia Vysotskaya - Dear Comrades
10. Renate Reinsve - The Worst Person in the World

ACTOR:

1. 
   Andrew Garfield - Tick Tick... Boom, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Mainstream, Spider-Man: No Way Home
2. Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog, The Courier, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Spider-Man: No Way Home
3. LaKeith Stanfield - Judas and the Black Messiah, The Harder They Fall
4. Jack Lowden - Benediction
5. Kone Bakary - Night of the Kings
6. Javier Bardem - The Good Boss, Being the Ricardos, Dune
7. Dev Patel - The Green Knight
8. Franz Rogowski - Great Freedom, Undine
9. Woody Norman - C'mon C'mon
10. Adarsh Gourav - The White Tiger

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: 

1. 
   Jessie Buckley - The Lost Daughter, The Courier
2. Rita Moreno - West Side Story
3. Dianne Wiest - I Care a Lot
4. Ariana DeBose - West Side Story
5. Dominique Fishback - Judas and the Black Messiah
6. Milena Smit - Parallel Mothers
7. Millicent Simmonds - A Quiet Place Part II
8. Jo Hartley - Sweetheart
9. Ruth Negga - Passing
10. Emma Thompson - Cruella

SUPPORTING ACTOR: 

1. 
   Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah
2. Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Power of the Dog
3. Ray Liotta - The Many Saints of Newark
4. Andre Holland - Passing
5. Anders Danielsen Lie - The Worst Person in the World
6. Theodore Pellerin - Underground
7. Noah Jupe - A Quiet Place Part II, No Sudden Move
8. Rajkummar Rao - The White Tiger
9. Sope Dirisu - Mothering Sunday, Silent Night
10. Richard E Grant - Everybody's Talking About Jamie

WORST FILM: 

1. 
   Space Jam: A New Legacy 
2. The Reckoning 
3. Joe Bell 
4. Tom and Jerry 
5. Red Notice
6. The Birthday Cake 
7. Hide and Seek 
8. Those Who Wish Me Dead
9. Voyagers 
10. Cry Macho 

N O N - F I L M   D I V I S I O N

TV SERIES: 

1. 
   It's a Sin (BBC)
2. The Underground Railroad (Prime)
3. Ted Lasso (Apple)
4. Mare of Easttown (HBO)
5. Brand New Cherry Flavor (Netflix)
6. Call My Agent (Netflix)
7. The White Lotus (HBO)
8. Shameless (Showtime)
9. Succession (HBO)
10. Young Rock (NBC)

SINGLES: 

1. 
   Montero (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X
2. Caroline - Arlo Parks
3. Energy - Pa Salieu & Mahalia
4. Love Is Back - Celeste
5. Todo de Ti - Rauw Alejandro
6. 3, 2, 1 - 24kGoldn
7. Don't Be Late - Michael Kiwanuka
8. Waiting on a War - Foo Fighters
9. Apricots - Bicep
10. Overpass Graffiti - Ed Sheeran

LFF: Tell your story

There are several reasons why film festivals become addictive to fans and critics. There's nothing like the feeling of seeing something amazing before you've ever heard anything about it. And the range of movies is much more diverse than what makes it out into general release, so a festival opens up places, cultures and even filmmaking styles you've never seen before. It's tricky with a programme like the 65th BFI London Film Festival, because it's impossible to see even a third of the films. So here are a few more that I managed to catch - including two of my very favourites so far...

Flee
dir-scr Jonas Poher Rasmussen; voices Rashid Aitouganov, Daniel Karimyar 21/Den ****.
Bracingly cinematic, this documentary traces an Afghan refugee's staggeringly involving story. Because much of his journey wasn't captured on film, and since he prefers to remain anonymous, his story is gorgeously animated by director Jonas Poher Rasmussen in a range of hand-drawn styles. But it's so detailed and skilfully put together that it's hugely involving on a range of levels, both in the bigger themes and the darker emotions... FULL REVIEW >

Benediction
dir-scr Terence Davies; with Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi 21/UK *****
Master filmmaker Terence Davies takes a gorgeously poetic look at the life of poet Siegfried Sassoon, blending moments that are funny, sexy and wrenchingly emotional into a stunning collage of powerful moments. Grappling with the nature of time and mortality, the film is a swirl of punchy scenes and period newsreel footage that isn't afraid to tackle hard truths about humanity. It's an elegantly devastating work of art.

Shepherd
dir-scr Russell Owen; with Tom Hughes, Kate Dickie 21/UK **.
This British horror thriller is so atmospheric that it's almost overwhelming. The sound mix alone is ceaselessly jarring, with added unsettling imagery and a story that plays on some deep emotional issues. So it's more than a little frustrating that writer-director Russell Owen keeps the scary stuff on the surface, rather than mining the complex underlying themes. Still, it looks and sounds amazing, and features superbly evocative performances.

Money Has Four Legs 
dir Maung Sun; with Okkar (Dat Khe), Ko Thu 20/Mya ****
Not only is this a rare film out of Myanmar, it's also a knowing comedy about Myanmar's movie industry. With a low-key pace, it gently pokes fun at the absurdities of filmmaking in general, but also specific issues in nations with their own challenges. And the earthy, realistic approach takes the audience into the messy life of a young filmmaker battling obstacles to make his first real movie.

Full reviews of festival films will be published as possible and linked at Shadows' LFF HOMEPAGE 
For full information, visit BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 

Critical Week: A bit of a giggle

Well, that photo certainly isn't very indicative of Terence Davies' new film A Quiet Passion, the Emily Dickinson biopic that screened for London-based press this week (it also featured in last October's London Film Festival). A gloomy but strikingly realistic period film, it's livened up by the crisp performances of Cynthia Nixon and Jennifer Ehle, and it features lots of Dickinson's wonderfully evocative poetry, but it's pretty grim stuff. There was also a much bigger movie, Disney's remake of the 1991 classic Beauty and the Beast, which stirs live actors into the now photo-realistic animated fairy tale. It's still a hugely engaging story, and the actors and filmmakers add superb subtext, but fans of the original may find it unnecessary.

The best film of the year so far is the Oscar-nominated doc I Am Not Your Negro, which inventively reframes the race issue as the overall history of America. A stunning film, beautifully adapted from James Baldwin's words. We also had the slickly made, action-packed Korean period thriller The Age of Shadows, the grim but inventive British rural drama The Levelling, the astute and moving Chilean drama You'll Never Be Alone, and the serious-themed Italian road comedy A Little Lust.

Coming up this next week, we have Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale in The Promise, Charlie Hunnam and Tom Holland in The Lost City of Z, Dax Shepard and Michael Pena in CHiPs, and the Finnish comedy The Other Side of Hope. Also, the 31st BFI Flare kicks off on Thursday with the world premiere of the true British drama Against the Law. Look for comments on that film and lots of others in regular updates over the next two weeks.

LFF 9: Don't be shy

Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett were the stars of last night's red carpet premiere of Carol, and Blanchett will be out again on Saturday for the premiere of Truth and to be honoured with the BFI Fellowship at this year's London Film Festival. Tonight's red carpet stars include Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano for Paolo Sorrentino's Youth, and Agyness Deyn, Peter Mullan and Kevin Guthrie for Terence Davies' Sunset Song. Here are a more highlights...

Youth
dir Paolo Sorrentino; with Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel 15/Italy ****
Gorgeously shot in a spectacular setting and edited with cheeky energy, this atmospheric film has a rather freeform plot exploring age and mortality from unexpected angles. But the characters are so witty and offbeat that they can't help but hold the attention, and writer-director Paolo Sorrentino plays engagingly with artistic ambition and romantic passion to keep the film utterly riveting.

Sunset Song 
dir Terence Davies, with Agyness Deyn, Peter Mullan 15/UK ****
Adapted from Lewis Grassic Gibbon's classic 1932 novel, this is a wrenchingly beautiful look at life in rural Scotland, crafted with real artistry by Terence Davies. The film has an unusually period tone, keeping everything bracingly realistic while observing events from a darkly personal perspective.

Closet Monster 
dir Stephen Dunn; with Connor Jessup, Aaron Abrams 15/Can ***.
Filmmaker Stephen Dunn takes a strikingly introspective look into the life of a young boy who feels like his life is spiralling out of control. Beautifully shot and edited, the film mixes artfully stylised flights of fancy with earthy themes that cut to the heart of big issues like bullying and self-loathing. But more than that, this is a thoughtful exploration of someone learning to accept his sexuality.

Ratter
dir Branden Kramer; with Ashley Benson, Matt McGorry 15/US **
Yet another gimmicky found-footage style movie, this feels more like a polemic about the dangers of webcams than a thriller with a cogent story. While it's slick and unnerving, filmmaker Branden Kramer seems so intrigued by his idea that he completely forgets to establish proper characters or situations. It looks cool and has some solid freak-outs, but never seems to have a point.