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: Fireside chat

London critics watched a few higher profile films this year, including the incoming young adult romantic disease drama Midnight Sun, which like most films in this genre is aimed at 12-year-old girls. Patrick Schwarzenegger and Bella Thorne are the picturesque leads. A more grown up approach sets the new Tomb Raider reboot apart from the last adaptation, including a fierce performance by Alicia Vikander. But fans may bristle at the film's deliberately grounded approach. Wes Anderson's new stop-motion animated adventure comedy Isle of Dogs is a pure, utterly bonkers delight. And Madame is a French farce with a high-profile cast (Toni Collette, Harvey Keitel, Tom Hughes) and a surprisingly meaningful plot.

A little off the grid, My Friend Dahmer stars Disney hero Ross Lynch as the notorious murder before he started killing people. It's a high school movie with a black sense of humour and unusually strong performances. Gook is Justin Chon's lively, artful comedy-drama set around the 1992 Los Angeles riots. They Remain is a very clever low-budget horror movie with sci-fi overtones. From France, My Golden Days is an ambitious look at a man's life and loves, a big exhausting but packed with lovely moments. And from Finland, Screwed is a micro-budget movie about attraction and sexuality, set in lovely locations with a very strong cast.

This coming week there are a few more big ones: Steven Spielberg's complex adventure Ready Player One, Ava DuVernay's take on the classic A Wrinkle in Time, the robot action blockbuster sequel Pacific Rim: Uprising, Claire Foy in Steven Soderberg's Unsane, Rupert Everett's The Happy Prince and the French drama I Got Life! BFI Flare kicks off this week too, opening with Ellen Page and Kate Mara in My Days of Mercy. Look for daily updates during the festival's run 21st March to 1st April.