BFI Flare: Life's a beach

The 39th BFI Flare charges into its first weekend with a flurry of terrific films, many of which are attended by filmmakers and actors who are happy to discuss their work and chat with the audiences. Which is what sets this particular festival apart from others in London where the talent remains in a VIP festival all their own. Over the years covering this event, it's been great to see such a wide range of excellent films that approach queer topics from every conceivable angle. Here are four more highlights for this weekend... 

Hot Milk
dir-scr Rebecca Lenkiewicz; with Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw 24/UK ***
Beautifully shot on the Mediterranean seaside, this introspective drama is tightly contained within the perspective of a young woman frustrated that she doesn't have control of her own life. The film is packed with intriguing relationships, but writer-director Rebecca Lenkiewicz never quite allows the audience in, which makes it difficult to sympathise with anyone on-screen. Still, the big themes hold the interest, and the location comes vividly to life.

High Tide
dir-scr Marco Calvani; with Marco Pigossi, James Bland 24/US ****
With a lovely light touch, writer-director Marco Calvani takes an honest and unusually resonant look at the life of an immigrant, and the film is also gently tinged with issues relating to sexuality and race. Because the approach is so knowingly realistic, the film is funny, emotional, sexy and surprising. The film makes the most of its Massachusetts coastal setting, which is populated by recognisably authentic characters. And the delicate acting and filmmaking that make it memorable.

Departures
dir Neil Ely, Lloyd Eyre-Morgan; with Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, David Tag 25/UK ****
Warm and engaging, with some sharply pointed edges, this British drama plays out as a kaleidoscopic essay looking back at a relationship that was never quite right from the start. Clever writing and acting creates characters who are likeable and unusually complex, offering surprising points of resonance throughout the non-chronological narrative. And it's beautifully shot and edited too, anchored ably by sparky actor-filmmaker Lloyd Eyre-Morgan. 

Sad Jokes
dir-scr Fabian Stumm; with Fabian Stumm, Haley Louise Jones 24/Ger ****
From Germany, this bittersweet film plays on its comedic intentions by including a stream of jokes that are silly, brittle, bleak and absurd. These provide an almost meta running commentary to the story of a filmmaker who is trying to get his life back on track after a difficult breakup and the birth of his son. Actor-filmmaker Fabian Stumm has a wonderfully easy presence on-screen, allowing the audience to travel this journey without pushing any points.

Full reviews will be linked on Shadows' BFI Flare page when published.

Critical Week: Another nosey novice

Hot on the heels of Sydney Sweeney in Immaculate, here comes Nell Tiger Free investigating another sinister female-centred Catholic conspiracy in The First Omen, a 1971-set prequel that's strong on atmosphere and gothic grisliness but never feels hugely original. The events around setting up the notorious 2019 Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew is dramatised in Scoop, an interesting if straightforward account starring Gillian Anderson, Billie Piper and Rufus Sewell.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Evil Does Not Exist
Io Capitano
The Old Oak • Luca
ALL REVIEWS >

And then there's Woody Allen's latest, the sparky French comedy-thriller Coup de Chance, which maintains an entertaining tone even when it gets rather dark. Viggo Mortensen wrote, directed, composed the score for and stars alongside the always-superb Vicky Krieps in the Western dramatic thriller The Dead Don't Die. It's gorgeously shot and strongly involving. The faith-based drama Someone Like You is sunny and beautiful and almost painfully sudsy and predictable. And the Mongolian drama If Only I Could Hibernate is a fascinating glimpse into a complex culture, through the eyes of a stressed-out teen.

This coming week I'll be watching the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black, the biblical epic The Book of Clarence, Irish horror All You Need is Death, Spanish mystery Close Your Eyes, Congolese thriller Omen and the Japanese anime Spy x Family: Code White.

Critical Week: Take the wheel

It's been another week of movies here, and I'm enjoying how things are back to a relatively normal schedule after months of intensity. The biggest movie this week was an online feature: Ghosted is an engaging action romcom that reteams Ana de Armas and Chris Evans. Rather a lot mopier, To Catch a Killer stars Shailene Woodley as a troubled cop pulled into an FBI investigation into a mass-shooter. It's dark and timely, but feels somewhat undercooked.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
A Thousand and One
The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan
PERHAPS AVOID:
Padre Pio
ALL REVIEWS >

The best surprise this week is The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan, a familiar story sharply well told with a first-rate French cast and properly thrilling action. The latest in the franchise, Evil Dead Rise is never very scary but will please fans with its outrageously excessive gore. And then there's the inventive and hugely engaging Filipino comedy I Love You Beksman, which kicked off the Queer East Fest in London on Tuesday. 

Outside the cinema, I loved the Nederlands Dans Theater programme at Sadler's Wells. And this was my first year attending the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards as a voting member (I am a member of the Critics' Circle Theatre Section, in addition to being chair of the Film Section). These awards are great fun, held at @sohoplace, the first new theatre built in the West End in 50 years. And most winners were in attendance, so it was great to celebrate them.

This next week I'll be watching the biopic Big George Foreman, Jay Baruchel in the story of BlackBerry, Kate Bosworth in Last Sentinel, the Greek drama Broadway, the Swedish comedy RSVP and the dance art film Transparent.

Critical Week: Back to nature

It's been another crazy week in awards season, with nominations announced for the British Academy Film Awards and several more industry guilds, plus two more groups I vote in - the Dorian Awards and the Online Film Critics Society. Even more time-consuming was my work as chair of the London Critics' Circle, as we put together our ceremony, which will be on February 5th. On the website, I'm updating the various awards pages, as well as the Shadows Sweepstakes, compiling all the awards in one place to see who's winning the overall race. Yes, I'm still a movie nerd.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Alice, Darling • Holy Spider
In From the Side
ALL REVIEWS >

Along the way, I caught up with four movies, all of which are out in the UK and/or US this week. Three of these films are powerfully intimate dramas. The French drama More Than Ever stars Vicky Krieps as a woman grappling with her mortality alongside her husband, played by the late Gaspard Ulliel. Half of the film takes place on a Norwegian fjord, so the film has an intriguing mix of French and Scandinavian emotion. Anna Kendrick stars in the Canadian drama Alice, Darling, as a woman in a harshly controlling relationship. As her friends offer help, things get both gripping and moving. From Argentina, The Substitute stars Juan Minujin as a teacher caught in a collection of stressful situations that feel rather plotted, but the actors and camerawork are terrific. And finally there was the documentary 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture, a scholarly exploration of how homosexuality entered the Bible through a translation error in 1946 and proceeded to spark an anti-gay movement. It's detailed and powerful, made by and for believers.

This coming week I have press screenings of M Night Shyamalan's new horror mystery Knock at the Cabin, Gerard Butler in the action thriller Plane and the Chinese action epic sequel The Wandering Earth II, and I'll also catch up with Jennifer Lopez in Shotgun Wedding, Richard Gere in Maybe I Do, and the indie films Seriously Red and Concerned Citizen. If there's time. 

Critical Week: Larger than life

It's been a fairly relaxed week at the movies for me, as I've just tried to get caught up on things, posting reviews from autumn festivals and catching up on some films. There are a lot of awards-buzzy movies I haven't seen yet, so there's still a ways to go. One I'd been looking forward to certainly didn't disappoint: Vicky Krieps delivers a wonderfully nuanced performances as Austria's Empress Elisabeth in the inventive and rightfully award-winning biopic Corsage. And a terrific cast brings a more introspective tone to the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a blockbuster that I liked better than the first film, mainly because it dodges the usual Marvel pitfalls. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
No Bears • Wakanda Forever
Homebody • Being Thunder
PERHAPS AVOID:
A Couple • Dear Zoe
ALL REVIEWS >

Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult star in the blackly comical The Menu, which tilts intriguingly from parody into horror. Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek team up with their children Jake Hoffman and Schuyler Fisk in the warmly dramatic romcom Sam & Kate. Romain Duris and Berenice Bejo join director Michel Hazanavicious for the witty and perhaps too-meta zombie movie pastiche Final Cut. Ryan Kwanten goes Blade Runner for the enigmatic futuristic Hong Kong noir Expired. The comedy Homebody creates an unusually knowing body-swap scenario. And the Latin American horror Blood-Red Ox is confusing but packed with clever details.

The Critics' Circle Film Section also held its annual lunch with the British Board of Film Classification, an event that has been virtual for the past two years. It was great to be back in-person again, learning about the BBFC's new endeavours and going through some of the borderline cases over the past year. And it was also nice to be in a room full of critics as well - for the second time in a week after last Thursday's special Critics' Circle all-sections award lunch for Emma Thompson.

Movies to this coming week include Lili Taylor and Jason Schwartzman in the romcom There There, Lukas Dhont's teen drama Close, Costa Rica's drama Clara Sola, the French animated comedy Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and the Indian action epic RRR. I'm also flying out to Southern California to visit my family and friends for a couple of weeks, and of course to watch more movies too.

LFF: Queen of hearts

It's only day two but I'm already feeling a bit worn out by the 65th London Film Festival, and I'm blaming it on these super-early screenings. While most of the year morning movies start around 10.30am, during the festival it's 8am, which is perhaps a bit early for something violent or sexual, or indeed violently sexual. But we're trained professionals, so we persevere. Alas, limited capacity means that even arriving 45 minutes early was no guarantee of getting in, and I spent more time waiting in queues today than actually seeing films. And I was actually on the red carpet tonight with Kristen Stewart, briefly. Here are highlights from inside the cinemas...

Spencer
dir Pablo Larrain; with Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall 21/Ger ***.
Taking an inventive, ambitious approach to a familiar story, writer Steven Knight and director Pablo Larrain elicit resonant emotions over a few days in the life of Princess Diana. Calling this "a fable from a true tragedy", the film uses surreal touches to get deep under the surface of events depicted. This adds humour, melodrama and even horror, while pulling us down into the rabbit hole.

Red Rocket
dir Sean Baker; with Simon Rex, Bree Elrod 21/US ***.
Pushing his loose, improvisational filmmaking style in a new direction, filmmaker Sean Baker combines comedy with a hint of a thriller for this engagingly unhinged exploration of masculinity and ambition. It helps that the lead character is such a likeable loser, because as he ricochets from one potential crisis to another, we find it eerily easy to identify with him. And the setting becomes another character in the story.

Bergman Island
dir-scr Mia Hansen-Love; with Vicky Krieps, Tim Roth 21/Swe ***.
A textured look at the nature of relationships that's played as a warm homage to all things Ingmar Bergman, this multi-layered drama isn't quite as grim as you'd expect it to be. Writer-directer tinges the story's knowingly sad angles with glimpses of hope and even happiness. This is a provocative depiction of the challenge of balancing a connection with deeper, lingering feelings. And it's gorgeously shot in striking locations.

Cop Secret [Leynilögga]
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?

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

Critical Week: Going underground

Screenings are still a bit thin at the moment, for two main reasons: I've seen most of things already (thanks to festivals and awards screenings) or distributors either aren't screening their films (as with Fifty Shades Freed) or are refusing to let some journalists see them (as with Jennifer Lawrence's Red Sparrow). I wish I knew why.

Anyway, I did catch the bonkers archaeological adventure 7 Guardians of the Tomb, which stars Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz, Kelsey Grammer and a lot of big spiders. It's stupid, but rather enjoyably so. And then there was Raoul Peck's gorgeous drama The Young Karl Marx, which traces the friendship between Marx and Engels during a turbulent ideological period. Beautifully written, directed and acted, it deserves to be widely seen, but I suspect political narrow-mindedness will limit its audience. And I also chased down two films nominated for the feature documentary Oscar...

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Strong Island
dir Yance Ford; with Yance Ford, Barbara Dunmore Ford 17/US ****.
With this documentary, filmmaker Yance Ford tells an astonishingly personal story that layers in a range of pungent issues, questioning elements of American society in thoughtful, challenging ways. At the centre is a family's grief and anger over the shooting death of Ford's older brother William. And no one has ever explained to the family why no charges were filed against the known assailant. Ford traces the series of events, asking probing questions of family members, friends, witnesses and officials while quietly highlighting the much bigger issues involved, including the underlying racism in society and how it has had an impact on this family for generations. The film bristles with rage, but never turns into a rant, as Ford channels artistic and emotional expression into every sequence. He also boldly layers his own emerging sexuality into the narrative. Along the way, there are several shocking moments that hit us square between the eyes, and the final scenes are intensely moving. So the doc is not only resonant and involving, it's also urgent and important.

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Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
dir Steve James; with Thomas Sung, Jill Sung 17/US ***.
The outrageous injustice woven into this story is enough to get the blood boiling within the first few minutes. So it's frustrating that ace director Steve James gets somewhat bogged down in his own documentation of the situation. That said, the film is beautifully shot and edited, and James leaves no stone unturned as he tells the story of Abacus, a savings and loan set up by the Sung family to serve New York's Chinese community. It's also the only bank that has ever been charged in connection to the 2008 financial crash, which was caused by huge monoliths dealing in illegal mortgages then pleading that they were too big to fail, so they took trillions in bail-out cash. Meanwhile, prosecutors targeted the Sung family, unnervingly proving that the system had no interest in justice, going after a small firm without cause simply because they were an easy target. But patriarch Thomas Sung fought back, and while the narrative of the case is gripping, the details about finance and the global system are more than a little dry, even with whizzy graphics and a superb musical score (by Joshue Abrams) to liven things up. But while the bigger picture is indeed important, it's this family's story that's darkly compelling.

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This coming week I'll catch up with, among other things, Jason Bateman in Game Night, Agnes Jaoui in I Got Life, the Russian drama A Gentle Creature and the doc Westwood: Punk, Icon Activist. I also have one last Oscar nominee to catch up with before the ceremony next weekend: the animated feature The Breadwinner.