AFI Fest: True stories

Travelling home to visit friends and family, it's helpful that I was born in Los Angeles! Not only does this offer a chance to escape to the sunshine during London's drearier seasons, but I can also catch up on film industry stuff while I'm out here. This trip coincided with AFI Fest, which is held at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, so I booked in to see five films (there were about 15 that I wanted to see!). Four of them had cast and crew Q&As, and as three of the films are based on true stories, the real people participated as well, which added huge emotions to the screenings. Photos are on the Insta feed (see below). Here are some comments, with full reviews to come...

Society of the Snow [La Sociedad de la Nieve]

dir JA Bayona; with Enzo Vogrincic, Agustin Pardella 23/Sp ****
Taking on another momentous true story (see The Impossible), Spanish filmmaker JA Bayona finds a visceral, authentically immersive path through a retelling of the 1972 plane crash that stranded Uruguayan rugby players high in the Chilean Andes. Through a series of harrowing events, the film pulls the audience into the emotional complexity of a situation far beyond what we can imagine. It’s bracingly involving, riveting and ultimately cathartic.

Me Captain
[Io Capitano]

dir Matteo Garrone; with Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall 23/It ****.

Taking a bracingly naturalistic approach, Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone traces the immigrant journey from West Africa to Europe, drawing details and perspective from real-life experiences. Intensely personal, the film finds global resonance in its specific story of a 16-year-old whose innate hopefulness is beaten and battered but never extinguished over the course of an astonishing odyssey. This gives the film a soaring humanity.

Lee

dir Ellen Kuras; with Kate Winslet, Josh O'Connor 23/UK ***.

Noted photographer Lee Miller is the subject of this detailed biopic, which centres on a pivotal period in time to deliver an emotional punch. Director Ellen Kuras approaches the story skilfully, finding clever resonance in several intense set-pieces, even if the script is never particularly ambitious with the material. And Kate Winslet delivers another powerfully invested performance as a complex woman who plotted her own course through life.

Memory

dir-scr Michel Franco; with Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard 23/US ****

Enormous issues ripple through this warm, complex romantic drama, adding unusual depth of feeling as characters confront the past and future. Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco never takes the easy route through the material, cutting in and out of scenes with an edgy style that leaves space for questions and contemplation. It’s unusually vibrant storytelling, rooted in the way experience and memory define our sense of identity, and not always in the most helpful way.

Evil Does Not Exist

dir-scr Ryusuke Hamaguchi; with Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa 23/Jpn ****

Both beautiful and challenging, this Japanese drama cleverly draws the audience in with an astute eye for details and characters that are hilariously deadpan in their interaction. Expanding on the evocative music of Eiko Ishibashi, writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi observes scenes with skill and insight, drawing out deeper meanings without us even realising it. So while the film feels somewhat enigmatic, it gets under the skin and lingers.

Also screened at AFI Fest and previously reviewed: ALL OF US STRANGERS (Haigh, UK); FINGERNAILS (Nikou, US); TIGER STRIPES (Eu, Mys); TOTEM (Aviles, Mex); MAESTRO (Cooper, US); THE BIKERIDERS (Nichols, US); 20,000 SPECIES OF BEES (Urresola, Sp); SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (Hints, Est); ANSELM (Wenders, Ger).

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C R I T I C A L   W E E  K

There aren't many films on general release here that I'm interested in, and I prefer to spend time with my friends and family rather than watching screening links. So these are the only five movies I've seen all week, and I have no plans to watch anything in the coming week either. But you never know - I think Alexander Payne's The Holdovers might be on somewhere...

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On the Road: What's for dinner

I'm visiting family and friends in California for a couple of weeks, enjoying the bright sunshine and rather outrageous food. Yes, I went straight to In-n-Out from the airport, and have also had fish tacos most days. Plus an amazing brisket taco at the notorious Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano and a gorgeous short rib taco at personal favourite Amor y Tacos in Cerritos. And a church potluck. But it's not all about food. I finally saw a film in a cinema, plus catching up with a couple on the plane, and two more besides...

Killers of the Flower Moon
dir Martin Scorsese; with Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro 23/US *****
Martin Scorsese recounts a true story with a remarkable sense of scale, keeping events intimate while exploring the much larger issues and ramifications. It's a harrowing lesson in American history, highlighting the systemic injustice that peppers pretty much everything that happened once the Europeans claimed North America as their own. Expertly made on every level, the film never boils over, maintaining a riveting simmer of menace so urgent that we don't want to blink.

Moving On
dir-scr Paul Weitz; with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin 23/US ***. 

There's a surprising edge to this comedy-drama reuniting Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in more serious roles than usual. As they confront an awful event from their distant past, they also grapple with where they are now. It's nostalgic, but never overplayed, and writer-director Paul Weitz keeps the film truthful and smart, with occasional hints of a breezy caper that seems a bit out of place with dark theme at the story's centre. Thankfully, strong writing and characterisations add more nuance than expected.  

Full Time [À Plein Temps]
dir-scr Eric Gravel; with Laure Calamy, Anne Suarez 21/Fr ****
With a riveting central performance by Laure Calamy and a nonstop running pace, this French drama has an electric kick in its exploration of the hectic pace of modern life. Writer-director Eric Gravel keeps the audience right with this single mother as she navigates a series of personal and professional issues amid a calamitous national strike. It's sometimes exhausting to watch her flail against these obstacles, but her tenacity is inspiring, and the film includes sharp humour and honest emotion.

Before leaving London, I caught up with William Oldroyd's period-style melodrama Eileen with Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway, which is finely produced but oddly underwritten. And I also watched Luc Besson's spy thriller Anna, which I'd somehow missed when it was released. Although it's such a familiar plot, even with its plot fragmented into a choppy mess, that it can't help but cause deja vu. Fun turns from Helen Mirren (as a gruff Russkie), Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy.

This coming week, I'll catch up with a few films at AFI Fest in Hollywood, namely Kate Winslet in Lee, Pater Sarsgaard in Memory, JA Bayona's Society of the Snow, and the festival season favourites Evil Does Not Exist  and Io, Capitano.

LFF: Find your feet

And that's a wrap on the 67th London Film Festival. I enjoyed taking a slightly less involved approach this year, seeing lots of great movies without trying to see everything I wanted to see. There are still several big titles I need to catch over the coming months before awards voting deadlines, so I have lots to look forward to. The closing night party was great fun too. Here are some final highlights, including the closing film The Kitchen. My favourites are below, along with the award winners...

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
dir Sam Fell; voices Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi 23/UK ****
After their great escape in the 2000 classic, the gang returns for an impossible mission. Every moment in the film is packed with throwaway gags, sharp comedy and thrills that riff on heist and action movies. Of course, Aardman's attention to detail shines in the painstaking stop-motion animation, as characters and sets overflow with personality. And the film reminds us to find the bravery to do the right thing.

Poor Things
dir Yorgos Lanthimos; with Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe 23/UK *****
Taking on another fantastical story, Yorgos Lanthimos grounds and deepens this wildly stylised fable with darkly provocative themes. It may be visually extravagant, often going wildly over the top with full-on performances from a daring cast of excellent actors, and yet everything remains grounded in sympathetic emotions. So what the story is saying about polite society becomes almost revolutionary, encouraging us to go against the grain and speak the truth.

The Kitchen
dir Kibwe Tavares, Daniel Kaluuya; with Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman 23/UK ***.
Set in the near-future, this British film combines elements of comedy, drama and thriller to tell the warm story of a father-son relationship between a man and a teen boy. It's a bit repetitive and takes its time getting to the point, but the characters are beautifully written and played, and the film is directed with understated skill by first-timers Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya. Brimming with energy, it's engaging and entertaining, with a sharp point.

Chasing Chasing Amy
dir-scr Sav Rodgers; with Sav Rodgers, Kevin Smith 23/US ***.
Kevin Smith's 1997 comedy Chasing Amy stars Ben Affleck as a comic writer who falls in love with a lesbian played by Joey Lauren Adams. It's been considered problematic for its gender politics, but filmmaker Sav Rodgers found it inspiring because of its honest depiction of openly queer people. So he made this documentary both to say thank you and to understand why the movie generated so much controversy.

All full festival reviews will be linked to Shadows' LFF PAGE >

RICH'S BEST OF THE FEST

1. 
   All of Us Strangers
2. Poor Things
3. The Zone of Interest
4. The Eternal Memory
5. Robot Dreams
6. In Restless Dreams
7. May December
8. In Camera
9. Saltburn
10. Tiger Stripes

Honourable mention: Nyad, Samsara, Totem, The Lost Boys, Fingernails, Shortcomings, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, Anselm, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

OFFICIAL LFF AWARDS

• Best Film: Evil Does Not Exist
• Sutherland Award for First Feature: Mika Gustafson for Paradise Is Burning 
• Grierson Award for Documentary: Bye Bye Tiberias
• Audience Award: tbc

LFF: Get some fresh air

The 67th London Film Festival is winding down, heading into its final weekend with a bunch of big titles still left to premiere. I've had a quieter festival than usual, avoiding press screenings to instead attend movies with the public, and often with the filmmakers on hand as well. The line-up is packed with very big films, and there are quite a few important ones that I haven't been able to see here, so I will have some catching up to do. Here are some more highlights...

The Zone of Interest
dir-scr Jonathan Glazer; with Christian Friedel, Sandra Huller 23/Pol ****.
Inventively recounting a devastating narrative, writer-director Jonathan Glazer skilfully puts the audience through a moral and emotional wringer. Unlike other Nazi death camp dramas, this film keeps much of the horror off-screen; what we see in our minds is even more powerful. This is expert filmmaking, shot with precision and accompanied by a ruthless sound mix and flat-out performances from Christian Friedel and Sandra Huller. It's absolutely unmissable.

In Camera
dir-scr Naqqash Khalid; with Nabhaan Rizwan, Amir El-Masry 23/UK ****
With its witty, observational approach, this British drama is a knowing exploration of a struggling actor's life. First-time writer-director Naqqash Khalid adeptly captures the soullessness that infuses the industry, which is especially felt by people of colour. The focussed, internalised tone is powerfully involving, leading the audience into intensely provocative places. This is bracingly ambitious filmmaking, performed with daring audacity by Nabhaan Rizwan. And it's often devastatingly sharp.

Samsara
dir Lois Patino; with Amid Keomany, Toumor Xiong 23/Sp ****
While this experimental film has a challenging story and themes, it's also breathtakingly original, shot gorgeously on grainy, colour-drenched 16mm film and packed with fascinating documentary details. Spanish filmmaker Lois Patino is exploring reincarnation, transitioning from rural Laos to the beaches of Tanzania by way of a 15-minute sound and light odyssey through the bardo. It's such a singularly audacious experience that it's worth seeing on the big screen.

The Delinquents 
[Los Delincuentes]
dir-scr Rodrigo Moreno; with Daniel Elias, Esteban Bigliardi 23/Arg ***.
While this film is far too long, including a myriad of unnecessary details, it's also sharply well-made and infused with a superbly dry sense of humour. Argentine writer-director Rodrigo Moreno beautifully captures the rhythms of everyday life, letting scenes play out and often meander off down a side road before eventually returning to the central narrative. And it's shot with a sunny vibe that nicely contrasts city and countryside.

20,000 Species of Bees [20.000 Especies de Abejas]
dir-scr Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren; with Sofia Otero, Patricia Lopez Arnaiz 23/Sp ***
From the Basque Country, this loose drama circles around an important issue with honesty and emotion. But writer-director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren makes it difficult to engage with the characters. Not only are there too many ill-defined people on-screen, but the meandering structure never offers a way in. That said, the film looks beautiful, skilfully using the setting and culture. And the cast is excellent across the board.

Anselm 
dir Wim Wenders; with Anselm Kiefer, Daniel Kiefer 23/Ger ****
German maestro Wim Wenders composes an artfully lyrical 3D documentary about artist Anselm Kiefer. Instead of the usual biographical approach, this film traces Kiefer's artistic voice from childhood to the present in a swirl of memory, using locations and archival footage to contextualise drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations and performances. Watching it is a fascinating, moving experience, and it makes us feel that the whole world is a gallery.

All full festival reviews will be linked to Shadows' LFF PAGE >

LFF: Smile for the camera

Into the second week of the 67th London Film Festival, the star-free red carpets continue to play out every night in front of the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank. The paparazzi look rather bored, so I've been chatting to them as I go by, finding out which of the film's crew members are in town, and perhaps some B-list celebs as well. Then I spot an Oscar-nominated A-lister incognito in the crowd and say hi; she's been enjoying movies as an audience member, adeptly honouring the actors strike by avoiding the cameras. Word has it that most stars have a bag packed so that once the strike is over they can rush off to support their movie projects. But in the meantime, we still have the movies. Here are a few more highlights...

Priscilla
dir-scr Sofia Coppola; with Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi 23/US ***.
Maintaining a sharp perspective from start to finish, Sofia Coppola explores the relationship between Priscilla and Elvis Presley with strikingly intimacy. The film digs under the surface to explore much more than the familiar story of a teenager who married the world's most famous singer. The anecdotal structure sometimes feels a bit jarring, and the ending is abrupt, but the narrative offers a remarkably involving exploration of gender politics... FULL REVIEW >

Nyad
dir Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin; with Annette Bening, Jodie Foster 23/US ****
Powerfully involving, this true drama is shot in a riveting documentary style with the addition of real-life footage. It also features fabulous roles that Annette Bening and Jodie Foster can properly sink their talented teeth into. Without over-egging the story's inherent adventure elements too much, directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin let the events play out authentically, and the engaging characters make it both gripping and unmissable.

Foe
dir Garth Davis; with Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal 23/Aus ***
Beautifully shot, this lightly futuristic romantic thriller centres tightly on three characters who are skilfully played with intense emotionality. But filmmaker Garth Davis tries to be tricky with a plot that simply doesn't hold water. Explanations come far too late to put anything that happens into context, so watching the film is an exercise in frustration. Even so, it has some important things to say about curiosity and compassion... FULL REVIEW >

The Lost Boys [Le Paradis]
dir Zeno Graton; with Khalil Gharbia, Julien De Saint Jean 23/Bel ****
Set in a juvenile detention facility, this sensitive Belgian drama traces a romance between two teen boys with hushed sensitivity. It's a beautifully observed story that unfolds in earthy and sometimes tender interaction, skilfully directed by Zeno Graton to put us into the mindset of a powerfully engaging central character. And it manages to be authentic, hopeful and even occasionally grim without ever resorting to prison movie cliches.

Totem
dir-scr Lila Aviles; with Naima Senties, Montserrat Maranon 23/Mex ****
Loose and authentically chaotic, this Mexican drama features refreshing rhythms of family life over a pivotal day. Filmmaker Lila Aviles is an expert observer of human behaviour, filling the house with fully formed characters who have their own preoccupations and little sense of allowing others their personal space. The wonderfully open-handed filmmaking constantly reveals things about people who are both connected and disconnected at the same time.

Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
dir Elene Naveriani; with Eka Chavleishvili, Temiko Chichinadze 23/Geo ****
With deadpan charm, this Georgian film opens with a woman picking blackberries on the edge of a riverbank when a blackbird distracts her and she falls, imagining her death below. Filmmaker Elene Naveriani maintains a quiet, slow-burning vibe that ripples with underlying humour and tensions. The characters are wonderfully real, while the film has a colourful, sardonic Kaurismaki-like quality that's thoroughly winning. And the underlying message is hugely empowering.

All full festival reviews will be linked to Shadows' LFF PAGE >

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C R I T I C A L  W E E K

In addition to lots of festival films, this week I also saw Laura Linney, Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates in the engaging and pointed Irish comedy-drama The Miracle Club, the quirky and dark British comedy Mind-Set, and enjoyably cheesy voyeurism nastiness in 15 Cameras. Films this coming week include several more LFF films, the animated musical sequel Trolls Band Together. the girls' comedy Bottoms, and Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie in Eileen. Then I'll be on a plane to visit family in California for a couple of weeks.

LFF: Play to the crowd

We've crossed the halfway point in the 67th London Film Festival, which this year feels like an absolute glut of big-name gala premieres. There are two or three major movies on every day, while dozens of smaller films are also screening outside the spotlight. I'm trying to cover a range of films, although generally I'm only invited to cover the ones that have UK distributors. But that's plenty, frankly! I need to get some sleep, after all. Here are a few highlights for today...

Maestro
dir Bradley Cooper; with Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan 23/US ***.
Taking an ambitious approach to the life of Leonard Bernstein, Bradley Cooper creates ravishing stylistic period flourishes while going deep into the music itself. The introspective approach allows the adept cast to create complex characters that defy stereotypes. But this begins to feel gimmicky as the decades whiz past, mainly because relationships remain sketchy. So there are punchy emotional moments along the way, but the bigger picture remains unfocused.

All of Us Strangers
dir-scr Andrew Haigh; with Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal 23/UK *****
Like Weekend's more challenging big brother, this contained British drama from Andrew Haigh uses incisive storytelling to explore connections in a fractured society. He shoots it in his usual bracingly naturalistic style, this time augmenting the story with a surreal sensibility that draws on the creative process itself. And it's beautifully played by a focussed, invested cast. This is a gently involving, darkly personal film that carries a massive emotional wallop.

Robot Dreams
dir-scr Pablo Berger; with Ivan Labanda, Esther Solans 23/Sp ****.
Charmingly animated in a cheeky cartoon style, this lively animated drama traces an offbeat friendship with unusual nuance. Even without a single word of spoken dialog, multiple characters reveal complex textures as they head on momentous journeys. Genius filmmaker Pablo Berger (see Blancanieves or Torremolinos 73) has made a thoroughly grown-up movie that has something important to say to children too. It deserves to become a cult classic.

That They May Face the Rising Sun
dir Pat Collins; with Barry Ward, Anna Bederke 23/Ire ***.
Based on John McGahern's acclaimed novel, this gentle 1980s-set Irish drama has a documentary tone, observing a year in the everyday life of a rural community. The sense of place is immersive, surrounded by epic verdant fields, mountains and lakes. And there's poetry in the musings of older characters who make pointed observations about everything. This sometimes feels a bit overwritten, but the film is packed with lovely insight.

Haar
dir-scr Ben Hecking; with Kate Kennedy, Balazs Czukor 23/UK ***.
Shot on wonderfully grainy Super 8 film, this British drama maintains a loose, observational structure following a young woman around a European city. Filmmaker Ben Hecking captures knowing details everywhere, with witty encounters and a few amusing surprises. It's a free-flowing series of scenes that are punctuated with a range of emotion from silliness to anguish. The meandering approach is a bit challenging, but it's worth sticking with it.

All full festival reviews will be linked to Shadows' LFF PAGE >

LFF: Watch and learn

The 67th London Film Festival powers into its first weekend with a flurry of red carpet premieres attended by, well, directors and crew members. It isn't very starry unless you're a fan of people behind the cameras. But thats who audiences seem to be as they're sticking around for post-screening Q&As. And we're having a late autumn heatwave this weekend. Meanwhile, I enjoyed Disney's lunch the other day, celebrating both LFF and their 100th anniversary. And tomorrow is the annual Netflix brunch, no work allowed. Here are some more film highlights...

May December
dir Todd Haynes; with Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore 23/US ****
Layered and provocative, this melodrama is infused with a mystery-thriller sensibility, building tension and intrigue in the interaction between nuanced characters. Director Todd Haynes plays cleverly with perspective to explore the ways we try to understand others, sympathise with them and merge their experiences with our own. It's a fiendishly clever film that gleefully deploys a range of metaphors in ways that both lead and wrongfoot the audience.

The Bikeriders
dir-scr Jeff Nichols; with Austin Butler, Jodie Comer 23/US ***.
Based on a book of photographs and interviews from 1965 to 1973, this artfully crafted film explores motorcycle subculture as a makeshift family. Writer-director Jeff Nichols shapes this material into a strongly involving exploration of masculinity and identity, allowing the sharply drawn characters to exist in remarkable complexity, free from pushy narrative demands. The performances are loose and often lyrical, even as they hold us at an arm's length.

Shortcomings
dir Randall Park; with Justin H Min, Sherry Cola 23/US ****
This Bay Area romantic comedy infuses a naturalistic approach with witty dialog. Much of the humour is sharply pointed in an unusually soft-spoken way, and in his directing debut Randall Park maintains earthy rhythms that hold the interest. So even if it's never terribly flashy, there's a sense of honest depth to the film that makes it resonate far beyond the ethnic issues that simmer meaningfully throughout the script... FULL REVIEW >

Tiger Stripes
dir-scr Amanda Nell Eu; with Zafreen Zairizal, Deena Ezral 23/Mys ****
There's an engaging animalistic tilt to this adolescent body horror from Malaysia, as a young girl taps into her feral nature when puberty makes her feel like she's turning into a monster. Writer-director Amanda Nell Eu maintains a blackly comical undercurrent even as things get very freaky indeed, exploring big themes through lenses of culture, gender and religion. And Zafreen Zairizal shines in a complex and physically demanding role... FULL REVIEW >

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon
dir Alex Gibney; with Paul Simon, Edie Brickell 23/US ****.
A musician of this stature deserves an epic documentary, and Alex Gibney takes an ambitiously artistic approach to Paul Simon's life and career. At three and a half hours, watching it is like binging a series, but on a big screen it's fully engulfing, thanks to the intimate approach and elaborate sound mix. This is a transcendent film packed with great archive footage, fantastic music and Simon’s raw humanity.

All full festival reviews will be linked to Shadows' LFF PAGE >