More from London Film Festival, with the latest dispatch covering press and public screenings held over Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th.
Part one is available here.
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PINK WALL
dir. Tom Cullen
TBC
Simple in its concept but complex in its emotions, Pink Wall boasts an extraordinary performance from Tatiana Maslany in Tom Cullen's impressive directorial debut.
Directing his own script, Cullen demonstrates potential on both sides of Pink Wall, crafting a script oozing with an authenticity he then matches with a pure and elegant visual language. At times, Cullen's direction is so intimate that it plays almost like a series of home videoes, where we explore the milestone moments in the couple's history over the course of the film's short, well-paced 85 minutes. While it's far stronger when it is operating as an intimate character study and relationship drama than when it opens it up to more contemporary issues to drive the narrative, it's commendable that the film constantly seeks to push itself in its well-observed considerations.
Films of such intimacy require strong acting though, and with Tatiana Maslany co-leading the film, it could've hardly gone too wrong. Maslany, who for my money is one of the very best actors of her generation, can emote like few others can, with her every action and piece of dialogue so genuine and honest to the character. Jay Duplass is a strong match, similarly raw in his depiction - but Maslany's turn is so captivating and magnetic that you are drawn to the mastery of her performance as Jenna.
Pink Wall is a film of such simplicity but beautifully, profoundly intimate. Keep an eye out for it.
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dir. Billie Piper
TBC
Nobody could accuse Billie Piper of playing it safe in her directorial debut. Rare Beasts is most certainly a first-time feature, as narratively scattered as it is tonally jarring, but there’s something to appreciate about her noble efforts.
There’s a lot of individual elements to like in this ambitious feature. Billie Piper’s lead performance is in equal turns heartfelt and hilarious; surprisingly revelatory, she is so endlessly watchable that the bumps in the road are not nearly as rocky as they could have been if a less capable actress was guiding us through it. The dialogue itself is decent, and the humour can be laugh-out-loud funny, self-deprecating and gloriously bizarre, with a gag about a suicide note particularly memorable. It's a really refreshing approach. If only it were tighter.
Piper's script where most of the problems crop up. Uneven in its tone and not quite sure of its own message, the final act feels too scattered, essentially descending into a smattering of scenes that work independently but not as a collective. This frustrating lack of cohesion in its final act, as well as the hit-and-miss quirkiness reflected in the miscasting of David Thewlis, weighs Rare Beasts down.
Does Rare Beasts announce Billie Piper a triple threat? Not exactly. But with a debut this quirky, there’s the undoubted promise of her potential. Plus, any film that has "post-post-post feminist" Lily James doing an interpretive wedding dance is worthy of a look at in my opinion.
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BABYTEETH
dir. Shannon Murphy
TBC
"Shannon Murphy demonstrates a remarkable ability to balance the various tones of Babyteeth, while also circumventing sentimentality in favour of something far more emotionally enriching and rewarding"
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JOJO RABBIT
dir. Taika Waititi
3rd January 2020
Utterly heartwarming one minute, painfully sobering the next, I had my reservations about Taika Waititi's "anti-hate satire", Jojo Rabbit, and while it's still a few drafts away from being perfect, it is a beautifully-orchestrated and carefully-rendered juggling act that marries thoughtful musings on the desensitisation of childhood and lost innocence with an off-kilter hilarity that audiences will lap up.
A superb band of performances from the younger cast, and a particularly impressive supporting turn from Scarlett Johnasson that empowers the film's most shattering scene, there is genuine heart in Waititi's cathartically powerful sixth feature. Both his writing and direction are extremely sharp, no doubt crowd-pleasing but urgent and biting in its theme work, with its depiction of Nazi Germany somehow hilarious and harrowing in equal measures.
It can be a little overwhelming and overstuffed at times, with Waititi's Hilter the weakest element of a film which would still maintain its quirkiness if his purposely cartoonish but somewhat distracting depiction was reduced in the frequency of its use. But that such a painful and comparatively recent area of our history can be tackled in this considerate, funny and soul-stirring way, you cannot help but applaud the results.
Jojo, you have won me over.
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MARRIAGE STORY
dir. Noah Baumbach
6 December, Netflix
Raw, delicate and profound, Marriage Story is as captivating as it is heartbreaking in its depiction of a divorce and the rifts caused more so by the procedure than the actual marriage breakdown.
While Noah Baumbach's partly-autobiographical story runs the risk of taking sides due to his unique connection with the subject, heartfelt and balanced writing prevent it from doing such; it spends equal time with both Nicole and Charlie, exploring their viewpoints in a sympathetic, honest and non-judgmental way. Likewise, Baumbach's direction is gorgeously-observed, simple and thoughtful in giving his performers the space to breathe.
Led so stellarly by the combined brilliance of Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, stunning in their honesty and authenticity, Marriage Story facilitates an acting showcase delivering of award season recognition in the coming months. Both effortless in the emotion they convey, of course a testament to the naturalistic writing, their on-screen dynamic is utterly convincing. Supporting, Laura Dern gives a gloriously Reneta Klein performance with one sure-to-be-memed speech one of the highlights of the year
Who knew pain and melancholy could result in such a rewarding cinematic experience? Be prepared for Marriage Story to break your heart (and mend it a little).
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HONEY BOY
dir. Alma Har'el
6 December
Soul-bearing and unflinching but an extremely challenging watch, Honey Boy explores the circular nature of abuse, the impact of trauma and its evolution over time in Alma Har'el's extraordinarily impressive feature.
Honey Boy's hazy visuals are reminiscent of Sean Baker's The Florida Project and Jonah Hill's Mid90s, with this trio of films sharing many similarities in their thematic musings and narrative developments. Har'el's empathetic approach to Shia LaBeouf's hard-hitting screenplay is a smart union that guarantees that the film's tricky content is well-realised and sensitively-told; without Har'el's lush visual language it could have been a spiteful film to watch, while less honesty from LaBeouf's uncompromising script would have removed the rawness that makes it such a captivating experience. It's one of the most impressive writer-director pairings in some time.
A tortured performance from Lucas Hedges and a transformative yet surprisingly soulful turn from Shia LaBeouf give Honey Boy the support it needs, but the real star of the show is Noah Jupe. In a beyond-his-years turn wrought with a complexity we haven't seen in a child actor since Jacob Tremblay's career-making role in Room, Jupe is astonishingly deft in his smallest mannerisms and heart-rendering line delivery, capturing his childhood wonder in the harsh environment that surrounds him. A bad performance could have soured Honey Boy entirely in spite of its other winning factors, but such immaculate work from Jupe ensures it is (almost) the very best version of itself.
Honey Boy has completely floored me.
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MONSOON
dir. Hong Khaou
Spring-Summer 2020
Henry Golding's surprisingly subtle lead performance helps steer Hong Khaou's sensitively-told is slightly stilted sophomore feature, Monsoon, to solid ground.
Monsoon takes it slow and steady, with the short 85 minutes feeling comparatively longer than that. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it certainly reduces its mainstream appeal. Cast before his Crazy Rich Asians breakout, Golding's understated character work demonstrates a new nuanced but no less charming side we have not been witness from him before. It would be very satisfying if this role opened up new, more serious opportunities for Golding as an actor, as he proves here his capabilities are much greater than those he has been recognised for to date.
Alongside Khaou's confident direction, which transforms Vietnam into a character of its own - with the bustling city contrasted with the more insular emotions of our lead to stunning effect - Khaou's script is poised with gentle thematic undercurrents. The aforementioned emotionally-containment means it could be accused of being a similarly-closed off film, but there's far more profound elegance in Hong Khaou's sophomore effort than that.
It's worth letting Monsoon wash over you
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LUCE
dir. Julius Onah
8 November
While filmmaking requires a great deal of teamwork to succeed, sometimes the success of a project can rest on one solitary element: a director, typically, but writers can also be instrumental in ensuring a film works, too. In Luce's case though, it is the lead performance that must carry the weight of the entire piece - and, unfortunately for me, it doesn't work at all.
Now that isn't to say that Kelvin Harrison Jr is a poor actor, just that his approach to this particular titular character is misguided and ineffectual. Entirely unsubtle and lacking an ambiguity so crucial to the narrative's twists and turns and surprises, Luce is played with the clarity of a glass window and there rests no doubt in your mind as to the direction the film will take. Hindered further by the clunky dialogue and dubious character decisions, the script prevents the film from overcoming the miscalculated performance at its epicentre.
Director and co-writer Julius Onah has a great deal he wishes to tackle in Luce, with a noble attempt to texture it with ambitious explorations of race, deception and identity that struggle to come to the fruition in a satisfying manner. It's well-constructed technically, with impressive framing and an enriching soundscape and design and, admittedly, is rather swiftly-paced. Octavia Spencer is the film's brightest moment, picking up the slack and turning in an intensely-wound performance that unfurls compellingly, even when the outcome is so clear to see.
Unconvincing as anything beyond a passably entertaining drama-thriller, Luce cannot overcome the misjudged central performance that strips it of the ambiguity it desperately needed to thrive.