A dark coming-of-age comedy about a lovelorn teenage boy in 1980’s Swansea. Oliver, our duffle-coated hero, has been described as a bizarre mix of Holden Caulfield, Adrian Mole and Billy Liar. His equally eccentric and resolutely unromantic girlfriend, Jordana, is more than a match for him. Some truly dark themes – depression, illness and marital breakdown – are addressed in an honest and original way without betraying the film’s comic lightness or its adolescent viewpoint.
15 cert – 2010 – Dir: Richard Ayoade
96 mins – Lang: English
Cast: Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins and Paddy Considine
Winner of the best foreign-language Oscar in 2009, this marvellous thriller is full of unexpected plot twists and fascinating details. Esposito, a retired judicial investigator, is haunted by a case early in his career, when a young woman was brutally murdered. The murderer had been protected because of links to the military dictatorship of the time and Esposito feels it his duty to seek justice in the democratic Argentina of the new millennium. Parallel to this investigation runs a ‘will they or won’t they’ romance between Esposito and his upper-class boss, Isabel and the title of the film offers clues to the outcome of both stories.
After the relative cheeriness of Happy-Go-Lucky, director Leigh returns to an examination of less hopeful aspects of society. Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen play Tom and Gerri (really!), a contented middle-aged couple who have achieved a cosy tranquillity to which their careers, family life, holidays and allotment hobby all contribute. However, their very warmth and happiness seem to encourage some emotionally far less successful characters to cling to them and the contrast between the suburban bliss of Tom and Gerri and the wrecked lives of their friends is almost painfully acute.
A road movie with a difference. Five African children of very different backgrounds make the incredible 5000 km journey from Rwanda to South Africa to see the 2010 football World Cup. Their adventures along the way give us an insight into some of the problems facing the continent, including child soldiers, sex-trafficking and HIV/AIDS. The abiding memory of the film, however, is the cheerful banter, beaming smiles and boundless optimism of the children.
A glorious vision of circus life in the days of the Great Depression. Young Jacob, forced to give up his veterinary studies, finds himself looking after the animals with a travelling circus, where he catches the eye of the glamorous bare-back rider, Marlena. However, Marlena is married to the sadistic circus ring-master, August, who is in the habit of throwing those he dislikes off moving trains. Will Jacob and Marlena’s love prevail and what will become of the elephant?
A stirring and uplifting tale of racial and religious assimilation. In 1980 the black Falashas in Ethiopia are recognised as genuine Jews. In turn they are secretly carried to Israel escaping famine and war. The day before the transport is due to leave, the son of a Jewish mother dies. In his place and with his name (Schlomo) she takes a Christian 9 year old boy. This is his story. Live and Become is one of those films that touches your heart and stays with you.
A film spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930’s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party… while he was still alive. The director, Aaron Schneider, captures the period extremely well and the cinematography and musical score are wonderful. The film handles tough subjects like death, regret, suspicion and guilt with wisdom and a gentle humour.
Set in the night clubs of Havana, New York and Las Vegas in the late 1940’s, this lush but delicate animated feature has a fantastic musical backdrop of Cuban-influenced jazz. The beautiful singer, Rita, and talented pianist, Chico, are passionately in love, but can only scrape a living in the Havana jazz clubs. When a New York impresario tells Rita he can make her a star in the USA, but there is no place for Chico in his plans, their tempestuous relationship faces its greatest challenge.
A life affirming film in which Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna only months after his father Hal has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father who, following 44 years of marriage, came out of the closet to live a full, energised, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life. The upheavals of Hal’s new honesty, by turns funny and moving, brought father and son closer than they’d ever been able to be. Now Oliver endeavours to love Anna with all the bravery, humour and hope that his father taught him.
Asa is an idealistic young man who, after finishing his naval service, returns to the vast featureless steppe of Kazakhstan to live with his sister Samal and her husband Ondas. In order to become a shepherd, Asa must first be married, but the only eligible woman within miles is the enigmatic Tulpan and she rejects him because his ears are too big. Unperturbed, Asa sets out to persuade Tulpan that he would be an excellent prospect, weathering constant run-ins with his bullying brother-in-law. This is a gorgeously shot and eminently lovable film.