Shadows off the beaten pathTHE SLEEPING BEAUTY OF EAST FINCHLEY
LLGFF shorts: HOODIE | MY NAME IS LOVE
PICTURES OF ZAIN | TEARS | VANDALS
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last update 27.Mar.10
See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL
R E V I E W S B Y R I C H C L I N E
09/UK 30m
Projected onto two adjacent screens in a cavernous black room, this cinematic artwork is almost unnerving in the way it gets under our skin. Elegantly shot by cinematographer Prudence Cuming, the film (or films) is a series of static scenes in the deserted municipal gardens of Venice. As opposed to the summer bustle, we only see stray dogs and lots of insects while hearing distant sounds of life outside the gates. It's a film about minute observations, the surge of life in what looks like a lifeless place. And while the parallel screens don't seem to interrelate at all, they do offer continually gripping visions of abandoned buildings, as well as the dogs, spiders, beetles and worms, plus two shadowy men, all of whom seem to be trying to get out of the camera's gaze. It constantly encourages us to look beyond what we know, and it makes humanity feel insignificant by comparison.
4.Mar.10 Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
09/UK 7m
Projected in a continuous loop, this film seems very simple and yet is packed with a remarkable cheekiness that can't help but make us smile. The concept is simple: the Statue of Liberty stands on an island across from Manhattan and is filmed from a helicopter that is flying in circles around it. But the effect is extraordinary. Through a clever use of lenses, the film not only reveals surprising details of the giant structure, but virtually animates it. Liberty seems to be striding forcefully around the bay, gazing down on Wall Street and New Jersey, defiantly waving her torch. All of this is accomplished through clever photography and editing, using the natural light and the simple sound of the helicopter's blades. Watching this film is an unforgettable experience that changes forever the way you see any iconic monument.
4.Mar.10 Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
with Josie Walker, Ruth James, Mary Duddy, Christopher Dunne, Julian Eardley, Angela Kenny, Susan Raasay, Jill Keen
10/UK 50m
Beautifully shot and edited, this tender drama ambitiously tells its story with openly emotional acting and music. Joan (Walker) is a 40-ish woman in North London, a devout Catholic who looks after her mum (Duddy) with the help of a nurse, Pat (James). As Joan and Pat become friends, Pat discovers Joan's love of singing and invites her to join her choir, the Friends of Dusty. But it takes Joan a while to realise that this is a lesbian choir, and as a performance at the Various Voices festival on the Southbank approaches, Joan gets cold feet in more ways than one. Some viewers may get impatient with the film's warm, gentle pace and elegantly slow-paced music, even though both of these perfectly match the honest story and characters. And this is what sets it apart from the usual whizzy, gimmicky one-off dramas out there. Not to mention the fact that it's rare to see a film so sensitively approach sexuality from the perspective of a 40-something woman.
31.Jan.10
R E V I E W S B Y R I C H C L I N E
24th BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film FestivalShorts shown as part of the festival in March 2010.
with Conor Williamson, Paul George, Richard Parkin, Libby Smyth, Stephen Don
10/UK 8m
24.Mar.10 llgff
with Adam Lundgren, Jonas Rimeika, Alicia Vikander, Johan Carlberg, Poyan Karimi, Anna-Maria Lundberg
08/Sweden 20m
Cautionary without being preachy, this well-assembled short touches on an extremely important issue in a personal, insightful way. The central character, who is actually named Love (Lundgren), is out for a lively night on the town with his pal Fredrika (Vikander), but we know from cutaways that the night won't end well for him. It emerges that he left the club and met Marcus (Rimeika) in the street, then nervously went home with him. It's clear from Love's face that this is his first sexual encounter, but Marcus abruptly forces himself on him. What follows is startlingly complex, intensely intimate and almost overpoweringly emotional. The cast is excellent, creating palpable chemistry and tension. In some ways, the film might be a little too honest and balanced, forcing us to think about the issues without offering any easy answers. It's the kind of film that really gets into your head.
24.Mar.10 llgff
with Sakuntala Ramanee, Dan Paton, Bhasker Patel, Aleem Khan
10/UK 17m
An thoughtful look at cultural issues through the prism of grief and sexuality, this short film makes up for some slightly clunky low-budget production values and a very wistful tone with its strong themes and intimate approach. It opens with the funeral of Zain (Khan), a Muslim in London whose parents never accepted his homosexuality. But after the funeral, his mother Tamanna (Ramanee) reaches out to Zain's boyfriend Orion (Paton) in a surprisingly tender way Meanwhile Zain's father (Patel) remains resolute in his piety, but is forced to remember his son for who he really was, even if that means blaming Tamanna for being too understanding. The film is a little over-serious, but the new relationship between Tamanna and Orion is warm and delicate, and watching them find unexpected common ground in their grief, as well as a new level of acceptance, is genuinely moving.
25.Mar.10 llgff
with Tom Frederic, Marcus D'Amico, Michael Camp, Lucia Giannecchini
10/UK 23m
See also: SWEAT (2007) • 7.Feb.10 llgff
with Nils Althaus, Jonas Ullmann, Big Zis, Bardo Eicher, Alvaro Lobsiger, Yanic Müller
08/Switzerland 17m
There's a strong theme at the centre of this film, and it's remarkably well shot with a gritty, abrasive tone. The story centres on two young graffiti artists (Althaus and Ullmann), Sebastian is a tough guy and Johannes is more emotionally open. They are clearly in love, but don't want anyone to know it. So when they are spotted kissing, Sebastian reacts by throwing himself at the new girl in the graffiti gang. Johannes is not amused. The film adeptly captures the sense of fear and machismo that completely grips Sebastian's life, and as the story progresses, it gets much more interesting. It's a shame that director Steuri fudges it with some deliberately obtuse editing that tries to create a jarring atmosphere, but leaves the action and sex scenes feeling both incoherent and strangely empty. Even so, this is an effective film, and there are several very clever touches, most notably in the way these men only seem able to communicate through their painting.
24.Mar.10 llgff
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© 2009 by Rich Cline, Shadows
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