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On this page: APRIL X | THINK OF ENGLAND | THE TROLL

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 28.Jun.26

April X
Review by Rich Cline | 4/5

dir Michel K Parandi
scr Michel K Parandi, Jack Coulton
prd Lavinia Postolache, Michel K Parandi
with Lilly Krug, Connor Storrie, Tudor Chirila, Serban Pavlu, Tourialay Akbari, Marius Chivu, Lavinia Postolache, Iulian Postelnicu, Dan Ursu, Berite Labelle, Andreea Vasile, Lottie Moss
release US Aug.25 friff,
UK Jun.26 rff
25/US 1h36

Is it streaming?

Filmed in Romania, this near-future thriller is shot in strikingly colourful wide-screen with a sharp, charismatic cast. First-time feature filmmaker Michel Parandi gives the movie a remarkably grisly, menacing tone that grabs the attention, although the storytelling approach is rather simple and enigmatic, which is a little frustrating. Still, the imagery cleverly echoes Blade Runner's rainy, neon-drenched streets and its human identity premise. But it feels even darker.

In Eastern Europe, Baxter (Storrie) is staying his playful twin sister April (Krug), while he and Ronny (Akbari) sell synthetic organs to mob boss Klein (Pavlu). But their deal turns sour, leaving Bax in a pinch. Then April mysteriously disappears. Five years later, Bax is working as Klein's driver when he runs into Ronny, who tells him that April is back on the scene. But what Bax does next puts him in the crosshairs of the vicious Tetris (Chirila), who runs a network of cloned prostitutes. Could one of these be the real April?

Bax narrates the film in a growly noir style, noting that authenticity has died in this society, because cloning has become a thorny moral issue. And he's thrown because he sees April everywhere. Other technological details include swarms of drones and a machine April uses to record and archive her dreams, creating a collection that is much in demand. By contrast, Bax's memories are a jumbled mess.

The very occasional moment of lightness offers some earthy insight into characters who are otherwise deadly serious. Storrie has a strongly likeable steeliness that lets us identify with Bax in a complex predicament. Especially strong is how incomplete he feels without his twin. Krug has terrific presence as April, a smart young woman who has curated her own identity. And she gets to play with this role as clones variations. Other roles are vividly adversarial.

Parandi takes a bold approach to this story, leaning into the post-Soviet settings while filling scenes with clever flourishes, including subtle digital effects. It's skilfully shot, edited and scored to ramp up the tension, giving the film a beefy sheen that makes the very most of a limited budget. The story kind of stalls in the final act, growing mopey and rather extremely bleak. But there are fascinating ideas scattered throughout the film that catch the imagination.

themes, language,violence, sexuality 16.Jun.26

Think of England
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir-scr Richard Hawkins
prd Nick O'Hagan, Poppy O'Hagan
with Jack Bandeira, Natalie Quarry, John McCrea, Ronni Ancona, Ben Bela Bohm, Ollie Maddigan, Oscar Hoppe, Nigel Hastings, Auguste Voulton, Dan Dewhirst, Juliette Smith, Tayla Lay
release UK Jun.26 rff
26/UK 1h42

Is it streaming?

While the premise of this historical fiction seems ripe for a sexy farce, writer-director Richard Hawkins more on his mind as he juxtaposes the businesses of warfare and filmmaking to explore questions of morality. It's the kind of movie that feels like it is based on a true story, because it's thoroughly plausible. And a complex collection of characters gives the ensemble cast a lot to work with.

On Orkney in 1943, a ragtag film crew gathers with a secret mission: to make porn for the troops. Captain Clune (McCrea) is in charge, with German director Max (Bohm) directing. The actors are timid Holly (Quarry) and brooding Evans (Bandeira), plus Agnes (Ancona) on makeup and hair and her son Clifford (Maddigan) as an assistant. Very quickly, it becomes clear that Evans is darkly unhinged, snapping terrifyingly on the set and then creeping around the island, where he finds both a stash of drugs and a stranded German pilot (Hoppe), whom he holds prisoner.

Each of these characters has a back-story, a specific reason to be here and a desire to escape from a difficult past. These things both push them together as a team and drive wedges between them, the catalyst being the unpredictable Evans, whose demons are revealed to be extreme. Not everything is very clear, and the uneven pacing and some mumbly, arcane dialog blur the impact.

Thankfully the actors are fearless, giving earthy performances that ripple with honesty. At the centre, Bandeira is mesmerising as a man who often seems more like a beast, but also shows glimpses of raw humanity. Opposite him, Quarry has a wonderful mix of wariness and determination, and the scene in which Bohm's haunted filmmaker coaches her is beautifully played. McCrea is also notable, finding nuances in a difficult role, while newcomer Maddigan builds unexpected sympathy. And Ancona steals scenes as a woman who speaks her mind.

The movie is rough around the edges, but it's also inventively assembled in relatively few locations, and it cleverly recreates the workings of a vintage low-budget movie set. There are a few sexually charged moments along the way, but this is not a film about sex. It's about how people who make movies must continually push their boundaries in order to tell a difficult story, much as soldiers have to do when they fight. And of course the salient point is that putting real sex or death on-camera completely changes the game.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 19.Jun.26 rff

The Troll
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir-scr-prd Brianna Lee
with Brianna Lee, Greg Saridakis, Katy Frame, Alena Acker, Matthew Eyre, Richard Mark Jordan, Jake Lesh, Dominick Cost, John Canning, Sean Buel, Jonathan Perez, Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr
release UK Jun.26 rff
25/US 1h07

Is it streaming?

Colourful and snappy, this comical thriller follows an influencer down a rabbit hole. Actor-filmmaker Brianna Lee has a lot of fun knowingly skewering the social media world, and she has the nerve to get very dark indeed. The film is also awash in sunshiny colour, echoing the look of those hyperreal fake social media posts. So as it shifts into an unhinged thriller, it's both funny and unnerving.

With more than a million following her perfect life, Killa B (Lee) is annoyed when her new song elicits some savage comments. Her assistant (Frame) suggests some more cosmetic surgery, and B says she will reply with grace. But one statement, "Nobody is looking at you", sends her into a spiral because it echoes what her mother used to say to her. So she starts stalking that troll online, identifying him as 17-year-old Josh (Saridakis). Wearing a disguise, she sets out to destroy his life, sidelining his parents (Acker and X) before abducting the boy.

Refusing to even discuss her age, B is terrified by the mere thought that she might be developing crow's feet. It's seriously unsettling how B can so easily switch on her smile for an audience, and only we can see the festering nightmare she really is. "I could be dying inside," she says, "but the world doesn't have to see it." Essentially, this is a one-joke film that would have worked as a short, but it looks terrific, and there isn't a dull moment.

An improv and sketch comedy performer, Lee has terrific timing as she depicts B's brightly smiley, glamorous image as well as the maniacal villain underneath. The key sequence in which she confronts Josh is played in an unusual way that's both silly and very freaky. Because the universe centres around B, none of the other characters have any depth to them. But Saridakis and Acker have strong presence even without much to do.

The joke here is that B is a real person with real emotions. But those feelings are utterly vile, and there are hints from the start that this isn't the first time she has lashed out at a critic. She blames everyone for her troubles, including her mother, Josh and all of those younger, hungrier artists. And of course there's jagged irony when a 12-step group recites the prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change."

themes, language, violence 26.Jun.26

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL