Films round-up
Nov. 8th, 2020 02:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rich_jackoIt's been a good time lately for films with female protagonists (and we haven't even got to Wonder Woman 1984 or Black Widow yet). Before the cinemas closed again, I went to see four films with very little in common, other than they all have female leads:
Saint Maud - An intriguing and highly original British horror film. Maud (Morfydd Clark) is a devoutly Christian nurse, providing end-of-life care to hedonistic ex-dancer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle) and takes it upon herself to save Amanda's soul. But Maud is not who she seems, and her obsession leads to a crisis of faith, which turns her into a danger to herself and others. As we're drawn further into Maud's life, we start to see the world as she sees it, but writer/director Rose Glass never feels the need to over-explain. Great performances and a gradual ratcheting up of the madness make this a tense, intelligent and psychological chiller. Recommended.
I am Greta - This fly-on-the-wall documentary is obviously all about Sweden's most famous teenager, but Greta Thunberg would be the first to say the attention should be on climate change rather than herself. Her life is certainly not celebrity glamour, whether she's waiting on windswept train platforms at night, peeing in a bucket on a tiny boat in the Atlantic, or being told by her dad she's not allowed on stage until she's eaten a banana. The famous moments before world leaders (from "I want you to panic" to "How dare you?") are all there, but it's the candid insights behind the scenes, how she copes with her Asperger syndrome, her support from her family, which are more interesting. A favourite moment was her dad exasperated at her determination to fix all the grammar in her speech (in English and French, neither of which are her native language), even though no one else will see it in writing. I think I admire her even more now.
Pixie - Two young guys (Ben Hardy and Daryl McCormack) have a plan to get rich from a bag full of MDMA which falls into their laps. But when anarchic, quick-thinking Pixie (Olivia Cooke) joins their scheme, they quickly find themselves out of their depth and wrapped around her little finger. Soon the trio are on the run from gangster priests and nuns (no, really) led by Alec Baldwin and having to deal with a body in the boot of the car, a hitman (Ned Dennehy) and Pixie's petulant brother (Turlough Convery). The Grauniad described it as "Father Ted-meets-Tarantino, with a smattering of Ferris Bueller and In Bruges", which is a fair summary. There's a bumbling, Irish charm which undercuts the snappy dialogue and Hollywood action, making for an experience which is fast, furious and a lot of fun.
Wolfwalkers - I have so much love for this little film. It's easy to forget how soulless CGI can feel until you see all the warmth, character, beauty and creativity of hand-drawn animation like this. The story centres around Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), the young daughter of a wolf hunter from England (Sean Bean) who has come to 17th century Ireland to help rid the country of wolves. But then she encounters Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a wild girl of the forest who is rumoured to transform into a wolf in her sleep. As the Lord Protector (Simon McBurney) hardens his opposition to such primitive superstitions and to the wolf population, Robyn finds herself torn between her father and the forest. The themes of man vs. nature and animalistic spirits reminded me a lot of Princess Mononoke. The animation style is quite different but, if anything, it has even more heart and soul.
Saint Maud - An intriguing and highly original British horror film. Maud (Morfydd Clark) is a devoutly Christian nurse, providing end-of-life care to hedonistic ex-dancer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle) and takes it upon herself to save Amanda's soul. But Maud is not who she seems, and her obsession leads to a crisis of faith, which turns her into a danger to herself and others. As we're drawn further into Maud's life, we start to see the world as she sees it, but writer/director Rose Glass never feels the need to over-explain. Great performances and a gradual ratcheting up of the madness make this a tense, intelligent and psychological chiller. Recommended.
I am Greta - This fly-on-the-wall documentary is obviously all about Sweden's most famous teenager, but Greta Thunberg would be the first to say the attention should be on climate change rather than herself. Her life is certainly not celebrity glamour, whether she's waiting on windswept train platforms at night, peeing in a bucket on a tiny boat in the Atlantic, or being told by her dad she's not allowed on stage until she's eaten a banana. The famous moments before world leaders (from "I want you to panic" to "How dare you?") are all there, but it's the candid insights behind the scenes, how she copes with her Asperger syndrome, her support from her family, which are more interesting. A favourite moment was her dad exasperated at her determination to fix all the grammar in her speech (in English and French, neither of which are her native language), even though no one else will see it in writing. I think I admire her even more now.
Pixie - Two young guys (Ben Hardy and Daryl McCormack) have a plan to get rich from a bag full of MDMA which falls into their laps. But when anarchic, quick-thinking Pixie (Olivia Cooke) joins their scheme, they quickly find themselves out of their depth and wrapped around her little finger. Soon the trio are on the run from gangster priests and nuns (no, really) led by Alec Baldwin and having to deal with a body in the boot of the car, a hitman (Ned Dennehy) and Pixie's petulant brother (Turlough Convery). The Grauniad described it as "Father Ted-meets-Tarantino, with a smattering of Ferris Bueller and In Bruges", which is a fair summary. There's a bumbling, Irish charm which undercuts the snappy dialogue and Hollywood action, making for an experience which is fast, furious and a lot of fun.
Wolfwalkers - I have so much love for this little film. It's easy to forget how soulless CGI can feel until you see all the warmth, character, beauty and creativity of hand-drawn animation like this. The story centres around Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), the young daughter of a wolf hunter from England (Sean Bean) who has come to 17th century Ireland to help rid the country of wolves. But then she encounters Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a wild girl of the forest who is rumoured to transform into a wolf in her sleep. As the Lord Protector (Simon McBurney) hardens his opposition to such primitive superstitions and to the wolf population, Robyn finds herself torn between her father and the forest. The themes of man vs. nature and animalistic spirits reminded me a lot of Princess Mononoke. The animation style is quite different but, if anything, it has even more heart and soul.
