list.co.uk/fi lm Reviews | FILM
COMEDY DRAMA QUARTET (12A) 98min ●●●●● DRAMA THE POOL (12A) 98min ●●●●●
COMEDY DRAMA THE SESSIONS (15) 95min ●●●●●
Set in the fictional Beecham House, an opulent home for retired musicians, Quartet is the directorial debut from Dustin Hoffman. Studded with vintage stars, it’s joyful if formulaic matinee fare, like a posh, apolitical Brassed Off. It follows the residents as they prepare for their annual gala concert, intended to generate much- needed funds for the home. Billy Connolly is a hoot as the incorrigible Wilf, who claims his stroke has left him unable to censor himself; Pauline Collins is the sweet, dotty Cissy; Tom Courtenay plays the heartbroken Reggie while Maggie Smith puts a pin in their tranquility as new arrival Jean.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen such
vulnerability from Maggie Smith and Quartet tugs confidently on the heartstrings. Yet it does strike several bum notes: despite the charitable nature of the set-up, the surroundings are so absurdly plush that it hardly gives the impression of a facility on the brink of closure. Overall, this is polished enough entertainment with a few cheeky laughs, but it’s odd that Hoffman, once a leading light of the groundbreaking New Hollywood, should make a film so safe and peculiarly British. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Tue 1 Jan.
This likeable little film has been on the shelf awaiting distribution for so long that it predates the bigger, flashier, somewhat similarly-themed Slumdog Millionaire. This is a bit of a dizzying gap (it first won prizes on the festival circuit in 2007), but in practice, matters little to the film since it tells a tale so sweetly elemental and classic that it could pretty much have happened along at any point in storytelling history. Venkatesh (Venkatesh Chavan) is a self-sufficient
eighteen-year-old who divides his time between working and hustling for cash in the city of Panjim, Goa along with his ballsy sidekick Jhangir (Jhangir Badshah), and visiting his family back in their home village. Venkatesh’s symbolic equivalent of the Slumdog prize plot is a gorgeous holiday home he passes on his laundry-delivering route. It’s occupied by a mysteriously morose middle-aged loner and his teenage daughter; to Venkatesh’s bafflement, they never take advantage of its beautiful swimming pool.
The messages that money doesn’t guarantee happiness and that poverty won’t inevitably erase potential aren’t especially mindblowing – but they’re delivered here with grace, sincerity and charm. (Hannah McGill) ■ GFT, Glasgow, Tue 18–Thu 20 Dec.
The Sessions is the true story of poet and journalist Mark O’Brien’s experiences with a sexual surrogate. O’Brien was a polio survivor who spent much of his life paralysed from the neck down, largely confined to an iron lung. As a consequence he remained a virgin until his late 30s.
This surprisingly sunny film is a snapshot of his life. It features a remarkable performance from the versatile John Hawkes as O’Brien while William H Macy plays a Catholic priest who becomes the protagonist’s unlikely confidante. Helen Hunt completes the trio of leads as the scholarly surrogate hired by O’Brien to provide him with a sexual schooling over six ‘sessions’.
Rather than attempting to emulate O’Brien’s constrictive condition, The Sessions is told at a compassionate, sunny remove. The approach might not be aesthetically daring but the result is pleasingly frank, as well as frequently funny. As O’Brien, Hawkes couldn’t be further from the menace of his role in Martha Marcy May Marlene and his irresistible awkwardness is nicely offset by the faux-severity of his assistant Vera (Moon Bloodgood). A charming and gently moving film. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Selected release from Fri 18 Jan.
DOCUMENTARY MCCULLIN (15) 95min ●●●●●
Sometimes a fascinating subject matter is enough in itself to carry a documentary, as is the case in McCullin, a film by Jacqui and David Morris about the British war photographer Don McCullin. Growing up in the impoverished neighbourhood
of Finsbury Park in North London, McCullin found his escape through photography, initially capturing local gangs and sending the prints to the broadsheets for publication. He was successfully taken on by The Sunday Times in the mid-1960s as their overseas correspondant and would go on to become one of Britain’s most famous and respected war photographers, reporting from Cyprus, Biafra, Northern Ireland, Lebanon and Vietnam. (Cinephiles note: he also took the photographs of Maryon Park which appear in Michelangelo Antonioni’s London- set Blow-Up.)
Much of this documentary is made up of
interviews with McCullin himself, revealing a thoughtful and intelligent man who makes no attempt to glamorise his work. His insights into the situations he has experienced are deeply moving and it’s this compassion and integrity which comes through in his remarkable photographs. This is pretty straight up documentary making but for fans of McCullin and those interested in photography in general, it’s recommended viewing. (Gail Tolley) ■ Selected release from Wed 2 Jan.
13 Dec 2012–24 Jan 2013 THE LIST 93