FILM | Reviews
DOCUMENTARY HE NAMED ME MALALA (PG) 87min ●●●●●
The father of inspirational Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai is the ‘he’ referred to in the title of this uplifting documentary from Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth). Ziauddin named his daughter after a fierce female warrior who, when all hope was lost, led an army to victory. Not only does Guggenheim chronicle Malala’s journey from her near-death experience, after being shot by the Taliban aged 15, to her status as poster-child for female education, he also explores the beautiful bond between a father and daughter who, in Ziauddin’s own words, are ‘one soul in two bodies’ and traces the family’s history using hand-drawn animation. Though Guggenheim loses focus in the latter half of the film, which seems a little rushed, this is a rousing portrait of a young woman’s courageous stand. When the camera is on Malala, it’s hard not to feel inspired by her wise and unwavering spirit as she talks sincerely about the power of forgiveness and the battle against oppression. Yet we are also introduced to a teenage girl who harbours crushes on famous cricket players, as a reminder that she has many facets to her personality beyond being a role model and Nobel Peace Prize winner. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Fri 6 Nov.
BIOPIC – DRAMA THE DANISH GIRL (TBC) 120min ●●●●●
The Danish Girl has all the hallmarks of a prestigious, awards- season contender. The story of 1930s transgender pioneer Lili Elbe is told by Tom ‘The King’s Speech’ Hooper with painterly compositions and a finely nuanced performance from Eddie Redmayne. Yet there are times when it seems to suffocate under the weight of its own sumptuous respectability. Redmayne plays painter Einar Wegener as a man of dashing charm and gentle manners. His marriage to fellow artist Gerda (Alicia Vikander) is loving and respectful. It is the forward Gerda who helps him create the alter-ego of shy country cousin Lili. Painting Lili gives Gerda a renown she has never previously enjoyed, but for Einar this is more than a passing charade; it is the first stage in the realisation that he wants to become a woman.
The complex dilemmas that follow are captured in the anguished performance of Vikander, while Redmayne defines Lili in shy smiles, coy gestures and the swan-like grace of a trained dancer. The steely determination in Lili’s decision to pursue groundbreaking surgery makes this a touching tale of courage and empowerment, even if you sense there is more to this story than we are allowed to experience. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 1 Jan.
BIOPIC – DRAMA STEVE JOBS (15) 122min ●●●●●
‘People don’t know what they want until you show it to them,’ declares Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender), a man who doesn’t half believe his own hype. Based on Walter Isaacson’s authorised biography, with a screenplay penned by Aaron Sorkin, it’s a film that – like Sorkin’s superlative The West Wing – illustrates how the professional gets intensely personal when work is, basically, your life. It’s an impressively multifaceted portrait of an utterly uncompromising character, centring
on three key product launches (the Macintosh in 1984, the NeXT in 1988, the iMac in 1998), as we go behind-the-scenes for a series of crucial conversations. The approach is theatrical but, if Sorkin keeps the dialogue blisteringly smart, then director Danny Boyle ensures the whole enterprise is correspondingly lively. The film demonstrates a keen sense of what’s at stake for Jobs at each point in time
and, even when it’s drowning in tech talk, whips up genuine suspense for the launches. Perhaps anticipating criticism, Steve Jobs mocks its own impossibly neat structure, the way the same pivotal players conveniently choose to offload just as Jobs is preparing to go onstage.
It’s performed with furious conviction by a cast that includes Kate Winslet as Jobs’ right-hand woman Joanna Hoffman but, ultimately, it’s Fassbender’s film, as he shows the level of maniacal self-belief it takes to convince the world to buy what you're selling. This remarkable actor unearths the fallible, guilt-ridden and damaged man behind the arrogant exterior, revealing him to us piece by compelling piece. Asked to explain his failings as a father, he says simply, ‘I’m poorly made.’ Luckily the film is far from it. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 13 Nov.
BIOPIC – CRIME BLACK MASS (15) 123min ●●●●●
True-life crime stories are very much in vogue this autumn. After Tom Hardy’s tour-de-force as both Kray twins, Johnny Depp is back to his best as criminal kingpin Jimmy ‘Whitey’ Bulger in Scott Cooper’s thriller. Blue contact lenses and a balding pate lend Depp a chilling death-mask appearance, as he dons the guise of the notorious Boston gangster.
Black Mass recalls the crime pictures that James Cagney was making in the 1930s. Bulger may kill with his bare hands but he is also a beloved neighbourhood figure and a loving father. If Depp has
the Cagney role then Joel Edgerton is his Pat O’Brien as Jimmy’s ex-schoolmate John Connolly, now an FBI agent. Connolly persuades his superiors to ‘bring Jimmy into the tent’, so they might work together to sweep the Mafia from the streets, and the film’s most interesting elements come as the law enforcer crosses the line, as he becomes lost in admiration for the crime boss.
Black Mass loses momentum at times and feels very familiar in places but a strong cast – including Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard and Benedict Cumberbatch, as Whitey’s sly brother – all add substance to this nasty, fatalistic rise-and-fall. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 27 Nov.
92 THE LIST 5 Nov 2015–4 Feb 2016