list.co.uk/fi lm Reviews | FILM
DRAMA IONA (15) 85min ●●●●●
Scott Graham has said that he wants his i lms to feel like listening to Bon Iver and his second feature certainly captures something of that band’s lyrical beauty. After a sudden and brutal crime, Iona (Ruth Negga) and her son Bull (Ben Gallagher) l ee Glasgow and seek shelter on the island of her birth, that’s also her namesake. She reunites with Daniel (Douglas Henshall) and his daughter Elizabeth (Michelle Duncan), who she lived with as a teen; but the tension between the trio suggests a past, unspoken scandal. As in Graham’s debut Shell, Iona features little dialogue and
no soundtrack. The two bursts of music we do hear act as sensory shocks amongst the quiet, unsettled atmosphere the i lm cultivates so vividly. Negga is captivating in the lead and is wonderfully complemented by an excellent supporting cast. But they’re let down by a story that begins weakly and culminates in melodrama, though what comes in-between occasionally sparkles. Still, it’s stunning to watch and coni rms its director as a Scottish i lmmaker to continue to look out for. This isn’t the Iona of tourist brochures; it’s an island where people live, love, pray and grieve – and the characters here shine brightly. (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Selected release from Fri 25 Mar.
FANTASY THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT (TBC) 113min ●●●●●
‘God exists. He lives in Brussels. He’s a bastard,’ we discover at the outset of Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael’s proudly blasphemous but well-intentioned latest. It’s a bouncing ball of lunacy and mischief that tackles religious tradition, mankind’s unremitting misery, and more. Narrated by God’s adorable daughter Ea (Pili Groyne), she dei es her monstrous father (an enjoyably awful Benoît Poelvoorde) by shutting down the computer that allows him to gleefully heap hardship on his creations and writing the titular volume with the help of six apostles. But her decision to release the preordained death dates has the most impact, as every person in the world receives a countdown to the moment they will expire.
The Brand New Testament runs short on ideas before its own time is up. While the i rst act overl ows with wit and ingenuity, the third settles into a gently repetitive rhythm. No matter because this is fun, visually interesting, two-i ngers-in- the-air i lmmaking which, in its compassion for those lonely souls on society’s fringes, reminds us that even the most scathing of satire needn’t be heartless. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Mon 22 & Tue 23 Feb, Glasgow Film Theatre, part of Glasgow Film Festival.Selected release from Fri 25 Mar.
4 Feb–7 Apr 2016 THE LIST 63
SATIRE HIGH-RISE (TBC) 112min ●●●●●
If there’s a scene that sums up the spirit of High-Rise, Ben Wheatley’s bravura take on JG Ballard’s novel, it’s when Tom Hiddleston’s unl appable Dr Laing slips the face off a dismembered head like he’s rolling down a stocking, as a group of startled medical students look on. It’s one of many moments of transgressive cheek in a i lm aptly concerned with the peeling back of facades, which i nds grotesques in every stratum of society.
As we enter the 70s tower block – a jagged, hive-like structure, isolated on the edge of town – things have already descended into an every-man-for-himself situation. Our hero Laing is in his element as he takes down a domestic dog, before the story skips back to reveal how on earth things came to this. We meet Laing’s l irty neighbour (Sienna Miller), the building’s architect overlord (Jeremy Irons), his spoilt missus (Keeley Hawes), an Oliver Reed-alike TV producer (Luke Evans) and his pregnant wife (Elisabeth Moss), with every member of the vast ensemble attacking the material with zeal. While Wheatley (Sightseers, Kill List) helms, his wife / frequent collaborator Amy Jump pens the witty screenplay and the pair share editing duties. The bare bones of the book are intact, its thin, allegorical structure ripe fodder for a l eshing-out as the i lm takes on tech dependency and class war, sees the concept of social climbing literalised, and shows how we’re all just a little push from regressing right back to animals. It sports an in-your-face visual style both frenzied and precise, combining idiosyncrasy with inl uences that include Nicolas Roeg and Peter Greenaway. High-Rise is a feast of human depravity, l ecked with blood, guts and i lmmaking genius. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Thu 18 & Fri 19 Feb, Glasgow Film Theatre, part of Glasgow Film Festival. General release from Fri 18 Mar.
HORROR THE WITCH (TBC) 90min ●●●●● Pain and paranoia form the twisted basis of a strange and chilling tale about a 17th century New England family, who are banished from their community after their strongly held religious beliefs come under scrutiny. When their baby son is stolen whilst in the care of eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), and taken to the oppressive woodland surrounding their isolated farm, mistrust slithers through the household, morphing into hysteria and consuming their tight bond of trust. Robert Eggers’ i rst feature is a knockout in terms of visual l air and
dread-i lled potency. Kate Dickie is superb as a mother on the edge, Ralph Ineson conveys the confused emotions of a stern but vulnerable patriarch trying to do the right thing, and Taylor-Joy is a revelation. Despite its supernatural charge and the fairytale imagery, the family’s plight is gilded with realism. With a troubled harvest and money non-existent, their desperation becomes a pounding agony, as Mark Korven’s haunting score cranks up the tension. This is nerve-shredding, exquisitely crafted cinema captured by the assured hand of cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, who renders all that unfolds oppressively grey and gloomy. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ Fri 12 Feb, Glasgow Film Theatre, part of Glasgow Youth Film Festival. General release from Fri 11 Mar.