FILM | Reviews
BIOPIC – ROMANCE A UNITED KINGDOM (12A) 111min ●●●●●
The third feature from Amma Asante revisits a true-life romance that had sweeping global repercussions. Like her previous film Belle, it combines the personal and political and, although it feels more simplistic, includes a number of crowd-pleasing moments that make it hard to resist. In post-war London, Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) attends
a dance where she meets black law student Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo). Their attraction blossoms into something deeper and they decide to marry. The union faces all the prejudices of the era, but is all the more significant because Seretse is heir to the throne of Bechuanaland (today’s Botswana). The British government is firmly opposed to a marriage that will be seen as an act of provocation to a South Africa on the eve of introducing apartheid. The film is fuelled by a righteous anger the viewer is encouraged to share; you are left asking, ‘Why is this story not better known?’
Asante brings out the best in her actors, with a luminous Pike capturing the steely fortitude of Ruth and sharing joyful chemistry with Oyelowo. Together they bring a warm human touch to this sentimental and well-crafted history lesson. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 25 Nov.
COMEDY DRAMA PATERSON (TBC) 113min ●●●●●
Jim Jarmusch’s latest film recalls some of his best work as, once again, the American indie maestro presents a unique and intricately crafted world. We meet unassuming bus driver Paterson (Adam Driver) – a resident of Paterson, New Jersey – as he lies in bed beside his partner Laura (Golshifteh Farahani). Jarmusch observes their interactions with a curious gaze over the course of a single week. Paterson is resigned to routine, and Laura spends most of her time alone – decorating the house in monochrome prints, baking cupcakes and indulging her wild fantasy of becoming a country singer. You get the impression that her husband loves her obsessive ways but is, at times, a little overwhelmed by it all, and Driver superbly conveys this with restrained charm. Paterson is also a poet and his poems appear as text on screen (they were written for the film by Ron Padgett); he stores his creations in a secret notebook, which he refuses to duplicate.
Jarmusch skilfully draws a line between past and present, popular culture and the outré, with the couple representing opposite sides of the coin. They sleep contently side by side, but there is a strange disconnect in their waking lives. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ Selected release from Fri 25 Nov.
SCI-FI ARRIVAL (12A) 116min ●●●●●
Fast establishing himself as one of today’s most exciting filmmakers, French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve follows up last year’s frenetic drugs thriller Sicario with an astonishing slice of science fiction.
In adapting ‘Story of Your Life’ by Ted Chiang, screenwriter Eric Heisserer filters sweeping themes through the intimate experiences of reserved linguistics expert Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams). Recruited by the military to communicate with extraterrestrials after 12 pod-like spaceships land on Earth, Louise discovers some existential truths that will reshape the future for humankind.
Adams is mesmerising in the central role; brave, vulnerable and fallible, Louise remains resoundingly human rather than bluntly heroic as she faces the most extraordinary of circumstances. And the film’s technical aspects combine to augment her story, rather than overwhelm it with genre bombast. The effects are impressive but restrained, while Bradford Young’s disorienting camerawork and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s scant, other-worldly score convey the enormity of the situation. Arrival audaciously plays with our expectations of cinematic narrative: language and time are gloriously non-linear and Louise’s personal flashbacks take on an increasing significance, not fully realised until the final, poignant moments.
The real pleasure, however, is the way in which it turns its gaze inwards. In enabling us
to look at ourselves through extraterrestrial eyes, Arrival celebrates the very best traits of humanity – our communication, our thirst for knowledge, our ability to make meaningful connections – and encourages us to confront life’s biggest questions. This is filmmaking at its most powerful and profound. (Nikki Baughan) ■ General release from Thu 10 Nov.
DRAMA AMERICAN PASTORAL (15) 108min ●●●●● Ewan McGregor makes his directorial debut with this ambitious attempt to bring Philip Roth’s novel to the big screen. McGregor and writer John Romano distil Roth’s intricate, decades-spanning book so that the film largely takes place in the 1960s, which is where we encounter Seymour ‘Swede’ Levov and his family. As played by McGregor himself, Swede is a decent
man and a good father to his daughter Merry, who is afflicted with a terrible stutter. By the time Dakota Fanning takes over the role, Merry has become radicalised. Set against the backdrop of the Newark riots, McGregor plunges the viewer into a world that still feels relevant today. When a bomb goes off in the local post office, Merry is suspected and the devastated Swede is determined to find her.
McGregor directs with clarity and composure, eliciting fine performances from his cast (particularly Fanning and Valorie Curry, as Merry’s provocative companion) and turning in fine work himself, as he conveys the heartache being a parent can bring. The complexity of Roth’s prose may be gone but McGregor’s assurance behind the camera, his willingness to take risks and his ability to capture nuance serve him well. A noteworthy debut. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 11 Nov.
88 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017