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Reviews | FILM
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A N D R E W O G L V Y P H O T O G R A P H Y
DRAMA DAPHNE (TBC) 90min ●●●●● WESTERN BRIMSTONE (18) 149min ●●●●●
COMEDY HORROR DOUBLE DATE (TBC) 90min ●●●●●
Young women in crisis are still a rarity onscreen, especially outside of rom-coms. The narrative feature debut of Scottish director Peter Mackie Burns has its share of unconventionally packaged romance and comedy but eventually plumps for a more sombre outlook. Emily Beecham plays 31-year-old Daphne: heartbreaker, wisecracker, know-it-all and headcase, who’s yet to get her shit together and is spiralling even before she witnesses something which knocks her for six. Although not well-served by Nico Mensinga’s
script, which fails to gift her the pithy put-downs the character deserves, Beecham radiates charisma and is shot with such reverence by Adam Scarth that trainee-chef Daphne inhabits London Town like a 60s siren. Scarth’s vibrant cinematography captures the thrill of big city living, the random encounters and the equally random acts of violence. However, there’s not much meat for the supporting characters and the film never finds its footing tonally, meandering in a way that suits its directionless protagonist but that isn’t always compelling or insightful. Still, it has plenty of promise for a debut and Beecham makes a persuasive pitch for star status. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Selected release from Fri 29 Sep.
Female suffering fuels Dutch writer-director Martin Koolhoven’s relentlessly brutal and weirdly flat western, set at the end of the 19th century. Dakota Fanning is Liz, a young woman stalked mercilessly by an evil reverend (Guy Pearce). Kit Harington appears as an unconvincing cowboy who attempts to save the day; Carla Juri is far more persuasive as a fearless prostitute whose tongue is cut out for insubordination, while Carice van Houten’s pale complexion and stooping demeanour poignantly reflect her tortured existence. As events draw to a close you’ll be gasping for
sweet relief after watching women being raped, flogged and murdered for two and a half hours. The persistent violence and bloodshed borders on the absurd the longer the film wears on, and Pearce’s cartoonish villain is hard to take seriously. Koolhoven conjures up the occasional arresting
image concerning the silencing and erasure of women, which infuses his film with traces of power. The landscapes are beautifully shot and Fanning is an engaging presence throughout, yet the punishing themes make contact like a blunt instrument. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ Limited release from Fri 29 Sep.
Swedish psychedelic band Goat provide the pulsating score for director Benjamin Barfoot’s promising debut. Combining tomfoolery and bloodshed, and penned by leading man Danny Morgan, it sees two sisters embark on a quest to kill a virgin for an occult ritual. Morgan plays Jim, about to turn 30 and gagging to pop his cherry. While out with best mate Alex (Michael Socha), he bumps into the alluring Kitty (Kelly Wenham) and Lulu (Georgia Groome) who agree to head to East London with him. Jim’s awkward chat-up lines aren’t a turn-off for women with murder on their minds and so debauchery, hilarity and ultimately carnage ensues. Wenham gives a great physical performance, kickboxing with panache and killing with relish. Groome is assured, too, while the more established Socha (This Is England) plays a wise-cracking lad with his usual confidence, and Morgan delivers some of the film’s funniest moments. The dialogue lacks some snap but the fight scenes are a heady display of fury and fun, and Barfoot’s first film zips along, with momentum maintained even in the quieter sequences thanks to the commitment of its cast. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Fri 13 Oct.
COMEDY DRAMA THE PARTY (TBC) 71min ●●●●●
British writer-director Sally Potter returns with her most uproarious film yet. Shot in black-and-white and running to a succinct 71 minutes, The Party is a nimble ensemble comedy that gathers together a fine cast for a cutting swipe at the upper- middle-class. Set over the course of a single evening, the film begins as high-flying Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) prepares for an intimate gathering at her home to celebrate her promotion to Shadow Health Minister. As her mournful-looking academic husband Bill (Timothy
Spall) plays his music too loudly in the living room, their friends begin to arrive. The acerbic April (Patricia Clarkson, superb) is accompanied by a partner (Bruno Ganz) she seems to despise. Meanwhile, Martha (Cherry Jones) and her younger lover Jinny (Emily Mortimer) have just discovered they’re about to become parents to triplets. And then there’s Tom (Cillian Murphy), a banker with a coke problem who arrives looking to spoil the party.
Indebted to films like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Potter serves up revelations and recriminations alongside the champagne and canapés. Socialism versus capitalism is also a huge topic, as Potter’s well- to-do left-wing idealists turn on Murphy’s city boy.
Filled with fine performances – notably Ganz, who is
hilarious as airy-fairy life coach Gottfried – it’s as riotous as it is pertinent, the perfect tonic in Brexit Britain. Aided by some expert cinematography and production design and making for a fascinating contrast to her anti-mainstream movies like The Tango Lesson and Rage, Potter proves that she can tap into the zeitgeist and take the pulse of the nation. This is well worth catching. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 13 Oct.
1 Sep–31 Oct 2017 THE LIST 57