H I T L I S T
Highlights | FILM
ISLE OF DOGS A boy searches for his dog in this animated film from director Wes Anderson. See review, page 68. Out Fri 30 Mar. 120 BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE) Members of the advocacy group ACT UP Paris demand action by the government and
pharmaceutical companies to combat the AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s. See review, page 70. Out Fri 6 Apr. devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe. See preview, page 66. Out Thu 26 Apr. See preview, page 66.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY Stand-alone film following the adventures of young Han Solo, with Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover. Out Fri 25 May.
FILM HIGHLIGHTS
A QUIET PLACE In John Krasinski’s directorial debut, a family lives an isolated existence in utter silence, for fear of an unknown threat that follows and attacks at any sound. Out Thu 5 Apr. DEATH WISH Dr Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is an experienced trauma surgeon, a man who has spent his life saving lives. After an attack on his family, Paul embarks on his own mission for justice. Out Fri 6 Apr.
GHOST STORIES Anthology movie in which three twisted tales are presented as three unexplained hauntings which sceptical Professor Goodman has to investigate. Beautifully shot and with plenty of frights, but maybe not enough surprises, it’s playful and wryly funny enough for the shocks to have full impact. See review, page 68. Out Fri 6 Apr. THOROUGHBREDS Two upper-class teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems- no matter what the cost. See review, page 68. Out Fri 6 Apr.
WONDERSTRUCK In 1927, deaf Rose runs away to New York; in 1977, deaf Benji does the same thing. In this adaptation by Brian Selznick of his own illustrated novel, the detail detracts from the tender coming-of-age stories, but director Todd Haynes crafts a love letter to both New York’s history and the ever- changing face of cinema. See review, page 69. Out Fri 6 Apr. CUSTODY Julien is 11 years old and his parents are splitting up. Against his will, he has to spend alternate weekends with his hated father, Antoine. Xavier Legrand deals with the issue of domestic abuse with great skill; it’s often profoundly
Solo: A Star Wars Story
distressing, but that’s precisely the point. Out Fri 13 Apr.
RAMPAGE A big film based on the 1980s arcade game in which a giant ape, a giant lizard and a giant werewolf destroy cities. Out Fri 13 Apr. YOU, ME AND HIM Lesbian couple Olivia and Alex are very much in love. But then the question of pregnancy rears its head. Out Tue 17 Apr.
UNDEPENDANCE FILM FESTIVAL Pop Up! Scotland present independent short films and features. Various venues, Edinburgh, Thu 19– Sat 21 Apr, undependence.org.
FUNNY COW A female comedian (Maxine Peake) tries to make it in an all-male world. Set against the backdrop of working men’s clubs and the stand-up comedy
circuit of the North of England, the film uses the raw material of her life experiences to bring her unique style of comedy to the stage, involving tragedy and comedy in equal measure. Out Fri 20 Apr.
LET THE SUNSHINE IN Isabelle is a powerfully sexy middle- aged woman who for some reason can’t find a half-decent mate; on this farcical plot, Claire Denis hangs an idiosyncratic, empathetic and intimate comedy, adapted from Roland Barthes’ A Lover’s Discourse with a wonderful sense of the absurd. Juliette Binoche is self-deprecating and achingly human. See review, page 69. Out Fri 20 Apr. NEVER STEADY, NEVER STILL A mother struggles to take control of her life in the face of advanced Parkinson’s disease, while her son battles his sexual and emotional identity among the violence of Alberta’s oil field work camps. Out Fri 20 Apr.
TULLY Comedy following the friendship between a mother of three, and her babysitter. See review, page 69. Out Fri 20 Apr.
BEAST On Jersey, a serial killer is targeting young girls while a young tour guide is struggling with her passive-aggressive mother. Michael Pearce’s debut feature approaches the serial killer thriller from an impressively unconventional angle. Geraldine James is brilliant as the outwardly respectable but cruel mother, Johnny Flynn is charismatic, but Jessie Buckley’s achingly sensitive performance anchors it. See review, page 69. Out Fri 27 Apr. LEAN ON PETE Teenage Charley goes to work for grizzled horse trainer Del and befriends the titular horse, before going on the road in search of his aunt. Andrew Haigh’s delicate directorial style makes a desperately sad coming-of-age tale very watchable, helped by Charlie Plummer’s appealingly understated performance. See review, page 70, and feature, page 67. Out Fri 4 May.
MARY AND THE WITCHES’ FLOWER Mary is a young girl who discovers a magic flower that earns her a place at a school of witchcraft, but she soon discovers that the place is not as welcoming as it seems. Energetic adaptation of Mary Stewart’s novel The Little Broomstick, comfortingly familiar to fans of Ghibli but also fresh and gorgeous. See review, page 71. Out Fri 4 May. FEMSPECTIVES PRESENTS: 46 YEARS IN THE FUTURE – WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVALS, THEN AND NOW The Edinburgh International Film Festival hosted the UK’s first women’s film festival in 1972. Most of the films screened have since been lost but this special screening
1 Apr–31 May 2018 THE LIST 73