FILM | REVIEWS
COMEDY DRAMA WOMAN AT WAR (TBC) 101min ●●●●●
Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson’s rousing follow-up to Of Horses and Men gives us a rebel with a noble cause in choir conductor Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir). This 50-year-old environmental activist is rare in her conviction, courage and competence and, as she takes on the might of the aluminium industry, shows herself to be a force to be reckoned with. The opening sequence shows Halla, armed with a bow and
arrow, taking down the local power lines, before masterfully evading capture. Conflict arises when, in the midst of her campaign of action, Halla’s long-gestating adoption application comes to fruition.
Erlingsson's love of the absurd and flair for visual humour
in particular is a consistent delight. Geirharðsdóttir beautifully shows us Halla’s innate longing for a child, and what this extraordinary woman would be capable of as a mother is overwhelmingly evident. Co-written with Ólafur Egilsson, this immensely enjoyable film is a crowdpleaser in the very best senses, being both inspiring and uplifting. Alongside considerable frivolity, Woman at War packs a genuine emotional punch, while showing what some people are willing to sacrifice for the good of us all. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Selected release from Fri 3 May.
DRAMA BEATS (TBC) 96min ●●●●●
It’s a virtual truism that nightclubs and raves look terrible on film. That notion ends with Beats, which features a mid-90s rave so ecstatically evoked it seems to blow a hole in the screen. Adapted by Kieran Hurley from his play and co-written by director Brian Welsh, Beats feels stagy and undercooked in places, but any doubts are erased by the head-trip of an ending.
Teenagers Johnno (Cristian Ortega) and Spanner (Lorn
Macdonald) are shocked when Johnno’s parents (Laura Fraser and Brian Ferguson) announce they’re moving. The boys plan a trip to a rave, but Spanner gets caught stealing cash from his brother, who pursues him. And Johnno never imagines that his policeman father will be among those deployed to break up the gathering. Ortega and Macdonald’s performances are so vivid it’s a shame the black and white photography may well relegate this drama to cult status, while there’s a contradiction in the depiction of drugs as harmless fun but dealers as sinister scumbags. Nonetheless, Welsh’s film features an array of well- chosen tracks and club visuals turned up to the max. Anyone nostalgic for glow sticks and whistles will find the euphoric climax leaves them begging for one more tune. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Selected release from Fri 17 May.
MUSICAL DRAMA VOX LUX (15) 115min ●●●●●
Brady Corbet’s second feature, following 2015’s The Childhood of a Leader, begins in 1999 and culminates in 2017 – with a glittering musical performance from dynamite leading lady Natalie Portman, as her pop sensation struts her stuff on a comeback tour. After a gun massacre at her high school, where she narrowly escapes death, Celeste
is launched into the music world at the tender age of 14 (with Raffey Cassidy playing her younger self). The world goes crazy for a song she performs with sister Ellie (Stacy Martin) at a vigil, embracing it as a totem of their collective grief.
Narrated by Willem Dafoe and divided into multiple acts, there’s more than a hint of Lars von Trier’s provocative spirit in this tantalising and layered character portrait that boasts memorable and spirited performances from a cast at the top of their game. Jude Law is perfect as Celeste’s manager, chatting rubbish and blowing smoke. And Portman is in her element when Celeste is on stage, belting out songs written by Sia, and swaggering behind the scenes à la In Bed with Madonna.
Thematically, the film takes a thorny cavort through the changing face of fame, notoriety, violence, faith and worship over the 18-year period. Vox Lux begins in the same year as the Columbine massacre, its mid-act concludes with 9/11 and, by the end, a terrorist group has struck at a tourist spot. When Celeste hooks up with a musician and draws parallels between rock music and school shootings, it’s a moment that reminds us of conversations that took place in the mainstream media. And when a drug-addled Celeste is later asked for her insight on complex matters for delicious pull-quotes, Corbet’s film is wholly attuned to the absurdity. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Fri 3 May.
CRIME DRAMA ASH IS PUREST WHITE (15) 136min ●●●●● Chinese director Jia Zhangke (A Touch of Sin) returns to the crime genre for Ash Is Purest White, his latest exploration of contemporary China. Beginning in 2001, we find Zhao Qiao (Zhao Tao) in love with a provincial mobster named Guo Bin (Liao Fan). A robust presence, Qiao is also fiercely loyal. When Bin is attacked on the street by a bunch of motorbike-riding thugs, it’s Qiao who comes to the rescue, firing shots into the air as the camera circles her in a showstopping sequence. Refusing to incriminate her boyfriend, she’s arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for possessing an illegal firearm.
We pick things up at the end of her jail term, as Qiao gets word that her low-life lover has moved on. She sets out to track him down, partly to re-establish her own place in the world, with the time jump allowing Jia to examine the changing face of China. Throughout a story spanning almost 18 years, Zhao – Jia’s off-screen partner and a regular in his
films – is rock-solid, playing a born survivor who boasts street-smarts in spades. The final act is perhaps too ponderous, but it’s typical of Jia: this is no ordinary gangster film but one that’s filled with poignancy and longing. (James Mottram) ■ Selected release from Fri 26 Apr.
80 THE LIST 1 Apr–31 May 2019