list.co.uk/film REVIEWS | FILM
COMEDY DRAMA MADELINE’S MADELINE (15) 93min ●●●●● SCIENCE FICTION HIGH LIFE (18) 113min ●●●●●
COMEDY DRAMA SUPPORT THE GIRLS (15) 86min ●●●●●
Mothering and mental illness combine to smothering effect in Josephine Decker’s deep dive into the mind of a vulnerable 16-year-old, strikingly played by Helena Howard. Submerging us in Madeline’s overwhelmed take on the world, we watch as this mixed-race teen flits between her bundle-of-nerves mother Regina (Miranda July) and her radiant, seemingly sympathetic acting coach Evangeline (Molly Parker).
Conveniently ignoring her student’s increasingly erratic behaviour, Evangeline greedily mines her turmoil for material. Nevertheless, Madeline’s work with the drama group is a welcome release from her suffocating domestic situation, which veers from fractious conversations to violent altercations, with Regina’s every utterance reinforcing her daughter’s feelings of alienation and inadequacy.
Utilising absurdist and avant-garde imagery and inspiring a triptych of gutsy performances, Decker expertly explores the false fantasy and flawed reality of maternal love and deals with artistic exploitation and appropriation. Her film hones in on a seminal time in the development of a young woman’s identity; as Madeline filters out the noise, she finds her creative voice. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Available to stream on MUBI and on limited release from Fri 10 May.
Anyone foolish enough to think that High Life might mark a cynical slide towards the commercial by veteran French director Claire Denis are in for some big surprises. She may have a bigger budget than ever before, be working in English for the first time and have cast Robert Pattinson as her lead, but there is no sign of compromise in this bizarre and baffling science fiction mindbender.
The bones of a conventional narrative are just about visible in the tale of a mission to reach the nearest black hole. Monte (Pattinson) is the last man standing and has been left to care for a young baby. He is the ultimate single parent but the child’s trust in him is matched by his sense of responsibility towards her. High Life is low-tech sci-fi, slowly revealing its
secrets through scattered flashbacks which explain the mission and what happened to those on board. The fact that the crew was composed of dangerous criminals gives the first clue to the forces at play here. It is intriguing enough and provocatively playful at times, with Denis working hard to unsettle and disturb. However, it never manages to communicate its intent with any coherency, and the end result is more weird than wonderful. (Allan Hunter) ■ Selected release from Fri 10 May.
A grubby Texas roadside bar whose all-female waiting staff wear the barest minimum of clothes may not seem like the obvious setting for an insightful feminist drama. Yet, thanks to an intelligent, sensitive screenplay from writer-director Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha, Computer Chess) and stupendous work from Regina Hall, that’s exactly what Support the Girls reveals itself to be. We first meet the smartly dressed Lisa (Hall) as
she weeps quietly in her car, in the parking lot of the Double Whammies sports bar where she works as general manager. The film follows her over the course of a stressful day, as she navigates new employees, aggressive customers, her misogynistic boss (James Le Gros) and her failing marriage to a man who has simply given up.
This is a film not of high drama but of small
moments, each met with compassion and resolve by Lisa, while Hall’s nuanced performance elevates this story above any notion of sleaze or cheap thrills associated with the locale. Bujalski is not only a white male storyteller who seems to genuinely understand women, but a filmmaker able to highlight the inherent sexism and racism knitted throughout society without resorting to a soapbox or lecture. (Nikki Baughan) ■ Limited release from Fri 31 May.
COMEDY DRAMA THUNDER ROAD (15) 90min ●●●●●
Bruce Springsteen’s songs capture the hope, disappointment and sorrow of the American Dream in one fell swoop; Jim Cummings’ stirring debut not only references his 1975 working- class anthem in its title, it plays out as a passionate tribute to anyone beset by economic hardship. In The Boss’s world, screen doors slam, lovers take off down dusty beach roads and family is key. Here, Springsteen’s lyrics are a starting point for an emotionally raw and excruciatingly funny portrait of modern American society.
Cummings writes, directs, co-edits and assumes the lead role – playing Officer Jim Arnaud, a cop in the midst of a breakdown, who’s struggling with grief following the death of his mother, while also dealing with a messy divorce and custody battle. Shot for $180k and part funded by a Kickstarter campaign,
Cummings is expanding on a single-take short – winner of prizes at Sundance and SXSW – which sees Jim sing his heart out and dance at his mum’s funeral. As an actor, Cummings somehow makes Jim’s pain and the associated comedy even more agonising to watch this time round. His performance hits that sweet spot where you feel nothing but compassion for a man who shouldn’t be in possession of a gun, but who is trying his best to provide a good life for his daughter Crystal (Kendal Farr). In this hugely exciting first film, themes of masculinity and parenthood are explored through an unforgettably eccentric, highly fragile character who wears his heart on his sleeve and strings his sentences together like he’s running out of oxygen. Cummings locates the humour and humanity in a calamitous and desperately lonely person who, even at his lowest ebb, never loses sight of the promised land. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Fri 31 May.
1 Apr–31 May 2019 THE LIST 81