FILM | REVIEWS
HORROR KNIFE+HEART (18) 102min ●●●●●
A camp, colourful slasher set in the gay porn industry of late 1970s Paris, Knife+Heart is almost as fun to describe as it is to watch. In this Gallic ode to the giallo genre from Yann Gonzalez, blue movie producer Anne (Vanessa Paradis) investigates the mysterious man brutally killing her actors, while reeling from a break-up with long-term girlfriend and editor Loïs (Kate Moran). An arresting sight in her tricolore wardrobe of atomic blonde hair, red boots, and electric blue eyeshadow, Anne is determined to impress Loïs creatively, using the investigation as inspiration for her new film, 'Homocidal'. Although the early murders set a dark tone, there’s a
persistent playfulness and the film features a strikingly tender, jubilant portrayal of the queer community. With the spectre of death haunting them, and the authorities unmotivated to help, it’s not hard to find parallels with the AIDS crisis to come. If the narrative falters in the third act, the biggest misstep is tonal – a character’s attempted rape muddies what is otherwise a melancholic yet love-filled relationship. While the film quickly moves on, it won’t be so easy for some viewers to ignore. (Sophie Willard) ■ Available to stream on MUBI and on limited release from Fri 5 Jul.
DRAMA OUR TIME (TBC) 173min ●●●●●
From Woody Allen to Atom Egoyan, filmmakers have occasionally taken the step of casting themselves opposite their off-screen partners. The results have rarely been as intriguing as Carlos Reygadas’ Our Time. Starring with real-life wife Natalia López – an editor who worked with Reygadas on Silent Light and Post Tenebras Lux – the Mexican director takes a deep dive into marital discord and jealousy over three leisurely hours.
Reygadas plays Juan, a poet living with his wife Esther
(López), who runs a bull ranch. Working with them is Phil (Phil Burgers), an American horse-breaker who is having an affair with Esther. Rather than cause a fissure in their relationship, Juan encourages his wife. Later, he even prods her towards rekindling passions with a former flame.
Some will consider it indulgent, others will believe Reygadas is simply playing out his marriage on screen. Whatever the intention, there can be no denying the poetic qualities of the film. From aerial shots of Mexico City as a plane comes in to land, to the sight of bulls rutting in unusually frosty weather, Our Time has a haunting beauty to it, as it confronts us with the painful, searing truth about the quixotic nature of mankind. (James Mottram) ■ Selected release from Fri 12 Jul.
COMEDY DRAMA ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (TBC) 159min ●●●●●
Cinema is the ultimate purveyor of dreams for Quentin Tarantino. It has allowed him to recreate lost times, recalibrate familiar genres and even rewrite history in the case of Inglourious Basterds. The very title of his latest epic has a suggestion of grandeur and the promise of a fairytale. This baggy opus immerses us in the Hollywood of 1969. It is a Twilight of the Gods
moment in the city of dreams and actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) already fears he is becoming a has-been. The star of television hit ‘Bounty Law’ has seen his career dwindle to guest spots in episodic dramas. Studio bigwig Marvin Schwarzs (Al Pacino) thinks his best career option is making spaghetti westerns in Italian. Dalton has the abiding friendship of his stuntman, driver and gofer Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) and Tarantino imagines their world with an almost fetishistic attention to detail. Dalton happens to be the Hollywood neighbour of rising star Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie)
and her husband Roman Polanski. The film gradually intertwines their lives as it moves inexorably towards the violence unleashed by Charles Manson and his followers. Tarantino’s period mosaic is a compelling, provocative but, frankly, uneven affair.
He devotes surprisingly little time to the sweet, sunny Tate and too much time to the production of a television western featuring Dalton. There are scenes that crackle with tension, a darkly charismatic performance from the seemingly ageless Pitt and moments of black comedy and savage, sustained violence. Even with all his impeccable craft and cinematic flair, there is nevertheless a niggling sense of reservation that this time Tarantino may have bitten off more than he was able to chew. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Wed 14 Aug.
ROMANTIC DRAMA ONLY YOU (15) 118min ●●●●●
Raw and, for some, devastatingly relatable, Only You is an in-depth look at a lesser-seen consequence of falling in love, as it focuses on the agony of infertility. It’s the assured debut of Harry Wootliff, a BAFTA nominee for his 2004 short Nits. Elena and Jake (Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor) are strangers when they share a cab one New Year’s Eve in Glasgow. It’s a classic meet-cute; he’s sober having DJed that night, she’s wasted, vomits, and impulsively invites him back to hers. They quickly fall into something more long-term but the signs are somewhat ominous.
Cinema has done little to aid understanding of those who undergo fertility treatment. Only You doesn’t feel overly maudlin but it is a picture of when the initial spark makes way for reality – it’s a fight for Elena and Jake not to buckle under the strain. The film is most notable for its deeply affecting performances. God’s Own Country’s O’Connor
again delivers a low-key turn full of endearing inflections, but Costa makes you feel every single blow. With camerawork that’s both sensitive and searching, it’s an ostensibly modest but heartbreakingly real drama that dares to speak uncomfortable, shrewdly discerned truths. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 12 Jul.
92 THE LIST 1 Jun–31 Aug 2019