This week I’ve picked a couple of films to highlight that should put a smile on your face. They deal with some hefty issues, but they’ve also been loaded up with all the quirk and charm needed for heartwarming entertainment. My highlights for this week are FOOTNOTE, HELL AND BACK AGAIN, and BEGINNERS.
This week I’ve picked a couple of films to highlight that should put a smile on your face. They deal with some hefty issues, but they’ve also been loaded up with all the quirk and charm needed for heartwarming entertainment.
My highlights for this week are:
FOOTNOTE
Directed by: Joseph Cedar
Starring: Shlomo Bar-Aba, Lior Ashkenazi, Aliza Rosen
Screening: Tuesday 19th March, 8.30pm
I love this amusing and slightly quirky drama about ego, ambition and the professional rivalry of a father and son. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Oscars, and the recipient of the Festival de Cannes best screenwriting award, this Israeli comedy/drama is a delight. It tells the story of father and son professors who have dedicated their lives to Talmudic studies, with varying results. Professor Eliezer Shkolnik is a dedicated researcher with very little to show for his life’s work, while his son Professor Uriel Shkolnik is a more populist and well known academic. Their estranged relationship comes to a head when father Eliezer wins the Israel Prize. Footnote is cleverly written and well acted, with a lot more going on than is initially apparent.
HELL AND BACK AGAIN
Directed by: Danfung Dennis
Starring: Nathan Harris, Ashley Harris, The Marines of Echo Company
Screening: Thursday 21st March, 8.30pm
Ok, so this Oscar nominated documentary isn’t a smiley sort of film, but it’s well worth a watch. It tells the story of Marine Sgt. Nathan Harris who served three terms in Afghanistan, the last of which was captured on camera by embedded director and cameraman Danfung Dennis. Nicely shot, Danfung’s documentary gives a candid look at life on the ground in Afghanistan, and is intercut with footage of Harris recovering at home from a severe hip injury he received near the end of his deployment. Interestingly, it’s the difficulties of adjusting to normal life that drives Harris crazy, rather than life at war. A revealing and thought-provoking documentary, this is the closest you'll get to understanding life as a US Marine.
BEGINNERS
Directed by: Mike Mills
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent
Screening: Saturday 23rd March, 8.30pm
At 82 Christopher Plummer proved he’s still a real talent with a Best Supporting Golden Globe and Oscar winning performance as Hal, a widower who unexpectedly announces to his son (Ewan McGregor) that he’s got cancer and a gay lover. Amazingly, it was only Plummer’s second Oscar nomination - his first one was for the 2009 film The Last Station. As Hal’s illness slowly takes over, his son Oliver tries to apply the lessons he’s learnt from his father to his own life, especially when a mysterious and unpredictable French actress (Laurent) suddenly appears. Poignant and amusing, Beginners is a unique little gem and will firmly put that smile back in place.