Life of Riley 3 stars. Great fun. A theatre piece, old school farce with lots of entering stage left, exit middle door routines. But successfully translated to the screen through clever use of drawings and theatrical sets. Also fun having French actors playing English roles. Good old George, leading the life of Riley. Great performances from everyone.
Free Range 4 stars. I loved this film. Beautifully filmed. The first film of the festival where I have noticed and admired the cinematography – the colours, the washed out look, the framing. A Bergmanesque skewering of middle clas mores over a family luncheon. The debauched parties of the young. The reality of manual work. All wonderful. Terrific performance from the baby-faced lead playing a role similar to Fassbinder’s Baal but much more attractive. The struggle between art and life.
Doll & Em 3 stars. This started out light and fluffy but over the six episodes got darker and finally delivered a very authentic portrayal of best ‘friendship’. Competitiveness, jealousy, guilt. To a final truth that you have to take your friends for who they are – for good or ill. Along the way some nice insights into film making and lives lived by the stars. Nice to see Emily Mortimer taking control of her own destiny by writing, producing and acting in this quiet gem.
Miss Violence 2 stars. Stymied a bit by a warning at the start about graphic sexual violence that made you wary about when it would come. Not needed I think. The whole film was full of dread and it was apparent early what was happening and likely to happen. A family held in thrall by a monstrous man who presented himself to the world as a mild mannered accountant. Horrible story told well. But to what end?
Leave a Reply