CINECOLA RECOMMENDS 10 FILMS TO WATCH AT THE 58th BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL

The 58th BFI London Film Festival is upon us! CineCola has been around numerous film festivals and seen many films. So, here are 10 of the films we have already seen in the BFI London Film Festival programme that we loved (CineCola darlings if you will). We loved them, and certainly recommend that you do not miss them!

 

*The list is NOT in order of preference

1 - BUTTER ON THE LATCH by Josephine Decker

 

A woman re-united with a friend at a Balkan song and dance camp, but their sweet re-kindling is abruptly interrupted when she pursues a romance with a new camper. Butter on the Latch is a remarkable work of exciting experimentation where the grey areas of the story encourage audience interaction. Most of all, it seems to originally exploit familiar moods and styles that are ruling the American independent cinematic scenes of today. Set mostly in menacing woods where tree branches and sharp leaves intertwine alarmingly under the cold and unforgiving sunlight, Josephine Decker's erotically charged dream and nightmare is a mixture of white and black magic, where the elements of mind, body and soul blend into narrative synergy. There is mystery, horror, comedy and drama but more compellingly a pursuit of audience interaction through grey and seemingly unfocused areas of the story that are really volountary gaps laid down for each individual viewer to fill in.

 

Butter on the Latch will be screened in the First Feature Competition of the 58th BFI London Film Festival on Saturday 11 at 20.30 at the Odeon Covent Garden and Sunday 12 at 13.00 at the ICA Cinema.

 

2 - FOXCATCHER by Bennett Miller
 
Based on one of the darkest pages in the history of American sports, this is a story that gravitates around an amateur wrestler Mark whom we meet down and out at the beginning of the film despite having won a gold medal in the Olympics. One day, he randomly gets a call from the estate of John E. du Pont, a multimillionaire who becomes a father figure to him as he trains him for the next Olympics. However, things gradually begin to get more tense as their relationship is placed under strains, and they do not get easier with the arrival of Mark's brother and he seems relegated to the shadows once again. Having revitalised sports drama in his exciting film Moneyball, Foxcatcher stands as a different kettle of fish. The film is soft spoken and moves as a constant hypnotic pace full of emotional and psychological tension, and nevertheless there is also a lot of thrilling suspense in the dramatic situation that reads as a sophisticated vulcano waiting to erupt. Conveying this meditative and edge-of-your-seat approach is also the camerawork that is immpressively fluid and is able to draw you into the atmosphere of Foxcatcher. This film is also enriched by the excellent performance of the three leading players, who deliver three very different performances that complete a perfect dramatic triangle to perfection. Tatum and Ruffalo are excellent, and yet it is inevitable that Carrell, usually regarded as one the funniest personalities on the big screen, should stand out. Playing the obsessive and psychologically troubled du Pont, he is unrecognisable also on a physical point of view and incredibly magnetic throughout the film.
 
Foxcatcher will be this year's American Express Gala at the LFF, and will be screened on Thursday 16 at 19.15 at the Odeon Leicester Square and on Friday 17 at the Odeon West End.
 
3 - THE PRESIDENT by Mohsen Makhmalbaf
 
Taking place in a fictitious totalitarian country, a dictator suffers the consequences of his selfish regime after revolution strikes and he is forced to pose as a poor travelling musician in the hope of fleeing the country and ascending to power again one day. There is a further catch; his little nephew is with him and he must protect his life as well as his own. Having spent a long time in exile from his home country in Iran, Makhmalbaf shot this film in Georgia where cinema is getting more and more interesting. One would expect his views on power and greed to be more strong, yet it is finally the ambiguity of the thematic focus that makes the film more human; in other words the audience must finally be the one to pick sides between the selfish totalitarian and the violent and remorseless revolutionaries. As far as the central figure of the president is concerned, he recalls those conflicted leaders in the films of Kurosawa, but the pace and impulsiveness of The President as well as the intelligent use of satire – of which the musical element is extremely delightful – hails deeply from Mohsen Makhmalbaf himself.
 
The President will be presented in the Official Competition of the LFF, and will be screened on Saturday 18 at 14.15 at the Odeon West End and Sunday 19 at 17.30 at the Vue West End.
 
4 - SNOW IN PARADISE by Andrew Hulme
 
Andrew Hulme’s directorial debut talks about a man whose machismo conceals unhappiness and whose involvement in the criminal underworld is only a result of his self destructive self and his lack of direction in life. But after his friend is killed, he suffers a crisis that leads him to discover religion and the Islam culture. Despite the start of the film that seems all too familiar, Hulme takes his seemingly conventional story to unfamiliar grounds and ups the thematic relevance and importance of a spiritual awakening that touches the leading character in this character driven story very deeply. While there are progressive hints at Snow in Paradise taking itself too seriously, there is also great delight to be had in the visual touches and in a magnetic leading performance by Frederick Schmidt. Worthy of note is the fact that this is a film that is incredibly based on true experiences of co-writer and co-star Martin Askew.
 
Snow in Paradise will be presented in the Thrill section of the LFF, and screened on Saturday 18 at 18.15 at Curzon Soho and Sunday 19 at 15.30 at Curzon Soho.
 
5 - PASOLINI by Abel Ferrara
 
Anyone familiar with Ferrara’s previous work might have been expecting or indeed even concerned by the controversy that such a film might have caused. When this controversy did not take place, and when unexpectedly this turned out to be an almost complete tribute to the works of one of the most highly regarded filmmakers Italian cinema ever dished out, critics expectedly turned against it. Seen without prejudice, however, Pasolini by Abel Ferrara is one of the most touching and faithful films a filmmaker ever made about another filmmaker in the history of cinema. The connection shared between filmmaker and subject is so touching a times that it may even seem like a collaboration – this is particularly true in the scenes where Ferrara brings to life the project that would have been Pasolini’s next feature before his untimely death. Even still, it is remarkable that despite the fact that there was so much ground to cover even by focusing on the last little over 24 hours of Pasolini’s life, that Ferrara was so capable of fitting so much into his feature. His interviews, his casual relationships with friends and family, his openly homosexual lifestyle and in the end even his death. But by the end, thankfully, there is no time for investigations or conspiracies to feed the controversy. Take it for what it is. Pasolini is a touching tribute as well as a great portrayal of human vulnerability, born out of a daydream thought a whole generation of filmmakers who grew up with Accattone and Mamma Roma must have had once in their lives and, in the case of Ferrara, a daydream that became a fixation.
 
Pasolini will be presented in the Dare section of the LFF, and screened on Friday 10 at 18.30 at the Odeon West End, Saturday 11 at 21.00 at Ritzy Cinema and Monday 13 at 12.45 at the BFI.

 

6 - VIKTORIA by Maya Vitkova
 
It's hard not to get excited about such an impressively unique vision as Viktoria. Ambitiously covering three decades worth of Bulgarian history, this film is also inspired by the filmmaker's own life and her relationship, or lack of relationship with her mother. The film looks beautiful and spontaneous at the same time, feeling all at once as if employing documentary like realism as well as metaphorical poetry. The cohesion of the visual and the narrative also shows a confidence and maturity by Maya Vitkova that is quite rare to find in a first feature. This might be because of her closeness and dedication to the subject. Nevertheless, Viktoria is also a story with a universal appeal and with plenty of interesting and facinating elements. As well as that, the calm pace of the story allows the emotional sides to sink in with the viewer and makes the film for a priceless and completely rewarding mediatative experience.
 
Viktoria will be presented in the Love section of the LFF, and screened on Sunday 12 at 20.20 at the BFI and on Tuesday 14 at 15.15 at the ICA.
 
7 - TIMBUKTU by Abderrahmane Sissako
 
An examination of Timbuktu's struggled with religious fundamentalism, focusing mostly on a man named Kidane who seems to have found the key to living an idyllic life out in the dunes away from the troubles caused by the Jihad. There is a haunting silence running throughout the film, as one of the points of focus of Sissako's film is that they have abolished the beauty of the characteristic Malian music. Cinematically speaking, it is understood, that such themes have been dealt with before, but it does not take long to understand that Timbuktu is a film that can distinguish itself quite comfortably. This is not just because of the way which Sissako, who grew up in the titular place, deciedes to shoot the desertic place and glorifying its beauty and even allowing it space to breathe through lengthy long shots and more detailed ones that take us through its streets as well as its outskirts - this in turn relealing an emotional attachment of the filmmaker's to it. And it is not just because of the audacity with which he tackles such touchy subjects and delicate matters. Perhaps this film's most impressive and distinguishing feature is its open use of satire, which is sometimes nothing short of exemplary comedic creativity through sequences such as an imaginary football game - due to football having been disallowed - or the representation of the Islamist authorities as gullible figures reminescent of the Keystone Cops. This humour reveals an underlying and poetic sense of hope that is also a driving force in the film which admittedly loses some of its impact in a somewhat trivial ending but nevertheless remains truly impactful.
 
Timbuktu will be presented in the Official Competition of the LFF, and screened on Friday 10 at 21.15 at the Odeon West End and Saturday 11 at 18.15 at the Curzon Soho.
 
8 - QUEEN AND COUNTRY by John Boorman
 
Around thirty years after his film Hope and Glory, John Boorman makes the sequel Queen and Country, which is more or less based on personal experiences and picks up the story where it left off, with the young central Englishman joining the army to fight the Korean War. There is a classic movie charm and appeal to Queen and Country that is rare to come by nowadays. Most particularly, it recalls war comedies of the fifties and sixties that were produced in Britain at the time when this film is set, and so as a result the whole feature is perfectly at ease in its environment. Boorman’s film also feels personal and despite having a lack of heavy messages being much more interested in expressing Boorman’s own formative years in his passions for cinema, the crowd pleasing appeal of the film is well balanced and makes it entertaining and funny with great finesse.
 
Queen and Country will be presented in the Laugh section of the LFF, and screened on Thursday 9 at 18.00 at the BFI, Sunday 12 at 12.00 at the Odeon West End and Sunday 19 at 21.00 at the Curzon Mayfair.

 

9 - SOMETHING MUST BREAK by Ester Martin Bergsmark
 
Sebastian, a transgendered teen's world is rocked by a young man named Andreas. A relationship develops between the two, but as it deepens and develops it also starts to pose an almost unbearable and weighty psychological threat. Free spirited, erotic, romantic and sweet. Eccentric and uproarious in its most ‘punk’ moments, the sweetness and softness of Something Must Break is really what charges the viewing experience. An intriguing exploration of sexuality and self-exploration. This was also possible due to the chemistry shared by the two leading actors. Nevertheless a big chunk of the praise goes to the director, Ester Martin Bergsmark in his feature directorial debut for his match and balance of technical competence and a stylish outlook with plenty of fascinating sensorial enrichments in sound and vision with genuine emotional connection.
 
Something Must Break will be presented in the First Feature Competition of the LFF, and screened on Friday 10 at 18.15 at the Odeon Covent Garden and on Sunday 12 at 21.00 at the Rich Mix.
 
10 - DIFRET by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari
 
A young girl faces an almost certain death penalty after she kills one of her kidnappers. The law is on the kidnappers’ side in accordance to an old Ethiopian tradition that allows such behaviours that lead to marriage. Hope arises when a female lawyer comes to her rescue. Difret by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari is incredibly based on a true story and exposes a subject that is not talked about. Despite its regional implications, Difret feels universally representational as a plea for evolution of mankind’s ethics and an elimination of nonsensical and dangerous traditions. There is also a great use of the theme of female empowerment felt throughout the film. As a human rights feature, it is a greatly affecting able to connect with its audience emotionally. It also looks great, and this is also due to the fact that it is shot in glorious 35mm that not only paints a stunning picture of the landscape of Ethiopia but also reveals Mehari’s love for his home country. This reveals that Difret is not simply a film of protest but an inspiring story and a warm act of love and plea for much needed change.
 
Difret will be presented in the First Feature Competition of the LFF, and screened on Saturday 18 at 14.45 at the Vue West End and on Sunday 19 at 15.45 at the Rich Mix.