FILM: The White Crow (2018, Ralph Fiennes)

Biopic The White Crow is distributed by StudioCanal, following its premiere at the 2018 Telluride Film Festival. The film tells the true story of Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev (Oleg Ivenko), who came from poverty to become one of the finest young ballet dancers of the early 1960s, only for his entire life to change when in Paris for a series of performances.

PROS

• Spectacularly choreographed ballet sequences, which cinematographer Mike Eley frames very well to convey the grace and precise skill of great ballet.
• Mike Eley uses low saturated colours that give a really sombre, cold visual style to the film, reflecting just how cold and bleak Nureyev’s life ultimately is.

CONS

• A disjointed, non-linear narrative that feels more like a tick-list of Nureyev’s life than an actual exploration of his story, the final result feeling impersonal, somewhat forced and quite drab and dreary.
• Mike Eley films in black-and-white with splashes of colour for Nureyev’s childhood flashbacks, but those splashes of colour end up being quite distracting, as does the fact that the aspect ratio changes as well.
• An altogether underwhelming cast, whose performances are dreary and, in many cases, wooden and bland. The most notable example is Oleg Ivenko. While the quality of his leading turn improves in the final 20 minutes or so, for the majority of the film his line delivery is forced, despite his dancing being excellent.

VERDICT: 4/10

FILM: Ben is Back (2018, Peter Hedges)

Drama Ben is Back is distributed by Lionsgate, following its premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Ben (Lucas Hedges) makes a surprise return home for Christmas after several months in rehab. His mother Holly (Julia Roberts) is delighted, but she soon comes to learn just how much damage he truly caused while he was using. While the rest of the family seem ready to give up on Ben, Holly is determined to help him as he seeks to atone for his mistakes.

PROS

• A sensitive look at drug addiction that reflects just how wide an impact an individual’s struggles can have, as well as the difficulties one can have in trying to stay clean. The real heart of the narrative, however, is the unconditional love of a mother who is desperate for her child to be safe and feel loved.
• Very sensitive leading performances from Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges, which are multilayered turns that are rich in raw emotion, while the two actors have a great chemistry.
• Director Peter Hedges contrasts well how warm and uplifting a familial environment is with how dark and dangerous a criminal underworld is, which is aided well by the use of lighting by cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh.

CONS

• The narrative does feel a little cliched at times in its hammering home the message that Drugs are Hell, while the nuance of the narrative is noticeably lost in the final third that goes far more into thriller territory.
• The narrative is at its strongest when focusing on Holly and Ben’s relationship, the moments that do not being less well realised, while the humour that is penned for some scenes missing the mark.
• A number of supporting characters are introduced and, despite having a reason for being there, they are not well realised, feeling instead like characters created to pad out the narrative a bit more.

VERDICT: 6/10

FILM: The Kindergarten Teacher (2018, Sara Colangelo)

Drama film The Kindergarten Teacher is distributed to UK cinemas by Thunderbird Releasing, following its premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Kindergarten teacher Lisa Spinelli (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is blown away when she discovers that little Jimmy (Parker Sevak) has a gift for coming up with original poems off the top of his head. Lisa becomes fascinated with the little boy and wants to nurture his gift due to her love for poetry, but it is not long before her fascination begins to veer into the realms of obsession.

PROS

• Sara Colangelo proves herself a very capable director, presenting a well-directed film that feels natural and not at all intrusive in its depiction of everyday life and manages to extract naturalistic performances from the child actors in the cast.
• Sara Colangelo also proves herself to be a good screenwriter, presenting an interesting slow-burn drama that looks at the dangers of emotional attachment, of wanting to fulfil your own dreams through another, and also at the different perspectives on the world found within different age groups. Plus she reflects her own passion and adoration of creative arts through those who create poetry.
• A nuanced leading turn from Maggie Gyllenhaal, who realises well the fact that Lisa is emotionally complex and brings raw emotion when necessary and warmth when necessary. However, the star of the show is Parker Sevak, who gives a really naturalistic and authentic performance as young Jimmy.
• In the scenes set during the kindergarten classes and recess, cinematographer Pepe Avila del Pino brings the viewer into the moment by using handheld cameras that show the world from a small child’s perspective.

CONS

• Pepe Avila del Pino does a frankly bad job in scenes that utilise the 180 degree rule, with the characters being very much at the side of the frame, leaving vast amounts of space that prove very distracting.
• There are some quite predictable moments in the narrative that stem from the fact that we know that we are simply waiting for the inevitable to happen.

VERDICT: 8/10

FILM: Border (2018, Ali Abbasi)

Swedish/Danish fantasy Border is distributed by TriArt Film following its premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Customs officer Tina (Eva Melander) is a social outcast because of her facial deformities, but she is outstanding at her job as she has the animal-like ability to smell shame and guilt. She befriends Vore (Eero Milonoff), who shares her abilities and deformities, but his coming into her life will lead to her sense of identity being wholly changed.

PROS

• Ali Abbasi does an excellent job of crafting a slow-burn as he presents small clues to the mystery of Tina’s identity and gradually pieces them together.
• The screenwriters show great maturity by trusting the viewer to piece the clues together as the narrative progresses, which wonderfully aids the sense of mystery.
• The make-up department did a truly outstanding job with this film, putting lots of detail into the physical deformities and scarring of Tina and Vore, making the two actors completely unrecognisable yet looking wholly believable.
• The production design department do a great job of creating disturbing fantasy imagery when the twist and shock revelations come.
• Nuanced performances from Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff, who create the animal-like attributes of their characters through very well realised body language, while bringing raw emotions to their complex characters.

CONS

• There is a real tonal shift as the film comes to its final twenty minutes or so, becoming noticeably more convoluted and far less of a nuanced slow-burn, while there is a lack of consequence for certain characters, everything wrapping up a little too easily instead.
• A number of supporting characters who have little significance to the narrative and whose actors get no opportunity to shine, thanks to the lack of material to work with.
• A few shots with a poor depth-of-focus, while some shots are noticeably (and distractingly) out of focus.

VERDICT: 8/10

FILM: On the Basis of Sex (2018, Mimi Leder)

Biopic On the Basis of Sex premiered at the 2018 AFI Fest, before receiving theatrical distribution from Focus Features. The film tells the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), a Columbia Law graduate who has been denied opportunities to practice Law by a highly sexist society. After 11 years as a Law professor, her lawyer husband Marty (Armie Hammer) presents to her a gender discrimination case that he needs her help with – one that proves that gender discrimination works both ways and that ultimately the US Constitution needs to be altered.

PROS

• Unlike many modern biopics and historical films that explore gender discrimination, this film acknowledges that it works both ways and that men can also lose out as a result of sexism in society.
• The fact that screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman did his homework shines through in detailed writings about laws, famous court cases and history.
• A very good leading turn from Felicity Jones, who brings a sense of wisdom and a natural gravitas to the role. She receives particularly good support from Armie Hammer and Cailee Spaeny as Ruth’s husband and teenage daughter.

CONS

• While there are no bad performances in this film, the majority of the supporting cast are quite forgettable as they have little material to work with, even less chance to shine and characters who are very one-sided.
• The narrative is ultimately rather episodic and does feel quite rushed, with a number of underdeveloped events leading to an ending that wraps up far too quickly, the viewers being told what the case’s outcome was rather than shown.
• The film is a good example of the retelling of actual events being played safe, as there is never any real sense of weight or gravitas to the stakes of the case.

VERDICT: 5/10

FILM: If Beale Street Could Talk (2018, Barry Jenkins)

Romantic drama If Beale Street Could Talk is distributed by Annapurna Pictures, following its premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Based on James Baldwin’s novel, the film tells the story of lifelong friends Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James) in the 1970s. As they enter adulthood they fall in love with each other but, not long after Tish learns that she is pregnant with Fonny’s child, he is arrested and jailed for a rape that he did not commit. Tish and her family begin to pull out all the stops to get him cleared but, with bigoted cops in a bigoted system pulling the strings, the situation becomes increasingly hopeless.

PROS

• Director/screenwriter Barry Jenkins is very nuanced and sensitive in his approach to a story that may be over 40 years old but has real relevance today, and shows his intelligence as both a filmmaker and writer of harrowing screenplays. He is unafraid to tackle tough subject matter, and he knows when to make something blatant, but equally knows when to insinuate, trusting that the viewer can read between the lines.
• Tremendously well realised, multilayered characters whose relationships are fleshed out well and who grow over the course of the narrative as they go life-changing experiences. In the supporting characters department, Tish’s family are fleshed out well and each have a place of significance in the narrative.
• Outstanding leads in KiKi Layne and Stephan James, who have a wonderful chemistry and who portray their characters’ emotional journeys with nuance and sensitivity. They are backed by a very good supporting cast, the stand-out being Regina King as Tish’s mother, who gives a raw, emotional turn as maternal instincts kick and and she fears for the future of her daughter, son-figure Fonny and unborn grandchild.
• In the flashback scenes that depict Tish and Fonny’s relationship prior to his arrest, cinematographer James Laxton gives the film an amber glow, bringing a golden sheen that reflects memory and the sense of hope that the characters once carried for their futures.
• A haunting jazz score by Nicholas Britell helps convey the emotional weight of the narrative, but never overwhelmingly so.

CONS

• Very little is seen of Fonny’s family, but when on screen they feel very caricatured compared to Tish’s family (and distractingly so) in an effort to create humour at a point in the narrative where to do so feels inappropriate.
• A couple of points where the dialogue does not feel wholly naturalistic, the novel-origins of the dialogue coming through a little much.

VERDICT: 9/10

FILM: A Private War (2018, Matthew Heineman)

Biopic A Private War is distributed by Aviron Pictures, following its premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. The film tells the true story of war correspondent Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike), depicting her career as a correspondent from the front line from 1986-2012 and the psychological impact her experiences had on her.

PROS

• A good overview of Marie Colvin’s career that emphasises the importance of making the truth public regardless of its horrors, as well as how anyone can be mentally scarred by experiences.
• Rosamund Pike gives one of her best performances yet as Colvin, that is multilayered, rich in raw emotion, conveying external strength yet also internal vulnerability.
• Thanks to detailed production design and some vivid use of makeup, the film conveys the horror of a war zone and how terrifying and dangerous it is to be a civilian caught in the middle of it all.

CONS

• The narrative at times feels like a simple tick-list for Colvin’s career and is ultimately just a 26-year-long countdown to her death (sorry for the spoiler, but this was front-page news seven years ago).
• While there are no bad performances from the supporting cast, their characters are mostly just there but with little realisation of their role in Colvin’s life.

VERDICT: 7/10

FILM: Instant Family (2018, Sean Anders)

Instant Family is a comedy-drama that is distributed by Paramount and inspired on the real-life experiences of director/co-screenwriter Sean Anders (albeit with the names changed). Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) decide that they want to adopt, and agree to adopt teenager Lizzy (Isabela Moner) and her younger siblings Juan (Gustavo Quiroz) and Lita (Julianna Gamiz). The three kids prove very challenging in very different ways, pushing Pete and Ellie to their limits, but it is a learning curve and they eventually begin to bond with the younger kids, while Lizzy remains naturally defensive. Can they get through to her?

PROS

• A genuinely heartfelt and sincere narrative that has a good balance between laughs (which mostly hit the mark very well) and character-driven drama that conveys the importance of both family and knowing that family is not just defined by being a blood relative.
• The character-driven element of the film is nothing short of excellent, a vast improvement on anything character-driven that Sean Anders has done before, as the characters are well-realised, multilayered individuals whose bonds and relationships are develop realistically and sincerely over the course of the narrative, which feels very natural and authentic for the most part.
• Solid, energetic leading turns from Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, while the three main child actors are natural young performers that have great chemistry with each other and with Wahlberg and Byrne. The supporting cast are also good, the stand-out being the ever-reliable Octavia Spencer as social worker Karen.

CONS

• A number of Ellie’s relatives feature, as do a number of fellow prospective adoptive parents, who are much less well realised, the latter being much more cardboard cut-out stereotypes in several instances.
• A few gags that do not quite hit the mark, particularly in the final 10 minutes which boasts a pointless and frankly dragged-out cameo from Joan Cusack.

VERDICT: 8/10

FILM: Boy Erased (2018, Joel Edgerton)

Biographical drama Boy Erased is distributed by Focus Features, following its premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Adapted from Garrard Conley’s memoir of the same title, albeit with the names of individuals changed, the film focuses on Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges). In his late-teens he realises that he starts to realise that he is gay, but when he comes out to his parents (Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman) he is sent to the Love In Action gay conversion therapy program by his father (who is a Baptist preacher). Willing to give it a go out of love for his parents and respect for their faith. However, upon arriving, Jared is horrified to learn that the therapy is nothing short of abusive, the chief therapist (Joel Edgerton) abusing the fact that what happens within sessions is strictly confidential.

PROS

• It would have been so easy for the film to just tell Jared’s story, but some of the most heartbreaking scenes depict his mother going through all manner of emotional anguish and worry as she questions whether she should have gone along with her husband’s wishes.
• Director/screenwriter Joel Edgerton uses flashbacks well to give a better understanding of Jared’s journey, and does not hesitate to emphasise the fact that individual actions can ultimately have long-term impacts on both an individual and their family.
• Lucas Hedges shows again his tremendous talent with a very sensitive performance that conveys all manner of internal conflict, and receives very good support from Nicole Kidman especially, as well as memorable support from Joel Edgerton.

CONS

• While the non-linear narrative does help us the viewer understand Jared’s journey better, the flashbacks to the experiences that led to him being at the program do make the narrative feel disjointed and merely offer us a wider overview instead of a deeper, nuanced understanding of him.
• While there are no bad performances, the majority of the supporting characters are very poorly realised, forgettable tick-list presences, and the actors therefore have scarcely anything to work with. And for several characters we are simply left questioning if their actions ever led to their comeuppance by the end.
• Joel Edgerton comes across as trying to make a far more high-brow piece of art than the film needs to be, with a dreary style and often intrusive score.

VERDICT: 5/10

FILM: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018, Marielle Heller)

Biopic Can You Ever Forgive Me? is distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, following its premiere at the 2018 Telluride Film Festival. Struggling author Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) is broke and on the verge of eviction when she learns that personal letters by deceased writers and actors are valuable collector’s items. She begins to forge such letters and finds a knack for it, which proves highly profitable. Of course this is all highly illegal and Lee’s conscience is greatly troubled by the fact that she is doing this. How long will it be before she is either her conscience gets the better of her or she is caught?

PROS

• Marielle Heller’s direction is very mature and well thought-through in its nuanced and precise execution, as well as very sensitive as she approaches a true story about an ultimately troubled person.
• A deeply moving and emotionally raw screenplay which explores mankind’s desire for wealth and success and challenges you as to how far you would be willing to go to achieve it.
• Melissa McCarthy showcases her tremendous talent as a dramatic actress, giving a raw, nuanced performance that conveys a complex individual with a sense of deep-rooted, underlying emotional baggage.
• An underlying dark wit that is realised wonderfully by Richard E. Grant, whose scene-stealing performance as Jack Hock hits just the right notes of theatricality and makes one think fondly of his turn in Withnail and I.

CONS

• The film could have benefited from being 5-10 minutes longer in order to flesh out some of the subplots a little more, while the loose ends do get tied up quite quickly at the end.
• The score by Nate Heller does at times feel a bit intrusive on the rest of the film, which is more noticeable as (while not a bad score) there is nothing particularly stand-out or impressive about it.

VERDICT: 8/10