5 Films To Watch This Season
As the summer turns into September, there’s plenty of diverse and different films to keep you entertained that are arriving both in cinemas and on demand. Grab your blanket, brew a cup of drink and let these films accompany you through autumn. Far-reaching tales from Britain, Europe and further afield, here are ASFF’s recommended picks.
Lie With Me
Literature and lost love combine in Olivier Peyon’s adaptation of Philippe Besson’s best-seller, all set in the Bordeaux town of Baussony. Stéphane Belcourt (Guillaume de Tonquédec), a celebrated author who returns to his homeland, like the prodigal son, after 35 years away – recruited by the local cognac distillery to become a brand ambassador. The rub comes when he meets Lucas (Victor Belmondo), the son of his first love Thomas, triggering flashbacks to times past. A touching narrative about truth and fiction.
Scrapper
Charlotte Regan’s spirited tale sees newcomer Lola Campbell give a winning performance as Georgie, a 10-year-old girl living in East London. Her mother’s died and she’s fooled the authorities into thinking she has a guardian, but things change when her estranged father (Harris Dickinson) returns from Ibiza. Like last year’s Aftersun, it morphs into a sensitive father-daughter story, dipping into moments of fantasy and humour. Shot by Molly Manning Walker, the future of British working-class cinema looks very bright indeed.
Past Lives
Celine Song’s quietly beautiful debut has already garnered critical acclaim at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals, and stealthily became a minor hit in the U.S., where it’s made over $10 million. A ‘what if’ tale of two Korean childhood friends who are reunited in adulthood – with both now in separate relationships – it’s a simply told and delicately etched tale that has already drawn comparisons to Wong Kar-Wai’s classic about hidden passions, In The Mood For Love. First Cow’s John Magaro co-stars, making up an unforgettable cast.
Our River…Our Sky
Directed by Maysoon Pachachi, this anti-war tale is set in 2006 in Baghdad in the final days of Saddam Hussein’s existence. Several intersecting personal stories – an author and a student among them – collide as intense sectarian fighting goes on around them, and they try and find some semblance of normality and order in their lives. Looking at the way death and destruction can become sewn into the fabric of everyday life, it makes for a startling debut by Pachachi.
The Trouble With Jessica
Directed, co-written and scored by Matt Winn (2015’s The Hoarder), this British black comedy sets out to skewer the middle classes. Shirley Henderson and Alan Tudyk play a couple facing financial ruin unless they can sell their London home. But things go from bad to worse when they host a dinner party for their best friends (Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams) – and the uninvited Jessica (Indira Varma) joins the gang. What happens next is too delicious to spoil, but you just know it’s not going to end well.
Words: James Mottram
