FILM OF THE WEEK

FINGERNAILS

Christos Nikou’s feature film debut APPLES was one of the most important films to emerge from Greece in recent years, since probably DOGTOOTH in which Nikou worked as assistant director to Yorgos Lanthimos. APPLES was a favourite at the 2020 Venice Film Festival and its originality made a huge impression on Cate Blanchett, who decided to produce his forthcoming project FINGERNAILS, which now arrives in cinemas via the London Film Festival. It is again scripted by Nikou and his APPLES co-writer Stavros Raptis, along with Sam Steiner and even though it is written in English, it is clearly from the same genre and spirit as those from the “Greek Weird Wave”.
It follows the story of Anna (Jessie Buckley) and Ryan (Jeremy Allen White), a happy couple living a perfect existence and whose love for each other is tested positively by a controversial new technology at a love testing institute. Anna is so impressed by this new technology that she takes a position at the institute along with diagnostician Amir (Riz Ahmed)…
It is such a bizarre premise, which like in APPLES, is a cross between sci-fi madness mixed with tender humanity. The film works a treat thanks to its careful casting – three of the hottest young actors work brilliantly together. Buckley shares magnificent chemistry with Allen White but it is her scenes with Ahmed that are pure gold and magic.
A magnetic film unlike anything you’ve seen!

THE KILLER

Michael Fassbender was born to play the protagonist in David Fincher’s stylish thriller, which was recently premiered at the London Film Festival. A man with no name watches and waits patiently for the perfect moment to shoot and kill his potential new victim in Paris. But when his assignment goes disastrously wrong, the serial killer is forced to go on the run…
It is a sleek, moody piece of filmmaking that relies entirely on the striking presence of his leading man. His killer is a man of few words and his perfectly pitched narration explains his thoughts, his methods and drive, but above all his anticipation when he is about to execute his target and pull the trigger. He is elegant and silent – a cross between Cling Eastwood’s hero in Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns and James Bond. On the evidence of this gripping thriller, Fassbender will be the perfect choice as the new 007. Fincher’s compelling film takes his dark anti-hero across the globe as he seeks revenge on those who turned against him following his botched job.
One of the best films of its kind!

HOW TO HAVE SEX

This enjoyable feature, which was also premiered at the recent London Film Festival, marks the remarkable debut of writer/director Molly Manning Walker. She tells the story of three British teenage girls on a dream holiday at the notorious Cretan destination of Malia. The purpose of this highly anticipated break is to drink as much as they can, dance all night long and have plenty of sex.
The story is seen through the eyes of Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), the sensitive protagonist, whose clumsy virginal sexual experience forces her to re-examine her relationship with her friends as well as her own future…
Manning Walker captures the manic spirit of these teenage holidays most effectively and unlike films such as THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE, which also takes place at Malia, the action is seen from the female perspective. A familiar setting but ignites the birth of fresh new talent in Manning and rising star McKenna Bruce.

PRESSURE

Horace Ove’s ground-breaking first feature which was made in 1975 is back in cinemas via the recent London Film Festival and in a brand new 4K restoration. It is screening as part of a complete retrospective celebrating Ove’s life and work under the title “Power to the People: Horace Ové’s Radical Vision.”
The script is written by Ove and fellow Trinidadian author Sam Selvon and it follows the story of a Black family in West London. The parents work hard to make ends meet, while their first son (Oscar James) in now part of the Black Power Movement. The younger son Tony (Herbert Norville) struggles to find a job after leaving school and faces extreme prejudice almost on daily basis…
It is expertly written and is powerfully performed especially by the young actors. It is an honest portrayal of Black life and identity as well as police corruption and prejudice, which sadly is as relevant as ever.

SAVAGE WATERS

There have been many films about surfing and sea adventures in recent years, but what makes Mikey Corker’s documentary quite special is the combination of the two. Matt Knight has inherited his family passion for sailing in the most remote and dangerous waters of the Atlantic Ocean and is blessed with a loving wife and children, who loyally follow him to the end of the world. He is also joined by big wave surfer Andrew Cotton and the scene is set for a big action adventure…
It is a truly inspirational story superbly photographed and eloquently narrated by Charles Dance as the voice of one of Knight’s ancestors.

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