SOCIAL

EDITED BY CARMEL LLOYD, LIV KESSLER & MATT SUDDLOW

The Cultural Fanatic’s Guide to London Vol. 2

by LIV KESSLER & illustrated by CHARLIE TO

Once you’ve hit the National gallery, The Tate Modern and the British Museum, where do you go? What unites all cultural fanatics is the unquenchable thirst for new things to see and explore. In this recurring feature,

The National Opera

I know this may seem like a highbrow and elitist recommendation, but hear me out.

The National Opera gives out free seats for under 21 year olds on most of their shows. The sign-up process takes a couple of days but is definitely worth it to get to witness some of the best opera in London. Don’t worry if you’re over 21, you get significant discounts on most shows if you’re under 35! The shows are funny and heartbreaking. With detailed costumes and sets, and glorious singing to top it all off. Finally, can you really refuse an opportunity to dress up to go to the opera, all for free? I think not.

The Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House (ROH) may cost you a bit more - in the sense that it is, unfortunately, not free - but is definitely also worth the detour. A mere 10 minutes away from LSE and in the heart of Covent Garden, the ROH is perhaps even more stunning than the National Opera. If the whole opera thing isn’t your cup of tea but you still want an opportunity to dress up and feel fancy, the ROH also houses the Royal Ballet. Keep your eyes peeled for tickets, as they go fast. I highly recommend The Nutcracker ballet if you want to make your inner four year old happy. Or if you need a place for a fancy date. The Young ROH scheme means most tickets go for £25 for under 25 year olds. You can also find £6 tickets, though you may not see much of the stage. Don’t be fooled by low prices - sometimes, if it’s too good to be true, it’s a standing ticket.

Pretty good pasta #2 by

JACK BEECHING

After my debut recipe’s warm reception, I’ve been asked to share more pasta dishes.

This one’s incredibly simple: it takes around 15 minutes. It’s also pretty tasty; I make it weekly. Enjoy.

Garlic and prawn pasta

Ingredients (serves one): 125g pasta. 200g frozen prawns (preferably raw). Olive oil. A few cloves of garlic. One chili. Salt. Pepper. Basil. Lemon juice.

1. Finely chop the garlic and chili. Start cooking the pasta.

2. Sauté the garlic and chili in a large pan with lots of olive oil.

3. When the garlic starts to brown, add the prawns. These should cook in around 7 minutes.

4. Once cooked, add the pasta to the pan and mix well to coat in oil.

5. Serve with salt, pepper, basil, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

by JEREMY RICKETTS-HAGAN

Athena is best summarised by the quote used at the end of its first trailer.

“It is difficult to fight anger, for a man will buy revenge with his soul.”

This concept resonates throughout the film, and is particularly relevant when considering the fate of our main protagonists.

Athena is the third feature film of French director Romain Gavras. It is set within the titular Athena, an inner city neighbourhood of Paris. It revolves around the unjust killing of a young teenager of Algerian descent, Idir, allegedly by the French police. It deals with the riotous movements that follow it. The riots are orchestrated by Karim, the older brother of Idir. They are being thwarted by the brutal police regime of metropolitan Paris and by Abdel, another of Idir’s older brothers.

It’s hard to overstate how stunning this film is. Much of Athena is filmed through extended shots, with sequential cuts every 15-20 minutes creating chapters within the film. Every frame feels like a Renaissance painting, as the architecturally cold yet lively inner-city suburb is beautifully portrayed through sweeping, tracking camerawork. This directorial style, coupled with the ominous orchestral score of the artist Gener8ion, creates a grand atmosphere which highlights the tense and antagonistic relationship between the youth of Athena and the police authorities. Gavras is perhaps best known for his direction of the Kanye West x Jay Z music video No Church in the Wild. In Athena, Garvas builds upon this past work, creating an expressive image of a grand rebellion.

Thematically, Athena is a beautiful addition to French anti-authority filmography, popularised by films such as La Haine (1995) and Gang Of The Caribbean (2016). I really enjoyed how this film uses the individual members of the grieving family as archetypes for the POC immigrant experience. Karim, our main protagonist, is portrayed as a revolutionary figure. He is tired of the corruption and racism that befalls his community and has a charismatic personality that draws legions of inner-city youth to his cause. He is young, wise, and yet undoubtedly rash. His ideological viewpoint is directly opposed by his older brother, Abdel, who is a member of the French military. Though it is clear that Abdel feels the pain of his brother’s death and sympathises with Karim’s movement, he is the quintessential “work through the system” type of character that those from marginalised communities are all too familiar with.

Athena is an excellent watch. Not only as an investigation of the inner-city tension that still permeates within discriminated communities in France, but also as a cinematically poignant tale of a family in the midst of a theoretical and very literal war.

Plus, it’s only like 90 mins. I promise you’ve got time.