THE BEAVER AT THE BFI THE BEAVER AT THE BFI

Referring to the wrinkles that form between your eyebrows, induced by stress and xed by botox, Triangle of Sadness follows supermodel couple Carl and Yaya as they embark on a luxury cruise. On board, the out-of-touch ultra-wealthy contrast with the harangued crewmembers who are forced to entertain ridiculous requests. A er a storm (and much projectile vomiting), they are shipwrecked on an island where the social hierarchy is reversed.

Despite winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, I was apprehensive as I sat down to watch. My worries were con rmed. It is not a ‘brilliantly scathing takedown of the wealthy and beautiful’ as proclaimed by the trailer - the satire is heavy-handed and shallow, summed up by: ‘rich people, aren’t they so silly?!’ Overall, it is just ne.

Living by JACK BEECHING

Kazuo Ishiguro wrote this largely faithful adaptation of , a 1952 Kurosawa lm about an austere civil servant who learns that he is dying. Bill Nighy’s Mr Williams nds that his approaching death brings his remaining life sharply into focus: what should he do with the time he has le e setting is now 50s London, evoked through archive footage and the retro, 4:3 aspect ratio. lm is sincere, making for a refreshing watch a er so many self-aware blockbusters. Upli ing without being too sentimental, Nighy shines in this drama about redemption and meaning.

White Noise by VANESSA

HUANG

With White Noise, Noah Baumbach enters uncharted territory. It’s his rst time working with existing material, adapting Don DeLillo’s supposedly un lmable novel of the same name. It also integrates CGI and action sequences, resulting in the biggest budget he’s ever worked with. is audacious move doesn’t quite pay o and we’re le with a lm that’s weighed down by its own ambition.

ere are cleverly satirical moments aimed at academia and intellectualism – in one scene, Jack (Adam Driver) and a colleague engage in an animated backand-forth, drawing parallels between the lives of Hitler and Elvis Presley. But then White Noise seems to fall into the same trap, becoming stu y and overbearing with its own self-importance. At least there’s an upbeat LCD Soundsystem dance sequence during the end credits – a wonderful way to cap o this thoroughly bewildering experience. (condensed article - please see full versions online!)

e Wonder

by JILL SHAUGHNESSY

With Don’tWorryDarling dominating the headlines, a gorgeous performance by Florence Pugh is ying relatively under the radar in this new Sebastián Lelio lm. e Wonder, based on Emma Donoghue’s 2016 novel of the same name, transports you to picturesque countryside in Victorian Ireland. e lm unfolds to discover the truth behind strange circumstances while providing surprisingly modern commentary.

e substance of the plot comes from the Victorian phenomenon of the “fasting girl”. Florence Pugh portrays nurse Lib Wright who travels to Ireland to try to understand a community’s miracle child. A young girl, Anna O’Donnell (Kila Lord Cassidy), has seemingly not eaten in four months.

Florence Pugh, with her native accent and fresh face, pairs beautifully with the breathtaking Irish landscapes. Kila Lord Cassidy is incredibly impressive for a child actress and will no doubt be seen on screen in the future. Her performance is eerie and e ective. at being said, one may note that the simple cinematography and awkward one-liners leave something to be desired. However, Lelio once again proves he can successfully showcase an impactful story with a woman at the forefront. (condensed article - please see full versions online!)

One Fine Morning by VANESSA HUANG

Mia Hansen-Løve’s latest outing is a homecoming of sorts. First, it’s a return to her native French a er her English language debut. It’s also somewhat autobiographical – smaller in scale, gentler in touch, and imbued with a quotidian simplicity that’s entirely one-of-a-kind.

e lm follows Sandra (Léa Seydoux), a widow with a young daughter, who stands at the intersection of two crises. She has an ailing father who requires full-time care as his condition continues to deteriorate. en there’s also a rekindled friendship with a married man that quickly escalates into a full-blown a air. Rather than dramatising the chaos in Sandra’s life, the lm is ltered through a lens of so nostalgia, achingly teasing out these glimmers of human emotion. An interpreter in her professional life, Sandra seems to occupy this role in her personal life too. She’s constantly looking at, thinking about, and talking about other people – placing everyone else’s needs before her own. It’s di cult not to sympathise when the a air feels like the rst time she’s being seen.

One Fine Morning is miraculous in its ability to carry the bittersweetness of complex relationships – devastating heartbreak punctuated by delightful moments of humour (there is a Father Christmas scene that is on its own worth the price of a cinema ticket). I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

e Whale by SYED ZAID ALI

Adapted from a play of the same name by writer Samuel D. Hunter, this is a deeply personal story – Hunter discussed his past struggles self-medicating with food as he was presenting the lm with director Darren Aronofsky at the festival. Set almost entirely in Charlie’s (Brendan Fraser) apartment, we watch on in anguish as he slowly feeds himself to death. He attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink) as he grapples with depression.

is adaptation to screen retained much of its theatricality, and I believe this was much to its detriment. Crucially, this was re ected in the supporting performances and dialogue. e heightened moments of the supporting characters don’t always feel earned and instead tip into melodrama; I had the feeling throughout that I would’ve much preferred seeing this in its original, staged form.

Let any other performer come; none will dethrone Fraser as the best lead this year. (condensed article - please see full versions online!)

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio by VANESSA

HUANG

ere’s something so special about stop-motion animation: with all the hours spent on its intricate construction, it’s impossible for it not to ooze with care and love. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is no exception.

Adapted from Carlo Collodi’s novel, it’s a noticeably more sombre take on the well-known folk tale. We’re in Mussolini’s Italy and fascism serves as a constant throughline. A er carpenter Gepetto’s (David Bradley) son is killed by a bomb, he falls into a drunken rage and carves a wooden puppet. is puppet comes to life as Pinocchio (Gregory Mann), armed with a sunny disposition and a longing to become a real boy.

e backdrop of fascism adds some much-needed darkness, avoiding the saccharine lifelessness of Disney and introducing real stakes. e animation is, as you might expect, absolutely resplendent, and only heightened by an outstanding set of vocal performances – Christoph Waltz, playing yet another villain, is a particular highlight.

en there are parts where Pinocchio doesn’t do as well: it su ers from a bloated second act and loses a little of its narrative tension. e songs, inconsistently scattered throughout the lm, are also so utterly unremarkable that removing them would have no impact on the viewing experience. And to top it o there’s the inexplicable decision to cast Cate Blanchett in a role with no dialogue – only squeals and grunts.

But what perseveres is del Toro’s unwavering dedication to telling this story of parenthood, childhood disobedience, and mortality. And perhaps, like the medium of stop-motion animation, the lm’s charm comes in its imperfection.

e Banshees of Inisherin

by WILLIAM GOLTZ

Boring people, it must be said, do not tend to make great protagonists. Ordinary people, sure, thrust into extraordinary situations, might continue to fascinate us in a 1984, Eddy the Eagle kind of way. However, it seems impossible to think of a leading character who is made compelling purely on account of their own dullness. Boringness is boring, conventional wisdom would seem to suggest. In his latest lm, however, Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh seems to have taken this notion as a creative challenge rather than as a guiding principle. e Banshees of Inisherin is a curiously fascinating examination of the value of mundanity. Pádraic (Colin Farrell) is a nice-but-dull farmer whose only close friend, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) can no longer stand the insipidity of their daily conversation. One day, seemingly without warning, Colm decides that he can no longer speak to Pádraic as a friend. As their abruptly soured relationship descends into pettiness and violence, one truth remains inescapable – Pádraic is dull.

Played with a well-judged sense of immaturity by Farrell, he never truly grasps the reality of his situation and clings blindly to the hope that he might repair his friendship with Colm. His character is frustrating to watch, his brow constantly furrowed, his eyes distant, as if he is forever on the verge of nding the answer to his own strange predicament. And yet he is oddly compelling. As dull as McDonagh tells us Pádraic is, it is painful for us to watch him realise that he is an idiot. (condensed article - please see full versions online!)

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery by LIV KESSLER

To keep it short, it's a very entertaining lm. It's funny. It's surprising. It features Daniel Craig in a ridiculous bathing costume. What more can I say?

It was clear from the very beginning that this would not be quite as good as the rst Knives Out lm. Despite the expanded budget and many celebrity faces, it o en feels a little dated, especially in its references to the pandemic. Some of the cinematic elements were a bit too over the top, taking away from the actual plot.

It wasn’t really until the middle of the lm that I truly felt the action pick up and I became more invested in guring out the mystery. I appreciate a lm that makes me overly con dent about the wrong thing.

e most noticeable thing was just how funny it was. e whole cinema was laughing and honestly it was impossible not to; it’s obvious that Daniel Craig just loves playing Benoit Blanc. If you’ve ever seen him in James Bond, this is the opposite.

I think that overall, though it may not be a life changing lm, it will entertain you during Christmas break.