ON FILM

Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque

As the summer unfolds and the days become longer, people’s thoughts of an evening turn quite rightly from sitting inside in the dark to more outdoor pursuits. Traditionally film societies have had a summer recess to take stock, plan ahead and follow the film festivals from around the world searching out those gems that can be gleaned from the various programmes.

Cinematheque is no different, our committee, all volunteers, meet to choose the films for next season, our 41st. These are always lively discussions, taken seriously, with one eye on a responsibility to come up with a balanced selection, and the other to fulfil our remit to ‘show the best of world cinema’. As I have mentioned before, this job is getting tricky and will only become more difficult over the coming years, not for any fall in the quality of the films being released, but in the manner in which they are released. The film industry is going through great change currently because of the proliferation of streaming sites. So much of the industry’s money goes into streaming, which is where the finance for so many new films is directed.

This means they are never released on DVD, our only available method at present of projecting films in a venue. As music has gone from vinyl to cassette to CD to downloading (and ironically back to vinyl in many instances), film has been taken from reel-to-reel projection to VHS cassette to DVD and now streaming. If one has a hard copy of the product (a DVD) the companies have no control over how many times one watches it; with streaming they can monetise each and every time one accesses their products. Even with these factors in place, I do feel we have come up with an excellent selection for next season.

These include in no particular order, The Quiet Girl (2022) – an Irish coming-of-age drama by first-time director Colm Bairead. It follows a troubled nine-yearold girl in rural Ireland, as she is farmed out over the summer holidays to distant relatives, whilst her mother is expecting yet another baby. This heart-wrenching film, beautifully acted, slowly reveals how this withdrawn girl experiences a loving home for the first time and has been universally critically acclaimed.

Alcarras (2022) tells the tale of a Spanish family who runs a peach farm, under threat from their neighbour who owns the land. He wants to build a solar farm where their orchard grows. Filmed with a cast of nonprofessional locals this is a ‘profoundly authentic and moving contemplation of the fragility of family and childhood’ with some wonderfully natural acting from the children. cinematheque.org.uk swan-theatre.co.uk

Azor (2021) is a Swiss/Argentine production revealing the alluring world of the ultra-wealthy in 1980s Argentina. Following a private Swiss banker arriving in Buenos Aires to replace a missing colleague and placate their moneyed clientele, this slow-burning thriller untangles a sinister web of colonialism and high finance, with a riveting reveal of Argentina’s ‘Dirty War’. This story of international intrigue is like watching a Graham Greene novel unfold.

Three highly recommended films then, from our next Cinematheque season. Watch out for more titles to follow. All details will be on our new website below.