BFI London Film Festival 2017 Preview - Part 1
A total of 242 feature films will screen at the 61st BFI London Film Festival in October; 242 films including 28 World premieres, 9 International premieres and 34 European premieres.
The previously announced Breathe and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri will bookend the festival and there are many treats in-store for the days in between. Here are some picks from my first perusal at the full line-up; click on the title of each film to go to the BFI festival page for the film.
The previously announced Breathe and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri will bookend the festival and there are many treats in-store for the days in between. Here are some picks from my first perusal at the full line-up; click on the title of each film to go to the BFI festival page for the film.
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The Headline Galas
The Mexican director returns with a 1960s monster fable starring Sally Hawkins as a mute woman working as a cleaner in a secret laboratory, who forms a bond with the mysterious creature (Doug Jones) being kept there. I am onboard for anything and everything that del Toro makes and the glowing reviews from its Venice premiere have only fuelled my anticipation even more.
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Alexander Payne is an LFF regular and his latest stars Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig as a couple contemplating a decision to - quite literally - downsize and join the community of shrunken people living pocket-sized lives. An intriguing satire on life in the modern world with a wealth of talent both in front and behind the camera.
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Featuring a performance that earned Joaquin Phoenix the Best Actor prize at Cannes earlier this year, You Were Never Really Here looks set to offer a brutal spin on the kidnap thriller; Phoenix plays Joe, a war veteran tasked with rescuing the daughter (Ekaterina Samsonov) of a US senator. I wasn't a huge fan of Ramsey's previous film (We Need to Talk about Kevin) but the strong, early reviews for everyone involved, including musician Johnny Greenwood for his score, make this a must-see.
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Building on the success of his breakout English language debut The Lobster, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos re-teams with Colin Farrell for a story of a young man (Barry Keoghan - seen recently in Dunkirk) who slinks his way into the lives of Steven (Farrell) and his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman). Anyone who's seen Lanthimos' previous films (if you haven't, start with The Lobster before graduating to Dogtooth) will know to expect startling twists and shocking images, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer doesn't look set to disappoint.
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The Strand Galas
A story of childhood innocence, impoverished families and the residents at an Orlando motel, Sean Baker's The Florida Project has been earning a lot of early praise and the first trailer suggests a deeply humanist film that's both vivacious and veracious.
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A supernatural chiller from Joachim Trier about a young woman who develops mysterious powers after moving away from her family. I never connected with Trier's earlier film Oslo, August 31st but his filmmaking talent was apparent. And with a script co-written by Eskil Vogt, whose excellent film Blind screened at the 2014 festival, Thelma has me intrigued.
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An action epic about a young girl seeking to avenge her parents' murder and the samurai she has hired who, thanks to the unique powers of sacred bloodworms, is burdened with immortality? Yes, please. This is Miike's 100th film and he will be discussing it and his body of work in a Screen Talk event at the festival.
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The Special Presentations
The BAFTA nominated The Selfish Giant was a moving and memorable drama and so the return of writer and director Clio Barnard, with a story of a fractious family feud driven by dark secrets, is something to look forward to.
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Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman was a notable head-scratcher and the early reviews from Venice suggest this adaptation of Antonio di Benedetto's novel, about a man waiting on a letter from the Governor that will allow him to leave his rural office and return to his family, is similarly perplexing.
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A dinner party for a group of friends with incompatible views and short fuses; Sally Potter's latest film, with a cast that includes Kristen Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall and Patricia Clarkson, sounds like a delightfully scathing satire.
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Official Competition
Azazel Jacobs' 2011 film Terri (starring Jacob Wysocki and John C. Reilly) is a favourite of mine and an underseen gem (iTunes is your best option), so I'm excited to see what his work in The Lovers, a film about an unhappy couple (Debra Winger and Tracy Letts) and their lovers (Aidan Gillen and Melora Walters).
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Rising stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke star in a dark morality tale set in a Connecticut suburb that premiered to strong reviews at Sundance in January. Thoroughbreds also features one of the last performances from Anton Yelchin.
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ANGELS WEAR WHITE - Dir. Vivian Qu
The second feature film from Vivian Qu, who also produced the rather excellent Black Coal, Thin Ice a few years back; that fact and a synopsis that suggests "a complex tale of blackmail and corruption" puts Angels Wear White on my list.
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ANGELS WEAR WHITE - Dir. Vivian Qu
The second feature film from Vivian Qu, who also produced the rather excellent Black Coal, Thin Ice a few years back; that fact and a synopsis that suggests "a complex tale of blackmail and corruption" puts Angels Wear White on my list.
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