Category Film Festivals

BFI #LFF 2020: FAREWELL AMOR Film Review

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine in Farewell Amor (2020)

Quiet, sensitive and thought-provoking, FAREWELL AMOR is an affecting feature debut from promising Tanzanian-American filmmaker Ekwa Msangi

4 out of 5 stars

Migration, memory and the importance of home are deftly explored in Ekwa Msangi’s affecting feature debut, FAREWELL AMOR, a thought-provoking drama about a New York-based Angolan man who finally reunited with his family.

As Walter (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) reaches out to hug his daughter Sylvia (Jayme Lawson) and her mother Esther (Zainab Jah) at JFK air...

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BFI #LFF 2020: HONEYMOOD Film Review

 Ran Danker and Avigail Harari in Honeymood (2020)

While some of the comedy falls a little flat, Talya Lavie’s tough and empathetic take on romantic foibles in HONEYMOOD smartly subverts the typical “happily ever after” ending

3 out of 5 stars

Fresh from the success of her debut feature ZERO MOTIVATION, which won Best Film at the Tribeca Film Festival along with six Israeli Academy Awards, Director and Screenwriter Talya Lavie is back at the BFI London Film Festival with her new romantic comedy, HONEYMOOD.

Arriving at their lavish honeymoon suite on thei...

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BFI #LFF 2020: HERSELF Film Review

Sandra Dunne and the cast of HERSELF (2020)

Intimate, timely and empowering, Phyllida Lloyd’s latest film HERSELF is one of the strongest films of the BFI London Film Festival so far

4 out of 5 stars

Phyllida Lloyd’s latest film HERSELF may not get the big-screen attention her previous work MAMMA MIA! or THE IRON LADY did, but this new British-Irish hope drama more than deserves its place in the spotlight thanks to its stirring script and superb lead performance from co-collaborator Clare Dunne.

HERSELF tells the story of Sandra Kelly (Clare Dunne)...

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INTERVIEW: Midge Costin Talks MAKING WAVES: THE ART OF CINEMATIC SOUND

Midge Costin at the BFI London Film Festival

Director Midge Costin talks to Frankly My Dear UK about MAKING WAVES: THE ART OF CINEMATIC SOUND and why sound is so important in film

From the buzz of the lightsabers in STAR WARS to the deafening silence in A QUIET PLACE, the importance of sound in cinema is undeniable. Yet, it is also an art form that is often forgotten about...

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BFI #LFF 2019: TELL ME WHO I AM Film Review

Inspired by the autobiography of the same name, TELL ME WHO I AM is a powerfully cinematic exploration of trauma, identity and redemption

3.5 out of 5 stars

Following the release of his Oscar-nominated documentary short BLACK SHEEP, director Ed Perkins returns to the big screen with his latest feature, TELL ME WHO I AM, a potent and moving examination of memory, trauma and personal responsibility.

Best described as part documentary, part theatrical play and part thriller, TELL ME WHO I AM tells the story of ide...

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BFI #LFF 2019: BAD EDUCATION Film Review

BAD EDUCATION

With a sharply written script and a career-best performance from Jackman, BAD EDUCATION is a deeply engrossing film which exposes just how far people will go to maintain their image

4 out of 5 stars

The Roslyn High School embezzlement scandal may have happened over a decade ago but in the wake of the current college admissions scandal in America that has put DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star Felicity Huffman behind bars, Cory Finley’s eagerly awaited follow-up to his explosive debut THOROUGHBREDS couldn’t feel more ...

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BFI #LFF 2019: THE AERONAUTS Film Review

Felicity Jones in The Aeronauts

While THE AERONAUTS is an undeniably a technical marvel, its weakness lies within its storytelling

3.5 out of 5 stars

WILD ROSE’s Tom Harper makes a welcome return to the BFI London Film Festival with his latest feature film THE AERONAUTS, a heart-racing and breathless adventure about flight and scientific discovery.

Set in 1862, THE AERONAUTS follows budding meteorologist James Glashier (Eddie Redmayne) who believes that he can learn to predict the weather if can just get high enough in the sky to collect ...

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BFI #LFF 2019: THE PERFECT CANDIDATE Film Review

Using warm humour with a lightness of touch, THE PERFECT CANDIDATE is a family drama with a social commentary

3.5 out of 5 stars

Celebrated Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour makes a welcome return to the London Film Festival with her latest feature THE PERFECT CANDIDATE, an inspiring drama about a young doctor unexpectedly becoming an electoral candidate.

Dr Maryam (Mila Alzahrani) is a young Saudi doctor working in a small-town clinic...

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BFI #LFF 2019: LYNN + LUCY Film Review

Deftly handled by Fyzal Boulifa, LYNN + LUCY is an atmospheric and intense drama that hooks you in from the get go

4 out of 5 stars

Acclaimed British shorts director Fyzal Boulifa presents a stark tale of female friendship tested by tragedy his impressive first feature LYNN + LUCY.

Inseparable at school and now living as neighbours and young mothers, Lynn (Roxanne Scrimshaw) and Lucy (Nichola Burley) have been friends their whole lives...

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BFI #LFF 2019: MARRIAGE STORY Film Review

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in Marriage Story (2019)

Balancing humour with intensely emotional scenes, MARRIAGE STORY is an incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together

3.5 out of 5 stars

If anyone knows how to craft a human story about love, life and family, it’s Noah Baumbach. Back in 2005, the American Director made a film essentially about the divorce of his parents – THE SQUID AND THE WHALE – told from the perspective of a child...

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