Local pub owners, Helen (Kate O'Toole) and Derek (Paul Henshall), are preparing for Birmingham's biggest and hardest pub quiz and everyone has their eyes on the prize. Nearby residents include Mary (Selina Giles) who seeks to find common ground with her daughter Gemma (Katie Cleaver), whilst Kelvin (Rory Mullen) is determined not to let his lover, Angel (Gemma Atkinson), discover his financial ruin and enlists the help of his window cleaner, Barry (Ewen MacIntosh) in a crazy plan to burgle his house and claim on the insurance. Local author Ashley (Nicholas A. Newman) has finished his long-awaited epic novel and is having difficulty promoting it, much to the misfortune of his literary agent (Tom Bonington). As each character descends upon The Spotted Dog pub, chaos ensues as things are not as they seem and each resident learns that extra bit more about each other throughout the course of the night.
Adapted from a 2014 novel by Atticus Lish, Preparation for the Next Life is the feature film debut of documentary filmmaker Bing Liu. With the help of screenwriter Martyna Majok, he paints a realistic and somber portrayal of Aishe, a Uyghur immigrant, as she struggles to make a living while undocumented in the United States.
From its visually stunning opening credits, which show women dancing through a forest to musical rhythms that sound almost primal, to its quiet, heartbreaking final frame, Mona Fastvold’s historical rendering of the Shaker religious movement is an experience that will stay with me for a long time.
The actions that Verity confesses to are tragic. But the way to prevent those actions isn’t to force the related emotions into the shadows.
The more biting satire is reserved for those on top of the power structure, such as the police, while those occupying lower levels are given more nuance and likability, even if they operate on the wrong side of the law. This principle gives Deep Cover its heart.
Who knew a drunken game of truth or dare could launch one of the most chaotic rom-coms of the year? The Threesome takes Connor’s fantasy night with Olivia (Zoey Deutch, in peak queen-of-indie form) and Jenny (Ruby Cruz) and flips it into a deliciously messy nightmare when both women end up pregnant. What follows isn’t cheap comedy—it’s a whip-smart, heartfelt exploration of love, consequence, and the beautiful disasters we call adulthood.
With The Father, writer-director Florian Zeller- who wrote and developed the play upon which the film is based- pulls no punches as he confidently makes every effort to put the audience in the mind of someone whose grip on reality has all but vanished. It’s a dazzling testament to Zeller’s abilities as a director as he makes his first transition from stage to film appear as if he’s been working behind a camera his entire career. The dialogue he fashions with co-writer Christopher Hampton, along with the work of production designers Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone, collectively makes the downward spiral of dementia startlingly tangible, doing so in a way that can be comprehended by everyone except the person it directly affects.
