Highlights from BFI London Film Festival

I went positively square-eyed for five days of non-stop cinema-going in London for Volta  at the 2011 BFI London Film Festival last week. Here is a run-down of what we learned and some of the films you should look out for in your local cinema in the coming months.

The Artist - France, dir. Michel Hazanavicius 

A sneaky hope for this years Oscars? This inventive and charming silent film is so authentic that it is impossible not to fall in love with it. But can a black & white, silent comedy win over the multiplex audience? We'll have to wait and see! With extremely likeable performances from the two leads, Jean Dujardin channelling Gene Kelly and Bernice Bejo as a rising starlet, the film is slyly post-modern but joyfully unironic. Check your cynicism at the door.


Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8K9AZcSQJE

Lotus Eaters - UK/Ireland, dir. Alexandra McGuinness 

Alexandra McGuinness directs and co-writes this insight into the London hipster scene. Although it's difficult to engage with the characters whose incessant vapid ramblings make up the bulk of the film, the film doesn't judge, nor does it glamourise. It serves as a window and the world McGuinness creates is so believable that it feels very much like we are watching a summer in the lives of these people. Filmed in crisp black and white with a fashion-conscious eye, McGuinness has a stylish edge to her filmmaking that should make her one to watch. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rACt1o5Uzmk

Bernadette Devlin: Notes on a Political Journey - Ireland, dir. Leila Doolin 

The fascinating story of Bernadette Devlin McAliskey is brought to life in this documentary by Leila Doolan which tracks Bernadette's rise to power in the 1970's all the way through her political carrer and her most recent struggle, the attempted extradition of her daughter Roisin to Germany. Voted to UK parliament as a 21 year old student, Bernadette Devlin became a passionate international voice for the troubles in Northern Ireland. Mixing some fantastic archive material with present-day interviews with the subject herself, the film marvels at the massive impact one simple, intelligent voice can have on a global scale.

Take Shelter - US, dir. Jeff Nichols 

A man sees hallucinatory visions of an impending storm and must decide whether he is a prophet or a madman. That is the quite simple setup of this brilliant family drama/horror film from director Jeff Nichols who re-teams with actor Michael Shannon for the second time (the first being his very interesting Shotgun Stories). Filmed in just four week with a miniscule budget, the film is a masterpiece in atmosphere and tension. Michael Shannon, already an Oscar nominee for his performance in Revolutionary Road, puts in what could be the best performance of his career to date as a man struggling with his mental health. Definitely worth a watch for the magnificent storm sequences alone. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B6VleLDh0I

Martha Marcy May Marlene - US, dir. Sean Durkin

One of the films that got the most buzz at the festival was this drama/thriller. A dreamy, beautiful film which deals with the psychological aftermath of a girl who has escaped from a cult. Starring Elizabeth Olsen who will surely be in a casting tizzy after this, the film focusses on Martha's life after leaving the cult; the paranoia, the sense of isolation, and the craving to return to the arms of terrifying but charismatic leader Patrick (a brilliant John Hawkes). There are flashbacks to life at the commune but these serve mainly to highlight Martha's current state of mind than to give the audience a look at the machinations of a cult. Though some might find the lack of conclusive storytelling frustrating, the characters, the performances and the ambitious intent of the film will surely gain the film some fans. Masterful and chilling. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERREgOobLOs

The Descendants - US, dir. Alexander Payne 

Alexander Payne's latest drama, The Descendants, is a film far superior to its potentially melodramatic set-up. A woman lies in a coma, waiting to die and her husband realises she has been having an affair and must come to terms with the mistakes they have made as a family before letting her go. Payne masterfully gets to the genuine human experience at the heart of the story and proves himself yet again one of cinema's great pain merchants. He cuts to the bone, allowing the audience intimate access to spectrum of subtle feelings one might experience at such a time. As always though, Payne infuses the extremely heavy subject matter with just the right touch of light-heartedness. Funny, touching and intelligent, The Descendants is a far better film than expected. Judge for yourself, hee's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OBvd5MgPYA

Miss Bala - Mexico, dir. Gerardo Naranjo 

A beauty pageant hopeful from the slums of Tijuana becomes inadvertently involved in cross-border gangland warfare. This disquieting, sad and innovative film is a well-paced and unique addition to the gang crime genre. Director Naranjo handles the slow drama and the gory action set-pieces with equal finesse. Definitely a filmmaker to watch, and credit must go to Stephanie Sigman who must carry the film almost silently, and does so with tremendous grace and delicacy. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxOhqJ98QJY

Nobody Else But You (Poupoupidou) - France, dir. Gerald Hustache-Mathieu 

This fun, French, small-town murder mystery centres on the apparent suicide of a beautiful local celebrity whose journals help investigators figure out how she wound up dead in the snow. The girl's story parallels the life and death of Marilyn Monroe in many different ways and the film is a form of conspiracy theory about what really happened to Marilyn. Quirky, intriguing and atmospheric, this film is a unique story, well told. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0hVvp4sSEo

Shame - UK, dir. Steve McQueen 

Hunger director Steve McQueen teams up with Michael Fassbender again as they delve into the murky world of sex addiction. We follow Brandon as he lives from day-to-day trying to ensure his life never gets in the way of his intense sexual urges. There is no easy way to explore this subject matter but McQueen has created a cold but sympathetic portrait of a man with a very complex set of neuroses. Gorgeous-looking, challenging and featuring a superb perfrmance from Fassbender. 

Trailer: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/video/2011/oct/14/shame-trailer-video

Bernie - US, dir. Richard Linklater 

Richard Linklater teams up with Jack Black for this dark comedy about a beloved local mortician who murders his abhorrent elderly companion and keeps her in the freezer for nine months. The film is based on a true story and feels very authentic as Linklater sets the film in his home state of Texas. A strong performance by the Jack Black and a number of suberb supporting characters makes this a fun, likeable black comedy.

We Need to Talk About Kevin - UK, dir. Lynne Ramsey 

A devastating account of a mother's struggle with her disturbed son and her dissection of the reasons behind his violent attack on his school. Beautifully shot by Irish cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and featuring an outstanding, conflicted performance by Tilda Swinton, this film won Best Film at the festival and it's easy to see why punters and critics alike were so taken with it.
Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLRgAe2jLaw

Snowtown - Australia, dir. Justin Kurzel Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel's debut film tells the story of notorious serial killer John Bunting and his influence on a young man whose home life is extremely unpleasant. When Bunting comes into his family's life his charismatic charm seduces him, his mother and the rest of the community. Soon, Bunting is rallying friends to "rid" the town of its paedophiles, homosexuals and junkies. Often abstract, very dark and harrowing throughout.

Watch the trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6DmfOT2EtI

For more articles on the best of independent cinema please go check out Ireland's best VOD resource, Volta. http://www.volta.ie

Take Shelter

Written & Directed by: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham

Rating: 9/10

From the opening moments of this dark, dreamy tale it is clear that we are in for something quite extraordinary. Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter begins with a nightmare and continues as such even after our protagonist Curtis LaForche wakes up.

Curtis’s nightmare comes in the form of a storm. Ominous clouds roll towards him, black and imposing and spitting greasy, yellow rain. This opening sequence, indicative of the rest of the film, is terrifying, beautiful and full of awe at nature’s power. When the dreams continue, and start to come in the form of waking hallucinations, Curtis must decide whether he is a prophet or a lunatic.

There is a history of mental illness in Curtis’ family as we see when he visits his mother, now in full-time care for paranoid schizophrenia.Curtis has untapped fears surrounding his own mental health and is terrified that he is starting to lose his grip on reality. However, he takes a “better safe than sorry” approach and begins to obsessively build a storm shelter so that he might keep his family safe if a storm does come.

The bulk of the film looks at Curtis’ declining mental health. Is he slipping further into some kind of hereditary psychosis or is he driving himself insane with paranoia? His descent into madness is terrifying to watch and while the film never really quite decides whether he is a prophet or a madman it keeps its feet firmly planted in reality and never loses sight of the true intention of the film, to watch a man as he disintegrates.

There is something very Cronenbergian about the crisis of masculinity going on in Take Shelter and the violent way in which it manifests itself. Also, the issue of the role of the man as provider and the loss of control in the current worldwide recession is a theme at the forefront of a lot of people's minds and one which is tackled here with grace and terrifying thoughtfulness. Curtis is a kind, loving husband and father but his paranoia, his fears for his family and his fears for his own sanity drive him to some very erratic behaviour that might have disastrous results for his family, storm or no storm. The relationship between Curtis and his wife and daughter is realistic and Jessica Chastain's earthy beauty compliments the character's strength, trust, intelligence and warmth just perfectly. As they struggle to keep their marriage together despite Curtis's many misadventures, one can feel her shock that something that was once so strong could be taken from her so cruelly.

Take Shelter is a beautiful film. It is a lyrical film and it is a poetic film. It is not necessarily a film that provides answers but it is not ever trying to riddle you. The script is tight, pitch-perfect and nicely paced suggesting that Jeff Nichols is as skilled as a writer as he is a director. Shot with unbelievable beauty by lenser Adam Stone, the film looks and feels profoundly alluring and is a pleasure to behold throughout. However, the real heart of the film rests on the shoulders of  Michael Shannon, who is superb here as the desperate Curtis. He is cuddly enough to be sympathetic but giant enough to be terrifying. His performance is a towering achievement and, in my eyes, cements him as one of the most interesting actors working today. This is the kind of performance that rarely comes around and he tackles the subtle moments and the melodrama with equal elegance. If there is something to be said against the film it is the final few minutes which have proven to be divisive for audiences. However, I felt that the more the ending sat with me and I mulled it over in my head, the more I felt comfortable with it and the looming question mark it leaves the audience with.

Part family drama, part disaster movie, part psychological thriller and part horror, this truly unique film must be seen on the big screen if at all possible and I can only implore people to make the effort to go out and give this film your money. Take Shelter is a low-budget (not that you can tell) masterpiece that truly deserves your attention.

 - Charlene Lydon