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Flare · 2023

Flare 2023

Bodies

Programme

17 films · 11 reviews

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Le Beau Mec

The story of an athlete, hustler, stripper, and it-boy.

(Country: France; Year: 1979; Director: Wallace Potts)

Before I Change My Mind

Review preview for Before I Change My Mind

A lot of effort has gone into production design, resulting in a film which looks really good for its budget, but the most important factor is Anderson’s eye for the sort of details which stand out to teenagers.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
1987: While the other students wonder if new kid Robin is a boy or a girl, Robin forges a complicated bond with the school bully, making increasingly dangerous choices to fit in.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2022; Director: Trevor Anderson; Writer: Trevor Anderson, Fish Griwkowsky; Stars: Vaughan Murrae, Dominic Lippa, Lacey Oake, Matthew Rankin, Shannon Blanchet, Rohan Khare)

Full review See: Interview with Trevor Anderson about Before I Change My Mind

Big Boys

Jamie’s dream camping trip is ruined before it even begins when he finds out that his beloved cousin is bringing her new boyfriend. However, Jamie’s initial jealousy of the competent and confident Dan quickly turns into a friendship as they bond over cooking, games and both being ‘big boys’ - and Jamie gradually realises that he has other feelings for Dan too.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Corin Sherman; Writer: Corin Sherman; Stars: Isaac Krasner, David Johnson III, Emily Deschanel)

Bread And Salt (Chleb i sól)

Review preview for Bread And Salt

At key moments, director Damian Kocur slows his camera right down. We drift through the estate, through the sort of spaces which an architect might have thought would look pretty, with no idea how disaffected young people would use them.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A pianist returns to his home town, where he finds a new kebab bar in town, which begins to generate friction between the employees and local youths.

(Country: Poland; Year: 2022; Director: Damian Kocur; Writer: Damian Kocur, Marta Konarzewska; Stars: Tymoteusz Bies, Jacek Bies, Nadim Suleiman, Nikola Raczko, Bartosz Olewinski, Dawid Piejko, Malgorzata Puzio, Wojciech Walkiewicz, Nadim Shalabi)

Full review

Fierce: A Porn Revolution

A group of young women and non-binary people start a porn company with the intention of creating new images of themselves.

(Country: Switzerland; Year: 2022; Director: Patrick Muroni; Writer: Emmanuelle Fournier-Lorentz)

The Five Devils

Review preview for The Five Devils

While it's a road well-travelled, here it's a road travelled well.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
Eight-year-old Vicky possesses a special power: a hyperacute sense of smell. She spends her days exploring this gift, and lives happily with her mother Joanne, a swimming teacher whom she adores exclusively - to the despair of her firefighter father. When her mysterious aunt Julia suddenly reappears in their lives, secrets from their past resurface both violently and magically.

(Country: France; Year: 2022; Director: Léa Mysius; Writer: Paul Guilhaume, Léa Mysius; Stars: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Daphne Patakia, Noée Abita, Patrick Bouchitey, Moustapha Mbengue, Sally Dramé, Swala Emati)

Full review See: Five Devils director blown away by 'amazing' Adèle Exarchopoulos

How To Tell A Secret

Actors speak the words of people who can’t acknowledge their HIV status in public, contrasting with activists – young and old – determined to break down the need for the secrecy around HIV.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2022; Director: Anna Rodgers, Shaun Dunne; Stars: Robbie Lawlor, Enda McGrattan, Michael Clancy)

Kokomo City

Review preview for Kokomo City

It’s thrilling to watch a filmmaker like Smith throw a wrench in the gears and deliver an unapologetic ode to outcasts that’s every bit as punk rock as its subjects.

Jeremy Mathews · 4 out of 5
Four Black transgender sex workers explore the dichotomy between the Black community and themselves, while confronting issues long avoided.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: D Smith)

Full review

Mel

One of Armenia’s most decorated athletes is faced with leaving his country and career behind when his transition unexpectedly hits the headlines.

(Country: Armenia; Year: 2022; Director: Inna Sahakyan, Paul Cohen)

Monica

Review preview for Monica

Anyone who has cared for a loved one whose mind is disintegrating will recognise some of these feelings.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
An intimate portrait of a woman who returns home to care for her dying mother.

(Country: US, Italy; Year: 2022; Director: Andrea Pallaoro; Writer: Andrea Pallaoro, Orlando Tirado; Stars: Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, Adriana Barraza, Emily Browning, Joshua Close)

Full review See: Interview with Trace Lysette about Monica

Peafowl

Review preview for Peafowl

There’s a lot of interesting work here and it’s startling to realise that it’s director Byun Sung-bin’s first venture into features.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Steely Shin Myung is a fierce trans queen on the Seoul nightclub scene who reconnects with her Buddhist heritage after the death of her father.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2022; Director: Byun Sung-bin; Stars: Hae-jun, Kim U-gyeom)

Full review

Rule 34 (Regra 34)

Review preview for Rule 34

There’s a lot going on in Júlia Murat’s accomplished drama.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A young woman studies criminal law and advocates for women's rights and at night she performs in front of a live sex cam. One night watching a film awakens her dark impulses for a more dangerous means of sexual gratification.

(Country: Brazil, France; Year: 2022; Director: Júlia Murat; Writer: Gabriel Bortolini, Gabriela Capello, Rafael Lessa; Stars: Lucas Andrade, Julia Bernat, Lorena Comparato, Marcos Damigo)

Full review See: Interview with Júlia Murat about Rule 34 (Regra 34)

Something You Said Last Night

Review preview for Something You Said Last Night

De Filippis understands the value of the small stuff.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
After being fired from her job, Ren, an aspiring writer and mid-twenty-something, accompanies her Canadian-Italian family on vacation.

(Country: Canada, Switzerland; Year: 2022; Director: Luis De Filippis; Writer: Luis De Filippis; Stars: Carmen Madonia, Ramona Milano, Paige Evans, Joe Parro, Xxavier Woon-A-Tai, Augustus Oicle, Drew Catherine, Mark Winnick, Nate Colitto, Mark Soltermann, Anna Starnino, Lorcan DaSilva Déiseach, Jennifer Balen, Michelle Gidari, Carmelo Nelson)

Full review See: Director Luis De Filippis and star Carmen Madonia talk about family, identity and authenticity in Something You Said Last Night

Winter Boy (La Lyceen)

Review preview for Winter Boy

Young star Paul Kircher puts in an impressively sensitive and emotionally raw peformance.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
Set over the course of one winter, a 17-year-old high school student struggles with grief.

(Country: France; Year: 2022; Director: Christophe Honoré; Writer: Christophe Honoré; Stars: Paul Kircher, Vincent Lacoste, Juliette Binoche, Erwan Kepoa Falé, Christophe Honoré, Xavier Giannoli, Wilfried Capet, Jean-Philippe Salerio, Isabelle Thevenoux)

Full review See: Christophe Honoré and his young star Paul Kircher talk about Winter Boy , Vincent Lacoste on grief, working with Honoré and his hopes for the future in Winter Boy

Wolf And Dog

Review preview for Wolf And Dog

Shot in a superficially chaotic style which gradually coalesces into something meaningful, Wolf & Dog perfectly captures the haste and ambiguity of teenage life.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A girl begins to question the world around her through her friendship with her gay best friend.

(Country: Portugal; Year: 2022; Director: Cláudia Varejão; Writer: Leda Cartum, Cláudia Varejão; Stars: Ana Cabral, Ruben Pimenta, Cristiana Branquinho, Marlene Cordeiro, João Tavares, Nuno Ferreira, Mário Jorge Oliveira, Luísa Alves, Maria Furtado, Tomás Furtado de Melo, Emanuel Macedo)

Full review

XX + XY

An intersex teen and their friends navigate the complex feelings and urges that come with adolescence.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2022; Director: Lee Soh-yoon; Writer: Hong Sung-Yeun; Stars: Hyun-Ho Ahn, Woo-Sung Choi, Ji-in Kim)