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Glasgow Film Festival · 2019

Glasgow Film Festival 2019

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Programme

28 films · 22 reviews

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Another Day Of Life

Review preview for Another Day Of Life

Measured but naturally emotional recollections dovetail with the more impressionistic animated segments to scrutinise the psyche of war.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
True story of a reporter who took a seemingly suicidal road trip into the heart of the civil war in Angola in the 70s.

(Country: Poland, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Hungary; Year: 2018; Director: Raúl de la Fuente, Damian Nenow; Writer: Raúl de la Fuente, Amaia Remirez, Niall Johnson, David Weber, Damian Nenow, Ryszard Kapuscinski; Stars: Miroslaw Haniszewski, Vergil J. Smith, Tomasz Zietek, Olga Boladz, Rafal Fudalej, Pawel Paczesny, Jakub Kamienski, Kerry Shale, Daniel Flynn, Youssef Kerkour, Lillie Flynn, Akie Kotabe, Ben Elliot, Emma Tate, Jude Owusu)

Full review

Arctic

Review preview for Arctic

Joe Penna's thriller is as lean and spare as life up in the Arctic wilderness.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A tragic accident leaves a man stranded in the Arctic with no hope of rescue.

(Country: Iceland; Year: 2018; Director: Joe Penna; Writer: Joe Penna, Ryan Morrison; Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Maria Thelma Smáradóttir)

Full review

Blind Spot (Blindsone)

Review preview for Blind Spot

The veneer of technical excellence never quite takes your mind off the lack of substance beneath.

Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
Real time drama about what happens when tragedy strikes a family.

(Country: Norway; Year: 2018; Director: Tuva Novotny; Writer: Tuva Novotny; Stars: Pia Tjelta, Oddgeir Thune, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Per Frisch, Carl Munck, Nora Mathea Øien, Marianne Krogh, Ellen Heyerdahl, Hilde Linseth Stømer, Teodor Barsnes-Simonsen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Pia Tjelta, Oddgeir Thune, Per Frisch, Carl Munck)

Full review

Border

Review preview for Border

An original and highly ambitious premise that maintains its grip your attention and imagination.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
When a border guard with a sixth sense for identifying smugglers encounters the first person she cannot prove is guilty, their relationship forces her to confront terrifying revelations about herself and humankind.

(Country: Sweden, Denmark; Year: 2018; Director: Ali Abbasi; Writer: John Ajvide Lindqvist, Abbasi, Isabella Eklöf, based on a story by John Ajvide Lindqvist; Stars: Eva Melander, Eero Milonoff, Viktor Åkerblom, Jörgen Thorsson)

Full review

Chained For Life

Review preview for Chained For Life

Chained For Life finds a rich vein of comedy in the awfulness of many people's reactions to disability.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A starlet finds herself in unfamiliar territory when she appears in a film about disfigurement that features real disabled people.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Aaron Schimberg; Writer: Aaron Schimberg; Stars: Jess Weixler, Adam Pearson, Stephen Plunkett, Charlie Korsmo, Sari Lennick)

Full review

Close Enemies (Freres Ennemis)

Two brothers inseparable in childhood find themselves on either side of the law as adults - and on a collision course.

(Country: Belgium, France; Year: 2018; Director: David Oelhoffen; Writer: Jeanne Aptekman, David Oelhoffen; Stars: Matthias Schoenaerts, Sabrina Ouazani, Reda Kateb, Nicolas Giraud, Gwendolyn Gourvenec, Adel Bencherif, Marc Barbé, Astrid Whettnall, Yann Goven, Omar Salim, Djamel Lazaar, Ahmed Benaissa, Fianso, Raphaël Magnabosco, John Sehil)

Complicity

Review preview for Complicity

Delicate and patient in its approach, very traditional in its structure right up until the end, Complicity is rich in poetic representations of Japanese food culture and rural life.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
An illegal Chinese immigrant in Japan gets a job using a false ID and forms an unexpected bond with his employer.

(Country: Japan, China, France; Year: 2018; Director: Kei Chikaura; Writer: Kei Chikaura; Stars: Yulai Lu, Tatsuya Fuji, Sayo Akasaka)

Full review

Dear Son

Story of parents and their troubled son.

(Country: Tunisia, Belgium, France; Year: 2018; Director: Mohamed Ben Attia; Writer: Mohamed Ben Attia; Stars: Imen Cherif, Mohamed Dhrif, Zakaria Ben Ayyed, Mouna Mejri, Imen Cherif, Mohamed Dhrif, Zakaria Ben Ayyed, Mouna Mejri)

A Faithful Man (L'Homme fidèle)

Review preview for A Faithful Man

Garrel knows his film is a confection rather than a banquet, so keeps things moving along at a serious clip

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Rom-com love triangle with added kid.

(Country: France; Year: 2018; Director: Louis Garrel; Writer: Jean-Claude Carrière, Louis Garrel; Stars: Lily-Rose Depp, Louis Garrel, Laetitia Casta, Lily-Rose Depp, Louis Garrel, Laetitia Casta)

Full review See: Louis Garrel and Jean-Claude Carriere on A Faithful Man

Float Like A Butterfly

A teenage girl has to fight for the right to fight in Seventies Ireland.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2018; Director: Carmel Winters; Writer: Carmel Winters; Stars: Hazel Doupe, Dara Devaney, Johnny Collins, Hilda Fay, John Gerard Healy, Jamie Kierans, Amelie Metcalfe, Aidan O'Hare, Lalor Roddy, Hazel Doupe, Dara Devaney, Johnny Collins, Hilda Fay, John Gerard Healy, Jamie Kierans)

Fugue (Fuga)

Review preview for Fugue

Smoczynska remains one to watch. She has a signature style and an ability to generate a sense of odd estrangement from virtually nothing.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A woman suffering from memory loss is reunited with the family she can't remember having.

(Country: Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden; Year: 2018; Director: Agnieszka Smoczyńska; Writer: Gabriela Muskala; Stars: Gabriela Muskala, Lukasz Simlat, Malgorzata Buczkowska, Piotr Skiba)

Full review

José

Review preview for José

Although the story is slight, Cheng treats the subject matter with care, allowing a slow but certain heat to build between José and Luis.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A working class gay young man faces tough choices after he falls for a builder.

(Country: Guatemala, US; Year: 2018; Director: Li Cheng; Writer: Li Cheng, George F. Roberson; Stars: Enrique Salanic, Manolo Herrera, Ana Cecilia Mota, Jhakelyn Waleska Gonzalez Gonzalez, Esteban Lopez Ramirez, Cesar Lorenzo Yojcom Candido, Juan Andres Molina Cardona, Alba Irene Lemus, Carlos Humberto Fuentes Maldonado, Jennifer Cecilia Amoia Mota, Evelyn Celinda Bautista Torres, Jashua Belvino Argueta Mejia, Valeria Maribel Xutuc Reyes, Mytian Ticas, Rony Andres Saavedra)

Full review

Julia Blue

A young photojournalism student falls for a soldier in the aftermath of the Ukrainian revolution and must decide how to prioritise her own independence as she looks to the future.

(Country: Ukraine, US; Year: 2018; Director: Roxy Toporowych; Stars: Polina Snisarenko, Dima Yaroshenko)

Kia And Cosmos

Review preview for Kia And Cosmos

Pal is magnetic in the central role.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
An autistic teenager travels from Kolkata to Kalimpong to investigate the strange disappearance of her father, writing a mystery novel along the way.

(Country: India; Year: 2018; Director: Sudipto Roy; Stars: Ritwika Pal, Joy Sengupta, Swastika Mukherjee)

Full review

Love Movie (Liebesfilm, Love Film)

Review preview for Love Movie

Bohrer has a sharp eye and the film benefits from great production design and costuming that help to flesh out the supporting characters.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A thirtysomething drifter, stumbling from party to party, unsure of his place in the world meets a passionate and carefree woman. A summer of love, drugs and parties whips them into a passionate affair, until reality bites and he begins to question if he’s really ready to get serious.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2018; Director: Robert Bohrer, Emma Rosa Simon; Writer: Robert Bohrer, Emma Rosa Simon; Stars: Eric Klotzsch, Lana Cooper, Gerdy Zint)

Full review

The Man Who Surprised Everyone (Tchelovek Kotorij Udivil Vseh)

Review preview for The Man Who Surprised Everyone

All the more powerful because of its deep roots in myth.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
When a man discovers he has cancer, he tries to trick death. As a disguise, he chooses to take the identity of a woman.

(Country: Russia, Estonia, France; Year: 2018; Director: Natasha Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov; Writer: Natasha Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov; Stars: Evgeniy Tsiganov, Natalya Kudryashowa)

Full review

Metal Heart

Review preview for Metal Heart

With a good measure of comedy to balance out the drama, Metal Heart is a sweet film that might perhaps be a little too forgiving at the end but is true to its characters throughout.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Dublin goth Emma is the guiding spirit of the band Yeast Infections. Chantal is bubbly and always blogging. When their parents head off on holiday, a summer of bitter rivalry, chasing dreams and facing reality sets the siblings on a collision course.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2018; Director: Hugh O'Conor; Writer: Paul Murray; Stars: Jordanne Jones, Leah McNamara, Moe Dunford)

Full review

One Day (Egy Nap)

A day in the life of a language teacher whose husband cheats on her.

(Country: Hungary; Year: 2018; Director: Zsófia Szilágyi; Writer: Réka Mán-Várhegyi, Zsófia Szilágyi; Stars: Zsófia Szamosi, Leó Füredi, Ambrus Barcza, Zorka Varga-Blaskó)

Pause (Pafsi)

Review preview for Pause

Fyrogeni is brittle and intense in the central role, carrying herself in the slightly bent, over-cautious manner of someone continually expecting blame.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Elpida is a housewife confronted with the first signs of menopause while trapped in a loveless marriage to a heartless, despotic man. When a young painter arrives to decorate her building, her grip on reality starts to slip.

(Country: Cyprus, Greece; Year: 2018; Director: Tonia Mishiali; Writer: Tonia Mishiali, Anna Fotiadou; Stars: Stella Fyrogeni, Andreas Vasileiou, Popi Avraam, Marios Ioannou, Prokopis Agathokleous, Marina Mandri, Georgina Tatsi, Andrey Pilipenko, Oriana Mantzouranou, Louisa Michael, Cyan, Stella Fyrogeni, Andreas Vasileiou, Popi Avraam, Marios Ioannou)

Full review

Permission (Cold Sweat, Araghe Sard)

Review preview for Permission

Beiraghi shoots her in small spaces, hems her in with people or objects, emphasises the claustrophobia of her situation.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Afrooz has given her life to football. Now, she is about to captain Iran’s national team as they head to the final of the Asian Nations Cup in Malaysia. That’s when her estranged husband Yasser exercises his legal right and forbids her permission to leave the country.

(Country: Iran; Year: 2018; Director: Soheil Beiraghi; Writer: Baran Kasari, Amir Jadidi, Leili Rashidi; Stars: Baran Kosari, Amir Jadidi, Leili Rashidi, Hoda Zeinolabedin, Sahar Dolatshahi, Abbas Moosavi, Maryam Sarmadi, Sogand Soleymani)

Full review

Real Love (C'est ca l'amour)

Drama about a single dad trying to raise his two daughters.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2018; Director: Claire Burger; Writer: Claire Burger; Stars: Bouli Lanners, Justine Lacroix, Sarah Henochsberg, Cécile Rémy-Boutang, Antonia Buresi, Célia Mayer, Lorenzo Demanget, Tiago Gandra, Laure Ballarin, Jean-Claude Acquaviva, François Aragni, Paul Giansily, Stéphane Serra, Jean Sicurani, Maxime Vuillamier)

The Song Of The Tree

Review preview for The Song Of The Tree

This is certainly not the first musical to treat its songs as set pieces and it delivers in terms of action elsewhere, with some thrilling horseback manoeuvres and solid fight scenes.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A musical epic and a romantic parable of a man whose family falls from grace after a tribal feud in a nomadic village.

(Country: Kyrgyzstan; Year: 2018; Director: Aibek Daiyrbekov; Writer: Aibek Daiyrbekov, Sadyk Sher-Niyaz; Stars: Omurbek Izrailov, Temirlan Smanbekov, Saltanat Bakaeva, Jurduzbek Kaseivov, Taalaikan Abazova, Ulan Nusipali, Ilim Kalmuratov, Adilet Usubaliev, Aisalkyn Kyiykbaeva, Jakshylyk Ashymov, Egemberdi Bekboliev, Busurman Odurakaev, Almaz Bekbotoev, Jenish Smanov, Madina Talipbek)

Full review

Styx

Review preview for Styx

There's a strong sense of isolation from the start in Fisher's film.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A storm in the middle of the ocean, a boat full of refugees that is about to sink and a woman all by herself...

(Country: Germany, Austria; Year: 2018; Director: Wolfgang Fischer; Writer: Wolfgang Fischer, Ika Künzel; Stars: Susanne Wolff, Gedion Oduor Wekesa, Alexander Beyer, Inga Birkenfeld, Anika Menger, Susanne Wolff, Gedion Oduor Wekesa, Alexander Beyer, Inga Birkenfeld, Anika Menger)

Full review See: Susanne Wolff and Wolfgang Fischer ‪in conversation on‬ her performance, cinematographer Benedict Neuenfels, recording the sound for Styx and Charles Darwin , Susanne Wolff and Wolfgang Fischer ‪in conversation on‬ the high seas and shooting Styx

The Third Wife

Review preview for The Third Wife

Mayfair treats her scenes of sex and desire with restraint, using juxtaposition to evoke mood.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
The story of a 14-year-old who becomes the third wife of a much older man in 19th Century Vietnam.

(Country: Vietnam; Year: 2018; Director: Ash Mayfair; Writer: Ash Mayfair; Stars: Trần Nữ Yên Khê, Mai Thu Hường, Nguyễn Phương Trà My, Nguyễn Như Quỳnh)

Full review

Thunder Road

Review preview for Thunder Road

For all his character's vacillations, this is a masterclass in filmmaking control.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
The life of an emotionally unstable cop begins to unravel when his mum dies.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Jim Cummings; Writer: Jim Cummings; Stars: Jim Cummings, Kendal Farr, Nican Robinson, Jocelyn DeBoer, Chelsea Edmundson, Macon Blair, Ammie Leonards, Bill Wise, Jordan Ray Fox, Frank Mosley, Jacqueline Doke, Chris Doubek, William Kevin Olliff, Tristan Riggs, Marshall Allman)

Full review

The Truk (L'Enkas)

Review preview for The Truk

Where most films of this ilk are driven by aggression, Marx instead pushes hers forward with a mix of melancholy, quiet desperation and futility.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
An ex-con makes a plan with his friend to travel from rave to rave selling water and Ketamine from their food truck.

(Country: France, Ukraine; Year: 2018; Director: Sarah Marx; Writer: Hamé Bourokba, Ekoué Labitey, Sarah Marx; Stars: Sandor Funtek, Sandrine Bonnaire, Alexis Manenti, Lauréna Thellier, Virginie Acariès)

Full review See: Sarah Marx interview about The Truk

Werewolf (Wilkołak)

Review preview for Werewolf

You don't have to look far for allegory in Panek's film.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Eight children rescued from a concentration camp, find themselves under siege from a freshly pack of former camp guard dogs.

(Country: Poland, Netherlands, Germany; Year: 2018; Director: Adrian Panek; Writer: Adrian Panek; Stars: Kamil Polnisiak, Nicolas Przygoda, Sonia Mietielica, Danuta Stenka, Maksymilian Balcerowski, Radoslaw Chrzescianski, Werner Daehn, Krzysztof Durski, Matylda Ignasiak, Eugeniusz Malinowski, Helena Mazur, Wojciech Namiotko, Barbara Pigon, Julia Slusarczyk, Jakub Syska)

Full review

Woman At War (Kona Fer í Stríð)

Review preview for Woman At War

This is joyful, beautiful, up-lifting - and bleak too, a clarion call to direct climate action at the personal and the political levels.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
A middle-aged woman declares war on the heavy industry in her small town, but everything changes when a Ukrainian orphan enters her life.

(Country: France, Iceland, Ukraine; Year: 2018; Director: Benedikt Erlingsson; Writer: Ólafur Egilsson, Benedikt Erlingsson; Stars: Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, Jóhann Sigurðarson, Juan Camillo Roman Estrada, Jörundur Ragnarsson)

Full review