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Locarno Film Festival · 2014

Locarno Film Festival 2014

Piazza Grande

Programme

16 films · 9 reviews

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The Beaches Of Agnes (Les Plages d'Agnès)

The grandmother of the French New Wave documents her own life story.

(Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Agnès Varda; Writer: Agnès Varda; Stars: Mathieu Demy, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda)

Clouds Of Sils Maria

Review preview for Clouds Of Sils Maria

There is much irony on the theme of generational gulfs, internet obsessions and the nature of creativity and culture. Unfortunately none of it rings true.

Richard Mowe · 2 out of 5
A reclusive actress on the brink of divorce is asked to take on a challenging role - that of a doomed woman whose betrayer she made her name as.

(Country: France, Switzerland, Germany; Year: 2014; Director: Olivier Assayas; Writer: Olivier Assayas; Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Kristen Stewart, Juliette Binoche, Brady Corbet, Claire Tran, Johnny Flynn) , Trailer

Full review See: Interview with Olivier Assayas about Clouds Of Sils Maria

Dancing Arabs (A Borrowed Identity)

Review preview for Dancing Arabs

The narrative, based on a novel by co-screenwriter Sayed Kashua, veers off course only in the final scenes and an implausible resolution.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
A boy from an Arab Israeli city is sent to a prestigious Jerusalem boarding school.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2014; Director: Eran Riklis; Writer: Sayed Kashua; Stars: Tawfeek Barhom, Ali Suliman, Yaël Abecassis, Marlene Bajali, Laëtitia Eïdo, Razi Gabareen, Norman Issa, Daniel Kitsis, Michael Moshonov, Loai Nofi)

Full review

Geronimo

In the sultry August heat, Geronimo, a young social educator, tries to ease tensions between the youngsters of the St Pierre neighborhood in the south of France.

(Country: France; Year: 2014; Director: Tony Gatlif; Stars: Céline Sallette, Rachid Yous, David Murgia)

Hin Und Weg (Tour De Force)

Friends who make a yearly bike trip are shocked when one of their number tells them the reason he has picked this year's route.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2014; Director: Christian Zübert; Writer: Ariane Schröder, Christian Zübert; Stars: Florian David Fitz, Julia Koschitz, Jürgen Vogel, Miriam Stein, Volker Bruch, Johannes Allmayer, Victoria Mayer, Hannelore Elsner, Halina Reijn, Daniel Roesner, Simon Böer, Lena Dörrie, Ina Geerts, Janina Fautz, Jan Messutat)

A Hitman's Solitude Before The Shot (Die Einsamkeit des Killers vor dem Schuss)

The over-ambitious Koralnik has a dream job: he is a contract killer for a secret EU programme. But even eight years after his training he still hasn‘t had a single hit... then a woman crashes into his life.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2014; Director: Florian Mischa Böder; Writer: Clemente Fernandez-Gil, Florian Mischa Böder; Stars: Benno Fürmann, Mavie Hörbiger, Wolf Roth, Erik Madsen)

The Hundred-Foot Journey

Review preview for The Hundred-Foot Journey

Marinated in tradition.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
An Indian family move to France and open a curry house across the road from a Michelin-starred restaurant.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Lasse Hallström; Writer: Steven Knight, based on the book by Richard C Morais; Stars: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon, Amit Shah, Farzana Dua Elahe, Dillon Mitra, Aria Pandya, Michel Blanc)

Full review See: Interview with Helen Mirren

Land Ho!

Review preview for Land Ho!

The contrast between the characters and the actors sparky chemistry means the laughs have a head start, but there is also a considerable amount of psychological terrain being covered.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
Two old friends take a trip to Iceland.

(Country: Iceland, US; Year: 2014; Director: Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens; Writer: Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens; Stars: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Lynn Nelson, Alice Olivia Clarke, Karrie Crouse, Elizabeth McKee, Emmsjé Gauti, Magnús Kr. Guðmundsson, Þrúður Kristjánsdóttir)

Full review See: Land Ho! interview with Earl Lynn Nelson and Paul Eenhoorn

The Leopard (Il gattopardo)

Review preview for The Leopard

This beautiful and intelligent film is generally regarded as Visconti’s masterpiece.

Val Kermode · 5 out of 5
An aristocrat tries to cling to the past in the turmoil of 1860s Sicily.

(Country: Italy, France; Year: 1963; Director: Luchino Visconti; Writer: Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa, Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franciosa, Luchino Visconti; Stars: Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, Paolo Stoppa, Rina Morelli, Romolo Valli, Terence Hill, Pierre Clémenti, Lucilla Morlacchi, Giuliano Gemma, Ida Galli, Ottavia Piccolo, Carlo Valenzano, Brook Fuller, Anna Maria Bottini)

Full review See: Alain Delon in Cannes to receive honorary Palme d'Or

Lucy

Review preview for Lucy

Besson proves he can still concoct a roller coaster ride that harnesses special effects to his creativity in a way that proves stimulating, arresting – and great fun.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
A woman transforms into a super-warrior.

(Country: France; Year: 2014; Director: Luc Besson; Writer: Luc Besson; Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked, Julian Rhind-Tutt)

Full review See: Luc Besson interview from Locarno

Love Island

A Bosnian family take their much-needed summer break at a coastal resort in Croatia. The karaoke-singing husband can’t take his eyes off the beautiful scuba diving instructor there, but neither can the long-suffering wife who recognizes the woman as her long-lost love.

(Country: Croatia, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland; Year: 2014; Director: Jasmila Zbanic; Writer: Aleksandar Hemon, Jasmila Zbanic; Stars: Franco Nero, Ariane Labed, Ada Condeescu, Leon Lucev, Branka Petric, Bojana Gregoric, Ermin Bravo, Jelena Lopatic, Vanja Joncic)

Marie's Story (Marie Heurtin)

Review preview for Marie's Story

The sense of period and the deprivations of the time are authentically evoked without ramping up the emotional charge.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
Biopic about a woman who was born deaf and blind.

(Country: France; Year: 2014; Director: Jean-Pierre Améris; Writer: Jean-Pierre Améris, Philippe Blasband; Stars: Isabelle Carré, Brigitte Catillon, Laure Duthilleul, Martine Gautier, Sonia Laroze, Patricia Legrand, Christophe Tourrette, Gilles Treton, Ariana Rivoire)

Full review

Pause

A musician finds his romantic relationship in trouble.

(Country: Switzerland; Year: 2014; Director: Mathieu Urfer; Writer: Joanne Giger, Joanne Giger, Matthieu Reynaert, Mathieu Urfer; Stars: Baptiste Gilliéron, Julia Faure, André Wilms, Nils Althaus, Nicole Letuppe, Roland Vouilloz, Baptiste Coustenoble, Hélène Barbry, Margherita Coldesina, Jean-Michel Distexhe, Olivier Yglesias)

Schweizer Helden

A woman left alone at Christmas, tries to stage a production of William Tell with asylum seekers.

(Director: Peter Luisi; Stars: Esther Gemsch, Karim Rahoma, Komi Mizrajim Togbonou, Newroz Baz, Elvis Clausen, Klaus Wildbolz )

To Life (Hélène et ses soeurs, À la vie)

Review preview for To Life

Although the performances are uniformly pitch-perfect Julie Depardieu (centre) shines out as Hélène.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
Loosely based on the story of the director's mother who, years after being in Auschwitz decided to track down two women she had befriended in the camp.

(Country: France; Year: 2014; Director: Jean-Jacques Zilbermann; Writer: Odile Barski, Danièle D'Antoni, Jean-Jacques Zilbermann; Stars: Julie Depardieu, Hippolyte Girardot, Anne-Marie Pisani, Mathias Mlekuz, Patrick Ligardes, Maria Pitarresi, Béatrice Michel, Benjamin Wangermee, Maxime Le Garrec, Matthieu Le Garrec, Chelssy Bottier, Audrey Quoturi)

Full review

Venus In Fur (La Venua À La Fourrure)

Review preview for Venus In Fur

Seigner is wonderfully playful and her bold risk taking shows how much she trusts Polanski.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4.5 out of 5
An actress endeavours to convince a director of her talents so she can win a part in the play based on Sacher-Masoch's novel.

(Country: France, Poland; Year: 2013; Director: Roman Polanski; Writer: Roman Polanski, based on the play by David Ives; Stars: Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric)

Full review