Skip to main content

London Film Festival · 2014

London Film Festival 2014

Love

Also screening short film showcase The Meaning Of Love.

Programme

33 films · 15 reviews

Jump to a film

10,000 Km (10,000 Kilometres)

Review preview for 10,000 Km

A warm romantic drama with a real emotional punch.

Rebecca Naughten · 4 out of 5
Technology rather than love threatens a long-distance relationship.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2014; Director: Carlos Marques-Marcet; Writer: Carlos Marques-Marcet, Clara Roquet, Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer; Stars: Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer)

Full review

Altman

A look at the life and work of the US filmmaker.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2014; Director: Ron Mann; Writer: Len Blum; Stars: Robin Williams, Bruce Willis, Julianne Moore, James Caan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Keith Carradine, Elliott Gould, Lily Tomlin, Robert Altman, Philip Baker Hall, Sally Kellerman, Lyle Lovett, Michael Murphy)

Another Year (Eshche odin god)

A young married couple in Moscow grapples with doubts about the future and divergent career paths.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2014; Director: Oksana Bychkova; Writer: Natalya Meshchaninova, Lubov Mulmenko; Stars: Aleksey Filimonov, Nadya Lumpova)

The Blue Room (La Chambre Bleue)

Review preview for The Blue Room

François Gédigier's inspired editing trusts that mismatched sounds and images form an emotional whole.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
Psychological thriller about a couple's torrid affair.

(Country: France; Year: 2014; Director: Mathieu Amalric; Writer: Mathieu Amalric and Stéphanie Cléau, based on the book by Georges Simenon; Stars: Mathieu Amalric, Léa Drucker, Stéphanie Cléau, Mona Jaffart, Laurent Poitrenaux)

Full review See: Mathieu Amalric in conversation on The Blue Room , Mathieu Amalric in conversation on The Blue Room

Brides (Patardzlebi)

Exploration of a woman's life with the convict she married.

(Country: France, Georgia; Year: 2014; Director: Tinatin Kajrishvili; Writer: Dato Chubinishvili, Tinatin Kajrishvili; Stars: Sergo Buiglishvili, Anuka Grigolia, Nita Kalichava, Mari Kitia, Giorgi Makharadze, Tamar Mamulashvili, Giorgi Maskharashvili, Beka Samadbegishvili)

Casa Grande

The emotional journey of a middle-class Rio teenager.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2014; Director: Fellipe Barbosa; Writer: Fellipe Barbosa, Karen Sztajnberg; Stars: Thales Cavalcanti, Marcello Novaes, Suzana Pires, Alice Melo, Bruna Amaya, Clarissa Pinheiro)

Come Back to the 5 And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean)

Newly restored film about a group of women holding a James Dean fan club reunion.

(Country: US; Year: 1982; Director: Robert Altman; Writer: Ed Graczyk; Stars: Sandy Dennis, Cher, Karen Black, Sudie Bond, Kathy Bates, Marta Heflin, Mark Patton, Caroline Aaron, Ruth Miller, Gena Ramsel, Ann Risley, Dianne Travis)

Decor

A successful film set designer finds herself inexplicably transported into the persona of a married housewife while working on a new production.

(Country: Egypt; Year: 2014; Director: Ahmad Abdalla; Writer: Mohamed Diab; Stars: Khaled Abol Naga, Maged El Kedwany, Horeya Farghaly)

Far From The Madding Crowd

Review preview for Far From The Madding Crowd

For me, and I suspect an entire generation, this is the definitive, almost faultless, take on one of English literature’s most powerful and evocative works.

Jeff Robson · 5 out of 5
In 19th century Wessex, a young woman inherits a farm and attracts the attention of three contrasting suitors.

(Country: UK; Year: 1967; Director: John Schlesinger; Writer: Frederic Raphael, based on the novel by Thomas Hardy; Stars: Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch, Alan Bates, Fiona Walker, Prunella Ransome, Alison Leggatt, Paul Dawkins, Julian Somers, John Barrett, Freddie Jones, Andrew Robertson, Brian Rawlinson, Vincent Harding, Victor Stone)

Full review

Guys And Dolls

Review preview for Guys And Dolls

A bit long and doesn't have the polish of classic musicals.

Leanne McGrath · 4 out of 5
The Broadway musical of crooks, gamblers and a Sally Army sergeant, called Sarah.

(Country: US; Year: 1955; Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz; Writer: Joseph L Mankiewicz, Ben Hecht, based on the story The Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown by Damon Runyon and the book for the musical play by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling; Stars: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, Robert Keith, Stubby Kaye, B S Pulley, Johnny Silver, Sheldon Leonard, Regis Toomey)

Full review

The Goddess

A mum who is forced into prostitution fights for her son's education. Newly restored.

(Country: China; Year: 1934; Director: Yonggang Wu; Writer: Yonggang Wu; Stars: Lingyu Ruan, Tian Jian, Zhizhi Zhang, Keng Li, Junpan Li, Huaiqiu Tang)

The Great Museum (Das große Museum)

A look behind the scenes of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

(Country: Austria; Year: 2014; Director: Johannes Holzhausen; Writer: Johannes Holzhausen, Constantin Wulff)

Hungry Hearts

Review preview for Hungry Hearts

A thriller, a deep hard stare into the nature of escape, a comedy of metaphors and an alluringly photographed glimpse into the abyss.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
New York-set drama about a young couple who tear each other apart over the care of their child.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2014; Director: Saverio Costanzo; Writer: Marco Franzoso, Saverio Costanzo; Stars: Adam Driver, Alba Rohrwacher, Roberta Maxwell, David Aaron Baker, Dennis Rees, Victoria Cartagena, Ginger Kearns, Natalie Gold, Cristina J. Huie, Katherine O'Sullivan, Toshiko Onizawa, Jason Selvig, Jake Weber, Victor Williams)

Full review See: Alba Rohrwacher in conversation on Adam Driver in Saverio Costanzo’s Hungry Hearts, Arnaud Desplechin, Isabelle Huppert on shoes and Sworn Virgin , Saverio Costanzo in conversation on Hungry Hearts , Alba Rohrwacher in conversation on Hungry Hearts

Kelly And Cal (Kelly & Cal)

A bored housewife finds she has a lot in common with her much younger neighbour.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Jen McGowan; Writer: Amy Lowe Starbin; Stars: Juliette Lewis, Jonny Weston, Josh Hopkins, Cybill Shepherd, Lucy Owen, Ken Marks, Margaret Colin, Scarlett Giuliano, Serafina Giuliano, Victoria Barabas, Jennifer Grace, Chivonne Michelle, Alysia Reiner, Meghan Rafferty, Lusia Strus)

Leopardi (Il giovane favoloso)

Period biopic of legendary Italian 19th century poet Giacomo Leopardi.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2014; Director: Mario Martone; Writer: Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo; Stars: Elio Germano, Michele Riondino, Massimo Popolizio, Anna Mouglalis, Valerio Binasco, Paolo Graziosi, Iaia Forte, Sandro Lombardi, Raffaella Giordano, Edoardo Natoli, Federica De Cola, Isabella Ragonese, Giovanni Ludeno, Giorgia Salari, Gloria Ghergo)

A Little Chaos

Review preview for A Little Chaos

Too niche to reach

Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
A landscape gardener is employed by King Louis XIV to transform the gardens at Versailles.

(Country: UK; Year: 2014; Director: Alan Rickman; Writer: Alison Deegan, Jeremy Brock, Alan Rickman; Stars: Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Helen McCrory, Jennifer Ehle, Steven Waddington)

Full review See: Article about the Monkey Bar reception for A Little Chaos , Red carpet interview with Alan Rickman and Kate Winslet about A Little Chaos

Love gala

Love Is Strange

Review preview for Love Is Strange

Courageous and uncompromising

Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
The consequences of a gay marriage on family and friends.

(Country: US, France; Year: 2014; Director: Ira Sachs; Writer: Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias; Stars: John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Darren E. Burrows, Charlie Tahan, Eric Tabach, John Cullum)

Full review

Madame Bovary

Story of a small town doctor's wife who tries to advance her social standing through a series of affairs.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Sophie Barthes; Writer: Rose Barreneche, Sophie Barthes; Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Paul Giamatti, Ezra Miller, Rhys Ifans, Laura Carmichael, Logan Marshall-Green, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Luke Tittensor, Richard Cordery, Olivier Gourmet, Morfydd Clark)

Margarita, With A Straw

The struggles and sense of freedom experienced by a Delhi teenager with cerebral palsy when she wins a scholarship to NY.

(Country: India; Year: 2014; Director: Shonali Bose, Nilesh Maniyar; Writer: Shonali Bose, Atika Chohan; Stars: Kalki Koechlin, Revathy, Sayani Gupta, Helen Abell, William Moseley, Doug Plaut, Marco Torriani, Hussain Dalal, Blair Wing, Jacob Berger, Vin Scialla, Reginald L. Wilson, Carlotta Summers, Asia Craft, Nicolette Dehi)

Next To Her

Review preview for Next To Her

Ben-Shlush is riveting in the central role.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A woman devoted to caring for her sister becomes involved in a complex relationship when their routine is broken.

(Country: Israel; Year: 2014; Director: Asaf Korman; Writer: Liron Ben-Shlush; Stars: Liron Ben-Shlush, Jacob Daniel, Dana Ivgy)

Full review

Only Angels Have Wings

Review preview for Only Angels Have Wings

A brilliant exercise in plotting, drama, comedy and action with a fitting denouement.

Luke Shaw · 4 out of 5
An Andean adventure sees a bold young woman trying to cut it as a freight pilot and falling for her boss.

(Country: US; Year: 1939; Director: Howard Hawks; Stars: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth)

Full review

Radiator

Review preview for Radiator

A towering performance from veteran actor Richard Johnson dominates the film.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Blackly comic drama about the strain of coping with ageing parents in a long troubled family.

(Country: UK; Year: 2013; Director: Tom Browne; Writer: Tom Browne, Daniel Cerqueira; Stars: Richard Johnson, Gemma Jones, Daniel Cerqueira)

Full review

Serena

Review preview for Serena

The film spirals towards the inevitable like a Greek tragedy written in crayon.

Donald Munro · 1.5 out of 5
Melodrama about a logging magnate who discovers his wife can't have children.

(Country: US, France; Year: 2014; Director: Susanne Bier; Writer: Christopher Kyle, Ron Rash; Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Rhys Ifans, Sean Harris, Sam Reid, Toby Jones, Blake Ritson, Kim Bodnia, Ned Dennehy, Charity Wakefield, Ana Ularu, David Dencik, Michael Ryan, Mark O'Neal, Jim High)

Full review

The Silent Storm

Story of a stormy marriage between an authoritarian minister and his mysterious wife whose lives are shaken by the unexpected arrival of a delinquent into their home.

(Country: UK; Year: 2014; Director: Corinna McFarlane; Writer: Corinna McFarlane; Stars: Damian Lewis, Andrea Riseborough, Kate Dickie, John Sessions, Ross Anderson, Eric Robertson)

Still The Water (Futatsume No Mado)

A teenage couple investigate after a corpse is found floating in the sea during an island festival.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2014; Director: Naomi Kawase; Writer: Naomi Kawase; Stars: Makiko Watanabe, Hideo Sakaki, Jun Murakami, Miyuki Matsuda, Tetta Sugimoto)

The Tales Of Hoffmann

Review preview for The Tales Of Hoffmann

The passage of time - and a beautiful 4k restoration - have been kind to this reimagining of Jacques Offenbach's opera, with its deliberately operatic gestures and colours and stylised production design feeling sharply avant garde even today.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A poet recalls three doomed romances.

(Country: UK; Year: 1951; Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger; Writer: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Dennis Arundell; Stars: Moira Shearer, Ludmilla Tchérina, Anne Ayars, Pamela Brown, Léonide Massine, Robert Helpmann, Frederick Ashton, Mogens Wieth, Robert Rounseville, Lionel Harris, Philip Leaver)

Full review See: George A Romero talks zombies, religion and genocide in Karlovy Vary

Three Hearts (3 coeurs, 3 Hearts)

A woman is caught in a play of love, fate and narrative coincidence.

(Country: France; Year: 2014; Director: Benoît Jacquot; Writer: Julien Boivent, Benoît Jacquot; Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Xavier Briere, Thomas Doret, Yvonne Gradelet, Joshua Heuzard Freche, André Marcon, Patrick Mille, Nicolas Simon, Elina Solomon, Cédric Vieira, Caroline Piette)

Viktoria

Although determined not to have a child in Communist Bulgaria, Boryana gives birth to Viktoria, who despite being born with no umbilical cord, is proclaimed to be the baby of the decade. But political collapse and the hardships of the new time bind mother and daughter together.

(Country: Bulgaria, Romania; Year: 2014; Director: Maya Vitkova; Writer: Maya Vitkova; Stars: Irmena Chichikova, Daria Vitkova, Kalina Vitkova, Mariana Krumova, Dimo Dimov, Georgi Spassov)

Waiting for August

A grim atemporality has infiltrated the lives of seven Romanian siblings. Their mother has gone to work in Italy, and the responsibility for caring for the household is placed entirely with 15-year-old Georgiana.

(Country: Belgium; Year: 2014; Director: Teodora Ana Mihai)

The Way He Looks (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho)

Review preview for The Way He Looks

By sporadically renouncing traditional reverse shots, Ribeiro gives us an impression of what it is like to be denied a certain gaze - but the director uses this effect with caution.

Sophie Charlotte Rieger · 4 out of 5
Story of a blind teenager who yearns for independence.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2014; Director: Daniel Ribeiro; Writer: Daniel Ribeiro; Stars: Ghilherme Lobo, Fabio Audi, Tess Amorim, Eucir de Souza, Isabela Guasco, Selma Egrei, Júlio Machado, Naruna Costa, Lúcia Romano, Victor Filgueiras) , Official site , Trailer

Full review See: Article about Blindness and blind people in cinema

Why Be Good

Silent romantic comedy.

(Country: US; Year: 1929; Director: William A Seiter; Writer: Paul Perez, Carey Wilson, Carey Wilson; Stars: Colleen Moore, Neil Hamilton, Bodil Rosing, John St. Polis, Edward Martindel, Eddie Clayton, Lincoln Stedman, Louis Natheaux, Collette Merton, Dixie Gay, Jean Harlow)

Wild Life (Vie sauvage)

Review preview for Wild Life

If you think you can come to an easy judgement, the film seems to say, think again.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4.5 out of 5
A father tries to raise his two sons away from civilisation.

(Country: Belgium, France; Year: 2014; Director: Cédric Kahn; Stars: Mathieu Kassovitz, Céline Sallette, David Gastou, Sofiane Neveu, Tara-Jay Bangalter, Romain Depret, Jules Ritmanic)

Full review See: Cédric Kahn in conversation on Wild Life (Vie sauvage) part 2 , Cédric Kahn in conversation on Wild Life (Vie sauvage) part 1

X+Y

Review preview for X+Y

A strong film with an impressive central performance by up and coming star Asa Butterfield.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
An autistic teenage prodigy travels from the English suburbs for a maths competition in Taipei, challenging his safely defined outlook.

(Country: UK; Year: 2014; Director: Morgan Matthews; Writer: James Graham; Stars: Lewis Adams, Percelle Ascott, Edward Baker-Close, Lee Bolton, Jason Thomas Brown, Asa Butterfield, Tasha Connor, Colin Coombs, Alexa Davies, Jake Davies, Paul J. Dove, James Frost, Sally Hawkins, Alex Lawther, Orion Lee)

Full review