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London Film Festival · 2021

London Film Festival 2021

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Programme

17 films · 4 reviews

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4 Feet High

Argentinian web series about a 17-year-old wheelchair user who aims to explore her sexuality but who is ashamed of her body.

(Country: Argentina, France; Year: 2020; Director: María Belén Poncio, Rosario Perazolo Masjoan; Writer: Javier Correa Cáceres, Javier Correa Cáceres, Ezequiel Lenardon; Stars: Natalia di Cienzo, Marisol Agostina Irigoyen, Florencia Licera, Marcio Ramses, Melissa Romero, Francisca Spinotti, Adrián Azaceta, Beto Bernuez, Eva Bianco, Hernán Sevilla)

All Is Vanity

A fashion shoot takes a turn for the bizarre.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Marcos Mereles; Writer: Marcos Mereles; Stars: Sid Phoenix, Yaseen Aroussi, Isabelle Bonfrer, Rosie Steel, Christopher Sherwood, David Sayers, Sam Halpenny, Jonathan Harden)

As In Heaven

One day at the end of the 1800s, 14-year-old Lise’s life is changed forever after her mother experiences problems in labour.

(Country: Denmark; Year: 2021; Director: Tea Lindeburg; Writer: Marie Bregendahl, Tea Lindeburg; Stars: Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl, Ida Cæcilie Rasmussen, Palma Lindeburg Leth, Anna-Olivia Øster Coakley, Flora Augusta, Kirsten Olesen, Lisbet Dahl, Stine Fischer Christensen, Thure Lindhardt, Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Emil Hornemann Juel, Alfred Røssel Læsø, Ingrid Thunbo Ilskov, Ida Hornemann Juel, Villads Røygaard)

The Box (La Caja)

Hatzin, a young teenager from Mexico City, travels to collect the remains of his father, which have been found in a communal grave. But a casual encounter with a man who shares a physical resemblance with his father fills him with doubts and hope about his parent’s true whereabouts.

(Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2021; Director: Lorenzo Vigas; Writer: Paula Markovitch, Lorenzo Vigas; Stars: Hernán Mendoza, Cristina Zulueta, Hatzín Navarrete, Hernán Mendoza, Cristina Zulueta, Hatzín Navarrete)

Clara Sola

In a remote village in Costa Rica, a withdrawn 40-year-old woman experiences a sexual and mystical awakening as she begins a journey to free herself from the repressive religious and social conventions which have dominated her life.

(Country: Sweden, Belgium, Costa Rica, Germany; Year: 2021; Director: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén; Writer: Maria Camila Arias, Nathalie Álvarez Mesén)

Curse Of The Chippendales

Documentary about the true crime plot that played out behind the scenes of the Chippendales' international fame.

(Country: UK, US, Norway, Sweden Denmark; Year: 2021; Director: Jesse Vile; Writer: Jesse Vile, Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn; Stars: Richard Charles Barsh, Eric Gilbert, Candace Mayeron, Roger Menache, Bruce Nahin, Michael Rapp, Peterson Dan)

Earwig

Review preview for Earwig

Earwig invites you to listen, to put out feelers, to scurry.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
Somewhere in Europe, mid-20th century. Albert is employed to look after Mia, a girl with teeth of ice. Mia never leaves their apartment, where the shutters are always closed. The telephone rings regularly and the Master enquires after Mia’s wellbeing. Until the day Albert is instructed that he must prepare the child to leave...

(Country: UK, France, Belgium; Year: 2021; Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic; Writer: Brian Catling, Geoff Cox, Lucile Hadzihalilovic; Stars: Romola Garai, Alex Lawther, Paul Hilton, Martin Verset, Romola Garai, Alex Lawther, Paul Hilton, Martin Verset)

Full review

Les Enfants Terribles

Documentary about a Turkish family is on the brink of implosion after the younger generation lock horns with the older members.

(Country: Turkey, Germany, France; Year: 2021; Director: Ahmet Necdet Cupur; Writer: Ahmet Necdet Cupur; Stars: Mahmut Cupur, Nezahat Cupur, Zeynep Cupur, Ahmet Necdet Cupur)

The Fam (La Mif)

Drama about seven teenage girls living in residential care in Geneva.

(Country: Switzerland; Year: 2021; Director: Fred Baillif; Writer: Fred Baillif; Stars: Charlie Areddy, Kassia Da Costa, Amandine Golay, Claudia Grob, Joyce Esther Ndayisenga, Amelie Tonsi, Sara Tulu, Anais Uldry)

History Ni Ha

A ventriloquist who has returned home after a performing tour responds to personal turmoil by only communicating with the world through his puppet.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2021; Director: Lav Diaz; Writer: Lav Diaz; Stars: John Lloyd Cruz, Teroy Guzman, Mae Paner, Dolly De Leon, Jonathan O. Francisco, Hazel Orencio, Earl Ignacio, Gabuco Eliezl, Cesar Gabuco, Erwin Romulo, Jun Sabayton, Ceian Hazel Gabuco)

Memory Box (The Notebooks)

Review preview for Memory Box

The memories have the vibrant immediacy of teenage energy and are treated by Hadjithomas and her co-director Khalil Joreige in the same spirited fashion.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
Three generations of women in Canada, deal with memories of their homeland of Lebanon.

(Country: France, Lebanon, Qatar, Canada; Year: 2021; Director: Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige; Writer: Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige, Gaëlle Macé; Stars: Manal Issa, Isabelle Zighondi, Rim Turkhi, Manal Issa, Isabelle Zighondi, Rim Turkhi)

Full review

Natural Light (Természetes fény)

Review preview for Natural Light

Unlike many first-time directors who have the urge to cram more and more in, Nagy and his co-writer Pál Závada instead strip things back, letting the trudge of the men tell its own tale.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
A company of soldiers hunt for partisans in occupied Soviet territory during the Second World War.

(Country: Latvia, Germany, Hungary, France; Year: 2021; Director: Dénes Nagy; Writer: Dénes Nagy, Pál Závada; Stars: Ferenc Szabó, László Bajkó, Tamás Garbacz, Gyula Franczia, Stuhl Erno, Szilágyi Gyula, Mareks Lapeskis, Kozó Krisztián, Nánási Csaba, Fodor Zsolt, Mondovics Mihály, Barta József, Illés Pál, Szeverényi János, Besenyei Ferenc)

Full review

Pedro

When a man accidentally kills a cow he finds himself pitted against the community.

(Country: India; Year: 2021; Director: Natesh Hegde; Writer: Natesh Hegde; Stars: Gopal Hegde, Ramakrishna Bhat Dundi, Raj B. Shetty, Medini Kelmane)

Petrov's Flu

A day in the life of a comic book artist and his family in post-Soviet Russia. While suffering from the flu, Petrov is carried by his friend Igor on a long walk, drifting in and out of fantasy and reality.

(Country: Switzerland, France, Russia, Germany; Year: 2021; Director: Kirill Serebrennikov; Writer: Kirill Serebrennikov, based on the book by Alexey Salnikov; Stars: Chulpan Khamatova, Semyon Serzin, Elene Mushkaeva, Ivan Ivashkin)

The Tsugua Diaries (Diarios De Otsoga)

Details of this film have yet to be released.

(Country: Portugal; Year: 2021; Director: Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes; Writer: Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes, Mariana Ricardo; Stars: Crista Alfaiate, Carloto Cotta, João Nunes Monteiro)

Users

A mother wonders, will my children love their perfect machines more than they love me, their imperfect mother? She switches on a smart-crib lulling her crying baby to sleep. This perfect mother is everywhere. She watches over us, takes care of us. We listen to her. We trust her.

(Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2021; Director: Natalia Almada)

Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash

Review preview for Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash

With characters coming and going continually, the film is wildly uneven in tone, sometimes broadly comic, sometimes painfully dark. In many ways this suits its efforts to address the chaotic nature of life.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
The tale of an impotent man who tries to assert his masculinity through fighting but cannot come to terms with his past.

(Country: Singapore, Germany, Indonesia; Year: 2021; Director: Edwin; Writer: Edwin, Eka Kurniawan, Eka Kurniawan; Stars: Marthino Lio, Ladya Cheryl, Reza Rahadian, Ratu Felisha, Sal Priadi, Kevin Ardillova, Kiki Narendra, Djenar Maesa Ayu, Eduward Manalu, Lukman Sardi, Ayu Laksmi, Yudi Ahmad Tajudin, Piet Pagau, Elly D. Luthan, Cecep Arif Rahman)

Full review