Atlantics, Released on 29th November
This odd blend of social commentary and supernatural mysticism, which marks the feature debut of French-Senegalese actress-turned-director Mati Diop, is one of the most distinctive and original films of the year. A major prize winner in Cannes, where Diop was the first black female director to gain a slot in the main competition, the film approaches familiar themes—migration, gentrification, gender politics—in an unsettlingly original way.
Ordinary Love, Released on 6th December
Leslie Manville and Liam Neeson are Joan and Tom, a long-married couple. But their comfortable relationship is tested by her diagnosis with breast cancer. The direction, by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, is unadorned and understated, the better to draw attention to the picture’s assets: an astringent and candid screenplay, drawn from personal experiences, by playwright Owen McCafferty; and two fine performances. Neeson moves through the film in a bruised lumber, a man whose certainties have been knocked off course. And Manville delivers a staggeringly complex turn, which she makes seem effortless.
The Kingmaker, Released on 13th December
In The Queen of Versailles and Generation Wealth, documentary-maker Lauren Greenfield turned a quizzical lens on extreme privilege. But her latest film, a portrait of Imelda Marcos, captures a malign level of entitlement. The toxic charm of the former first lady of the Philippines is still oiling the wheels of the country’s politics. At 89 (when the film is shot), she has returned from exile, aggrieved at what she perceives as ill-treatment, and determined that her son Bongbong will become president.
This odd blend of social commentary and supernatural mysticism, which marks the feature debut of French-Senegalese actress-turned-director Mati Diop, is one of the most distinctive and original films of the year. A major prize winner in Cannes, where Diop was the first black female director to gain a slot in the main competition, the film approaches familiar themes—migration, gentrification, gender politics—in an unsettlingly original way.
Ordinary Love, Released on 6th December
Leslie Manville and Liam Neeson are Joan and Tom, a long-married couple. But their comfortable relationship is tested by her diagnosis with breast cancer. The direction, by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, is unadorned and understated, the better to draw attention to the picture’s assets: an astringent and candid screenplay, drawn from personal experiences, by playwright Owen McCafferty; and two fine performances. Neeson moves through the film in a bruised lumber, a man whose certainties have been knocked off course. And Manville delivers a staggeringly complex turn, which she makes seem effortless.
The Kingmaker, Released on 13th December
In The Queen of Versailles and Generation Wealth, documentary-maker Lauren Greenfield turned a quizzical lens on extreme privilege. But her latest film, a portrait of Imelda Marcos, captures a malign level of entitlement. The toxic charm of the former first lady of the Philippines is still oiling the wheels of the country’s politics. At 89 (when the film is shot), she has returned from exile, aggrieved at what she perceives as ill-treatment, and determined that her son Bongbong will become president.
