Author: Rosalynn Try-Hane

Bereave is the latest film from writer and director brothers Giovanis and tells the story of a man on the day of his 40th wedding anniversary hiding a dark secret from his wife knowing the truth will eventually come out but hoping it’s not today.

Garvey (played by the enigmatic Malcolm McDowell) is acting strangely and never more so than on the day of his 40th wedding anniversary as he sits and contemplates committing suicide with a gun. His wife Evelyn (the radiant Jane Seymour) doesn’t know how to deal with Garvey’s odd behaviour. It’s as if she has already lost him but maybe this is all part of his plan to ease her into bereavement.

Bereave is a strange movie as the central narrative is essentially that of the marriage of Garvey and Evelyn and the events that take place on their 40th wedding anniversary. However, it is the sub-plot that is the most interesting. How one man seeks to protect the love of his life from the impending pain of bereavement. He cannot bear to see her grieve for him whilst he’s still there so would rather have her hate him instead. The opening scenes and dialogue set the tone for the whole film:

“Why do we always have to remember things? I’d rather just look at you in the mirror.”

The script is pithy, with some glorious black humour: the scene in a prison cell and mention of viagra had me laughing long after the credits stopped rolling.

Malcolm McDowell’s screen presence is as strong as ever but it is Jane Seymour who surprises in this film bringing to screen the dark, insecure yet robust Evelyn. The film is slow and melodic just like the poetry that Garvey recites to individuals during the film. If I had to describe it would be a character study of what individuals go through: laughter, joy, death and bereavement.

This was shown as part of the American Dreams selection at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Beyond the Lights is the story of a young singer and her narcissistic momager, played with gusto by Minnie Driver that tries to shine a different light on mother daughter relationships. It shines bright but somewhere along the way it loses its way and Beyond the Lights shifts the spotlight onto the same old love conquers all schmaltz.

Beyond the Lights stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw playing Noni who is the bright young rising star on the R&B hip hop scene winning a Billboard award before her first album is released. Yet the question is: is she really happy? Queue the flashbacks and we see essentially she is living her mother’s dream, a narcissistic one at that. Her mother, played with gusto by Minnie Driver, wants it all for her(self). Then comes a surprise twist within the first 20 minutes of the film that changes everything.

It is an interesting film but the romantic sub-plot detracted from what could have been an interesting independent film. All the central characters play their roles well but ultimately this film feels flat because, in my opinion, it is more suited to the theatre than the cinemas.

Beyond the Lights was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival as part of the American Dreams program and will open in cinemas across the UK from 29 June 2015.

Richard Gere is Franny and Franny is all about Richard Gere.

This is the first feature length film from Andrew Renzi and it’s a bold and risky piece of filmmaking.

Franny, a rich socialite who believes that money can buy his way into other peoples lives and also save him from any trouble he may get into. Franny is omnipresent in the life of his lifelong friends Mia and her husband Bobby and dotes on their daughter as if she were his own. A terrible turn of events and Franny does what Franny always does: use his money to save himself and buy the affections of those around him but, will it work with the grown up Olivia (Dakota Fanning) and her husband Luke (Theo James)?

In the Q&A after the film, Andrew Renzi said that the original narrative of the film was bleaker and Dakota Fanning’s role was bigger but was cut in the editing process. Therein lies the problem, whilst this is a role Richard Gere appears to have waited all his life to play he just isn’t enough to carry the picture. Building on from his role in Arbitrage and, signalling a clear move away from his sex symbol roles, here’s he narcisstic, outrageous drug addict in his 60s battling a number of demons. Whilst Gere does an admirable job of conveying the external and internal struggles of Franny it just isn’t nuanced enough a performance. We need to have some of the gaps in Franny’s history filled out such as how did he come into all this money amongst others. There were periods in the film that felt long and watching Franny hunting for drugs was interesting once but it was repeated a few times and just got tiresome.

This is an audacious film about narcissism and digging below the surface of the “good time party guy” to see the demons that lie beneath. However, the film’s weakness is that it’s a singular movie when it needed to be a dual protagonist movie.

However, if it is distributed it is worth seeing just for Richard Gere in a role like no other.

Franny was shown as part of American Dreams selection at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

What difference does 13 minutes make?

A whole world of difference! Had he of succeeded on 8 November 1939 Georg Esler would have been hailed a hero, the name, Hitler, consigned to the history books and millions of lives saved BUT he didn’t succeed. Oliver Hirschbiegel brings us the powerfully taut, historically accurate and tense thriller: 13 minutes that sets off an emotional explosion in our hearts and minds.

Georg Elser was the individual who set out to stop Hitler on 8 November 1939 by planting a homemade bomb above the lectern where Hitler was giving a speech and he would have been successful but for the fact that Hitler left 13 minutes before the bomb exploded.

Oliver Hirschbiegel does what he did with Downfall in that the viewer learns about the man. I am going to state now that all biopics about the second world war should be made by Hirschbiegel. In the Q&A after the film he said he actually didn’t immediately want to make this film however he was drawn to it. What is remarkable is how a non political and free spirited individual such as Elser managed to pull of such an audacious attempt. In watching the film you cannot help but think of parallels with today and indeed Hirschbiegel said he thought Edward Snowden was acting much like Elser did, standing up because someone had to.

The torture scenes in the film are particularly harrowing but it should be noted as Oliver Hirschbiegel stated in the Q&A that nearly all the narrative is actually based on the transcripts the Nazis kept of the interrogations.

What is remarkable is that Elser is not hailed as a hero of the Second World War for what was essentially a selfless sacrifice. This is not a formulaic biopic but one where you feel as you have met Georg, sat and had a drink with him and listened to his views. The reason you feel as if you know Georg Esler is down to what must be an award winning performance by Christian Friedel. It is refreshing, heart breaking but, surprisingly, uplifting to know that individuals like Georg Elser existed and hopefully still exist.

13 Minutes (German with English Subtitles) was shown as part of the Directors’ Showcase at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

It will be on general release in cinemas across the UK from 17 July.