film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Category: REVIEWS

Here is where you would find our film reviews on BRWC.  We look at on trailers, shorts, indies and mainstream.  We love movies!

  • Review: Boys Who Like Girls

    Review: Boys Who Like Girls

    Boys Who Like Girls is a documentary that offers a fresh perspective on what men in India are doing to stop the ongoing violence and abuse of women in Indian society. This documentary was filmed against the horrific backdrop that shocked not only Indian society but the world of the gang rape of Jyoti Singh in 2012.

    Female filmmaker and director Inka Achte follows three men in different stages of their lives, Harish who founded the charity Men Against Violence and Abuse who is in his 50s, Aspar a young social worker and Ved, a teenager trying to escape the violent clutches of his father and whos views of women up until he meets Harish are not wholesome.

    The documentary is also partly a coming of age story focusing on Ved’s journey. We follow his hopes of escaping his father’s clutches and doing well academically otherwise he will be sent to work on a rural farm.  Achte’s documentary style is that of a quiet observer who doesn’t have any preconceived ideas but just wants to show what society is like but also widen the discussion. There are good men out there taking a stand and they too need society’s support. One frustrating section of the documentary is where we follow Harish on a fundraising trip overseas who is basically told that because he is not a woman lots of charities will not help him. The documentary raises so many questions but does not answer them, in some respects that is frustrating but also positive – it is a call to arms of the viewer to engage and voice their opinion.

    Boys Who Like Girls asks poses one simple question, which remains to be answered, will Ved’s generation be the first generation of boys that actually like girls? That is to say not abuse them. In watching this documentary, you hope that the work of  Harish will continue to find funding and help provide the positive masculine role models that Indian society so clearly needs. 

    Hopefully, this documentary will be picked up and shown to a wider audience, there are not only men but boys who like girls and the subject matters touched upon are prevalent in all societies not just in India.

    Boys Who Like Girls will receive its world premiere on Saturday 9 June at the Sheffield Documentary Festival.

  • The BRWC Review: McQueen

    The BRWC Review: McQueen

    “Genius is made, not born” according to Einstein, in the case of Lee Alexander McQueen it is a mixture of both. The documentary of his life using footage shot by him, of him and interviews with those who knew him well including family members. It is a bold, vivacious, very funny and utterly enthralling view of a man, icon and fashion genius – McQueen.

    The documentary is shot in a linear fashion, so tape 1 starts with Lee, as those who knew him called him as a shy sixteen year old with this raw talent. In his own words who wasn’t very academic only leaving school with one O level as he mostly sketched clothes during lessons. Tape 2 follows him to Saville Row and those who saw the raw, pulsating talent and helped to nurture it. It also provides rare footage of his graduate show at which, his mentor, Isabella Blow first saw her protege.

    Tape 3 is when he has arrived in Paris and working at Givenchy and still keeping his eponymous label afloat. He did 14 shows a year – cutting, designing all was him. He was a workhorse.

    The sadness that surrounded him is evident from how he tried so hard to fit in. With money, he was able to afford liposuction and then to fill the void he turned to drugs. His friendship and the betrayal of Isabella Blow is not sugar-coated either, it too suffered as he became more successful and in some ways resentful of how people would say she made him. No one can make anyone but without Blow, it would be hard to see if Alexander McQueen would have become the icon he is today. It was she who said he should use his middle name, Alexander rather than Lee.

    Tape 4 shows the Voss show and also, the iconic no 13 show in 1999 ‘man vs machine’ where Shalom Harlow wore that strapless white dress that in actual fact was just an underskirt held up by a belt and was sprayed by two robotic guns.

    Tape 5 is the final tape where we see how the darkness engulfed Lee as well as the drugs and paranoia.

    In the words of Alexander McQueen himself: “if you want to know me just look at my work”, and when we do we weep for what might have been but are grateful for what remains.

    This is one of the most sensitive biopics yet revealing of an icon since Amy in 2015. Co-directors Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui manage to show the man and what it took to become this almost mythical figure and how the view from the top is a lonely one. What sets this documentary apart is how meticulously it was researched and the number of people willing to contribute and their honesty. It is often easy to forget just the amount of passion it takes to produce such items of beauty – in the case of McQueen it wasn’t just blood, sweat and tears but also his very being. What the directors do not shy away from is focusing on McQueen’s mental health issues which were only exacerbated first with the suicide of Isabella Blow and then his mother’s death. He then took his own life at the age of 40 on 11 February 2010.

    “I don’t want you to walk out feeling you’ve just had Sunday lunch. I want you to leave feeling repulsed, or exhilarated. As long as it’s an emotion.” There is no doubt in my mind that you will not be full of emotion. Singular, visceral and unforgettable – McQueen is a documentary to be seen with plenty of tissues. This documentary is not just for lovers of fashion but for anyone interested in what it takes to make it creatively and for an honest, non sugar coated portrait of an icon.

    McQueen is released across cinemas in the UK on Friday, 8 June.

  • Are You Glad I’m Here: Review

    Are You Glad I’m Here: Review

    Are You Glad I’m Here is one of those strange films that can take a dark subject matter and turn it into something hopeful. The film is set in Lebanon, in the city of Beirut, and follows the growing friendship of Nadine and Kristen. Nadine is a Lebanese house-wife, with a husband and children. Kristen is an American who has moved to Beirut to teach English. After meeting by chance and meeting often to get to know each other, they both become good friends. Unfortunately, Nadine’s husband is a drunkard, adulterer and abuser – when he takes things too far, Kristen decides that they will both deal with him together. When the unfortunate happens, the two friends become partners in crime as they are forced to do what they can to avoid spending the rest of their lives in a Lebanese prison.

    Already, from minute one, this is a great pairing of people. Nadine clearly started married life with nothing but happiness – unfortunately, her husband and certain aspects to her culture’s views on women’s rights have whittled her down to someone whose, maybe not miserable but definitely wanting better and feeling very scared at times. It makes it all the nicer when Kristen comes into her life and gives her someone to talk to and feel supported by. At the same time, Kristen is culturally naïve, not understanding the views of the majority of people and even arguing against their views – some of which are justifiable, some are a little pettier. We know the dangers of this, even if she doesn’t. It makes it nice when Nadine is giving her information on how the world here works and giving her street smarts. There will always be something endearing about a dreamer lifting the spirits of a realist and a realist calming a dreamer down with hard but simple truths.

    The actresses for these parts are on top form. It’s not character playing, they come off as human beings. With dialogue so realistically written, both of them feel like someone you could meet if you travelled to the city right now. There’s a scene where they just talk about watching Marvel’s Jessica Jones – and it fits. It helps flesh them out just that little bit more than the scene before it. The same can be said for the scene after it. Director Noor Gharzeddine has an almost Spielbergian approach to developing her characters. She doesn’t just let great writing and talented actors work and speak for themselves, but she uses her sets and cinematography to make every scene dedicated to these characters feel close and personal.

    It is a good thing that the characters are as good as they are – because it does take a while for the story to kick off. The conflict in the plot isn’t introduced until half-an-hour into the film, and it was an extra quarter-of-an-hour before it really kicks in. This does not bother me as what we do get before was so very good. Oddly enough, I preferred what came before to what comes after the conflict starts. But, with this film being much shorter than expected, it barely reaching an-hour-and-a-half, the pacing is affected by this. It also has the issue of being a much better character drama than it is a thriller, with moments that are not as tense as they should be. Their well-constructed on the whole, especially one scene that plays at the very beginning and is revisited later on. I just didn’t get much of a feeling for the stakes. I know they were high for the characters, and I completely understood their dilemma. I couldn’t feel it, or at least I wasn’t as invested with it as I should have been.

    That won’t stop me from recommending Are You Glad I’m Here. It’s a nice, and strongly hope filled exploration of friendship across cultures. Gharzeddine is that perfect level of un-bias towards both characters and their views. We see how both perceive what’s wrong and what’s right and how they are never openly declared as right or wrong. It’s up to you do decide. That adds extra levels to a nice and short character piece, with some interesting thriller moments. It’s worth your time, all it asks for is for you to listen.

  • Review – McKellen: Playing The Part

    Review – McKellen: Playing The Part

    McKellen: Playing the Part is a laid-back but frank documentary on the career of British theatre and film sweetheart Ian McKellen. A methodical, chronological account from director Joe Stephenson.

    As the title suggests, McKellen embraces the argument that storytelling is fundamental to people, and that acting is innate. Aren’t we all acting, all of the time? Don’t we go through life choosing which aspects of ourselves to display? In this way, it is a surprisingly philosophical account of life in the public eye. The narrative is all from the horse’s mouth. Appearances from other British acting royalty are anecdotal: Maggi Smith; Judi Dench; and of course, McKellen’s bestie Patrick Stewart. Serious and thoughtful throughout, McKellen gives way to whimsical camp old man in the closing credits.

    McKellen
    McKellen

    McKellen: Playing the part presents the argument for waiting until you are ready in terms of children (potentially never) and career moves. He willingly accepts that he would not have thrived in the film world at a younger age, and professes a deep love for theatre.

    McKellen
    McKellen

    This documentary serves as a reminder that being apolitical is a privilege, especially for those in the LGBTQ+ community. It is a demonstration of one man’s journey into political activism. McKellen came out on national television and was a vocal campaigner against Section 28: a political injustice that came immediately after the peak of the AIDS crisis. Having avoided politics thus far, he felt that he could no longer sidestep these issues. Producers of the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic take note: Films about gay men in the late 1980s that omit the AIDS crisis are incomplete.

    McKellen: Playing the part will be screened across the UK on 27th May 2018

  • The BRWC Review: Allure

    The BRWC Review: Allure

    As an age-gap romantic drama with much darker themes, Allure could have been an interesting depiction of how toxic that scenario can become. Sadly, the movie soon devolves into a rambling nightmare, lacking the subtleties of a more able storyteller.

    Evan Rachel Wood is fervent and never less than engaging in a woefully written role. It’s commendable that she resonates with a sense of dynamism despite the problematic subject matter, poorly realised on screen by filmmakers Carlos and Jason Sanchez. There’s a kitchen sink approach to the horrific emotional turmoil depicted on screen. As both the abused and an abuser, Laura could be a fascinating, measured and multi-faceted character study of the vicious cycle of victim and victimiser. Wood gives nothing less than her all but her best isn’t met by capable or coherent writing to elevate the subject matter.

    Unfortunately, the supporting actors are given even less to work with and this comes to the detriment of their performances, the most egregious of which being Julia Sarah Stone as Eva, the teenage object of Laura’s affections. The chemistry between the two is unconvincing and Stone seems completely out of her depth with a performance better suited to daytime soaps. Denis O’Hare barely registers as Laura’s father, and what is supposed to be a stirring and emotional reveal in the final act, is signposted from the moment he appears on screen in the first. There are no arcs, there’s just as sense of compounded misery and the world slowly turns.

    The relationship between Laura and Eva isn’t about love, it’s about control. It starts with compliments and placation which leads to coercion, as sixteen-year-old Eva is plied with weed and alcohol. It doesn’t take long before emotional blackmail, mind games and actual imprisonment pave the way for aggressive sexual abuse. To Laura, you get the sense that her attempt to “save” Eva is an exorcism of self, where in actuality it’s more like a demonic ritual.

    All the while it is difficult to ascertain who this movie is for. Is it a cautionary tale about age-gap relationships? Is it a ham-fisted attempt to expose the raw nerve in which Laura has become the very thing she fears? There’s the essence of failed relationships, broken families, incest, rape, physical, mental and emotional abuse, gas-lighting and a whole host of other miseries. The lack of character development or nuance is staggering.

    In the interest of ending on a positive note, Sara Mishara’s cinematography depicts the Autumnal framing of this drama beautifully. The use of fractured light seems to denote the trying, emotional beats for both Laura and Eva. This along with Olivier Alary’s haunting score and Wood’s performance are easily the strongest elements in the film, but certainly not reason alone to put yourself through it.

    Allure is out now in the UK