Our favourite movies of the summer months.
Summer is traditionally thought of as blockbuster season but this year's selection of Hollywood tentpole offerings was the most forgettable in quite a few years. Thankfully the rest of the world stepped up to deliver a sizzling selection of summer treats.
Here are the 10 movies released in UK/ROI cinemas between June and August that most impressed us.
A Season in France
We said: There is little that is preachy or pat about A Season in France: its long takes and naturalistic style completely convince as a representation of experience as is. As the film continues, the emotionally balanced storytelling of writer/director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun reaches a near perfection which is both human and utterly compelling.
Holiday
We said: In gangster movies, women have generally either been relegated to background eye candy at worst or Lady Macbeth figures at best. Isabella Eklöf takes a gangster's moll and places her front and centre in this uncompromising and provocative character study.
In Fabric
We said: Peter Strickland's movie recalls the output of Amicus, and while he continues to channel the exotic spirit of '70s Euro horror, In Fabric is distinctly British in its self-deprecating humour. A succinct elevator pitch might read 'Dario Argento's Are You Being Served?'
Knife + Heart
We said: Where several recent movies have channelled the look of '70s exploitation cinema, few have captured their scuzziness in quite the same way as Knife + Heart. It's a sleazy, sadistic movie that genuinely feels like the product of a less sensitive time.
Leto
We said: Kirill Serebrennikov may be exploring heady themes like state censorship, artistic frustration and romantic insecurity, but it's all wrapped up in one of the most joyous cinematic experiences you're likely to have all year.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
We said: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is almost devoid of plot, instead allowing us to simply hang out with its characters and lounge in the glorious mundanity of their existence. It's a gift to anyone who ever found themselves pausing an episode of The Rockford Files to read the label on the cheap beer James Garner chugs in his trailer home.
Pain and Glory
We said: This is a story of addiction, sickness and old age, the things that make us aware of our mortality and trigger existential crises. At heart, it’s very near and dear to Almodóvar but he infuses his story with a painful universality.
Photograph
We said: No doubt Photograph will find itself remade by Hollywood, its silence replaced by snappy, smart-ass dialogue, which misses the point. Giving his lovers minimal dialogue, Ritseh Batra allows us to project ourselves on his protagonists, and ultimately, whether or not they can succeed as lovers is left to us to decide.
The Souvenir
We said: The Souvenir takes its title from a painting by the artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard, but it's also a reference to what we take away from our relationships. Ultimately it's a heartfelt tribute to those who make it out the other side of toxic partnerships, and to those who succumb along the way.
Support the Girls
We said: A female ensemble drama with genuine heart and characters that all feel fully realised no matter how little screen time they might be offered. It's an honest and heartfelt portrayal of working class life, one that never condescends to or patronises its characters.
"Billy Wilder establishes a theme he would return to several times over his career - that of a protagonist forced to assume a false identity."— 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕄𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕎𝕒𝕗𝕗𝕝𝕖𝕣.𝕔𝕠𝕞 🎬 (@themoviewaffler) September 9, 2019
THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR is on blu-ray September 23rd from Arrow Academy.
Read @hilliseric's reviewhttps://t.co/JxMxvgDvSK pic.twitter.com/6UcdYydSbn