April on MUBI UK sees the UK streaming premiere of the latest drama from
Lukas Dhont, a double bill from Turkey's most acclaimed auteur, a Soderbergh
season and more.
Close
Following its theatrical release in March, writer-director
Lukas Dhont's critically acclaimed and award-winning
Close
(2022) will be available to stream exclusively on MUBI from April 21st.
Winner of the Grand Prix award at Cannes 2022 and nominated for Best
International Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards,
Close is an elegant, poetic and empathetic study of youth.
Thirteen-year-olds Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi (Gustav De Waele) are inseparable; they spend every waking moment together, racing each
other on their bikes, playing in the fields that surround their homes, and
sleeping at each other's houses. They are best friends, as close as
brothers. However as they start a new school year, the pressures of
burgeoning adolescence challenge their bond with unexpected and
far-reaching consequences.
With incredibly authentic and emotional performances from newcomers
Dambrine and De Waele, Dhont's latest film is as evocative as it is
visually stunning, set against the rich landscape of the Belgian
countryside. A powerful coming-of-age story, this profoundly moving
portrait of male friendship offers a depiction of intimacy and masculinity
that is sure to have an enduring impact.
Christophe Honoré Triple Bill
With French writer-director Christophe Honoré's latest film
Winter Boy (2022) - which tells the story of Lucas, a
17-year-old student, who escapes to Paris in search of himself following
the sudden death of his father - soon arriving exclusively to
the platform, MUBI's Triple Bill pays homage to Honoré's films. Known for
his work in contemporary French cinema, his films often explore themes of
love, desire, and loss, and feature complex characters and emotional
relationships.
Arriving first to the platform this season is
Sorry Angel (2018): Jacques is a writer living in Paris. He
hasn't turned 40 but already mistrusts that the best in life is yet to
come. Arthur is a student living in Brittany. He reads and smiles a lot
and refuses to think that everything in life might not be possible.
Following this, MUBI brings On a Magical Night (2019), which
follows Maria, a middle-aged professor who leaves her husband after he
discovers her infidelity with a younger man. Seeking refuge in a hotel
across the street from their apartment, Maria reflects on her past
relationships and sexual experiences through a series of magical and
surreal encounters with her younger self and former lover.
Once Upon a Time: A Nuri Bilge Ceylan Double Bill
Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan has established himself as a
masterful filmmaker, celebrated both for his intimate, poetic cinema of
human frailty and stylistic hallmarks, like stunningly composed,
contemplative long takes and hypnotic pacing. Drawing as much from the
cinema—his early work is indebted to Italian neorealism—as from literature
(particularly the Russian masters), Ceylan's sublime visuals and stunning
landscapes combine a realist worldview with a lyrical, literary soul. The
two films in MUBI's Nuri Bilge Ceylan double bill this month: the epic story
of a retired actor,
Winter Sleep
(2014), and the evocative and bittersweet drama
The Wild Pear Tree
(2018), both declare their literary spirits, featuring multi-layered
characters that grapple with existential angst and intense
self-scrutiny.
The Films of Steven Soderbergh
Renowned American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and actor
Steven Soderbergh first gained recognition in the film industry
with his directorial debut, Sex, Lies, and Videotape in 1989
which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and earned him an Academy Award
nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Since then, Soderbergh has
amassed a remarkable body of work that has earned him numerous awards and
nominations, including three Academy Award nominations for Best Director.
This April, MUBI brings four of his titles to MUBI including
The Limey (1999), Magic Mike (2012),
Traffic (2000) and
Unsane
(2018).
Known for his experimentation with form and style, Soderbergh's films span
an impressive range of genres, from crime thrillers to romantic dramas, to
comedies. His films have been widely celebrated for their artistic vision
and technical excellence and he has long been considered one of the most
versatile and innovative filmmakers of his generation.
The Bill Douglas Trilogy
Renowned for his poignant and deeply personal depictions of working-class
existence in Scotland, MUBI presents The Bill Douglas Trilogy to the
platform this month. This compelling series of three semi-autobiographical
films, comprising My Childhood (1972),
My Ain Folk (1973), and My Way Home (1978),
draws from Douglas's own experiences of growing up in a poverty-stricken
Scottish mining village during the mid-twentieth century. The trilogy
presents an unfiltered and authentic portrayal of the unforgiving realities
of life for the working-class, and has earned widespread acclaim as a trio
of masterpieces in British cinema. Featuring a distinct aesthetic
characterized by stark black-and-white cinematography, a haunting musical
score, and powerful performances, the three short films from Douglas make
for a compelling watch.
Director Focus: Joan Micklin Silver
The pioneering American director Joan Micklin Silver was one of the
few women to sustain a career as a director in Hollywood in the 1970s and
'80s. Replete with her signature wit and loving lensing, these charming,
idiosyncratic films are fascinated by cultural shifts in American society.
These trailblazing films are hailed today as bona fide classics and
feature new faces that later became stars.
MUBI's dedicated season spotlights three exceptionally entertaining works
including: Hester Street (1975), her debut described among
the great cinematic portraits of Jewish-American life with an
Oscar-nominated performance by Carol Kane,
Between the Lines (1977) – an ensemble dramedy about an
alternative newspaper in Boston starring
Jeff Goldblum, John Heard and Lindsay Crouse – and
A Fish in the Bathtub (1999) starring legendary comedy duo
Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, and a young
Mark Ruffalo.
Jamie
Jaime Saldaña is schizophrenic, and has lived for almost half his life in
a psychiatric facility. Surrounded by his collection of figurines, this
gentle Chilean man talks about his youth, God, his mother, his superpowers
and whatever else he has on his mind.
Equally riveting and tender, Jamie (2022) is an unexpectedly
powerful character portrait that pulls you into its spell fast and deep.
Blurring the boundaries between truth and fiction, director
Francisco Javier Rodríguez interrogates what reality really means.
The Plains
Humane and surprisingly compelling, David Easteal's minimalist
debut The Plains (2022) is an existential road film
reflecting on the passage of time shot entirely from the backseat of a
car.
Every day at 5pm Andrew, a middle-aged man working in a community legal
centre, drives home through Melbourne's suburbs in peak-hour traffic
occasionally offering a lift home to his younger colleague David.
Over a year, their tentative small talk gives way to a friendship and open
conversation within the confines of the vehicle.
