May 30th 2024
La Bete
Scoop (streaming on Netflix)
Again only a couple of films this week, but quite intriguing offerings. Many of the excellent films I've reviewed in past weeks are still out there in cinemas, so check them out!
La Bete (The Beast)
Dir: Bertrand Bonnello
Length: 146 mins
Exclusive to Cinema Nova
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© Rialto - romance meets an unemotional
AI-ruled world |
Gabrielle (Lea Seydoux) lives in a futuristic world (2044) where AI has taken over. Human emotions are a threat to AI and everyone is encouraged to "purify" their DNA so that they can then live equable, unemotional lives, make more rational decisions and get better jobs. This process involves visiting and coming to terms with past lives. When she returns to the early 20th century, Gabrielle is married to Henry who owns a doll factory while she is a pianist. But when she meets Louis (George Mackay) she is drawn to him. A second time attempting the process, she is now a model and meets Louis again in 2014, when he is an embittered man who cannot attract women. In these past and present incarnations Gabrielle is beset by a constant anxiety (the beast?) that something catastrophic is going to happen. This unusual mix of sci-fi and romance is certainly intriguing, though at the start the plot had me quite baffled. Some sections and time periods work better than others, and overall it's probably a bit long. The inventive idea of a 2044 nightclub which can change eras itself is wonderfully recreated in terms of setting, music and costumes. The whole is anchored by a stunning performance from Seydoux, who nails the sensibility of a woman living in each era. The casting of MacKay has me a little puzzled (why a non-native French speaker?), but despite my few reservations this film is likely to capture you enough to have you hanging in till the quite dramatic conclusion. 3.5 - well recommended
Scoop
Dir: Phillip Martin
Length: 102 mins
Streaming on Netflix
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© Netflix - a prince brought down by
some smart women. |
Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) will no doubt go down in history as that guy who joined the ranks of men who the #metoo movement showed up for what they are. This film details how a group of female journalists nailed the interview of the decade, which aired on BBC, and was instrumental in getting the Prince to step down from his public duties. Rufus Sewell is nearly unrecognisable in his role as the Prince who publically denied things that had had photograph proof, and who weaselled around the facts of his friendship with reprehensible sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Gillian Anderson and Billie Piper are admirably strong in their roles of newsroom chief Emily Maitlis and dogged journalist, Sam McAlister. The politics and pressure of a newsroom are well depicted, but the real strength of the film lies in just how well it replicated the actual interview (check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtBS8COhhhM&t=11s). Whether you are or are not interested in "the royals", this is a well scripted, and finely acted film that shows sometimes no amount of power and privilege can ultimately protect the guilty.3.5 - well recommended
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