Film
Reviews
DRAMA
A YEAR WITHOUT LOVE (18) 91 min (Peccadillo Pictures DVD retail) 0..
Diarrstic portrayals of an lll(tl‘.’|(1ll(lt") life are often a poor excuse for a trite plot. Yet director Anahi Berneri's existential study of an £lf,(,f,‘l|f; Writer coping .‘Jltil HIV if, remarkable for its candid narrative and sharp acting. Followrng iriinutiae incidents occurring in one year of young poet Pablo Pere/ life. the film intelligently glides through events Without sensatiorralism or labourioiisness.
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Though billing its 88M content as one of its main themes. Pablo's leather encounters are only ever casually observed. Willi much of the film resting on the charm of Juan Minuiin's unaffected portrayal of the trOubled Pablo in his search for love and his desrre to move out from his depressed aunt's flatshai'e. Minurin's acting is inflected With beautiful frankness. which surfaces through deft gestures and underplayed mannerisms. And. despite being over ten years old. the film never once seems dated. remaining sexy and stylish to the end.
(lsla Leaver-Yam
COMEDY
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
(15) 81 min
(Colombia Tristar DVD retail) .0...
All families have problems. but none are quite so hilariously bookish as the Berkmanns. Following the marriage breakdown of academic lecturer
Bernard (Jeff Daniels) and writer Joan (Laura Linney). their two awkward adolescent sons split their Brooklyn homes. possessmns and parental loyalties. while the warring parents compete foi' publishing deals and the family cat. Younger brother Frank copes badly, spreading his sperm round the school library. while teenage sibling Walt resorts to crushing out on his dad's new girlfriend — things couldn't be worse. Some of the finest dialogue and painfully witty acting of last year's Cinema releases. this unexpected indie hit is startling for its humane observations and Jeff Daniel's finest performances to date. while an unexpected cameo from William Baldwin as a washed up tennis coach adds a lightness of touch and eccentricity that makes this debut feature a work of understated genius. (Isla Leaver-Yap)
DRAMA
SONG OF SONGS
(15) 81 min (Soda Pictures DVD retail) 0..
Violence. questionable relations between Siblings and Orthod0x Judaism leave writer/director Josh Appignanesi‘s debut feature little room for anything other than controversv Haunting and baffling in equal meaSure. this
20 THE LIST 17—24 Aug 2006
The Squid and the Whale
beautifully shot film is a haphazard cataloguing of the ill-fated adult relationship between estranged Sister Ruth and brother Davrd as the pair reunite on the eve of their mother's death. The slayish devotion of Ruth (played by My Summer Of Love's Natalie Press) to her brother-turned- MeSSianic transgressor
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David (Joel Challen) is depicted With dubious intimations of masculine sadism and feminine masochism that have continued to shock since its debut at the EIFF last year. The film's violently see- saWing balance of sexual and familial rivalry between siblings might well be as incoherent as the characters' motives. but is no less powerful for it. Filled With claustrophobic. over- the-shoulder camera shots and a near silent soundtrack. its impresswe black humour may fail to illiCit eaSy laughter, though Song of Songs flouts considerable boldness on the part of this promising young auteur. (lsla Leaver-Yap)
Reviews
CRIME DOCUlleNlAWr WHO KILLED DIANA?
Sky One. Mon 21 Aug. 9pm .00
The conspiracy iurikies have had a field day srnce the night of (it August 1997 when Dodi Fayed. Henri Paul and Diana Spencer met their Violent deaths in a Paris tunnel. Whether this documentary — which raises all the question marks surrounding the crash before scotching each and every suspICIon — Will put an end to the intense. and thoroughly entertaining. speCulation is doubtful. Was Diana pregnant at the time? No. Why did it take so long to get her to the hospital after the collrsron’? Because any quick activity would have speeded up her death. Why did Henri Paul seem so in COntrol of himself on the CCTV footage when his autopsy revealed a cocktail of booze and pills? Because some drunks are good at faking it. Why wasn't
Diana ‘.'.'e.irrnt; a seatbelt ‘ Because she was bionae Each i‘ea'. and lltt‘. rerwl‘. and the tediousl‘. tirisr‘ei‘tat‘uar conclusior‘ ‘.‘.lii only sene to inflame the rurriourmoniiierr; Brian Donaldson
DRAMA MlNl St NE 8 SLEEPER CELL Channel 4. Wed 23 Aug, 10pm 00
If MTV or Benetton made a drama about Islamic terrorists huffiinr; about Los Angeles. this is what it would look like, To ensure that no one (or e\.'er\'onei it; offended, the cell in guestion contains an American ex~skinhead and a caustic Russian who have been converted to the cause while the gang is made up of the most photogenic suicide bombers known to humanity.
The story is told from the Viewpoint of Dan-.ryn Al-Sayeed. an FBI agent who has infiltrated the cell but whose false identity is as flimsy as the script which appears to have been culled from Terronsm for Beginners. As for the ‘ideas'. they've been nicked directly from (3-: With the threat of arithrax being released into a shopping mall full of moms and kids. While this Will no doubt be pushed as a timer drama warning of the enemy Within. its more of an excuse to make modern day nightmares eaSIer on the eye. (Brian Donaldsoni
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