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BFI London Film Festival 2017 - UPDATE #8

Downsizing
Directed by Alexander Payne
USA/135 MINUTES/HEADLINE GALAS

Featuring a world in which shrinking technology has become ubiquitous, and in which whole communities of shrunk-down people exist, Downsizing is easily Alexander Payne's weakest film -- which is especially confounding since it sees him reunited with long-time writing partner Jim Taylor.  It actually starts out really well; Matt Damon is great in the main role, and the film has a really fun sense of energy.  But at a certain point the energy starts draining from the film like air out of a balloon; the heavy-handed environmental message gets more and more pronounced, and the very long 135 minute running time increasingly becomes an issue.  It's too bad, because the first half is actually pretty great -- the extent to which the film ultimately peters out is actually kind of stunning.

out of


You Were Never Really Here
Directed by Lynne Ramsay
UK/USA/FRANCE/95 MINUTES/HEADLINE GALAS

Based on the premise alone -- about a take-no-prisoners muscle-for-hire whose latest job involves rescuing a kidnapped young girl -- you might think you know what type of movie you're getting with You Were Never Really Here.  The word "taken" might come to mind.  But director Lynne Ramsay clearly has no interest in making that movie, eschewing traditional action beats at every opportunity to instead make a an odd character study about a deeply disturbed man.  It's an interesting film which, in attempting to put us in the main character's mindset, is often unnerving and discordant.  It sometimes feels a little bit too arty for its own good, though the main issue here is Joaquin Phoenix's misguided performance.  Phoenix is a great actor who can be electrifying, but his work here is subdued to the point of non-existence; he mumbles his way through the film, and looks to be constantly on the verge of falling asleep.

out of
Let the Sunshine In
Directed by Claire Denis
FRANCE/94 MINUTES/LOVE

Let the Sunshine In is a vexing film. About the love life of an artist in Paris, the film is so thoroughly aimless and lacking in momentum that you could take all the scenes, throw them up in the air and then rearrange them at random -- it wouldn't make a difference. Not every film needs to have a traditional three act structure or a character who grows or learns something (though there is a reason 99% of movies feature one or both of these elements), but when a film is so directionless and inconsequential that the appearance of the end credits is a legitimate surprise, that's probably an issue. A movie like this really needs a compelling main character to hold the viewer's interest, but the protagonist here -- who is inscrutably mercurial in the way she churns through her various lovers -- is vaguely unpleasant to spend time with. Claire Denis is a beloved filmmaker, so it's possible the movie will play to her base, but if you're not already a fan this certainly won't be the film to convert you.

out of


Our Time Will Come
Directed by Ann Hui
CHINA/HONG KONG/130 MINUTES/JOURNEY

About a group of resistance fighters in Japan-occupied Hong Kong during World War II, Our Time Will Come seems like it should be a lot more interesting than it actually is.  But none of the characters are particularly memorable, and Ann Hui's competent but styleless direction doesn't do the film any favours.  There's an odd lack of energy here which makes the film feel surprisingly lifeless, and makes the 130 minute running time feel much, much longer than it actually is.  Our Time Will Come just feels like it's never really sure what type of film it wants to be -- the characters are too bland for it to work as a drama, the action is too infrequent for it to work as a thriller, and the scope is too limited for it to work as an epic (despite the unnecessarily epic length).

out of

-Reviews by Michael Nusair

© David Nusair