Safe Return Doubtful

It’s been a while since I’ve reported on a good film. During that time there have been some disappointments. On one of the film podcasts I listen to Mark Kermode hailed the fine era of horror that we are living in, referring in particular to Obsession, Passenger and Backrooms all of which have done well at the box office this year. I was looking forward to them, but found both very underwhelming. I’m a big horror fan. I live in hope of getting scared by a film, but that is very rare, so I want something a bit more from them than predictable jump scares, violence and gore, Directors prepared to experiment and use the genre to put over some other sort of message, and to create an atmosphere that in itself is unsettling. Or, films that are weird, as in weird fiction, or use the surreal to tell their story. 

Better was Leviticus which has two excellent performances from young male actors in a film that leans into gay therapy. 7 out of 10. 

Also Nightborn, a half Finnish half British film set in remote rural Finland about a young couple who move from the city to raise a family. Their firstborn causes more problems than they could have imagined. It may seem a much told tale, akin to The Omen, but it moves into some very strange Finnish folklore. 6 out of 10. 

Last night I watched what will be one of my films of the year.

Time and Water

This is an Icelandic documentary recently available, made as a ninety minute time capsule to be seen a hundred years or more in the future. The film is made by Andri Snær Magnason and broaches themes such as family, old age, and memories. Most of all though it is about the demise of the country’s glaciers. It’s a very different film than one might imagine, but is an absolute pleasure to watch. Reading some promotional material of the film may make it seem a bit depressing, but it’s absolutely not that, rather a celebration of the beauty of our world, and particularly of course, Iceland. 8 out of 10.