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| The Killing Of Two Lovers Photo: Oscar Ignacio Jiminez |
The Killing Of Two Lovers,10.55pm, Film4, Monday, June 19
This mature debut from Robert Machoian, who has made short films for years, offers an intimate character study that grips as it goes. David (Clayne Crawford) is a man on the verge as he and his wife Nikki (Sepideh Moaffi) "take a break" from their relationship. Pressures - which are reflected in the groans and creaks from Peter Albrechtsen's ominous and unsettling sound design - that are magnified by the small town where they live and Derek (Chris Coy), who is vying for Nikki's affections. Crawford told us: "What the joy was, is, I saw the opportunities to play so many different sides of a human being, which you rarely get in a film." Machoian holds the mood carefully, inflecting with dark comedy while never losing the sense of danger associated with David's potential breakdown. An unsung Sundance gem.
Rafiki, Film4, 2.20am, Tuesday, June 20
Jennie Kermode writes: Banned in its native Kenya until it became apparent that it might be an Oscar contender, Wanuri Kahiu's potent drama, loosely based on Ugandan author Monica Arac de Nyeko's short story Jambula Tree, attracted international attention when it was selected to screen at Cannes in 2018. It's the simple tale of two young women whose passionate friendship turns into something more, challenging local mores and complicating both their lives. Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) is the daughter of an ambitious politician, already regarded as odd because of her androgynous appearance, whilst Ziki (Sheila Munyiva), is the kind of girl she never thought would take an interest in her on any level, pink haired and wild. Perhaps because Kenya has no history of (overt) lesbian cinema, there's a refreshing absence of cinematic cliché here, and the raw, natural performances give the film an energy too often lacking in the West. Importantly, Kahiu refused to give in to pressure to give the film a tragic ending, so that although it doesn't shy away from addressing the homophobia currently rife in the country - and there's one scene that viewers may find particularly distressing - Rafiki (the Swahili word for 'friend') is ultimately a film full of hope - for its heroines and for society more widely.
Local Hero, 6.25pm, Film4, Tuesday, June 20
Ask anyone to name their five favourite Scottish films and, chances are, you'll end up with at least one Bill Forsyth film in this mix and it could well be this one. Three years after his success with Gregory's Girl, he returned with a bigger budget to tell the tale of an oil executive (Peter Reigert) who finds himself stuck in Scotland attempting to buy up a beach for a refinery. Needless to say, he gets more than he bargained for, finding himself won over by the charms of the place, while the locals prove savvy in terms of what they want in return for their land. Beyond the gentle comedy, which hits all the right notes, there's a wistfulness and lyricism here that elevates the film's emotions without bogging them down or succumbing to tartan and shortbread tweeneess. Stay tuned afterwards if you fancy a superior Scottish double-bill for Ben Sharrock's island comedy drama Limbo, which starts at 9pm on the same channel.
The Pit And The Pendulum, 9pm, Talking Pictures TV (Freeview channel 82), Friday, June 23
Jennie Kermode, writes: Ostensibly based on the work of Edgar Allen Poe (though all they really have in common is the titular elaborate torture device), Roger Corman's elegantly appointed tale of a mentally unstable aristocrat obsessed with the Spanish Inquisition was initially promoted with the promise "£100,000 if you die of fright!" It has much in common with his House Of Usher, made the previous year, also exploring an unhealthy relationship between a brother and sister who live in a remote castle, and the consequences of the sister attracting the attention of another man. Vincent Price is once again magnificent in the lead, though here the madness he portrays takes on a much darker tone, underscored by the ugliness of the real history on which the story draws. Though it will be too over the top for some viewers, it's a splendid example of its kind.
The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, midnight, BBC1, Friday into Saturday, June 24-25
The repugnant subject of gay conversion therapy has been back in the news of late and it gets roundly and wittily tackled by writer Desiree Akhavan in this Sundance Grand Jury winner, adapted from an Emily M Danforth novel. Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz) finds herself packed off to a gay conversion therapy boarding school after being caught in a lesbian clinch. There, born-again straight guy Reverend Rick (John Gallagher Jr) and his sister Lydia (Jennifer Ehle) attempt to show their wards the error of their ways - a move that is plainly ridiculous. Even though the idea of the place is to make the teenagers hate what they are, there's no self-doubt about Cameron, who quickly makes friends with others in the same predicament. Funny and moving by turns, the film's heartwarming message is that the kids would be all right, if you'd just let them be themselves.
Dunkirk, 9pm, BBC2, Sunday, June 25
As with The Killing Of Two Lovers, it's the oppressive sound design - again from Peter Albrechtson - and Hans Zimmer's scoring of this Second World War drama that really helps it hit home. Christopher Nolan comes at the story of Dunkirk from the land, sea and air. On land, soldiers (including Fionn Whitehead, Harry Styles and Aneurin Barnard, are stuck on the beach, which prompts a rescue attempt by a flotilla of small boats (with Mark Rylance and Barry Keoghan on point. Meanwhile, above it all is a air-based tale revolving around two fighter pilots (Tom Hardy and Jack Lowden). Gripping from the off, Nolan captures the horrors of war not just in the heat of battle but in its weary, fearful silences as the lives of the servicemen hang in the balance.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Film4, 9pm, Sunday, June 25
If the realities of the Second World War sounds a bit heavy for a Sunday night, how about thisThirties-set piece of adventure escapism instead? Steven Spielberg's action adventure still feels so fresh that it's hard to believe it has notched up its third decade as the latest sequel Dial Of Destiny (directed by James Mangold) prepares to hit cinemas. Featuring Harrison Ford at the height of his fame as the whip-toting, wisecracking archeologist, this is a boy's own tale that whistles along from that much mimicked opening sequence involving treasure and a rolling stone to the surprisingly dark ending. Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas and Philip Kaufman carefully fold will-they/wont-they romance into the fist-fight and explosive-driven melee (with Karen Allen giving an enjoyably sparky performance as Jones' ex Marion), along with an enjoyable dollop of humour. Fast-paced and engaging from the off, this is one of cinema's rewatchable treasures.
This week's short selection is Ben Tricklebank's beautifully shot Champ.
CHAMP from ben tricklebank on Vimeo.
