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| Leave No Trace Photo: Scott Green Key |
ITV's free streaming service is still a relative newcomer to the market but it's well worth checking regularly to see what's listed as there is a surprisingly wide range of films on offer. Among them is this gently affecting drama from Debra Granik considers the intricacies of a father and daughter relationship for a pair (played by Ben Foster and Thomazin Mackenzie), who have been living off the grid. When they are found by the authorities, father Will struggles to slot back into the world while his daughter, Tom, is much more open to the experience. One key scene shows a local kid take her along to a 4-H youth meeting where the kids discuss looking after their rabbits, like everything about this film it's a small and intimate moment but perfectly crafted in terms of showing the gentle opening of possibilities for Tom as she comes of age.
Don't Look Now, 11.15pm, BBC2, Monday, October 8 and 10.10pm, BBC4, Thursday, October 12
Jennie Kermode writes: A riveting exploration of a couple’s attempts to hold onto themselves and one another after the death of their little girl, this is one of the finest works by the late, great Nicolas Roeg, and an absolute must-see for anyone who is serious about cinema. Donald Sutherland plays the architect who tries to find solace in restoring a church but becomes obsessed by the sight of a red hooded figure who recalls his lost child. Julie Christie is his wife, putting her faith in a pair of elderly sisters who might provide a link to the dead. Most of the action takes place in Venice, whose maze of twisting streets, narrow alleyways and canals reflects the mental trap in which the couple are caught. The air is perpetually saturated with moisture, the city never more beautiful. The chemistry between the leads is electric, their interaction tender, a weight of emotion captured in the smallest detail.
Locke, Midnight, Film4, Monday, October 9
Steven Knight makes a virtue of a confined setting to showcase the acting talent of Tom Hardy in his character Ivan sees his life crumble over the course of a lonely car journey. He's due at home after work on a building site and his work are also expecting him for an important concrete pour the next day but, over the course of a series of mobile phone conversations, we'll learn the walls of his carefully constructed life are about as stable as a building full of RAAC. Hardy's controlled air in the phone is worked with skill by the actor to convey the underlying stresses, further highlighted by the imaginary conversations he also had with his dead father, who he pictures in the back seat. The night time alienation of the motorway adds to the mood of tension that mounts over the course of the trip.
The Angry Silence, 9.05pm, Talking Pictures TV (Freeview Channel 82) Wednesday, October 11
This social realist drama breaks with the usual cinematic portrayal of working class strikers as heroes, with writer Bryan Forbes depicting them instead as vengeful wildcats in the face of one man's right to look after his family. Richard Attenborough plays Curtis, the man who refuses to go on strike in the face of ostracisation, revealing the pressure his character is under in sudden bursts of emotion, flaring but quickly stifled. Controversial at the time, it even faced a brief ban in Welsh miners' clubs. In terms of the other actors, this is a bit rough around the edges but Attenborough's magnetic performance and the strong portrayal of women make this well worth a look. Songs My Brothers Taught Me, 12.35am, Film4, Thursday, October 12 Chloe Zhao was catapulted to international stardom after her third film Nomadland blazed an awards trail all the way to Oscar glory - all a far cry from her first film that premiered with little fanfare at Sundance in 2015. Lyrical and low-key, Zhao's coming of age tale of two Lakota Nation youngsters living in Pine Ridge nevertheless builds a head of emotional steam. And although it is fiction, the story, like its non-professional child stars, has very strong roots in reality, extending to the inclusion of a home fire that actually occurred.
Rocks, 1.35am, Channel 4 and free to stream on catch-up, Saturday, October 14
Sarah Gavron's films have always featured strong female protagonists (Brick Lane, Suffragette) and this coming-of-age drama is a triumph of diversity across the board. She and writers Theresa Ikoko - who describes it as "a love letter to my sister - and Claire Wilson developed the script with the help of their young cast through workshops, which gives the cadence of the language a natural feel. The film tells the tale of youngster Rocks (Bukky Bakray), who finds herself left looking after her seven-year-old brother Emmanuel when her mum disappears to "clear her head", as she tries to stop anyone finding out about their domestic problems even as the situation deteriorates over the course of a week. The film shines a light on the importance of friendship in the face of a system that is creaking at the seams and features magnetic debuts from almost all the youngsters concerned. Read more about those workshops.
Little Richard: I Am Everything, 11.05pm, Channel 4, Sunday, October 15
Less would be more when it comes to this documentary about the flamboyant rock and roll star but there's all sorts of interesting elements in Lisa Cortes' documentary, even if it often feels as though they zip past too quickly. Beyond the snippets of performance from the man himself - electric and the one thing this film could use more of -it takes an interesting dive into his Queer icon status and his shifting attitude towards it. Sections on his early life and performances on the "Chitlin' Circuit", which was dominated by Black and Queer stars, are particularly fascinating, even if some of the film is weighed down by too many talking heads.
You'll have to pop over to Vimeo to watch this week's short. Alexa To Exa, Exa Zim's consideration of identity.
