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| Olga Photo: Courtesy of Glasgow Film Festival |
Olga, streaming free now on All4
Real-life gymnast Anastasia Budiashkina stars as the title character, a 15-year-old sportswoman who moves to Switzerland to train as the 2014 Revolution of Dignity is beginning. As the youngster focuses her efforts on the upcoming European championships, her journalist mother (Tanya Mikhina) becomes caught up in protests in Kyiv’s Maidan Square. Director Elie Grappe offers a taut character study that shows Olga’s determination in her sport alongside the day-to-day challenges of being resident in a new country and the pull of duty to her homeland. The young protagonist and economical storytelling also make this an accessible tale for teenagers of the same age.
Zulu, 9pm, Legend Extra, Monday, July 21
Jennie Kermode writes: In between the days of jingoistic adventure tales about the glory of the British Empire and the later, brutal admonishments of colonialism’s true legacy, there was Zulu. Launching the career of the young Michael Caine, it’s more successful as a drama than as a war film, but it properly gets inside the heads of the soldiers on each side of a clash of civilisations as an isolated British unit makes a desperate last stand and a larger Zulu force recognises that even as it may win the battle, it’s losing the war. Stephen Dade’s cinematography gives it a stunning sense of scale, yet also captures something surprisingly delicate as, in opposition, the two groups develop mutual respect.
Women Talking, 11pm, BBC2, Tuesday, July 22
Jennie Kermode writes:In light of the recent Gisèle Pelicot case, the particular horrors at the core of Sarah Polley's drama feel all the more resonant, but really there are any number of forms they could take. That men frequently abuse women is not a new story, and it's not one that the film concerns itself with in detail; there is nothing gratuitous about it. Rather, its focus is on how women might react. Here, the options seem limited and clear. All of the men from their small Mennonite community – apart from a sympathetic young gay man and a younger trans man who has himself been abused – have gone into town to arrange bail for a man whom the women dared to accuse. They have given the women an ultimatum: forgive them completely or face eternal damnation. The women now see themselves as having three options: stay and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. The film follows their discussions as they are determined to make their choice together. It is not a perfect film and parts of it drag, but the stellar cast makes quite an impact, and Polley's willingness to explore the mechanisms of power between the women as well as externally give it real depth.
Predator, 11.40pm, Wednesday, July 23
Jennie Kermode writes: An iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie from the star's Eighties heyday, this initially modest, low-budget sci-fi actioner created a remarkable legacy and remains just as much fun to watch today. That's largely testament to the directorial skills of John McTiernan, whose stunning action scenes and control of suspense make it gripping throughout. As in Die Hard, which he made the following year, McTiernan plays with the muscular action man trope whilst having fun at the expense of macho values, striking the perfect balance for a story which riffs on The Most Dangerous Game, already a well established theme in cinema. Arnie leads a group of mercenaries who are hunted through the jungle by a brilliantly camouflaged alien foe. Outgunned and outmanoeuvred at their own game, depending on a local woman to make sense of events, they are picked off one by one until it becomes clear that brains as well as brawn offer the only hope of survival. There's inspirational technology, horrific mutilation, mud wrestling, some stonking tunes and all the gunfire you can eat.
Omen, 1.50am, Film4, Thursday, July 24
Lovers of films that pack a visual punch won’t want to miss this debut from Belgian-Congolese director Baloji, which has style to burn. His multifaceted tale revolves around soon-to-be-a-dad Koffi (Mark Zinga) and his white Belgian fiancee Alice (Lucie Debay), who are returning to his homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo in a bid to make peace with his family. Things don't go as planned and this is just the jumping off point for an often melancholy exploration of attitudes towards superstition and cultural tradition. Yves-Marina Gnahoua is particularly impressive as Koffi’s mother, whose motivations prove to be more ambiguous than might first appear. Featuring flourishes of magical realism and moments of surreality, it has a host of eye-popping imagery that will live long in the memory.
Blade Runner 2049, 11.15pm, BBC1, Friday, July 25
Denis Villeneuve's sequel to Ridley Scott's original, unfolds 30 years after Harrison Ford's Deckard went on the lam. Now a younger blade runner (Ryan Gosling) is out to find him, complete with his own set of baggage, leading to an encounter that blends the optimistic with the tragic to heady effect. Every frame, from breathtaking action scenes to the stunning skylines, oozes visual class, finally netting Roger Deakins the Oscar for cinematography he had long deserved. Like its predecessor, it has existential themes at heart, though you don't need to have seen Ridley's film to enjoy this as a stand-alone spectacle. Read our interview with screenwriter Hampton Fancher.
Fallen Leaves, 9.45pm, BBC4, Saturday, July 26
Aki Kaurismäki’s film is making a rather muted network premiere, which is par for the course for the Finnish director, whose career has never been exactly mainstream, despite garnering legions of fans on the downlow. His latest sees him offering a typically melancholy twist on romantic comedy and carries a depth of feeling that you might not expect from a film with a trim running time of 81 minutes. Supermarket worker Ansa (Alma Pöysti) crosses paths with alcoholic metal worker Holappa (Jussi Vatanen)... but as fate intervenes, the question becomes whether they’ll find their happy ending or not, although with Kaurismäki that’s always a possibility.
Our short film this week sees things go awry for a cheating couple who head for a picnic. In The Meadow is directed by David Alexander Smith and features a performance from Tuppence Middleton when she was in the early days of her career. It’s age restricted, so you’ll have to pop over to YouTube to watch it.
