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| The Souvenir Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival |
Joanna Hogg's autobiographical story of a young film student's potentially destructive relationship with a charismatic but flawed older man is notable not just for the psychological complexity of its storytelling but also for the central performances. Although Honor Swinton Byrne understandably received plaudits for her debut role (her mum Tilda also plays her on screen mother), Tom Burke is arguably the real revelation here, displaying the sort of impervious to his own failings posh-boy charm that became the stock-in trade of Hugh Grant and Rupert Everett. The film's less emotional, more intellectual sequel sees Swinton Byrne really come into her own but this first instalment works perfectly as a self-contained watch. Read our full review and about what the stars and director said about it.
Polite Society, 9pm, Film4, Wednesday, January 21
Teenager Ria (Priya Kansara) has big dreams of becoming a stuntwoman and puts in the kick-ass work. But her focus switches to her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) after she announces she is going to marry surgeon Salim (Ashkay Khanna). Ria thinks he’s too good to be true and is bent on stopping the marriage from going ahead no matter what. Martial arts mayhem and a whole heap of comedy ensues as the punches and punchlines keep coming.Nimra Bucha is particularly enjoyable as Salim’s Machiavellian mother.
Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story, 11pm, Sky Arts, Wednesday, January 21
The life and legacy of Irish author and memoirist Edna O'Brien are explored in this classy documentary that is built around O'Brien's own recollections and features her last interview before her death at the age of 93. She took a frank approach to writing about female sexuality and desire in books, including The Country Girls, which led to a ban in her homeland. In addition to O'Brien's revealing observations about her life, Sinéad O’Shea also draws on strong archive footage, while her sons also help to fill out details regarding her personal life. You don't need to be familiar with her work to appreciate this poignant and intimate consideration of it.
The Red Shoes, 10.10pm, BBC4, Thursday, January 22
When people talk about the duo Emeric Pressberger and Michael Powell, they really should cite a trio that includes Jack Cardiff - because the cinematographer contributed every bit as much to their most memorable films, including this one about an obsessive dancer. Those red shoes take centre stage in a colourscape of more muted tones and the use of montage still feels exhilarating today, while its key ballet sequence transports us from the realm of the real to the psychological. Moira Shearer and Anton Walbrook – as headstrong ballerina and demanding impresario – spark off one another with a heat to match those shoes. Those interested in the shooting of the film, could do a lot worse than seek out documentary Cameraman: The Life And Work Of Jack Cardiff to hear the man himself talk about his work.
Harvey, 12.50pm, Film4, Friday, January 23
James Stewart puts in a performance masterclass against his invisible co-star – a rabbit of lofty proportions (6ft 3in, should you need to know), whom only he can see. It’s a cracker of a set-up, adapted with flair from Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, and one which Stewart exploits to the max as secret drinker Elwood. Josephine Hull is also brilliant as Elwood’s harried sister, who could almost start believing in that bunny herself, and won a Best Supporting Oscar for her troubles.
The Zone Of Interest, 9.45pm, Channel 4, Saturday, January 24
Anne-Katrin Titze writes: Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, which took the best of Martin Amis’s novel and left all exaggerations aside, is unmistakably a masterpiece, one of the best films in the 2020s so far. The power of wilful ignorance in humans is enormous and the more it is encouraged, the more it will thrive. There are no shortcuts in this film, no conventions and nothing careless. The costumes, the haircuts, the flowers in the garden fed by ash, the furniture, the German language of the 1940s, aid to transport us to the house, adjacent to the camp, of the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), and his family. Every detail matters, because the triggers distract us, the viewers of this film in the 21st century, from the horrors happening beyond the wall of the death camp, which we do not see. But never for long. As the family lives its normal life with its petty worries, the dogs bark, shots ring out, the furnaces burn in nonstop destruction. Mica Levi’s brilliant score prepares us from the get-go. The noise in each viewer’s mind will fill in images, the information you know or surmise. A father reads his children the story of Hansel and Gretel from the Grimms' collection, about the witch being tricked into the oven. This is precisely his job. A girl leaves apples for the inmates during clandestine night endeavours, which cannot even be shown in the same filmic way, because compassion is so alien to those who inhabit the land of cruel denial. There are human bones in the river and ashes in the air. The sounds of atrocities bleed in from next door. Taught not to question and enable the “going on as you are,” anything is possible.
Jumanji: The Next Level, 6.35pm, Film4, Sunday, January 25
I’m conscious of the fact that a lot of this week’s selection is quite heavy, so wrapping up with a bit of family fun. This likeable sequel sees the gang of friends sucked back into the video game world, where losing all your lives could be permanent. This time around Spencer, Martha, Fridge and Bethany are joined by Spencer's grandad Eddie and Eddie's estranged buddy Milo (played by Dannys DeVito and Glover in the real world). The body-swap fun this time sees Eddie find himself bulked up as Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) while Milo is transformed into Kevin Hart's zoologist, and the Fridge is stuck with Jack Black's overweight cartographer. Martha keeps her Ruby Roundhouse avatar (Karen Gillan). Essentially this is more of the same family fun, although there is a pinch of poignancy added by the older pair of characters getting a new lease of life.
The short selection is taking a break but will return in a couple of weeks.
