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| Khartoum Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute |
Regular readers will know that I always like to include a documentary here when I can and this is one of the best from the past 12 months. A perfect example of innovative filmmakers rising to suit the circumstances, what began as an observational documentary about Sudan’s capital morphed into an emotional dive into conflict and its impact after a coup in 2021 which has led to what many regard as an ongoing “forgotten conflict”. British director Phil Cox was shepherding the project with local filmmakers Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed when all of them found themselves forced to flee along with their subjects – children Lokain and Wilson, a resistance member Jawad, a civil servant Majdi and tea stall proprietress Khadmallah. Rather than shelve the project, the group were determined to see it through and came together in Nairobi, recalling the onset of the coup with the help of green-screen animation, which also lends a platform for them to talk about their dreams for the future. A film that remains hopeful and resilient despite the circumstances, you can read what the filmmakers told us about it their unusual, highly collaborative process here.
No Other Choice, streaming now on MUBI
Jennie Kermode writes: Yoo Man-so (Lee Byung-hun) is a paper man. That is, he's fascinated by paper – he's built his whole life around it, with a very successful career which has allowed him to take out a mortgage on a large house with plenty of room for his family (something which will immediately stand out to Korean viewers, many of whom are increasingly straining to afford tiny apartments). But how does a paper man survive in our new, largely paperless world? When he is let go, Yoo's life comes crashing down, and to make it worse, there are hundreds of applicants for every remaining paper-related job. So he sets aside the morality we have heard him boast about before, and comes up with a plan to eliminate the competition – by any means necessary. Elegantly shot in a style which recalls the advertisements with which all this corporate change is sold, it also makes a nod to surveillance culture, and to how meaningless all of this ultimately is if nobody cares about the human beings at the heart of – if they can just be scrunched up and thrown away.
Basic Instinct, 10.45pm, Legend Xtra (Freeview channel 69), Thursday, March 26
Paul Verhoeven's superior erotic thriller sees a flawed hard-bitten detective (Michael Douglas) fall for the prime suspect, author Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) in a murder case. Given that Tramell's latest novel is about a cop who falls for the wrong girl, could life be about to imitate art? Both the central characters are engagingly complex, especially for a time period in which women still tended to play second fiddle, and the boudoir scenes are as provocative as you might expect from the Dutch director. The material is also lifted by the two actors firmly on top of their game, some nice Hitchcock riffs and a terrific supporting cast that includes Jeanne Tripplehorn and George Dzunda.
Boiling Point, 11.45pm, Film4, Thursday, March 26
Single-take films can end up being gimmicky but when the technique meets the ideal story – as it does with Philip Barantini’s debut – then it works like a charm. It’s an intense approach and one that is matched by a distilled and sweaty performance from Stephen Graham as Andy, a chef who is feeling the heat, and not just because of what’s going on in his kitchen. Even before he gets cooking, he's had a stressful conversation with his estranged wife and a visit from a hygiene inspector. As the situation worsens over the course of a night, the camera stays with him so the tension never slackens as events unfold in the kitchen and at the tables front of house. You're likely to find yourself admiring the choreography more and more after the event - once you've got your breath back.
The Incredible Shrinking Man, 2.45pm, Film4, Friday
Jack Arnold's Fifties classic, based on the book and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson, charts the strange affair of all-American guy Scott Carey (Grant Williams) after an encounter with a mysterious mist causes him to start to shrink. The film has a lot to say about masculinity and gender that still feels relevant, not to mention its sideswipe at media feeding frenzies that has lost none of its power today. On a purely visual note, there's plenty of action, with its practical effects some of the best of the period.
Femme, 11pm, BBC2, Friday, March 27
Jennie Kermode writes: "Loosely based on Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping's 2022 short of the same name, Femme hinges on the rejection of the idea that to be feminine is to lack strength. After a drag queen is violently assaulted and degraded, a chance encounter provides an opportunity for revenge in a twisty tale of seduction which sees power move back and forth as the stakes continually rise. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay are both at the top of their game as the film keeps you on the edge of your seat in the run-up to breaking your heart."
Toy Story, 3.40pm, E4, Saturday, March 28
Jennie Kermode writes: Moving with kids is inevitably chaotic; moving with toys all the more so. In the first instalment of the much-loved Pixar franchise (which would return to this theme in part three as its human hero prepared to move away for college), cowboy hero Woody has the whole thing planned out. Everybody has a moving buddy and knows exactly what they’re supposed to do. But when Woody and new arrival Buzz Lightyear are trapped in the home of an enemy, they must resort to desperate measures in order to catch their ride. Non-stop animated family fun combines with every young child’s concern, on moving, that nobody must be left behind.
If you’ve ever wondered what the Apocalypse might look like from the perspective of a man stuck in a Sushi outfit, then this week’s short is for you! Au Revoir Mon Monde, is a delightful French animation – despite the dark subject matter and a great calling card for directors Estelle Bonnardel, Quentin Devred, Baptiste Duchamps, Maxime Foltzer, Florian Maurice and Astrid Novais, who made it as their graduation short.
