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| Monolith Photo: Ian Routledge |
Jennie Kermode writes: A smart and distinctly unsettling film which spends the bulk of its time in a single location with a single actor, Matt Vesely's 2022 directorial début has been carefully planned to maximise the potential of both, but what surprises is the size and scope of the universe it manages to conjure up. Lily Sullivan is an audio journalist trying to go it alone, an increasingly common choice in a difficult media environment. She has potential, but her technical skill outweighs her experience, while her ability to track down a story is untempered by caution as to whether or not she should. An anonymous tip about strange black bricks leads her down a dangerous path, which brings out darkness in her own character en route to a conclusion which flips everything on its head. It's not flawless but it's a great example of how to do a lot with a little. Just be careful not to get lost in the mystery and miss the bigger questions.
Belle, 6.45pm, Film4, Tuesday, June 2
Jennie Kermode writes: If you think that young mixed-race women struggling to find acceptance in aristocratic circles is a new issue, Amma Asante's handsomely presented 2013 costume drama will set you straight. By its very existence, Belle points up the glaring absence of Black faces in most heritage films and the distorted picture of British history that it represents. The film, which is based on real life events, also explores issues around the ending of the slave trade and the ways in which women engaged with politics before they were able to do so directly. There's a romance at the centre but equally important is the heroine's relationship with her father. Asante's characters are always both politicised and political, vitally connected with a wider world, enabling the director to take on bigger stories through ostensibly simple tales. Read our interview with Asante and her star Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Mulholland Drive, 12.10am, Sky Arts, Wednesday, June 3
David Lynch made so many great films that it's tricky to choose a favourite – but this one certainly has a claim to it, and frequently crops up in best film lists. Lynch's alternately dreamy and nightmarish tale sees an actress (Naomi Watts) try to unravel a mystery with an amnesiac woman (Laura Harring), a thriller plot which will see both actresses adopt double roles. The surreal narrative, like so many of Lynch's films, is an open invitation for multiple interpretations and is best viewed without any steering from me. Just enjoy the fabulous central performances and, if you have questions, there are plenty of rabbit hole solutions on the internet for you to slip down afterwards – and if there's one thing Lynch always liked, it's a rabbit.
Blues Brothers, 10.55pm, BBC4, Thursday, June 4
Every time John Landis' cult classic crops up in the schedules, I have to resist the urge to put it in the week's highlights, but I just checked and it turns out it's been a while since I urged you to take another road trip with Jake and Elwood Blues (John Belushi and Dan Akroyd), so here goes. The mad mix of comedy, music and action, in the middle of which Belushi and Akroyd play it absolutely straight, is hard to beat in terms of enjoyable excess. The bare bones plot, involving the pair attempting to put on a gig to save the orphanage where they grew up, is really just a framework to hang the fun on. If the wrecking of 103 cars doesn't give you a laugh, then there's a good chance you'll be won over by the music from the great and the good of the genre, including Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. Sunglasses and a full tank of gas optional but recommended.
Great Expectations, 10.20am, BBC2, Saturday
Confining the novels of Charles Dickens within a film is no easy feat but Anthony Havelock-Allan was one of the best of his era. He may have only written the scripts for seven films, being primarily a producer, but they included this, along with Brief Encounter and Blithe Spirit. Here he captures both the social satire and humanity of Dickens as a poor orphan is thrust into London society by a mysterious benefactor. Thanks to David Lean's direction this is also a visual treat, from the home of Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt) to the horror touches he brings to the early graveyard scenes with Magwitch (Finlay Curry). It's all topped off by an ensemble cast that also includes John Mills and Alec Guinness. A stone cold classic.
Vermiglio, 9.20pm, BBC4, Saturday, June 6
Jennie Kermode writes: A coming-of-age story for the titular village as much as for the young women who reside there, Maura Delpero's gorgepous, poetically-realised film sees the troubles of the modern age intrude into an Alpine world which has worked the same way for countless centuries. Young men are returning from a war which has changed them in some deep, incomprehensible way, and they won't talk about it, but when a young stranger seeks refuge in a barn, he and the teenage Lucia discover something for which they do not need words. It's a connection which will resonate beyond romance itself, as it inspires the young woman to imagine a bigger existence, a different way of being, in a hard country where there is little time for anything but work. The director's own background informs every aspect of the film and gives it an internal richness enhances by Mikhail Krichman's luminous cinematography.
Paris, 13th District, 1.30am, BBC2, Sunday, June 7
Interleaved relationships found the bedrock for Jacques Audillard's Paris-set drama, co-written with the always dependable Céline Sciamma, and Léa Mysius. The film is all about the fluidity of modern romance as call centre worker Émilie (Lucie Zhang) navigates her relationship with Camille (Makita Samba). Meanwhile Nora (Noémie Merlant) is a mature law student at the same uni as Camille, who after sporting a wig in a bid to fit in finds herself mistaken for camgirl "Amber Sweet" (Jehnny Beth) and forges an unexpected connection with her doppelganger. More twists, turns and overlaps ensue in this souffle-light fantasy, which is fluidly captured in black and white by Paul Guilhaume.
This week's short selection is Snare by Madeleine Gottlieb, who has gone on to direct the TV series Latecomers. You can read more about her work on her official site.
