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| Monster has its network premiere this week |
Opening in US cinemas in the months before the assassination of Martin Luther King, Norman Jewison’s film was and still is a stinging exploration of racial tensions in the country wrapped around a satisfying murder-mystery. Sidney Poitier’s Philly cop Mr Virgil Tibbs finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as he is passing through Mississippi. Briefly arrested for murder, he ends up working alongside racist cop Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger, who won an Oscar) in order to catch the real killer. Beyond the central performances, which spark off each other like flint off stone, Jewison creates an atmosphere that suggests a community whose problems run much deeper than a single murder.
Harriet, 10.40pm, BBC1, Tuesday, July 21
Jennie Kermode writes: Harriet Tubman is a legendary American figure – daring escapee and rescuer, military heroine, philosopher and political reformer – so there was a prolonged struggle over how, and by whom, her story would be brought to the screen. After numerous white men had been considered as possible directors, and even briefly, a white woman considered for the lead, producers settled on the happy combination of Kasi Lemmons and Cynthia Erivo. The latter may not be American but she adapts perfectly and brings a force of personality to the central role that does justice to Tubman's own, capturing her sincerity and deep religious belief but also her swagger and the delight she took in outfoxing her enemies. The film focuses on the early part of her life and plays out for much of its running time as an in-the-moment action thriller. It assumes a certain amount of knowledge on the part of viewers and is not gratuitous in its depiction of the horrors of slavery, but the tension runs high nonetheless, whilst the complicated inter-state and international politics of the time plays out in the background. Those familiar with Tubman's story will not be disappointed, and newcomers will find it an accessible entry point to a complex history.
The Hurt Locker, 10.40pm, BBC1, Wednesday, July 22
If you like the sort of film that keeps you on the edge of your seat then Kathryn Bigelow's Best Picture Oscar winner certainly delivers. Her film charts the struggles of an elite bomb disposal squad in Iraq and drips with tension from the start. It also features three heavy-weight performances at its heart – from Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty and, particularly, Jeremy Renner as a risk-taking sergeant who is addicted to the adrenaline rush of his job. Beyond the well-executed action, Bigelow confronts us with the horrors of war, showing the terror and dehumanisation it can cause alongside its impact on everyone it touches.
The Second Act, 12.45am, Film4, followed by Deerskin, 2.20am, Thursday, July 23
A bit of a two for one deal, this as lovers of absurdist can treat themselves to a Quentin Dupieux double bill this week. The French director – who took things up a notch at this year’s Cannes with Full Phil, starring Woody Harrelson and Kristen Stewart – is on home turf with this brace of offbeat comedies. The first plays about with the idea of a film within a film as the shooting of a second-rate romantic comedy plays out at a roadside diner. Featuring an all-star cast including Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Vincent Lindon and Raphaël Quenard, who are happy to send up their own images, while Dupieux happily plays around with what’s real and fictional while also taking a sideswipe at the film industry itself. Deerskin, meanwhile, revolves around Georges (Jean Dujardin), who finds the “killer style” of his new jacket is more literal than he might have imagined. Dupieux told us: “I quickly realised that showing pure obsession, with no explanation for it, was like holding up a mirror for members of the audience.” If you’re new to the Dupieux, this is a great place to start.
A Useful Ghost, MUBI, streaming from July 24
An unpredictable treat of a film that serves up plenty of comedy while offering a rich subtext regarding Thailand’s recent political history, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s debut is ambitious and successful. March (Wisarut Himmarat) discovers his wife Nat (Davika Hoorne) has returned as a ghost which is inhabiting a vacuum cleaner (a beautiful piece of production design).It comes wrapped in a framing tale about an unnamed young man (Wisarut Homhuan), who purchases a vacuum that starts to cough in the night. When repairman Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjad) comes armed to help, and with Nat’s story. A film concerned with everything from romantic relationships to the nature of memory, its heavier themes prove surprisingly haunting. The director told us: “I want to have a fantastical element and humour and silliness in a film and then talk about some serious issues. It plays with the audiences’ expectations.”
Polite Society, 12.05am, Channel 4, Saturday, July 25
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 her sibling 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.
Monster, 10.25pm, BBC4, Saturday, July 25
Mum Saori (Sakura Andô) is increasingly preoccupied with her son Minato (Soya Kurokawa), whose behaviour has suddenly changed and becomes convinced his teacher Mr Hori (Eita Nagayama) is the root cause. All, however, may not be quite as it seems in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s drama, as he goes over a series of events from the individual perspective of these three main players and, in doing so, questions the nature of ‘being monstrous’ to others. Kore-eda deftly weaves the story together, while retaining the complexity of all the characters involved. To say too much about Monster would be to undermine the joy of watching, so I will only say catch it if you can.
This week's short selection is Franz Böhm's BAFTA-winning Rock Paper Scissors. He has gone on to direct feature Dear Future Children about youth activism and you can read more about his work on his official site.
