London Film Festival review - The Falling

Florence Pugh and Maisie Williams while away the hours

Out of the hundreds of films in the distressingly massive London Film Festival programme, I chose to see The Falling for four reasons:

1. It is directed by Carol Morley, who also made the documentary Dreams of a Life, which is so beautiful and poignant and sad that it will haunt you forever and you must see NOW if you haven't already.
2. It is set at an English girls' school (as was my teenagerhood).
3. It is set in the 60s (as I wish my teenagerhood had been).
4. It has Arya Stark in it.

Arya (otherwise known as Maisie Williams) plays Lydia, a slightly moody teenager who has reasons to be moody. Her mother (Maxine Peake) is agoraphobic and hasn't left the house in years. And her older brother has started seeing her best friend, the luminous Abbie (Florence Pugh). The intensity of this friendship has profound consequences for Lydia.

I don't want to say too much about the plot as Morley specifically asked the audience not to after the screening, but this is certainly a very interesting exploration of female friendship at that age, with all of its competing love and jealousy, and of school life. I went to see it with one of my school friends and we agreed that we had never seen a better recreation of what it is like at a girls' school. We particularly enjoyed the "alternative orchestra" the friends ran, which is just the sort of thing that serious and artistic 15-year-olds would do given half a chance.

Williams gets her teeth into this emotional role, and newcomer Pugh is perfectly cast as the clever and charismatic Abbie. She is definitely one to watch. It was also great to see an almost unrecognisable Greta Scacchi as the headmistress. The scenes between her and the other teachers are delightfully well observed.  

While there are flashes of brilliance, the film's dreamy and impressionistic approach to storytelling left me feeling rather cold. Much is left unclear and unsaid, and quite a lot of screen time is devoted to panning shots across the tops of trees. While stark and beautiful - and possibly very meaningful for someone deeper than me - this did tire after a while. 

This unusual film is worth seeing as it is so evocative of a time and a time of life, but unfortunately it didn't quite add up to more than the sum of its parts. 

Film review - Boyhood

Ellar Coltrane and Ethan Hawke as father and son

Richard Linklater's grand experiment - to spend 12 years filming two children growing up - was always going to produce an unusual and interesting movie. But what could have been gimmicky turned out to be one of the most special, moving and quietly joyous film I have ever seen. This is a film where not very much happens, but everything happens. Life happens.

Boyhood follows a boy called Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from the age of five to 18, showing the ups and downs and milling arounds of his family, made up of older sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and his divorced parents (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke). The audience is given snatches of their lives, dipping in once a year to see how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.

Linklater doesn't signpost the plot or the characters' feelings. Instead the realistic scenes wash over you, and you understand what is going on in a very organic way. This is a long film, and while the three hours don't hurtle by, you are never bored as you are right there in the moment with the characters.

Coltrane gives a soulful and understated performance as a thoughtful little boy. While he is ostensibly the focus, it is Arquette and Hawke that make the biggest impression, as parents who grow up along with the children.

Boyhood is a quiet masterpiece that shows just how amazing everyday life is. This is one experiment that definitely succeeded.