London Film Festival review - Janis: Little Girl Blue

Janis doing what she did best. 

Amy Berg directed one of my favourite documentaries of all time, West of Memphis, which I had the pleasure to see at the LFF a few years ago. So I was very excited to see her new film, a biography of Janis Joplin. 

Unfortunately this is a pretty standard rock documentary, lifted only by the inclusion of Janis’s letters home to her family. This allows Janis to be the narrator, really bringing her alive and showing a side of her that perhaps people would not have seen before. Somehow it is quite strange that this wild child wrote to her square parents in Texas to update them on what she was doing. But I suppose everyone is normal underneath it all.

For fans, or those interested in the period, it is a chance to wallow in her amazing voice and relive her crazy and sad story. For everyone else, it is nothing to write home about (somewhat ironically).  

London Film Festival review - Talvar (Guilty)

Irrfan Khan investigates.

The 2008 murder of Aarushi Talwar, the 14-year-old daughter of two dentists living near Delhi, transfixed India. After seeing this film, which recreates events and examines the incompetence of the investigation, I can see why. It is an extremely strange case.

In the film Aarushi is renamed Shruti. One morning her parents wake up to find her dead in her bed, her throat slit. Immediately the family and police suspect their servant, who is missing. But things aren’t as simple as that. Inspector Ashwin Kumar (Irrfan Khan, giving a strong performance) from the Central Department of Investigation takes over the case from the local police when it becomes clear that they are not up to handling something so high profile and complex (I loved Gajraj Rao as the amazingly bumbling local inspector). But the politics in Kumar’s own department frustrate his every turn.

Director Meghna Gulzar and writer Vishal Bharadwaj did a lot of research to cover all the details of the crime and the investigation, and they use a gritty style to enhance the realism. They decided not to pick a side, but instead show the night of the murder three times throughout the film, letting the different explanations put forward by the police play out. Some of the scenarios are more believable than others, but none completely explains all the evidence. These scenes are, however, some of the most effective parts of the film, which does unfortunately drag a little towards the end when it focuses on the internal politics of the police.  

For those drawn to real life crime stories, this is a genuine mystery that will grip you but unfortunately (for everyone involved) does not offer a satisfactory conclusion. For those interested in India, Talvar paints a picture of a very under-resourced and overloaded criminal justice system, unable to cope with the modern world.  

London Film Festival review - My Scientology Movie

It all gets a bit meta for Louis in My Scientology Movie

What do you do if you want to make a documentary about people who refuse to speak to you? This was the problem facing Louis Theroux and director John Dower when they started making a film about the Church of Scientology. Their solutions, while creating plenty of interesting moments, unfortunately do not result in a fully satisfying look at the organisation, or the motivations of the people drawn to it.

The first solution was to talk to ex-Scientologists, since practicing ones wouldn't be involved. Most of these now campaign against the Church and its controversial leader David Miscavige. The majority of the film shows Louis getting to know Mark Rathbun, who was Miscavige’s right hand man until 2004.

The second solution is a bit weirder. Louis decides to recreate scenes from the history of Scientology using actors, with Mark directing proceedings based on his recollections. The process of casting the parts is hilarious, and the actor they find to play Miscavige is amazing (he deserves a successful film career, but could have ruined his chances if Scientology still holds any sway in Hollywood). However, I am not convinced that this conceit makes any sense - they aren't really trying to make a film about Scientology, so it's just an excuse to get Mark to talk about his experiences, like some sort of drama therapy.

The filming sessions do get the attention of the Church, though, and unsurprisingly they aren't happy about it. Pretty soon Louis is being followed and filmed himself (a common tactic of Scientology), and this leads to some very bizarre - and of course funny - situations.

Other film makers have successfully made films without access to their subjects, most notably Michael Moore in Roger & Me (where he went on a mission to talk to the head of General Motors, meeting people affected by factory closures along the way). But Michael and Louis have very different styles. Michael always has a message to push through. Louis's documentaries - and I've been a fan of them since Weird Weekends back in the day - are more experiential. He disarms his subjects through his interviews, getting to know them, slowly revealing their inner workings, and never really taking a side. The interviews are everything.  

Unfortunately for My Scientology Movie, Mark Rathbun is not a particularly fascinating interviewee, remaining prickly throughout. Louis never really gets a chance to properly press him on his involvement in the alleged abusive practices at Sea Org, Scientology's elite base. We never even find out when he joined the Church, or how he managed to climb so high in the hierarchy, only that he feels persecuted since leaving.

My Scientology Movie is Louis's first feature-length film, but just isn't his best work. It doesn't get deep enough into the psyche of the interviewees, or tell you enough about Scientology, for my liking. However, that doesn't mean it's bad and it is still definitely worth seeing. Spending a few hours with Louis is always lovely. And Scientology is always good value because of its intense strangeness.