Monday 7 October 2013

HUNGER AND WHAT RICHARD DID









HUNGER AND WHAT RICHARD DID


This week we go to Ireland; first up is a trip to the Maze prison with HUNGER, based on the true story of 1981 hunger strike leader Bobby Sands who died after a 66 day protest against the removal of Special Category Status. The reason why I love this film is the approach Steve McQueen takes to the subject mater creatively and visually it is stunning, even if you were to cover your ears for the entire length of the film you would still come away emotionally affected by what you had just viewed. Taking such a contentious subject and turning it into such a compelling watch takes not just skill but genius and an innate understanding of visual language. Next up is WHAT RICHARD DID set in the south side of Dublin amongst a privileged set of teenagers preparing for university, when their lives are turned up side down when golden boy Richard commits an act that will shatter the lives of those closest to him. Lenny Abrahamson’s claustrophobic, searching examination of social class and verging adulthood is a gripping account of growing up in modern Ireland.   










Wednesday 2 October 2013

THE HUNTER and VIRIDIANA at CULTIVATE FILM CLUB



VIRIDIANA and THE HUNTER



This week’s double bill screenings look at creative questioning of the state with one of Spain's most famous exiles, surrealist filmmaker Luis Bunuel’s VIRIDIANA. Denounced by the Vatican and Franco’s government and banned from release in Spain; Franco’s attempts to get VIRIDIANA withdrawn from competition at Cannes failed, and it went on to win the PALM D’OR in 1961. Bunuel’s stinging attack on religious obsession and the Catholic Church and its principles is seen as a social as well as a political indictment on Franco's Spain, Bunuel uses the fate of an idealistic novice nun Viridiana determined to keep her faith while those closes to her attempt to strip her of it as a peg to hang his many visual and intellectual arguments. The use of religious iconography underlined with political subtext drew the critics in hailing it as visual masterpiece, noted as being one of his greatest works and listed in the top 50 best films ever made this is a must see for any film lover. Next up is THE HUNTER from Iranian filmmaker Rafi Pitts, set amongst the political backdrop of Tehran Pitts cleverly weaves together an engrossing thriller in the style of the Jean-Pierre Melville using the iconic political imagery of the 70’s American political thrillers such as the PARALLAX VIEW and the CONVERSATION with a great punk soundtrack it totally subverts the genera.