Director: Regina King

Writer: Kemp Powers

Stars: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.

Synopsis: On the night of Feb. 25, 1964, in Miami, Cassius Clay joins Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, and Malcolm X, and they discuss the responsibility of being successful black men during the civil rights movement. They boldly challenge each other to be the best versions of themselves.

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Joining the recent strong of actors making their directorial debut is Regina King, still riding on the high from her Oscar win in If Beale Street Could Talk and her much recent Emmy win for Watchmen. Most debuts tend to be something grounded and short, but for King’s debut, she takes on something a little bit ambitious. Based on the play by Kemp Powers, who adapted it to the screen, One Night In Miami is a good first step for King behind the camera.

The date is February 25, 1964, and Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), before he changed his name to Muhammad Ali, has just defeated Sonny Liston to become the new heavyweight champion of the world. With him is football star Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), singer  Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and the controversial speaker for the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir). Like the one-act play version, it is predominantly set in a hotel after the fight where the quad of influences talks about race, fame, and faith. It is Clay and Malcolm X’s relationship Clay’s plans to announce his membership into the NOI that is a hot subject due to inflammatory comments from the head of the NOI.

The four are equal in fighting for racial equality but have different ways of pursuing that goal. Within the confines of the hotel, the conflict between hardened views from Malcolm X versus Brown’s and Cooke’s softer line that stays throughout the film. Ben-Adir is the headliner here as he commanders the tough-talking civil rights activist into challenging the successes of Brown and Cooke and what they have done so far is enough. It isn’t on the level of Denzel Washington’s performance, but that’s because it is impossible to do better than what he did, and so for Ben-Adir, it is simply bringing to life his controversial historical figure with dignity. As Cassius Clay, Goree does a superb job of incorporating the late boxer’s legendary swag before, during, and after the fight, entrenching himself with Malcolm’s ideas and induction into the NOI and following his word throughout the night.

Odom Jr., bringing in his charismatic soul to the role of crooner Cooke, embodies Malcolm X’s dislike for bourgeoise figures of black men making it under the thumb of powerful white people. Like a stare down at the weigh-in, Odom Jr is able to rise to the occasion amongst Malcolm’s taunts that his music hasn’t done anything to advance his cause or his lyrics don’t encompass the Black struggle. Cooke cares, of course, but tends to be apolitical in his songs until the end with his performance of “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Brown is also a witness and target to Malcolm’s confrontations on his fame as the best football player and if it has brought him respect amongst his white bosses in Cleveland. Hodge maintains Brown’s real-life calm and physique throughout, even at the beginning of the film when a meeting with his former coach ends with a verbal slap of the N-word as he heads to Miami.

The foursome’s get together in a hotel room did not happen, but Kemp Powers is able to put together an electrifying conversation between them in a period of peaks for racial justice. After all, the Civil Rights Act was passed later that year followed by the Voting Rights Act the next; in a similar fashion, Cooke was shot dead in late 1964 and Malcolm X was assassinated in February 1965. It’s an imaginary meeting that could’ve happened amongst the four friends and Regina King helms it all to a single flash moment in time in the middle of America’s changes. 

Grade: A-

Director: Ben Sharrock
Writer: Ben Sharrock
Stars: Kwabena Ansah, Vikash Bhai, Grace Chilton

Synopsis: Omar is a promising young musician. Separated from his Syrian family, he is stuck on a remote Scottish island awaiting the fate of his asylum request.

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Even for residents of Scotland, the Uist Islands off the north coast of the country would be a harsh place to live. Sparsely populated with little in the way of entertainment and experiencing temperatures frequently in the minus degrees, it is hardly a tourist destination. Spare a thought, then, for the refugees who have made the islands their home as they await a decision on their application for asylum. Coming from countries in the Middle East where sweltering heat is common and civilian populations are large, it must surely be a bleak culture shock to experience. With a basis in truth (Syrian families are often relocated there when they arrive in the UK until the government decides what to do with them), Ben Sharrock’s sophomore feature Limbo is a droll and deadpan take on the immigrant experience, often languidly humorous and offbeat. Your mileage may vary depending on your comical sensibilities, as nothing here is particularly overt and proceedings bare more of a resemblance to Local Hero or Withnail & I than any modern comedies, however, fans of this particular formula are sure to find much here to enjoy.

Omar (played with a dead-eyed wit by Amir El-Masry) finds himself on the Islands of Uist as he waits to find out if he has been granted permanent residency. His parents are in Turkey (he regularly contacts them using what must be one of the last working payphones in Scotland) while his brother is back in Syria fighting for its liberation. Omar is angry and frustrated. Cut off from his Syrian identity and treated as a terrorist by local kids who threaten violence if he tries to bomb anything, he spends his days at a center where he and his fellow expatriates are focused to sit through cultural awareness lectures on how to dance with girls in nightclubs and the proper tone to take when at a job interview. Add to this, he is creatively stifled; choosing not to play his beloved oud likely because there is very little creative joy to be mined from his circumstance.

Alongside Omar, and providing both humor and companionship is Farhad (Vikash Bhai) an Afghani obsessed with Freddie Mercury (who points out they were both Zoroastrians and preferred the same style of mustache), and Wasef (Ola Orebiyi) who has come to the UK to fulfill his dream of playing for Chelsea Football Club despite his age and the fact he isn’t actually good at football. The three of them function as part of a group and much of the focus here is on their attempts to integrate into Western culture, by doing things like arguing over whether Ross and Rachel from Friends were on a break, or joining the locals in a painfully depressing pub on karaoke night. The style is episodic and rather glib; there are touches reminiscent of the likes of Aki Kaurismäki throughout (particularly Lights in the Dusk), and it might test the patience of the average viewer.

Undoubtedly the heart of Limbo is Omar. His restive nature seems starkly at odds with his surroundings and El-Masry tenderly evokes a sense of loss and heartache for a man who has lost his country and identity. He provides a useful way in for the viewer and keeps your sympathy throughout; a late act tone shift would feel a little more jarring if he wasn’t there to anchor it in the way he does. There are little pops of profundity here and there, but there’s a feeling that Sharrock can’t quite carry it off, occasionally drifting into cloying melodrama, and so we’re left to mine what meaning we can from proceedings.

There are also genuine moments of comic genius such as when Omar meets a Pakistani grocery store owner (played with brilliant deadpan sensibility by Scottish comedian Sanjeev Kohli) who introduces him to the many varied British epithets regarding race. It’s moments like these (and to be fair Sharrock walks a thin line as a white Scottish man directed a movie about immigrants experiencing racism in Scotland) which stand out, feeling natural and real.

Having established itself through an often tediously slow setup, Limbo then heads towards a rushed, tonally inconsistent ending which cheats the viewer out of any meaningful conclusions. It’s a shame because the time and effort spent on establishing this world is then hastily deconstructed and it feels like it didn’t mean much in the end.

Sharrock tries to evoke filmmakers (such as the aforementioned Kaurismäki, as well as Jim Jarmusch) who have done much better. With an achingly beautiful backdrop – Scotland’s lush, scenic landscapes are highlighted well here – full of open, deserted roads, rolling hills, and the casual grey-blue sky of the north, Limbo looks stunning (even if it is hampered by a boxy 4:3 aspect ratio) and makes the wise decision of focusing on Omar, who is a compelling and sympathetic character. However, too many moments dip into absurdism which both undermines the more profound moments and doesn’t stand out in their own right either. It’s a decent movie, with a great performance from El-Masry but unfortunately doesn’t live up to the hype.

Grade: D

Director: Philippe Lacôte
Writer: Philippe Lacôte
Stars: Bakary Koné, Isaka Sawadogo, Steve Tientcheu

Synopsis: A young pickpocket (Bakary Koné) is sent to the MACA prison in Abidjan. To survive, he will have to compel the other prisoners with his storytelling.

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In Philippe Lacôte’s Ivory Coast prison drama, the institution called MACA (which is a real-life notorious prison) becomes the new home of a young man (Koné Bakary) serving time for robbery and quickly learns his place in the prison. Given the nickname Roman, his job is to survive one whole night while the moon is red by becoming a storyteller to the rest, making them from the realms of his own life. From the beginning, you can tell Roman is unprepared as he is immediately thrown into the fire and must adapt quickly under the threat of death. MACA is not a place where the behavior isn’t as dangerous as those Andy Dufrane dealt with in The Shawshank Redemption. Instead, prisoners actually run the whole place in a tribal state where protocols of a village in the wild are the name of the game.

The stories are a mix of African folklore and recent events from the Ivory Coast’s rough past, all told on a soapbox as Roman nervously paddles through to gain respect and retain his life. The inmates watch with anticipation of what surprises this young man has in store while in actuality he improvises. And the film, Lacôte’s sophomore effort, does feel like an entire improvised story where it’s on the actors to give life into every word being breathed out. The scenes in the prison tend to have much of a sound stage feel when it shouldn’t have that mood, but the exterior flashback scenes capture the scenes on the beaches and in the dangerous shantytowns with the full vigor of the Ivory Coast’s past.

The atmosphere is one of fascination because of how very far it is to Western senses on prisons which is a shame that the backgrounds of the other main prisoners weren’t told more. While MACA is a tradition, it isn’t given much explanation and leaves a few questions on just how this all started and the meaning of the names. Even with the slam poet-like movements that heighten every word from Roman, you don’t necessarily grasp where he’s going with it and how the climax can bowl over so suddenly. While it does raise eyebrows into another area of African cinema, Kings does not have the magic it should deliver.

Grade: B-

Director: Spike Lee
Writer: David Byrne
Stars: David Byrne, Chris Giarmo, Tendayi Kuumba

Synopsis: Spike Lee documents the former Talking Heads frontman’s brilliant, timely 2019 Broadway show, based on his recent album and tour of the same name.

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As someone from Scotland, I should be ashamed that I am unfamiliar with the works of David Byrne, a fellow Scot. Whilst I have obviously heard of him, as well as Talking Heads, I could not name a single song or album. I did not know a single thing about the American Utopia production either, and only became aware of it when I heard that Spike Lee was set to direct the filmed production of it. This film is going to be an obvious watch for fans of David Byrne, but I am here today to tell you why everyone should give this production a watch.

I do not want to make this review focused on the music itself, but it is something to highlight in a concert film. As someone who hadn’t heard a single song before this screening, I found myself really enjoying the music. It isn’t the sort of genre I would naturally listen to, but it had a nice sound to it. It wasn’t too generic of pop, yet it still felt quite modern and spoke about today’s society (a theme I will continue to address throughout the review). David Byrne is also a natural performer, being able to sing well whilst putting on a stage production like no other concert experience I have seen.

Of course, a stage experience is more than just what you hear, it is what you see on the stage. Most concerts have a simple set up with a band in the background and the artist out in front. Not with this production. From the opening sequence, there is a table set up and David Byrne is holding a brain and using it as part of the performance. It’s still simple in the presentation in comparison to most stage productions, but the set-up that is used is done to great effect.

I want to use a stage production brought to screen this year that many people have seen, Hamilton: The Musical, to illustrate how simple can be extremely effective and how it is also done here. Both of these productions use little props and have a large floor space to play around with. Instead of filling it with elaborate set pieces that move constantly, the space is there to allow fluidity between the people on stage. Complicated dance sequences not only make for incredible sequences but are able to communicate the story between narrative and music. That is exactly what David Byrne’s American Utopia does, and it is incredibly effective.

David Byrne is great as a performer, but so is the entire crew he has on stage with him. They fill the room with energy, and it makes you think that so many people are creating this energy when there are only eleven people in the entire production.  All of them are great, but special recognition goes to the two backing vocalists, Chris Giarmo and Tendayi Kuumba. Not only do they have to give great vocal performances as well to support Byrne, but they have some extreme choreography to pull off throughout it as well. They are captivating to watch and you cannot take your eyes off either of them.

I could speak about the production itself all day, but this is more than just a stage production. This is a recording of a stage production and done by none other than Spike Lee himself. You can definitely see his style of filmmaking throughout, particularly when David Byrne does a cover of Janelle Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout” – which is easily the most powerful section of the film. Spike Lee managed to find his voice in this production and, between him and David, make big statements that still impact Americans to this moment in time.

It is not just these individual moments that make the filmed version of the production work, but even the smaller angles and tricks that Spike Lee does. The opening shot is taken from a bird-eye view and it is incredibly effective to see how much space there is on the stage. A small touch that I really liked was how the camera was angled enough to see the crowd. This is very much a stage production that you couldn’t film in an empty room. Between the crowd’s reaction to the performances on stage and the way that Byrne breaks up the songs through interacting with the crowd, it was electric to see a live audience react to something on stage in this format.

Right as I finished watching David Byrne’s American Utopia, I tweeted that it might have been the concert lover in me that made me warm to this project. I know the feeling of going to a stage production and being taken away to another world. It is exactly what we need right now, but sadly in a climate that cannot support the medium due to the ongoing pandemic. This film felt like a hug to me, saying that there is still a way to entertain on the stage and, one day, we will get to do the same again.

Grade: A-

Director: Jerry Rothwell
Writer: Naoki Higashida
Stars: Jordan O’Donegan (Narrator)

Synopsis: Based on the book by Naoki Higashida, this immersive film explores the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people around the world.

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Autism can be defined by many different aspects of life that become hindered and is quite common for young children to develop or to be born with. However, there is still a lot of misconceptions about the diagnosis and there is so much to still teach about the disability. This documentary gives a look into several families who have a loved one suffering from autism and shows them in a different light than is portrayed in the media.

Whilst being about the general disability of autism, this documentary focuses on those who are not able to physically speak. What is heart-warming about this narrative is that the film delves into ways of letting these people who are suffering speak, showing them typing and pointing out letters to help them communicate. It is empowering that work is being done to not only support these families but to find a way to let them have a say and to give them a voice.

The people shown in this documentary are being portrayed in a very positive manner, which is beautiful to see. The film feels raw, telling the story from the perspective of the families and being able to connect to each one as they do to each other. This is a story of empowerment, not one of pity or shame. Whilst we can recognize that living with autism of this type is not pleasant, that is not the focus of the film. Instead, the film focuses on the accomplishments, from their creative ability to the new technologies and tricks developed to let them speak. It is hard not to watch this and simply have a smile on my face.

This documentary is based on a book with the same title, written by Naoki Higashida. This was a personal book written about his own experiences living with autism at the age of 13, and I love that the documentary makes him a clear focus of this particular story. With all of the other stories that intertwine, there are sections that cut between them and David Mitchell, the novelist who found Higashida’s book and translated it to English. What makes this section even more personal is the interviews with Mitchell, who is a parent of an autistic child himself. It makes those scenes even more impactful, as it becomes clear that the project is filled with passion.

For a documentary, this may just be the most visually stunning of the genre that I have ever seen. There are scenes specifically shot that are meant to reflect Higashida as a young child, alone and free to explore the outdoors. These shots are captivating and help bring the narration done by Jordan O’Donegan to life. It isn’t even just these individual scenes though, but the entire film. For some people who suffer from autism, they are drawn to visually pleasing stuff like lights, so it makes sense that the camera focuses on making these items look appealing and is able to play with light and shots to create these gorgeous sequences.

This is quite a short documentary, only clocking in at 82 minutes. I did wish the film allowed itself to slow down, as it certainly could have allowed for more connections to be made personally with the families and the individuals. Instead, we get mere fleeting moments with them, as we have to follow numerous families all surrounded by the main focus, the reason the documentary was able to be made. Whilst these moments are great, I just wish we got more of them.

There is also still so much more to be taught about autism, and I feel like a documentary like this would have been a great place to perhaps highlight the tougher conversations surrounded by the diagnosis. Whilst I wouldn’t want to drag the tone of the film down, there are still people out there who believe that vaccinations against deadly diseases such as Hepatitis C gives children autism. Not only is this completely false and misleading, as proven by scientists for numerous years now, but presents a negative look at autism. This is not helpful for anyone, and I hope people take some of the messages from this film and go on to do further research on autism.

There needs to be more awareness, and I hope that this documentary becomes the start of a conversation that can develop and mature for several more. We cannot simply hide away from these topics, and we cannot discriminate and shame those who have to go through this. Instead, we should cheer them on and hope that more technological discoveries are made soon so that their voices can be heard louder and they can live their lives to the fullest.

Grade: B+

Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writer: Thomas Vinterberg
Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe

Synopsis: Four friends, all high school teachers, test a theory that they will improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood.

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There has always been an existential tie between philosophy and alcohol. Some of the world’s greatest thinkers were famously loaded more than half the time, and this state of inebriation was often celebrated in their work. This idea dates back to the Symposium where Socrates, Plato, Alcibiades, and Aristophanes to name but a few, got legless while discussing the nature of love.

In a way, Another Round, the latest by Danish auteur Thomas Vinterberg, has it’s own Symposium moment early on. It comes when Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe), and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) are out celebrating Nikolaj’s 40th birthday. Premium alcohol is being served, caviar is being consumed, and discussions are had about the state of their lives. The four of them, you see, are fairly unhappy. They are high school teachers reaching middle age, trapped in a state of bloodless inertia. This ennui has seeped into both their home and work lives. Martin is all but estranged from his wife, Nikolaj doesn’t seem to like his kids very much, and none of them care about teaching anymore. This is apparent in early scenes which show Martin half-heartedly attempts to teach his students about Winston Churchill; he mumbles through his speech and somehow confuses WW1 with WW2. They are all four of them, on the brink. “I don’t even know how this happened” one of them comments. Time has caught up with all of them, and they don’t know what to do. Which is when a plan is suggested.

The Norwegian psychologist Finn Skårderund, it is said, suggested that the human blood-alcohol level is 0.5% too low, and for a human to be happy they should keep this topped up. It’s the equivalent of a few glasses of wine or a shot or two of vodka, but the implication by Skårderund is that being just a little sloshed every day will help with confidence, motivation, and being open. The boys decide it can’t hurt to try it and draw up a plan to enact a social experiment of sorts: they will drink throughout the day to reach that elusive 0.5% BAC (this is helpfully relayed through interstitial graphics showing the numbers climb as they drink) and see if this has an effect on their lives.

And it does. They all begin sneaking alcohol into school, through hip flasks and water bottles, and find they become better teachers. Martin especially finds he is more engaging with his students (albeit arguably more irresponsible, as his lectures pivot from the perils of WW2 to discussing why alcohol makes the likes of Winston Churchill better leaders; the kicker is the revelation that Hitler was teetotal. Alcohol kills fascism, folks), as well as with his wife, with whom he resumes regular lovemaking. All seems well for the foursome, who discover their verve and lust for life again. But how long can this love affair with alcohol last? As they careen towards tragedy – urinating beds and slamming face-first into walls on the way – there is the sense that there’s another lesson for these friends to learn, that maybe with alcohol they are sticking a bandage on a bullet wound.

Thomas Vinterberg was part of the Dogme 95 class, alongside the likes of Lars Von Trier, and those Dogme principles are (mostly) imbued here; Another Round is fairly low-key, handsomely made but not flashy. It suits the premise well. An opening montage shows young adults engaging in a binge drinking contest which isn’t overdone at all, and in lesser hands might have looked like a hackneyed American Pie rip-off. Instead, it reads as a very natural moment and captures the spirit of youth which is then contrasted with the muted behavior of the adults later.

That is where Vinterberg really shows his class because the premise requires a delicate balance. Too far to one side and you’ve got broad, empty comedy (one can imagine an American remake of this starring Adam Sandler and his famous friends, please God no), too far to the other side and you veer into dark melodrama which would swallow the movie whole. It requires a deftness which Vinterberg is more than capable of. There are moments of genuine joy here, counteracted with the darker side of tying one on with your friends until the early hours of the morning. While the friends find things to love about life again (Martin takes his wife and kids canoeing, something they haven’t done in several years), they also run up against the stringent expectations of the society around them. One scene finds the friends about to head out drinking as Peter’s wife asks him to pick up fresh cod for dinner. This leads to an utterly hilarious moment later on when the dangerously inebriated group collapse through supermarket shelves as they attempt to find fresh cod. When they can’t find any, they take to fishing in the harbor! It’s a tear-inducing moment which will have audiences remembering their own drunken tales with friends fondly, but there’s also the undertone that Peter was unable to follow his wife’s simple instructions for dinner.

Although all four men get a good run-out, this is undeniably Mads Mikkelsen’s show. The Dane reunites with Vinterberg for the first time since 2012’s The Hunt and gives a subtle, nuanced performance like we haven’t seen from him in a while. With his sharp-edged features and intense eyes, Mikkelsen has found himself cast most often as the villain – Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, Kaecillius in Doctor Strange – but to see his Hollywood oeuvre is to forget his roots at the forefront of Danish cinema. Here he reminds us he is capable of understated acting, stifling his easy charisma to portray a man sleepwalking through life. He’s almost unrecognizable in the opening scenes until the end credits scene reminds us how much fun he is. Indeed, Mikkelsen dancing will most likely be the biggest takeaway for his loyal fans.

Another Round is a raucous, joyous tale of friendship and catharsis. Its purpose is not to denigrate alcohol or act as a cautionary tale for the perils of binge drinking. Instead, it is a pleasingly affecting look at morality and society. It isn’t exactly ground-breaking (mid-life crisis movies come by the dozen these days) and doesn’t say much that hasn’t already been said, but that’s not the point; it is a fresh, optimistic look at life which balances its themes perfectly without going overboard and is aided by a wonderful performance from a never-better Mikkelsen. It is one of the highlights of the London Film Festival and deserves a wide audience.

Grade: A+

Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Writer: Lee Isaac Chung
Stars: Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, Will Patton

Synopsis: A Korean American family searches for a better life when they move to a small farm in Arkansas.

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A Korean family, already immigrated from their homeland to the West Coast, makes a bold move to rural Arkansas where Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun) seeks to make it on his own as an independent farmer. His wife (Han Ye-ri) is immediately skeptical based on the fact they are now living in a trailer home on cinder blocks and far away from the city. Coming along with them are their two kids, David and Anne, while their grandmother, Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-Jung) comes along later, which twists up the family chemistry in an already-full house far from the land they know. Yet, the determination to start a new life is burning inside.

What is cultivated is an astonishing piece of art from writer/director Lee Isaac Chung who used his own personal life growing up in Arkansas in the 1980s as the backdrop of the story. We already knew Yeun was already an amazing actor thanks to his performance in 2018’s Burning and on the TV series The Walking Dead. But now, he adds on more to being a thespian actor who takes inside of him the immigrant experience regardless of nationality. Han is brilliant also, playing the suffering wife who does not want what his husband has got for the family and struggles with the isolationism from others. Even though there is a tiny Korean community in Arkansas, she doesn’t feel connected to them as well. Han’s character is a Christian, and when she asks the other Korean ladies why there isn’t a Korean church set up, one of them responds that the reason they’re not in the city is to get away from the church.

David and Anne, played by child actors Alan Kim and Noel Kate Cho respectfully, are innocent youngsters who have already become assimilated with their home since birth. Alam Kim is, for now, this year’s Jacob Tremblay/Quvenzhane Wallis of being cute and brilliant in their performance. As David, he is innocuous and snoopy exploring this new farm, wanting to be close to his father’s work, but it is Youn as their sly grandmother who really takes David in closely when she has brought over from Korea the local spice which is what the film’s titled is called. Tucked away from the main farm, it is a secret garden, an authentic sector of the Korean land they have escaped (in the 80s, South Korea was politically unstable and shifted away from its rural roots) that is a symbol of their heritage.

While the road isn’t as rigorous as other American Dream-themed movies, the blood, sweat, and tears are legitimate to all immigrant families in this country. Minari doesn’t play hard to make it viewers feel anguished thanks to its light, funnier moments sprinkled throughout the film. Chung avoiding moments of being overdramatic makes the movie feel just about right and balances the storylines. The splash made at Sundance earlier this year – when we were still all sitting in movie theatres next to each other – is a statement of marking the territory that a new American film for the new decade is putting down its roots for years to come.

Grade: A+