I Wish

(Hirokazu Kore-eda/2011/Japan)

I Wish is a delightful story of two brothers whose parents have separated, each taking a child and living miles apart in separate cities; causing the siblings to conspire to secretly reunite in a plan to get their mum and dad back together. The film is one of comic observation of folk and the little quirks of life as they get through their daily routines, aspiring to bigger things with the same hopes and wishes as all of us. It’s ultimately a coming of age drama as the brothers each realise the folly of their machinations but it is cut through with the belief in magic that only children can unquestioningly accept. The scene with the elderly couple grabbing some precious, vicarious good vibes from having the kids stay over for a night is sublime. Kore-eda has an ability to tell a story in simple terms but striking a universal gong of shared experiential and existential spirit. As I said at the outset, an absolute delight.

(3.5/5)

52 Tuesdays

(Sophie Hyde/2014/Australia)

A film that combines the narratives of a mother transitioning gender and her daughters awakening sexuality and the effect each has on the other and the relationship between them, 52 Tuesdays exudes an air of aplomb. It is casually deliberate in its pacing; seeming to meander but each scene is crafted, sequenced and delivered with an attention and detail that belies its controlled, cool observation of events on screen. With excellent performances from Del Herbert-Jane as James and in particular Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Billie, the story, acting and production combine to form a very adept and polished first feature film for Sophie Hyde. She is one to watch, has since worked on some more documentaries, which were her main fare prior to this drama, and has recently premiered Animals, a second feature based on the book of the same name and filmed in Dublin. 52 Tuesdays presents a situation, an upset and a resolution in a 90 minute arc; it is a blessed breeze of fresh air amid the current trend to stretch narrative arcs to two hours and beyond and an incredibly mature film dealing with its subject matter with ease and objectivity.

(3/5)

Spaceship

(Alex Taylor/2016/UK)

Space cadet more like, if Taylor has succeeded in anything here it is in capturing adolescent angst wank in cinematic form. Spaceship will tractor beam you along for a while but quickly becomes unbearable.

(1/5)