Misbehaviour

In this dismal year of pandemic lockdowns and social polarisation it's a nice surprise when something catches you off guard. In this case, that thing is the film Misbehaviour. I wasn't sure what to expect, I only knew who was in it and that it was set at the Miss World contest of 1970. This is one of those recent historical dramas that the Brits do so well - I'm thinking of little gems like Brassed Off or Made in Dagenham or Pride. They seem to have a knack of telling these important stories with a light, almost flippant touch, without leaning too far into the mawkishness that often blights their US counterparts. I think Misbehaviour would sit comfortably on the '20th Century, British-set, historical drama' shelf. If shelves were a going concern these days.

The film actually covers a lot of ground. Let me briefly explain the story. The Miss World contest of 1970 was the touch paper for the nascent Women's Liberation Movement in England. The film focuses on women on both sides of this event - namely Keira Knightley's character, Sally Alexander and Gugu-Mbatha Raw's Miss Grenada, Jennifer Hosten. They bring exactly the right amount of anger and pride to the roles (and Knightley can still crack a solid scowl). Aside from the two leads there are quite a few notable performances, Jessie Buckley, Keely Hawes, Greg Kinnear and Lesley Manville all have fun with their roles, though I'm not sure we needed so much screen time for Kinnear's Bob Hope. 

When I said earlier that the film covers a lot of ground, try these on: sexism, racism, the UK class system, generational changes in parenting, corruption, early #MeToo, and politics (specifically South African apartheid). Amazingly, it doesn't seem like too much to cram in, and it usually would do. Most of those themes are just brushed upon. One interesting angle - the film actually seems to suggest that the result of the contest was fiddled due to a judge with a 'conflict of interests'. Further research only vaguely backs this up. There is one moment where Mbatha-Raw and Knightley meet after all the flour has hit the fan and, though unlikely, it has a quiet power to it. It's the point in the film where an ever so slight justification for the contest is put forward, Mbatha-Raw telling Knightley that young black girls may see her as a role model and hinting that non-white women can't afford the luxury of women's liberation. It's the key scene in the film.

A pair of marriages on the periphery of the story are well handled in that the wives (Keely Hawes's Julia Morley and Lesley Manville's Dolores Hope) appear to hold many of the cards over their spouses. The film shows them to be sensible and mature, with a calm wisdom - completely opposed to their husbands. It probably helped that Eric Morley and Bob Hope were such a couple of bell-ends. The pace of the film is quite zippy, with no real flat spots and only one or two 'woohoo' moments that felt a little naff - who would've thought making flyers could be so much fun? There's a scene near the end where Knightley and her old-fashioned mum have a bit of a thaw that brought a minor lumpage to my throat. And the reveals of the real life women of the story is a neat way to end the film. All in all, Misbehaviour is an unexpected treat. 

See also:

On a similar theme, Nigel Cole's Made in Dagenham (2010) and one of the best Black Mirror episodes, and starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, San Junipero (2016).

In the Name of the Land

 

It's not every day you have the chance to see a film about French farmers, in fact, the last I can remember was probably Manon des Sources from 1986 - though, after miniscule research, it seems there have been a few docos recently; Modern Life (2008) and After Winter, Spring (2015). In the Name of the Land starts with a hopeful father to son transition of the family farm, Les Grands Bois, and slowly, but perhaps predictably, descends into creeping ruination. 

Guillame Canet plays Pierre Jarjeau and he's almost unrecognisable for most of the film, as he's been balded up to appear older. Once you get past this prosthetic (?) his performance is pretty gripping. Veerle Baetens is his wife Claire, dealing with the shit going on around her with a calming power, She's great in this, as is Rufus, that old stalwart of Jeunet and Caro films past, as the arsehole father, Jacques, who is the real villain of the piece for my money.

The film was directed and co-written by Edouard Bergeon, and it's based on the life of his family. It must have been a gut-wrenching process to make this, considering the bleak outcome, but I guess it brought a catharsis of sorts. There are moments of happiness and fun times but these are ultimately overshadowed by the climax, and the sting at the start of the credits about French farmers is kind of difficult to believe.

In the Name of the Land is an important film that deals with universal issues and it certainly packs a punch. Advance screenings start Friday 20th Nov at Luna Leederville. 

See also:

For two more films set in the French countryside, you can't go wrong with Jean de Florette and its sequel (see above) Manon des Sources (strangely, both 1986) directed by Claude Berri. They're fantastic films.

Summerland

Summerland is a romantic drama from Jessica Swale set on the English coast during World War 2. Gemma Arterton plays a cantankerous young writer, who investigates myths and superstitions. A young lad is billeted to stay at her cottage during the blitz (unbeknownst to her) and herein begins the drama. The central phenomenon in the film is a commonly occurring sighting known as the Fata Morgana, a kind of mirage where people have claimed to have seen castles, cities, all sorts of junk, usually from a coastline. Arterton's character, Alice, is looking into these mirages when Frank, un-irritatingly played by Lucas Bond, comes to stay. The title refers to the pagan idea of the afterlife - The Summerland. Alice's scientific, logical approach to life chafes slightly against Frank's childish beliefs but the film doesn't make any grand statements. Rather it seems to suggest that seeing things (or believing things) is a personal choice and this needn't interfere with other strands of life.

One of these other 'strands' is developed through flashbacks to Alice's relationship with Vera, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw. War era, interracial, lesbian love isn't really a well-mined trope for this kind of film, so it was refreshing to watch, especially in the hands of Arterton and Mbatha-Raw. The narrative pay-off in the 40s (and the 70s, where the film actually starts) is a bit of a stretch but it did provoke some audible gasps in the Raine Square cinema crowd. 

There are nice touches throughout the film, from the performances of the leads, as well as Tom Courtenay (actually running in one scene - the fecker's 83!) to Laurie Rose's cinematography of the famous Dover coastline. It has a nicely rustic, English countryside charm, perfect for the opening of the British Film Festival.

Summerland starts at The Luna Leederville, Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX and The Windsor from Nov 11th. Check out the British Film Festival site for details.

See also:

A very different, though still bucolic, role for Gemma Arterton, try Stephen Frears's Tamara Drewe (2010) and re: mystery castles, you can't go past Hayao Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986).

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

This is the sequel to the original Borat film from 2006, devised by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen. It's streaming on Amazon Prime Video as there were some issues getting it out in cinemas before the US election, mainly due to closed theatres - in the US and around the world.

I won't say much here, only that it's great fun to see this character again, with his stupid voice and gangly physical comedy. Maria Bakalova as Tutar, Borat's daughter, is a find. She's game for the same kind of awkward, uncomfortable scenes that Cohen revels in. There are key moments throughout, involving knowns (Giuliani) and unknowns (Jeanise Jones) but sometimes it's the small touches that come off the best. How Borat and Tutar respond to a bag that covers a dress may be my favourite part of the film.

See also:

Of course, the original Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), directed by Larry Charles, and another very funny Cohen creation, Bruno (2009), again directed by Larry Charles.

SPOILERS IN POD!!!

Listen to "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" on Spreaker.