The Crossing is based on the weird fact that there is a black market of iPhones going from Hong Kong to China, where they were probably made in the first place.
To make a little extra money shy 16-year-old Peipei smuggles for a gang. It begins harmlessly enough, slipping a couple of iPhones wrapped in cling film into her school bag
"Newcomer [writer-director] Bai Xue is more interested in Peipei's character than the smuggling though, concentrating her cameras on the gradual change in Peipei and her relationships as she gets more involved."- Tony Rayns, Sight & Sound.
Our next members' choice is the Icelandic Woman At War. Our hero is a middle-aged woman, Halla, who is a choir leader by day and has been trying to adopt a child for years, but we meet her walking across a vast moorland with her bow and arrows. Her target is not any animal though: she is after the electric wires held up by pylons. In a world where climate change has become the biggest issue of our time, it is not surprising that films should be made about fighting it, but you will be surprised by the way this Icelandic comedy-drama-thriller handles it.
"Full of heart and soul, Woman. at War is a triumphant and exciting film, and unlike anything you've seen before." - Linda Marric, Heyuguy
n a world where climate change has become the biggest issue of our time, it is not surprising that films should be made about fighting it, but you will be surprised by the way this Icelandic comedy-drama-thriller handles it.
Our hero is a middle-aged woman, Halla, who is a choir leader by day and has been trying to adopt a child for years, but we meet her walking across a vast moorland with her bow and arrows. Her target is not any animal though: she is after the electric wires held up by pylons. The tension is high right from the beginning, though maybe the three-piece band playing on the moor is a little unexpected... "It's a striking introduction to one of the most original and exciting characters to emerge from recent European cinema" - Nikki Baughan, Sight and Sound.
We don't often show sci-fi movies but Aniara is more a philosophical look at what humans might do when threatened with disaster and looked too interesting to ignore.
"This striking first feature from Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja is a work of daunting ambition." - Wendy Ide, Screen International
Just about every critic has this down as the best film Almodóvar has done for some time and, as we like his films here in Keswick this should be a treat for us this Sunday at 5pm.
"A deeply personal and very moving film, anchored by the best work of Antonio Banderas' career." - Brian Tallerico, Rogerebert.com
Another members' choice this week and we're going to be joined by the director Jon Jones to answer questions after the film. Please note we have a slightly later start time than usual of 5:30pm.
For those of you brought up in the countryside, remember those blissful, seemingly endless summers, playing games when you were young? Or for us townies, holidays away which went all too quickly... well this is the world we go back to with four young lads in remote Wales. Davy and brother Iwan run wild through the woods with their friends Rhys and Robbie, enjoying their little paradise... until a tragedy occurs.
"It captures the children's perspective on life perfectly and uses it to challenge adult assumptions about what's best for them - or for anyone dealing with trauma. The result is a cinematic gem" - Jennie Kermode, Eye For Film
