We hesitated about showing this documentary, but the constantly great reviews (100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.7 on IMDb) and the number of members who voted for it, persuaded us it should be seen: An inside view of the Russian occupation of this Ukrainian city is not going to be an easy watch, but probably one we all should see.
"A brave, visceral, merciless masterpiece... Feels like a cinematic siege of the soul." - Ed Vulliamy, The Guardian
Our season ended on a high note with the largest audience of the season - 109 - watching 'Nobody Needs to Know', a sweet love story set on the beautiful Hebridean Island of Lewis. With your help we can keep these numbers growing; whether you have been a regular or if you haven't been for a while, do come along and see our Spring Season films...and bring your friends!
We are still a friendly club, always pleased to see you, and our programme has some great looking films as always, from award winners such as 'Anatomy of a Fall', to future winners (is 'Poor Things' going to do as well at the Oscars as they say?); from the documentary '20 days in Mariupol' to the Spanish drama '20,000 Species of Bees'.
We start back on 7 January with 'Fallen Leaves' from the always dependable Finish director Aki Kaurismaki. We hope to see you there! Meantime, have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
See you in 2024!
We finish this season with an unusual love story, both in characters and place, whilst the twists and turns will keep you guessing along the way. Set in the beautiful but barren Outer Hebrides, with the lovers in their autumn years, will it all turn out for good… or will it go sour?
"This wistful, island-set melodrama has strong performances and the sly hypnotic power of a high-end meditation app." - Kevin Maher, The Times
Another Members' Choice for our penultimate film of 2023. Paris Memories (Revoir Paris) is inspired by a real experience of the Bataclan attack in Paris, Alice Winocour (who co-wrote the magnificent 'Mustang' we showed here in 2016), places Mia, by a huge mis chance, in a restaurant which is attacked by a terrorist gunman. Mia "finds herself completely broken by the experience…" - Wendy Ide, Observer. We see the whole event through Mia's eyes, crouched on the floor with just the gunmen's feet in view; the tension this creates sets the scene for the whole film, but this film is not really about the attack, who did it or why, it is about the effect on a survivor, Mia. Wendy Ide goes on to say "Three months after the event, she starts the process of piecing together her shattered memories of the attack, even as she comes to realise that some elements of her life are beyond repair".
"It’s a sensitive, careful film with real emotional intelligence, but no less gripping for swerving dramatic fireworks in favour of quieter, more observational moments." - Philip De Semlyen, Time Out