HOME Cinema Preview: 27th of October
By James Gill
Films opening this week:
FilmFear
FilmFear returns for a second year, marking Halloween with a celebration of horror, dark fantasy and intense cinema. Previews, cult favourites, short films and special guests come together for another inescapable HOME invasion.
Grace Jones: Bloodlight & Bami
Rated 15
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami takes the viewer on an intimate and electrifying journey that moves between four cinematic layers – performance, family, artist and gypsy – to explore the fascinating world of this pop cultural phenomenon. Here we see her behind the mask as a daughter, mother, sister and grandmother, alongside taking to the stage for a specially commissioned performance, with legendary hits including Pull Up To The Bumper and Slave to the Rhythm showcased in full. Larger than life, bordering on cartoon, wild, scary and androgynous – Grace Jones plays all these parts.
Breathe
Directed by Andy Serkis — Rated 12A
Handsome, adventurous and brilliant, Robin (Andrew Garfield) has his whole life ahead of him when he is paralysed by polio. Against all advice, Robin’s wife Diana (Claire Foy) brings him home, where her devotion, intimacy and witty determination transcend his disability and set him free. The directorial debut of Andy Serkis and the opening film of the 61st London Film Festival, Breathe offers a celebration of human possibility.
Call Me By Your Name
Directed by Luca Guadagnino — Rated 15
It’s the summer of 1983 in northern Italy, and Elio Perlman (Chalamet), a 17-year-old American-Italian, spends his days in his family’s seventeenth century villa lazily transcribing music and flirting with his friend, Marzia. One day Oliver (Armie Hammer, Free Fire), a charming, 24-year-old American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father (Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor. Amid the sun-drenched splendour of this sensual setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a fateful summer. The latest film by Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) is sensuously adapted from the novel by André Aciman.
Films continuing this week:
The Death of Stalin
Directed by Armando Iannucci – Rated 15
Based on graphic novel The Death Of Stalin by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, writer and director Armando Iannucci’s (Veep, The Thick of It) acerbic satire is set in the days following the Russian leader’s stroke in 1953 as his core team of ministers tussle for control. An all-star cast includes Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, and Olga Kurylenko.
I Am Not a Witch
Directed by Rungano Nyoni – Rated 12A
After a minor incident in her village, nine-year-old Shula is exiled to a travelling witch camp where she is told that if she tries to escape she will be transformed into a white goat. As she navigates through her new life, she must decide whether to accept her fate or risk the consequences of seeking freedom.
The Party
Directed by Sally Potter – Rated 15
Sally Potter’s (Orlando) latest feature is a comedy wrapped around a tragedy which unfolds in real time in an upmarket London house.
Janet is hosting an intimate gathering of friends to celebrate her promotion to Shadow Minister of Health in the party of opposition. Her husband, Bill, seems preoccupied. As their friends arrive, the soirée gradually unravels. As people’s illusions about themselves and each other go up in smoke, along with the canapés, The Party becomes a night that began with champagne but ends with blood on the floor.
Loving Vincent
Directed by Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman – Rated 12A
Co-directors Kobiela and Welchman explore Vincent van Gogh’s most inspirational paintings to tell the story of his remarkable work, career and his untimely and controversial demise. A synthesis of painting and cinema, this is a lovingly crafted, intelligent and informative work.
Loving Vincent will also be screening as part of Manchester Animation Festival on 15 Nov 20:15.
Blade Runner 2049
Directed by Denis Villeneuve – Rated 15
Thirty years after the events in Ridley Scott’s seminal sci-fi, a new Blade Runner, LAPD Officer K — played by Ryan Gosling — unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Deckard — Harrison Ford returning to his old role — who has been missing for 30 years. Acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario) delivers perhaps the most eagerly anticipated film of the year.
Special events this week:
October 26th-31st — FilmFear
See above for details
October 27th — Dawson City: Frozen Time + Q&A
Directed by Bill Morrison — Rated 12A
This screening’s been a long time coming. Lost for half a century, 500 films were discovered buried under a subarctic swimming pool in Canada’s remote Yukon Territory. Dawson City: Frozen Time is a feature film that quite literally pieces together history and features rare footage from the early silent era. Falling on UNESCOs World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and celebrating the North West Film Archive’s 40th anniversary, this is the perfect way to celebrate the very best of restoration and preservation in film.
We will be joined by filmmaker Bill Morrison, archivists, conservation specialists and our Artistic Director of Visual Arts, Sarah Perks for a Q&A following this screening to talk about the scrupulous and fascinating process behind this one-of-a-kind creation.
October 27th — Kaleidoscope + Q&A
Directed by Rupert Jones — Rated 15
The title of this tense, unsettling and atmospheric psychological chiller couldn’t be more apt, with debut British director Rupert Jones creating a dizzying nightmare that looks slightly different with each twist and turn. Toby Jones is typically terrific as Carl, a single man whose attempt to live a carefully ordered existence is upset by visitors he can’t easily control — Sinead Matthews as a pushy date; Anne Reid as Carl’s mother. Shades of Polanski’s Repulsion and, following on from our opening night, Hitchcock’s Psycho colour Jones’ story, creating a tightly wound and unpredictable tale with a fascinating character at its centre.
We will be joined by director Rupert Jones and producer Matt Wilkinson for a Q&A following this special preview screening.
October 28th — The Final Girls Present: We Are Weirdos + Intro
Directed by Various – Rated 18
It’s been a great year for women in horror and, this Halloween, The Final Girls – a film collective exploring the intersections between feminism and horror films – present a selection of shorts from some of the most exciting new female voices in genre cinema. Films that delve deep into the darkest human desires, bringing an unforgettable array of monsters to the screen. This slick and scary ten-film programme explores themes of body anxiety, repressed desires, social pressures and unspoken fears. Embrace your nightmares because the future of horror is female.
This screening will be introduced by Anna Bogutskaya and Olivia Howe, aka The Final Girls.
October 29th — Halloween at HOME Hocus Pocus!
Directed by Kenny Ortega — Rated PG
After three centuries, three witches are resurrected on Halloween night, and it’s up to two teenagers, a young girl, and an immortal cat to put an end to their reign of terror once and for all.
October 31st — Dumplings + Intro
Director Fruit Chan is widely acknowledged as one of the most important talents to appear in the Hong Kong industry after the handover to China. His gleeful tale of everyday horror is both excruciating and enjoyable. A young Chinese immigrant (Bai Ling) has a thriving business selling her homemade dumplings with incredible rejuvenating properties to rich Hong Kong matriarchs, including a retired actress (Miriam Yeung). But what is the secret ingredient that is so successful? Excellent performances, camera (Chris Doyle), costume and sound make this a mouth-watering, stomach-turning treat.