Author: rebecca

If you are looking for a bit of fun escapism at the moment, settle in for this ridiculous but sweet and entertaining Spanish romp. Eva is a lawyer, engaged to Stuart, heir to a wealthy and powerful right-wing Scottish family (you might have to ignore some of the Scottish accents or the likelihood of any Scots being pro-Trump!). When her grandmother Sofía informs Eva that she wants to marry Celia, Eva panics that this will derail her own marriage and races back to her home village on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. She wants to persuade the elderly couple just to continue living together, ostensibly as friends, rather than to mess up everyone’s lives. Eva’s mother Natasha, who has been a part-time presence in Eva’s life, and her brother also turn up, as well as an old flame of Eva’s ...

A fascinating film that explores work, motherhood, space, love and time - but in a quiet way, driven by Eva Green's powerful central performance. Alice Winocour’s superb film follows Anna (Eva Green), a French astronaut who achieves her life’s ambition when she is selected to join a space mission. She must undergo rigorous training to prepare for a year in space. She is one of only a few women to have made this leap and we see the sexism that she faces, even within her own crew, let alone from the baying press. But she must also reconcile to the fact that she will not see her young daughter for a year, and how hard that will be for both of them. Stella will stay with her father, from whom Anna is separated although they remain on good terms. The film ends as the mission launches into...

This debut feature from Shannon Murphy (Killing Eve) is a fresh, thrilling and moving coming-of-age story which takes the audience on an emotional journey with four flawed, entirely human characters. Talented young actor Eliza Scanlen (Beth in Little Women and Amma in Sharp Objects) plays Milla, a terminally ill teenager who falls for Moses (Toby Wallace), a drug-dealing ne’er-do-well. Their meet-cute is, really, anything but, although the romance blossoms in her troubled teen mind, and she invites him to stay at their house. Her concerned parents, Anna and Henry, (superbly played by Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn) worry about the relationship with the young man who is eight years older and regularly takes drugs from their house. But we also soon see that Anna and Henry have their own p...

Film can be pure entertainment, but it can also be a way for us to learn about our history, examine complicated issues, sit with our emotions and work for the future. Today, on World Aids Day, here are three recommendations of films to watch as we commemorate those who have died and work to support those who are living with HIV, uniting to fight the disease globally. We Were Here is a powerful documentary charting the effects of the disease in San Francisco’s gay community. The film is built around testimony from five men and women who experienced those years firsthand: Guy Clark, a flowerseller in the Castro; nurse Eileen Glutzer; Paul Boneberg, who founded Mobilization Against Aids; Ed Wolf, a counsellor; and HIV-positive artist Daniel Goldstein. In the late 1970s San Francisco was a ...

Cocoon is a gorgeous coming-of-age tale, a celebration of the long hot summer of 2018 and a sweet story of a teenage girl discovering her feelings for another young woman. 14-year-old Berliner Nora is waking up to the world – she still nurtures her caterpillars but is watching the world around her and learning about it and about who she wants to be. Her older sister Jule is affectionate but dismissive, caught up in a world of BFFs, parties and boys, plus the terminal embarrassment of having a younger sister hanging around. The pair of them have to deal with a young mother who is out partying more than she is there for the two teenagers; though she clearly loves them, she is wrestling with demons of her own. Then Nora meets Romy, the cool new girl at school, and her life changes. She ...

Two films available this week explore issues around the trans experience, with delicacy and much-needed kindness. Little Girl is a French documentary which follows 8-year-old Sasha, who knows she is a girl, despite being assigned male at birth. She wrestles her way with other people at school, in her dance class, but her family are supportive and know she must be allowed to follow her own path. Filmmaker Sébastien Lifshitz, who regularly explores marginalised and queer experiences, follows Sasha and her family over the course of a year. The film, which is beautifully shot, delicately captures moments of joy and challenges the family face. This is an important film for anyone trying to understand the issues faced by trans children in a world which frequently doesn’t understand them. ...

As we mourn the death at 87 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and follow the news to see who will be appointed in her place, there are two films that help to tell the story of this inspiring woman. RBG is a 2018 documentary (Netflix) which traces the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, legendary member of the US Supreme Court. It uses interviews with the judge herself as well as various of her associates, plus news clips and film of her at work and at play (particularly memorable are her trips to the opera and her legendary gym workouts). This is a loving and admiring film, with only one moment of criticism (when RBG openly attacked Trump), but it helpfully puts into context the story of her career and how she was so admired for her legal skills and continued fight for equal rights. Ginsburg was chall...

Starring Henry Golding, this moving film is story of cultural displacement, unexpected romance and the search for a lost home. Kit (Henry Golding, Crazy Rich Asians) returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old, when his family fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American war. He wants to scatter his parents’ ashes in their home country, but also hopes to rediscover his own roots and understand his identity. However, instead of a homecoming, he finds himself in an unfamiliar country – so much has changed in this vibrant, busy country, and he can no longer speak the language. He travels to Saigon and spends time with various people who are also trying to understand their place in the country. His cousin Lee reminds them of their shared youthfu...

A life-affirming celebration of female friendship and the power of youthful energy set in the lesser-known parts of London. When her mum unexpectedly leaves their home in London’s Hackney, sixteen-year-old Shola, aka ‘Rocks’, (Bukky Bakray) has to take on responsibility for her younger brother. She tries to keep below the radar of the authorities who might take him away while also wanting to live her teenage life to the full in the company of her group of girlfriends. The film is a genuine collaboration between its director, Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane, Suffragette), writing duo Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson, and its young cast who workshopped the storyline and dialogue through a long and detailed process. The result is a film which is a profound joy – not shying away from all that is...