Review of "Bait"

Shot in B&W 4*3 with blemishes to give a slightly home movie effect. Camera allowed to linger on objects and faces to tell the story. Excellent effect allowing plenty of time for viewer to think through the implications of the narrative. Technically a fascinating piece of film making using B&W and unusual choice of shots to provide an elliptical view of the narrative with space for the viewer to consider. As with reality there is no absolute truth here. As a story about the interaction between the characters it has considerable subtlety and shows all the participants as essentially flawed and very human. As a story about the major issue of the way the tourism "industry" trashes our communities, distorts our home lives, and creates massive suppressed resentment against those who come across the Tamar for two weeks or two months and make no contribution it is a powerful contribution. By and large the behaviour of all of the visitors is at best deeply patronising and arrogant - just like real life. The sooner we get rid of these parasites the better. And I imagine that the same feelings exist everywhere that tourists go, it is not a problem peculiar to Cornwall, although it is probably at its worst in the UK here.

Review of "Faces Places"

Visages Villages (the title in French) sees 89 year old artist/film maker Agnes Varda collaborate with 34 year old photo-muralist JR. Together they embark on a voyage around France creating stunning works/installations as they go and cross fertilising both ways between the generations of artists as they go. This is their story, and a delight filled one it is. Agnes died aged 90 in March 2019 and this film together with "The Beaches of Agnes" 2008 makes a fitting legacy for someone at the heart of the post WWII French New Wave Cinema in the 60s (and incidentally, as a friend, one of only 6 people to attend Jim Morrison's funeral). A life well lived, for sure the new generation epitomised by JR will carry the baton forward.

Review of "Shoplifters"

I've not seen any of this director's work before - it reminded me very much of Mike Leigh using observational narrative to tell a story whilst painting a picture of real life, warts and all. Very engaging, generates a lot of sympathy for the characters in the 'family' with all their difficulties and creative responses to those problems. I imagine it might be a fair depiction of less-privileged life in a modern Japanese city, it certainly came across that these were real people. And then there is the increasing undercurrent of uncertainty about what exactly is going on here as the narrative elements develop which provides a dramatic tension that keeps you engaged. In the end (trying to write this without making a spoiler) we are confronted with a deep question about what exactly a family is. Well worth watching, I can imagine a very similar story being told in a more familiar (English) milieu which makes this a truly great international film.