The first year I went to the Berlin Film Festival was quite an experience. I had to be in a queue by 6.30 in the morning so I could get the tickets for the films I wanted to see that day. The queue was primarily outside for around 90 minutes, and Berlin on a February morning can be pretty damn cold!
This was in 2011, and one of the films I was most looking forward to seeing was Céline Sciamma’s Tomboy. We had already shown her first feature Water Lilies at the Screen Machine, when we were relocated in the Floral Hall car park for two years. I had arrived early for Tomboy and taken an unallocated seat. The woman in the row in front of me had jackets on the seats either side of her. Whenever someone would try to sit there she would shout, very loudly, ‘Possessed!’. This went on for a while, to a lot of people, so when the film started the two seats were still empty and people were sitting on the stairs. Reader, those seats remained empty for the entire film and when it ended she stood up and put both jackets on. She is the third worst person I have ever sat near in the cinema.
Tomboy was a fantastic film, with an unbelievable performance from the child actor in the lead. Both Tomboyand the equally great Water Lilies are both currently available to watch on MUBI. Céline Sciamma’s other two films, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Girlhood are both available to watch online. All four films are wonderful.
45 Years (Andrew Haigh, 2015)
Andrew Haigh’s elegant third feature film 45 Years is coming to MUBI this Sat 16 May. It tells the story of a married couple, played by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, around their wedding anniversary. It’s a beautifully observed film with two terrific lead performances from both actors, possibly the best of their careers which really is saying something. The director’s other films are all available to rent online; Greek Pete, Lean on Pete and (my personal favourite) Weekend (only £1.50 to rent from the Peccadillo Pictures player on Vimeo).
Weekend (Andrew Haigh, 2011)
Eden Court customers can get 90 days of movies for free with MUBI. Click this link to find out more. We are also partnering with Curzon Home Cinema to offer you 15% off any ‘(NOT) In Cinemas Now’ new release. Enter the code CHCMAY when purchasing.
This blog was written by:
On Wed 29 April.
