F1

Yes, this is a film about motor racing - but it's much more than that. There is a lot of in-car tight action camera shots as Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) and Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) race against the likes of Hamilton, Verstappen and LeClerc. But, there is strong acting across the cast to deliver characters with great complexity and a couple of romances thrown in for good measure.

The narrative arc of the film is quite simple and covers the final nine races of the F1 season. The ailing 
APXGP F1 team is owned by Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), a one-time friend and team mate of Hayes 30 years previously. In desperation to save the team and stave off $350m of debt, Cervantes turns to his friend to become the lead driver and rescue the season before the board sell off the failing team.

What makes this film so compelling is the way in which it feels like APXGP F1 is simply another team in the F1 paddock as many scenes integrate real pit lane activity with all the F1 stars in the background and on the track. Commentary even features SKY F1's TV presenters Martin Brundle and Crofty. At times it feels much more like a docudrama than a movie such is the realism that is created.

There is even a "Bernie Collins' character in the guise of Technical Director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) whose Irish charm, sparkly eyes and razor sharp brain combine to deliver the perfect foil for the uber-cool and laid back Sonny Hayes.

For those who are willing to look behind the flashy and noisy F1 circus, this film delivers a number of engaging character studies. The age and experience of the peripatetic loner Hayes against the driving ambition of live-with-his-mum Pearce, creates a tension that sparks and throbs throughout the film. The likeable but desperate Cervantes anchors the story. The sleazy Peter Banning (Tobia Menzies) adds an element of someone you love to hate. The completely likeable Jodie (Callie Cooke) who becomes very clumsy in the presence of Pearce lifts the scenes she appears in.

There is inevitably a lot of testosterone and machismo in this film given that it represents the pinnacle of male competitive sport. But as I have said, there is a lot more to it as we are invited to explore all the characters including Pearces mum (Sarah Niles) and manager (Samson Kayo) as well as the APXGP Team Principal (Kim Bodnia). In a world where there is easy temptation to cut corners, it is good to see people holding out to do the right thing in the right way. Tenderness, love, self-doubt and forgiveness all have their parts to play. This film is character driven rather narrative drive. The narrative is simply a vehicle.

I saw this at my local IMAX cinema and the pictures and soundtrack were immersive. Plenty of low-end rumble! I would recommend this film - even to those who are not motor racing fans. I'm going to give it 8/10.

Salt Path

It's hard to believe that a film about a couple walking the south west coastal path of England can be anything more than observational documentary or low budget reality TV. Context is everything! What sets this film apart is the fact that it is rooted in a real life tragedy which through many ups and downs eventually delivers a triumph. It is a story of love, commitment, victimisation, perseverance and an openness to be transformed by the experiences that life gives to you.

Many will have read the book. I am informed by a reliable source that the film is true to the spirit of the book. The story is about a couple who have been made homeless and who decide to walk the south west path from  Minehead to Lands End as they have nothing else to do. This film is so much about the journey and not the destination. It is not an action movie and proceeds at a slow plodding pace which helps the viewer to enter into the monotony and struggle of the ups and downs of the coastal path, which mirror the ups and downs of the couple's experience.

What is unclear in the film is if there is any culpability on the part of the couple, Moth (Jason Isaacs) and Raynor (Gillian Anderson), for facing the bailiffs and having their home taken away. There is mention of poor investment choices at one stage but the story is not about how they got into their predicament, but how they confront it. The scenes of the eviction catch in graphic detail the fear and anxiety such an experience generates. So, virtually penniless and with just a tent and the clothes they are wearing, they set off for Minehead.

What complicates matters is that Moth has been diagnosed with a degenerative neurological illness that has given him a left-sided weakness which makes walking difficult - especially up and down the hills and coves of a coastal path.

The couple are mostly cheerful and embrace the freedom of their situation with no deadlines or responsibilities. Moth's condition limits their speed, but Raynor never complains. They meet and are able to encourage a number of folk along the way. They both give and receive hospitality - even spending a night or two in a commune where Raynor has a mind-bending experience.

Along the path they experience a wide range of encounters. Several times, older people walking their dog yell at them telling them that they "can't camp here". There are encounters with different groups of animals which the cinematography turns into a quasi-spiritual encounter - deer, fish, rabbits, goats and seals all feature to offer a 'thin place' encounter. The couple seem to be periodically accompanied by a hawk that squawks and swoops to guide them on their way.

In one seaside town they meet a girl Sealy (Gwen Currant), who seems to be under the control of her aggressive partner. Recognising her predicament they invite her to join them but she refuses but later, for a time, accompanies Moth and Raynor along the path before turning back. I guess this encounter shows that we are not able to help everybody.

The film offers a stunning travelogue for the coasts and communities of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Wild, windy and sometime wet, the views are breathtaking and the sunsets mesmerise. One annoying thing that happens a couple of times is that the sea is on the wrong side if they are heading West! Much of the film shows the face of either Moth or Raynor full-frame as they drag themselves along the path and up and down the hills. A hirsute Jason Isaacs  contrasting with the natural beauty of Gillian Anderson whose accent does wander a bit throughout the film.

This is a slow and gentle film which evokes a slow and gentle response. It invites the viewer to reflect as Moth and Raynor are forced to do the same as they process what is happening to them and the reason they are on this pilgrimage. Ultimately the experience is a very positive one, but it is as much about the journey as arriving at Land's End. This is a hopeful film. I encourage you to seek it out and do your own reflecting on where your life's journey has taken you. I'll give it 8/10.

Inside Out 2

It is rare for a sequel to live up to the original but in this case it surpasses it! I watched this with a group of friends form church and we reflected on it together afterwards. We had seen the original about three months ago and that had been well received.

This is a Disney Pixar animation which shows the state of the art with graphics that look so smooth and life-like. In describing the film, I have to give a little bit of the plot away but I don't think that will spoil things for you as this is not a plot-driven film.

The central premise is that we spend most of the film inside the head of Riley - a girl who in the first film was eight and who now reaches 13 and puberty! Riley is controlled by a number of emotions who appear as anthropomorphised avatars at the control console of her emotions. As the emotions tussle for influence and control so Riley undergoes changes in mood and behaviour.

In the first film, Joy was the dominant emotion - as it should be in childhood. Alongside Joy were Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. A nice neat quintet. With the onset of puberty a maintenance crew turn up to upgrade the console and with the new console comes some additional emotions. Life for Riley is about to become much more complicated.

As Riley makes the jump to High School which enforces a separation from her two closest ice hockey playing friends, so she also has to navigate relinquishing some of her sacred childhood totems as she tries to step up in the world and join in with the big girls.

With new emotion Anxiety taking control of the console and the former set of emotions banished, Riley struggles to get to grips with Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui. The former emotions embark on a journey to recover Riley's sense of self which was banished to the back of her mind by Anxiety. Can they succeed and integrate the old emotions with the new in a way that Riley can cope with, without having a breakdown and which helps her developing teen-self, develop a healthy and evolving sense of self?

Again, the script and narrative are based on well informed psychology and highlight all the right issues, so much so that some watching found that it uncomfortably reawakened their struggles with their transition through puberty. Not bad for an animation!!

This film is a gift to those leading teenage youth groups or working with youngsters that could profit from this indirect way of inviting conversations about our emotions, how we use them and how we can try and maintain a healthy balance. I thought it was excellent and give it 9/10.

Conclave

 

How can you make a drama about 108 old men choosing one of their number to become their leader? Director, Edward Berger manages to produce one of the most gripping films I have ever seen. This film is wonderfully scripted, brilliantly filmed with so many framed shots and full-face closeups, mesmerisingly detailed in its sound production and above all, acted with such power, it is simply stunning.

Following the death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with Presiding over the Conclave of all the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church as they gather from around the world in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican to cast their votes to elect a new Pope.

On the face of it, it is a straightforward task and process. The film shows that even Cardinals are human and open to the same lapses as the rest of us. Watching this film at a time when in reality His Holiness is so unwell adds an edge to the proceedings. Additionally, as the Mother Church of the Anglican world is also attempting to gather its own conclave in the guise of the Crown Nominations Commission to choose its next leader, there is a further uncomfortable echo.

The Cardinals meet, they talk, try to drum up support for their chosen nomination, vote and elect a new Pope. That is all so simple on the face of it, but the intrigue and politicking that goes on in the name of God - well I'd like to say that it's unbelievable but sadly I can't. The film offers nothing other than a damning indictment of a human institution that conducts itself in ways that are alien to the teachings of its founder. It is very sad.

In a predominantly male context, the film allows plenty of room for women in the church to play pivotal roles. I won't list the ins and outs of the scheming that goes on, or the conclusion that is reached. You can discover them for yourself. Yes we all know the narrative arc - a bunch of old guys are locked away enjoying good food and wine and the occasional prayer, until they choose one of their number by two thirds majority to become Pope. But the way this film navigates that arc is masterful. It is so engrossing that I forgot I was watching a film - I was there! 

For me, what shone brightest was the integrity shown by the character of Cardinal Lawrence. The angst and pain etched on Cardinal Lawrence's face (see above) never disappears. He had a task to do and he was not going to allow himself to become deflected from completing it and so fulfilling the trust placed in him by the previous Pope. All the Cardinals were under Papal scrutiny and it was Lawrence who was chosen to Preside over the Conclave. I felt such a deep connection to his character that I wonder if he and I share the same personality type! (ISTJ - or he might be INTJ.)

With the Oscars being handed out tonight it will be interesting to see how this film does. I hope it does well. I'll give it a very rare 10/10!