5 Films You Can’t Miss in March 2015
Still Alice
For co-director of Still Alice Wash Westmoreland, his latest endeavour, which he has made alongside Richard Glatzer, is rather far removed from his previous productions Dr. Jerkoff & Mr. Hard or Naked Highway. However what he can now boast, is that this striking, emotional drama has an Oscar to its name, following Julianne Moore’s triumph at the Academy Awards. Her performance is sensational, and makes this moving piece so difficult to watch – as we observe our eponymous protagonist discovering she is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. It’s as upsetting as it sounds, as we take the perspective of somebody losing all sense of identity.
Wild Tales
From the school of Pedro Almodovar – who serves as a producer on this devilishly comic feature film – Wild Tales is a collection of twisted short films. There’s no linearity to the narrative, but each tale is entwined by dark, comedic themes – surrealistic, naturalistic – but always funny. Nominated for an Academy Award this year, it was justly deserved for a film that will have you laughing from start to finish – and it’s not often we can say that.
X+Y
This moving drama is British cinema at its finest, as we delve into the world of a young autistic boy who travels to Taiwan for a maths competition. Asa Butterfield shines in the lead, but it’s the supporting cast that illuminate this tale – as Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan inject not only their experience and credentials, but elements of subtle humour to counteract what is a quite moving production. There’s a good chance you’ll cry in this one. Sorry.
Mommy
Nevermind being a film you can’t miss in March – here’s a film you can’t miss full stop, as your life will be enriched by sitting through this compelling drama by the young, innovative filmmaker Xavier Dolan. This French language picture, set in Canada, tells the story of a middle-aged widower who welcomes the return of her troubled teenage son from juvenile detention. With two remarkable, powerhouse performances from both Anne Dorval and Antoine-Olivier Pilon – not to mention Suzanne Clément, who plays their neighbour Kyla – this feels like the film that Dolan has been working towards in his short, and yet prolific career so far. His first, but undoubtedly not last, masterpiece.
The Voices
The Voices is worth seeing because it’s unlike anything else you will have seen in a long while. Ryan Reynolds plays a serial killer who gets twisted advice from his talking pet cat and dog. His first victim is his beguiling colleague Fiona (Gemma Arteton), and just to give you an indication as to what sort of thing you can expect from this offbeat, whimsical piece of cinema: Arterton’s performance is predominantly just that of her severed head, kept in the refrigerator. This dark, twisted tale has a playful tone, and not one you’ll be forgetting in a hurry.