Love is in the air in the fair city of film. Across Dublin’s cinemas, there’s plenty of Valentine’s Day screenings afoot, whether it’s The People’s Joker at the Light House, romance rescreenings at the Stella, or 80th anniversary screenings of heartbreaking classic Brief Encounter at the IFI. The new Bridget Jones is out, as is…
Director: Aki Kaurismäki Starring: Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen Running Time: 81 minutes Romance on the big screen, really any feeling, is defined by heavy flourishes, bold gestures, soaring, sweeping expressions that burst through the film, so heavy they are with feeling. It reflects how we feel, but it tends not to come out that way…
Director: Ira Sachs Starring: Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos Running Time: 92 minutes An emerging aversion to sex and sexuality on screen is one of those online trends it can be difficult to gauge for real life impact. There is always the question of how seriously to take something so un-serious, and the dismissal…
Director: Mia Hansen-Løve Mia Starring: Léa Seydoux, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory, Nicole Garcia Running Time: 112 minutes Grief is an emotion unbound by tense and time. One can grieve something that hasn’t fully happened yet, or something in the moment of inevitable motion, just as strongly as the pains of the past. Léa Seydoux’s Sandra in One Fine…
Director: Klaus Härö Starring: James Cosmo, Bríd Brennan, Catherine Walker, Nora-Jane Noone Running Time: 100 minutes There is a whole sub-genre of cinema about elderly romances, especially ones where a grumpy old man is brought back out of his shell by the power of love. Our own Brendan Gleeson has been in a few, and…
Director: Luca Guadagnino Starring: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance Running Time: 130 minutes The opening scenes of Bones and All take care to show us lead character Maren first and foremost as a young woman without a strong sense of self. Shy and sheltered, she’s led a life constantly on the move, her mom…
Director: Park Chan-wook Starring: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il Running Time: 138 minutes The most interesting question with a femme fatale is never did they do it. We love to watch seemingly honourable lawmen twist and turn under far more compelling questioning – how much do they care if the dame did it or not? The…
Director: Frances O’Connor Starring: Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead, Alexandra Dowling Running Time: 130 minutes The short life and enduring works of Emily Brontë make her an understandable target for biopic fare. Work backwards from Wuthering Heights and you can build the story as it suits, about women, about the authorship and ownership of…
