The Quake
Several years after heroically saving scores from the tsunami he predicted, geologist Kristian Eikjord (a terrific Kristoffer Joner) is a recluse, haunted by thoughts of the missing and those he couldn’t save. Eikjord has lost everything: his drive, his family and, perhaps, his mind. But a tip-off from a former colleague about unusual seismic activity in Oslo sees Eikjord reinvigorated, desperate to find whether the capital, where his wife and children now live, is under threat. As with The Wave, what sets this film apart is both the intimate and global disasters are compellingly human in their unravelling. With truly spectacular effects and exceptional performances, this is the disaster movie you really need to see on the big screen.
Sarah Lutton
Monrovia, Indiana
For his shortest film in seven years, Wiseman delves deep into the Hoosier state and settles his ever-attentive camera on a town that’s half an hour’s drive from its capital. We witness Monrovia’s residents going about their daily lives, performing their jobs in farms and shops, and holding group meetings to discuss ways to improve the community. Throughout, the planning commission discusses ways to expand the city, the impact of which will be significant. Monrovia, Indiana is an empathetic portrait of rural USA. Though sometimes overlooked, it makes up part of the country’s heartland. Now 88, Wiseman has once again delivered a masterful and rich contribution to our understanding of the fabric of US society, specifically a part of it which is often fictionalised around clichés, but portrayed here with candour and sharp observation.
Ana David
Young and Alive
‘Where should I start?’ asks Rose at Place de la République, the centre of all protests. Since 2015, following the terrorist attacks in the French capital, there’s much to be angry and disoriented about. Young and Alive follows Rose and other young adults on their nights out, gauging their pulse, whether they’re clubbing, hanging out or protesting. They share their dreams about the future, discuss politics and social inequality, and reflect on our times. The craving for a change to the political paradigm is real and articulated with passion and intelligence. As the young people’s raw energy plunges into the kinetic blaze of the night, Matthieu Bareyre’s camera is sublime in the authenticity by which it captures them. An empowering and poetic first feature, it’s one that perfectly encapsulates the zeitgeist and the mindset of a night watch in motion.
Ana David
Keep Going
In the expanses of Kyrgyzstan, a woman and a youth trek into the unknown – not least, the unknown of their own relationship. Sybille (Virginie Efira) has persuaded her adult son Samuel (Kacey Mottet-Klein) to come on this challenging journey in the hope of finding a new rapport – but challenges await, as much from their own personalities as from the arduous landscape. Based on a novel by Laurent Mauvignier, this visually magnificent piece is the latest from Joachim Lafosse (Our Children), a specialist in psychological exploration, but represents something new for him. It’s also a terrific platform for Efira, also in the LFF with Impossible Love, and Mottet-Klein (André Téchiné’s Being 17, Shockwaves – Diary of My Mind), both magnificent in what’s essentially a two-hander – but with accompanying horses.
Jonathan Romney