BFI London Film Festival 2022
After two of the most disruptive years in the history of a film industry still in flux and the success of a streamlined hybrid event last year, cinema once again returned en force to “The Big Smoke” and beyond, courtesy of the the British Film Institute (BFI) in the form of the 66th London Film Festival (LFF)—one of the world’s most accessible major film festivals.
Once a again a mix of physical and virtual online events both in the capital and other UK cities brought nearly 200 features, upcoming TV series episodes and XR programmes to UK audiences in London’s South Bank as well as the West End and beyond, with all the star-studded screenings and glitzy galas to match.
After their return last year, the major studios and their indie labels were back with much anticipated titles competing for our attention with major streaming players like Netflix and Amazon who also brought their must-see wares, but the LFF still managed to retain some focus on the smaller global indie cinema which always graces the festival and needs more attention, once again all divided into thematic strands and gala screenings. You can see the full schedule of this year’s LFF feature films and much more on the official BFI site here, and all of our LFF reviews so far here . . . but stay tuned for many more to come.
Screenings
Week 1
Wednesday the 5th
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Image Source: Getty Images BFI
In keeping with recent tradition the BFI chose a British filmmaker to open proceedings with English writer/director Matthew Warchus reuniting with his West End co-conspirators Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin to lead an Anglo-American Sony-Netflix film, bringing not only classic children’s literature but the award-winning stage musical adaptation of it to the big screen with a gala world premiere of ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical’.
The classic and beloved tale of a neglected but extraordinary young girl who uses a love for literature and her special abilities coupled with support from a loving teacher and her new friends to overcome parental abandonment, and the whims of a tyrannical headmistress at her foreboding new school. Warchus was in attendance with his stars Sindhu Vee, Stephen Graham, Emma Thompson, Alisha Weir and Lashana Lynch, plus screenwriter Kelly and composer/lyricist Minchin, ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical’ is out on the 25th of November in UK cinemas and will stream on Netflix from the 25th of December, you can check out our review here.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
Linoleum
Image Source: Blue Fox Entertainment
Opening day and the ‘Dare’ strand also brought quirky sci-fi comedy/drama vibes to the LFF this year courtesy of American writer/director Colin West and his surrealist life-affirming mediation on the value of dreams and fulfilment ‘Linoleum’. The story of a down-on-his-luck dreamer and host of a modest TV science show whose life and family is at risk of falling apart, who decides to live a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by building his own rocket ship only to be confronted by bizarre events which challenge his reality and conception of time and space. ‘Linoleum’ has no confirmed release dates yet.
Manticore (Mantícora)
Image Source: Courtesy of Millie Turner and BFI
The first Wednesday also also provided more confronting and probing fare in the form of Spanish cinema and writer/director Carlos Vermut, who brought a ‘Dare’ strand screening of his unsettling human drama exploration of trauma, obsession and depravity ‘Manticore’ to the LFF. A contemporary Spanish tale following a lonely and withdrawn video game designer with a traumatic past who suppresses dark fantasies and predilections, which start to surface when an unlikely romantic relationship with a young woman begins to coalesce. Vermut was represented at the LFF by his producer Alex Lafuente, director of photography Alana Mejía González, star Zoe Stein and producer Pedro Hernández Santos, ‘Manticore’ is out on the 4th of November in Spain, with no UK dates yet.
Manticore trailer (courtesy of Trailers y Estrenos)
Thursday the 6th
White Noise
Image Source: Getty Images
The pick of day two’s screenings was a headline gala affair which saw Netflix take centre stage and writer/director Noah Baumbach return to the LFF in a typically idiosyncratic but darker and more surreal than usual mood with the screening of his bold adaptation of Don DeLillo’s cult novel ‘White Noise’. An ensemble family story and black comedy/drama following the fate of a quirky 80s academic and his anxious wife who struggle to lead their paranoid family through the turmoil of everyday life, only to be forced onto a darker road by a local disaster and its effect on the public, as they pull on a thread in their marriage which threatens to unravel everything.
Baumbach was joined on the Royal Festival Hall red carpet by his partner and one of the film’s stars Greta Gerwig alongside her co-stars Raffey Cassidy and Jodie Turner-Smith, plus producer David Heyman, ‘White Noise’ is available from the 30th of December on Netflix. You can check out our review here.
White Noise at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
The Eternal Daughter
Image Source: Getty Images
After several visits to the festival including her two-part filmmaker human drama ‘The Souvenir’, London writer/director Joanna Hogg returned to home turf for a change of tone and pace alongside her muse/star Tilda Swinton and her co-stars Carly-Sophia Davies and Joseph Mydell for a special screening of their Welsh countryside ghost story ‘The Eternal Daughter’.
A tale once again revolving around a filmmaker but this time with far more life experience, whose return to a once grand family home alongside her elderly mother turns mysterious and foreboding when the converted country hotel reveals its secrets and forces them to face their past, in this restrained gothic mystery sitting on top of a meditation on motherhood and loss. ‘The Eternal Daughter’ has no confirmed dates yet.
The Eternal Daughter at the LFF (courtesy of BFI @ Twitter)
‘It’s very meaningful for me and Joanna because we used to live here all those years ago’ – Tilda Swinton on showing The Eternal Daughter in London with director Joanna Hogg #LFF pic.twitter.com/yJtIiWh9UP
— BFI (@BFI) October 6, 2022
Corsage
Image Source: Picturehouse Entertainment
The official competition also got some Austro-Luxembourgian action on Thursday in the form of Austrian writer/director Marie Kreutzer’s fictional look at the later life of Austrian Empress Elisabeth, ‘Corsage’. An eccentric and irreverent period costume drama revisiting the 19th century from a distinctly female perspective, centring on on a monarch approaching a new stage in life as she struggles with traditions and aesthetic expectations while undergoing physical changes, prompting her to rebel in any way she can. ‘Corsage’ is out on the 30th of December in UK cinemas.
Corsage trailer (courtesy of IFC)
The Estate
Image Source: Getty Images
Thursday’s slate at the LFF this year also brought some much-needed chuckles through the ‘Laugh’ strand with a screening of Dean Craig’s British-made family comedy with a distinct American flavour ‘The Estate’. An edgy comedy of greed and ambition coupled with a covetous family, which turns against itself when a cantankerous ailing aunt with an attractive fortune begins to reach the end, as two of her nieces hatch a scheme to ingratiate themselves with her and get a bigger piece of the impending pie, only to find the rest of the family has plans for it too. Craig was joined by his producer Marc Goldberg, ‘The Estate’ is out on the 4th of November in the US, with no other confirmed dates yet.
The Estate trailer (courtesy of The Estate)
Friday the 7th
The Wonder
Image Source: Getty Images
A busy first Friday this year saw a return to the LFF for Chilean writer/director Sebastián Lelio, whose long-haul cinematic trip to rural 19th century Ireland yielded a gala screening for his and co-writer Emma Donoghue’s adaptation of her own novel ‘The Wonder’.
A tense psychological costume drama with hints of gothic thriller, centred on a pragmatic English nurse sent to an Irish village in the mid-1800s tasked with observation which she turns into unravelling the mystery of a pious local tween girl, whose survival without food for months is claimed as a miracle of divine intervention, as the visitor’s commitment to science and reason is challenged by who and what she finds and forces her into drastic action. Lelio was joined by his stars Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy, Toby Jones, Kila Lord Cassidy, Florence Pugh and Josie Walker, ‘The Wonder’ is available on Netflix from the 16th of November. You can see our review here.
The Wonder trailer (courtesy of Netflix)
Argentina, 1985
Image Source: Getty Images
This year’s official competition got a dose of Latin American flair on Friday when Argentinian writer/director Santiago Mitre brought his stars Dolores Fonzi, Peter Lanzani and Ricardo Darin, plus screenwriter Santiago Mitre and producer Chino Darin for a screening of their 1980s historical legal drama ‘Argentina, 1985’. A dramatic chronicle of the trial of the military leadership of the country’s collapsed dictatorship, centred a on prosecutor and his legal team and structured as a courtroom drama as they struggle to deliver the justice to protect a fledgeling democracy and heal a country reluctant to face its difficult recent past. ‘Argentina, 1985’ is available from Amazon Prime Video now.
Argentina, 1985 trailer (courtesy of Amazon Prime Video)
Nanny
Image Source: Getty Images
The day’s special presentation screening was an American affair with an immigrant soul which saw writer/director Nikyatu Jusu flanked by her stars Michelle Monaghan and Anna Diop for a screening of her feature debut ‘Nanny’. A psychological drama/thriller chronicle of the modern American immigrant experience revolving around an undocumented Senegalese nanny working for a wealthy New York family, whose struggles with finding her place are deepened by evolving relationships and a painful secret, while compounded by a gathering darkness she can’t stop from threatening her piece of the American dream. ‘Nanny’ is out on the 16th of December on Amazon Prime Video.
Nanny trailer (courtesy of Amazon Prime Video)
Saturday the 8th
Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths)
Image Source: Getty Images
The first Saturday at the festival this year saw Mexican cinema take centre stage with the return of LFF regular writer/director Alejandro G. Iñárritu after a long absence, bringing along his producers Karla Luna Cantu and Stacy Perskie, cinematographer Darius Khondji, plus stars Griselda Siciliani, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Iker Sanchez Solano and Ximena Lamadrid and treating the UK film faithful to a headline gala screening of his very personal surrealist comedy/drama tribute to the making of an artist and the essence of a man questioning his entire life ‘Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths)’.
An inventive and transcendental, perhaps semi-autobiographical journey of an acclaimed Mexican filmmaker/journalist, whose return home to celebrate after 20 years away in the US plunges him into an existential crisis, forcing him to confront a society now alien to him and question his perception of the past life which formed him . . . and his changing nation. ‘Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths)’ is available from the 16th of December on Netflix, you can see our review here.
Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths) trailer (courtesy of Netflix)
Causeway
Image Source: Getty Images
The day’s first special presentation was also a feature debut occasion for American director Lila Neugebauer who brought along her screenwriter Elizabeth Sanders, producer Justine Ciarrocchi, and star Jennifer Lawrence for a screening of her restrained but powerful contemporary human drama meditation on trauma and grief ‘Causeway’.
A still and melancholy drama centred on a young US soldier loner recovering from serious brain trauma and returning from service in Afghanistan to a Louisiana home she would rather forget, as she forms an unexpected bond with a local bearing his own physical and psychological scars while struggling to connect with the mother from whom she had been driven away. ‘Causeway’ is available on Apple TV+ from the 4th of November.
Causeway at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
Holy Spider
Image Source: Getty Images
The day’s first special presentation screening was a Persian affair by way of Scandinavia which saw Swedish-Iranian writer/director Ali Abbasi return to the festival in sombre and timely true crime mood, bringing a UK premiere of his crime/thriller take on recent dark Iranian history (and indeed present) and meditation on misogyny in the country’s ultra-conservative culture ‘Holy Spider’.
A skilful measured blend of tense true crime drama, restrained character study and moody serial killer thriller mixed with daring social commentary, inspired by a real case and taking to the streets of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad where a dogged female journalist plunges into the dark underbelly of society to track down an elusive serial killer preying on the city’s streetwalking sex workers, only to find herself in a struggle against a system stacked against her and his victims. Abbasi was flanked by his producers Jacob Jarek and Sol Bondy, plus stars Nima Akbarpour, Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Arash Ashtiani, ‘Holy Spider’ has no confirmed UK dates yet. You can see our review here.
Holy Spider trailer (courtesy of Utopia)
Bones and All
Image Source: Getty Images
Saturday’s second special presentation brought Sicilian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino back to the LFF with an American cinematic odyssey which saw him team up with screenwriter David Kajganich to adapt Camille DeAngelis’s young love cannibal road trip meditation on youth isolation and a crumbling society ‘Bones and All’.
A classic American road drama romance with grisly horror undertones set in Reagan’s 1980s, following an abandoned teenager with a lust for flesh who takes to the isolated highways and byways of the country, where despite meeting questionable fellow “feeders” she forms a close bond with a beguiling young man who helps her find her disturbing true self and learn what it is to truly give all of yourself to love. Guadagnino was joined on the LFF red carpet by his stars Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet, ‘Bones and All’ is out on the 23rd of November in the US, and on the 25th of November in UK cinemas.
Bones and All at the LFF (courtesy of BFI)
Sunday the 9th
Living
Image Source: Getty Images
The first Sunday’s headline gala was Japanese-inspired British affair via South Africa which saw SA director Oliver Hermanus and Japanese screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro adapt Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Ikiru’ into a 1950s London drama named ‘Living’. A tale of loss, regret, and making amends, centred on an ageing bureaucratic British civil servant whose routine meaningless existence after the passing of his wife is altered when he gets devastating life-changing news, as he unexpectedly forms a bond with a young colleague and becomes uncharacteristically impulsive in a bid to help people and leave a mark while he still can.
Hermanus flanked on the LFF red carpet by producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley, screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro, plus stars Alex Sharp, Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood, ‘Living’ is out on the 11th of November in the UK, and the 23rd of December in the US.
Living trailer (courtesy of BFI)
Godland
Image Source: Getty Images
Sunday also saw Icelandic cinema and writer/director Hlynur Pálmason return to the LFF in official competition mode and inspired by the giants of Scandinavian cinema, delivering a screening of brooding cinematic period ode to the land of ice and fire ‘Godland’. A moody character piece combined with historical odyssey of the natural world, following a 19th century Danish priest who travels to remote rural Iceland to establish a church, as his experiences with resentful locals and the beautiful but unforgiving landscape force him to question his moral authority and personal belief. Pálmason was joined by his producer Katrin Pors, ‘Godland’ has no confirmed UK dates yet.
Godland trailer (courtesy of Snowglobe)
Allelujah
Image Source: Getty Images
The day’s special presentation screening was a home-grown affair which assembled an ensemble British cast including some legendary screen & stage veterans, wrangled together by director Richard Eyre and writer Heidi Thomas for their adaptation of the acclaimed Alan Bennett play ‘Allelujah’.
A blunt, witty and satirical but caring contemporary dramedy set in a geriatric hospital run by a sister with an iron fist, as residents of every personality and description struggle with their quirks and the whims of the staff, only to be confronted by further anxiety and uncertainty when a government inspection threatens the future of their little community. Eyre was joined by his stars Lorraine Ashbourne, Bally Gill, Louis Serkis-Ashbourne, Dame Judi Dench, Jennifer Saunders, Ross Tomlinson, Jesse Akele and Arian Nik, ‘Allelujah’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Allelujah at the LFF (courtesy of BFI @ Twitter)
‘It’s about care of old people and matters that to me a great deal, and it should matter to everybody in the country… And it’s an opportunity to work with some of my friends’ – Allelujah director Richard Eyre. #LFF pic.twitter.com/9yRcvoUJpG
— BFI (@BFI) October 9, 2022
Emily the Criminal
Image Source: Getty Images
The pick of Sunday’s other screenings was in the ‘Thrill’ strand and brought an unlikely Los Angeles underworld story to the LFF in the shape of John Patton Ford’s tense crime drama ‘Emily the Criminal’. It chronicles the fate of an art student and service worker whose debts pull her into a spiral of fraud and organised criminality which becomes increasingly dangerous but attractive too, in a crime-thriller commentary on the modern economy and a departure for its awkwardly comedic star. Ford was on hand with his star Aubrey Plaza, ‘Emily the Criminal’ is out now in the US, with no UK date yet.
Emily the Criminal trailer (courtesy of RoadsideFlix)
Week 2 & Awards—->
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