Angelica Petherick

Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain star in John Michael McDonagh’s ‘The Forgiven’ which unfolds like a murder mystery expect we know who the murderer is. On their way to an extravagant weekend party in Morocco, the unhappy couple run over a young boy. Too wrapped up in their own first world problems, the pair as well as the party’s hosts and guests gossip and conspire behind each other’s backs. While the frivolous weekend activities continue with little regard to the death, there is a clear class divide between the Moroccans and the rich bourgeoisie who occupy the party. Although a little too forced, the arrogance of the rich Europeans and Americans in comparison to the poorly treated Moroccan “servants” as David (Ralph Fiennes) calls themselves serves as a reminder of colonial power that still lingers within the world even in the present. Each character is somewhat alluring yet equally unlikeable, which is not necessarily bad. Some of the most interesting characters on screen can be almost villainous yet they capture the audience’s attention. However, in ‘The Forgiven’, many of the villainous character fall flat and fail to serve more purpose than ‘arrogant rich people get what they deserve’. On the other hand, the film has some beautiful cinematography and great acting from all the cast. It would be great if the story had a little bit more depth and character development but overall, it was an enjoyable watch.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival 2022 kicked off with ‘Aftersun’ directed by Scottish filmmaker, Charlotte Wells. Aftersun depicts a father/daughter relationship that shows moments of affection and love amongst the slightly fraught relationship. Wells beautifully captures the quiet moments of unspoken love between the father and daughter whilst reflecting on the less idealistic moments of the relationship. Paul Mescal portrays the young father (Calum) of Sophie (Frankie Corio) as they enjoy an all-inclusive holiday amidst flashforwards of Sophie’s future. The audience sees a mostly happy and close relationship between the father and child. Their father/daughter dynamic is almost friendly at times, as if Sophie does not see herself as a child and prefers her father’s company. At one point Sophie cringes at the prospect of ‘introducing herself’ to the other children at the hotel because they’re “like kids”, connoting the close relationship between the father and daughter. The closeness of the pair seems to fade as we see Calum’s suggested past/future that causes a strain between the two. This reflection on Sophie’s childhood exemplifies both the good and bad memories of her father. Despite their conflict, the paternal love is shown beautifully on screen.

Daisy Edgar Jones stars as the leading role in this blend of a courtroom/family drama. Daisy’s character ‘Kya’ becomes the centre of attention in her closed-minded little town after a man she was involved with dies under mysterious circumstances. The film unfolds in flashbacks as Kya’s life plays out alongside the murder she is accused of. Her family abandoned her early on, so Kya quickly learns to fend for herself within the marshland, she finds temporary comfort with very few characters as she is still viewed as an outsider within the community. This idea of the ‘outsider’ becomes of the main plot points in the courtroom drama.

Despite depicting a fairly well written and beautifully filmed story about the burdens of coming from a broken home and being constantly seen as an outsider, the plot is cliched and dull. The two parental roles for Kya: ‘Jumpin’ and ‘Mabel’ support and care for Kya as if they raised her which is a heart-warming relationship to see but it is easy to compare this role to the ‘Mammy’ role in which the black character is forced to raise a white child as their own without much of the film focussing on the lives of the black people performing this emotional labour. Kya faces constant struggle in her life and there are brief moments within the film that exemplify the hardships of domestic abuse and overcoming those in your life who should love you but physically and emotionally hurt you instead. That being said, the plot is still lacking, and the ending is painfully easy to see from a mile away. The message of the film is weak and does not linger in the mind for long after leaving the cinema. It would be lovely to see Daisy Edgar Jones in a role that does not involve emotionally unstable men making her life hard. Hopefully Hollywood will recognise her talent as more than a manic pixie dream girl.

From Director Sam Raimi comes this exciting yet lacklustre film, following Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch through multiverses to eventually save the day. The introduction of the multiverse naturally brings this second generation of marvel films, but surely there is only so much you can do with this repetitive plotline. Sure, it opens multiple possibilities for different characters, stories, and threats in the MCU, but ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ seems to drag out these possibilities to their full extent. Despite this, the film introduces more horror elements to the comic book-based films, perhaps drawing in more horror/gothic fans such as myself. Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff has begun to abuse the powers of the multiverse to be with her children in an alternative universe. Although her incredible powers are shown in the film, it is hard to see past her traditionally feminine and maternal motivations. Wanda’s powers are wasted on a narrative so determined to place even one of the strongest avengers into a mother role, a plotline eerily like Black Widow’s “I don’t have a uterus so therefore I’m not a complete person” plotline. Gross. Once again, the MCU has shown a strong woman and then based her worth on motherhood. We are also introduced to a new character: ‘America Chavez” who can travel between different universes, no doubt we will see this character in future Marvel films. Despite the disappointedly written women, it is great to see some gothic and horror elements being brought into the MCU.

Black Widow gives us an insight into some of Black Widow’s (Natasha Romanoff) past and backstory. One of Marvel’s few films directed by a woman shows us the Avenger from the female gaze. Instead of shots lingering on Scarlett Johansson’s body, we see a strong woman taking control of her dark past and overcoming the men who once had control over her life. 

Natasha reconnects with her long lost “family” to take down the people who trained her to become a ruthless assassin, glossing over themes of the deep-rooted trauma Black Widow and many of the other ‘widows’ have had to face under the control of Dreykov. The opening sequence shows young girls being torn away from their regular lives to be trained in a machine-like style to be nothing other than killing machines. The film does a good job of giving Black Widow a satisfying closing story, and yet rarely touches on how Natasha’s assassin upbringing changed her.

This being said, the climactic fight scenes are well choreographed, the film includes strong performances, and the story arc runs fairly well. Unlike Marvel’s ‘Captain Marvel’ which has a more on the nose message about female empowerment, Black Widow shows both vulnerability and strength — whilst also showing Natasha as a complex character, instead of the two extremes of ‘sexy female hero’ or ‘girl boss energy’ as depicted in Captain Marvel.

It would have been more satisfying to dive deeper into Natasha’s past, however the introduction of Yelena, played by Florence Pugh, gives the impression that there will be justice for Black Widow’s death. The film has many plot holes and comedic lines that don’t quite land well, but overall, it is a fun, action packed film.

‘A Quiet Place Part 2’ is probably the perfect film for a ‘not too keen on horror’ watcher. With well-built tension, great plot development, interesting characters, and jump scares that feel more satisfying than scary, this is the perfect horror/thriller for almost any audience.

I am still yet to see the first film of the Quiet Place series as I was simply too keen to go back to the cinema for the first time since January 2020. However, I would argue that you do not need to see the first film to understand the synopsis of the film. The opening scene shows the very first day before the creatures that hunt by sound invade earth, showing the panic and chaos before the “calm”.

We are then thrown into the deep end as the Abbot family venture into new territory with new characters and new threats.

I would highly recommend seeing this film in I-MAX to enjoy the full experience and tension of the immaculate sound design. Each moment is filled with tension as you wait for each character to make even the slightest noise, a tiny mistake could be fatal. There is not much context given as to where the monster’s originated from or what their intentions are other than killing humanity, however this is not central to the story. The story is about survival and how this family copes with the loss of a husband and father whilst living in a post-apocalyptic world.

Oscar winning film ‘My Octopus Teacher’ tells the beautiful story of a filmmaker who had lost his passion for filmmaking temporarily but is brought back into the game by the most unexpected friend, an octopus!

Director Craig Foster shows the beautiful bond developed between himself and an octopus he discovers while diving along the south African coast. The documentary exemplifies how much nature can be beneficial to humans as well as highlighting our duty to look after nature in return. The director discovers behaviours in the octopus that cannot even be explained by science, the octopus displays hunting, playing and hiding techniques that go beyond what our current knowledge on octopi explain. The film also emphasises the importance of keeping this sacred relationship between humans and animals, because at the end of the day we are all just animals floating on a big rock in space, fighting for survival. It is easy to forget all the life going on around us, the earth is a fragile ecosystem that needs to be protected. With all the chaos of the current pandemic it is easy to take for granted the beautiful nature that surrounds us every day. It is amazing to see the bond between the director and this little octopus that he happened to stumble (or swim) upon, and how this friendship changed his life so positively. A beautiful example of humankind benefiting nature instead of exploiting it.