Andrea and her long time collaborator Robbie Ryan (finding a rare break from Noah Baumbach and Yorgos Lanthimos movies) capture grim goings-on in Gravesend. Grim? And somehow beautiful. Neglected 12 year old Nyklya Adams (another one of Andrea's prototype disaffected young women) meets a strange youth Franz Rogowski. A monocular film; she holds the screen well.
"I don't like saying goodbyes."
And yes, Robbie is holding his own camera, shooting on 16mm film (in 1.66:1), tracking Adams and her father Barry Keoghan's scooter rides on another scooter. Yet he also manages to capture seriously rich images too.
But when Rogowski actually seems to turn into a bird, we wonder whether in fact he hasn't actually been there all along.
It's something of an emotional journey, feels like we're put through a wringer, ending on that song 'Is it too real for ya?' performed by the people of Gravesend. 'Was Andrea's life like this?' Q asked, sensibly. I don't know, but she is in print saying 'the film is set in or near the area where I grew up'.
The couple are great with the kids, who are captured incredibly naturally.
With Jason Buda, Jasmine Jobson, James Nelson-Joyce (This City is Ours).
You can't help thinking that Andrea (in her own incredibly special way) might be alluding to Inarittu's Birdman - and indeed, Alan Parker's strange film from 1984, Birdy.
Edited by Joe Bibi.
Reminded me of Hitch's comment 'Some people's films are slices of life; mine are slices of cake.' This is definitely in the 'life' category.
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