Releases from 2023

14.02.23 When I was young, and my baby brother still slept in my parents’ room, if I was scared at night I would sleep on the floor in the same room, on a folding mattress. I would look up to the swirled stucco ceiling and convince myself that the faces I was imagining were not distorting and smiling menacingly at me. When watching Skinamarink, I was reminded of those times. It’s a very odd film that tries to tap into the fears children have late at night. I have to say I have been thinking about the film since I watched it 3 nights ago and keep coming back to that old saying regarding life, and sometimes cinema, which is “you get out of it what you put into it”. Well, I tried to watch Skinamarink with the most open and vulnerable mindset I could muster, late by myself on a Monday evening. I found it to be an incredibly dull watch, with a crucial lack of characterisation, pacing and most importantly, meaning. Although the ending was mildly satisfying and took me back to those years on the folding mattress, the film makes no attempt to captivate, nor does it have the guts to make a substantial or artistic point. It harks back to obvious influences. Poltergeist, The Blair Witch Project, and even Toy Story. But it doesn’t feel like anything new or significant to the horror genre. It’s a film which doesn’t show or tell and allows the audience to let their mind be the antagonist. I think that most people will not enjoy it, but it is a unique if not shallow film that attempts to reconnect to our deepest darkest childhood fears. A distinctly unenjoyable experience.

15.02.23 Living is a gentle but emotional British drama led by Bill Nighy’s poignant performance. It feels like a period piece, and displays London’s golden age in sepia tones, reflecting simpler times. Most of the film concerns the bureaucratic tedium of public office, but through the protagonist’s anguish, the mundane instead feels sophisticated and dutiful, reflecting the life of Nighy’s Mr Williams. Perhaps it was the award-laden anticipation of the film, or that it is based on the classic Japanese film Ikiru (which I haven’t seen, but I imagine is more sombre and affecting than Living), but I felt quite disappointed leaving the cinema, and wanted something more powerful. Perhaps it didn’t resonate with me, and I should check out the source film so I may appreciate it more. Living is very charming and has a warm, life-affirming message, but it isn’t anything special.