TRAILER: Cinema Release: Battleship Potemkin

Check out the trailer below for Battleship Potemkin, which is released in cinemas on 29th April 2011.

Eisenstein’s influential masterpiece about the navy mutiny that sparked off the Russian Revolution premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on 24th December 1925 and was released in the Soviet Union in January 1926. It was famously banned in the UK by the BBFC until 1954 when it was released to UK cinemas with an X certificate. Now Battleship Potemkin is to be reissued in a restoration by Deutsche Kinemathek, with Edmund Meisel's original score, played by the 55-piece Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg and conducted by Helmut Imig.

REVIEW: Cinema Release: How I Ended This Summer

Film: How I Ended This Summer
Release date: 22nd April 2011
Running time: 124 mins
Director: Aleksei Popogrebsky
Starring: Grigoriy Dobrygin, Sergei Puskepalis, Igor Chernevich, Ilya Sobolev, Artyom Tsukanov
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Studio: New Wave
Format: Cinema
Country: Russia

Russian director Alexei Popogrebski’s psychological thriller was a surprise winner at the prestigious 2010 London Film Festival, no mean feat when one considers the competition - not only was the Oscar-winning King’s Speech in contention, but also Black Swan and 127 Hours. Despite working its charms at the festival, How I Ended This Summer has divided critics worldwide.

On the Eastern tip of Russia, just a short distance from Alaska, lies Chukotka, one of the most isolated landscapes on Earth, and home to a Russian meteorological station. Manning this station are just two occupants: Sergei, a veteran who has spent many a year in such isolation, thus developing a cold and unapproachable manner, and his young understudy Pavel, a work experience student. Pavel is more preoccupied with listening to heavy rock music and writing his essay, ‘How I Ended This Summer’, than with the task at hand, leading to one or two early face-offs with Sergei, who is exasperated by Pavel’s carelessness and clumsiness.

What begins as artsy film littered with landscape shots but bereft of dialogue soon becomes a more eerie affair when Sergei disappears for a couple of days to fish for trout, leaving Pavel in charge at the base station, a two-way radio his only link to the outside world. When Pavel receives a message that Sergei’s wife and son have been killed in an accident, this triggers a cataclysmic chain of events, as Pavel attempts to figure out a way to break the tragic news to Sergei. With the chilling backdrop of the Arctic elements, paranoia becomes border-line insanity…


Popogrebski leaves no stone unturned in an attempt to create a haunting atmosphere, using the fabled crepuscular half light, when the contrast between dark and light is at its most prominent. The twilight effect of the creeping shadows is something he falls back on time and again, yet it never feels overused. Perhaps the unfamiliarity of the scenery and indeed the diverse wildlife fuel our fascination with the unknown, despite the hint of agoraphobia throughout. In the deathly silence of the snow, the swirling howl of the wind and even in the lumbering menace of a polar bear, Popogrebski is able to conjure unease within the audience. His only questionable inclusion is his use of first-person computer game graphic, which appears misplaced in the extreme.

Samples of heavy rock music in amongst the extensive shots of glorious landscape further accentuate the contrast between the quiet desolation and the overpowering harshness of the elements in the early parts of the film, in which dialogue is limited. Soon enough, however, we are made aware that there is already a growing tension between Sergei and Pavel, even before news of the tragedy reaches them. When the protagonists do converse, there is resentment in their voices, and the bond which one might expect between two men who spend every waking moment in each other’s company does not exist.

Both actors deserve much credit for their performances; Sergei Puskepalis coming across as completely unapproachable with his quiet and brooding manner, and Grigoriy Dobrygin who bubbles with muted menace before it gives way to outrageous insanity in the climactic scenes. They bring a dense reality to proceedings, sharing an intriguing dynamic, whereby we urge them to discover common ground, or even just share a joke.

Rhythmically, the film is relatively slow-paced, but the tension of the narrative and the potential for discovery keeps the audience guessing. Pavel repeatedly stumbles in his attempts to break the news to Sergei, as events become a little far-fetched. It could be argued that the film takes a turn for the worse when Pavel becomes convinced that Sergei is trying to kill him, which triggers an extensive chase scene that feels more like an elongated game of hide and seek. Pavel sits in the shadows for what must be more than a week, as he contends with starvation and mounting paranoia.

The questionable conclusion that follows will be subject to debate for years to come, and perhaps Popogrebski has actually demonstrated restraint by preventing How I Ended This Summer from descending into a farce of utter carnage. However, one cannot help wondering whether Popogrebski really has it in him to tell such a twisted story, or whether it was all just an excuse to shoot nature at its most rugged and beautiful.


Popogrebski’s dark Arctic tale has the raw materials in place for an epic piece of work, which may yet define his career. His understated and confused conclusion may not be to everyone’s taste, but he deserves credit for the ominous atmosphere portrayed throughout, and the stylistics will live long in the memory. MC

TRAILER: Cinema Release: The Extraordinary Adventures Of Adele Blanc-Sec

Check out the trailer below for The Extraordinary Adventures Of Adele Blanc-Sec, which is released in cinemas on 22nd April 2011.

Luc Besson writes and directs this comic fantasy adventure adapted from Jacques Tardi's graphic novels of the 1970s. Set in the early 20th century, the film tells the colourful tale of popular novelist and adventuress Adele Blanc-Sec (Louise Bourgoin), who deals in her own inimitable style with would-be suitors, the police, monsters and various other diversions as she attempts to save a mad scientist who has brought a pterodactyl to life so that he can re-animate an Egyptian mummy and use its ancient magic to revive Adele's sister, who has been in a coma for four years following a bizarre tennis accident.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Cinema Review: A Small Act

Film: A Small Act
Release date: 15th April 2011
Certificate: TBC
Running time: 88 mins
Director: Jennifer Arnold
Starring: N/a
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Dogwoof
Format: Cinema
Country: USA

This is a multiple, including English, language release.

A small act of kindness can ripple throughout the world. That is the guiding idea behind this documentary, directed by independent filmmaker Jennifer Arnold, which follows the incredible story of Chris Mburu.

Chris Mburu is a Human Rights lawyer who works for the United Nations and is a Harvard graduate. However, his journey to this point was not straightforward; he was born into poverty in a small Kenyan village and, as he explains at the start of the film, his parents did not have enough money to send him to secondary school, despite him being the brightest student in his class. He would probably still be living in that same village, uneducated, were it not for Hilde Back. Hilde sponsored Chris as part of a Swedish sponsorship system, enabling Chris to get through secondary school and continue onto the University of Nairobi and Harvard.

Chris is now in a position to help others, and decides to set up a similar system to sponsor children from his village so that they can have the same opportunities he did. Although he knows nothing about Hilde Back apart from her name, and that she was a Swedish teacher, he creates the foundation in her name. Doing this motivates Chris to try and find Hilde if he can, to say thank you. When he finally meets her, he realises that there is a lot more to this quiet, retired teacher than meets the eye, and an extraordinary bond develops between them.

Back in the Kenyan village where Chris grew up, there are three children, all desperate for the scholarship which will change their lives. However, as violence breaks out in the country following the elections, it demonstrates starkly that without education, it is not just the fate of the individual children which is at stake, but that of an entire nation…


This documentary is deceptively simple, given the scope of what it portrays – several countries, many individual lives, different times and generations – yet Arnold weaves them all seamlessly into one coherent story. What is perhaps even more astonishing is that while she is clearly a talented filmmaker, she did not invent any of this; she found an incredible true story which spans the globe whilst being personal. It does take a little time for the film to get going, as the viewer is introduced to the different settings - Sweden, Kenya and Switzerland - but that groundwork soon pays off, and you cannot help but be drawn into this powerful tale of humanity.

Chris Mburu is the cornerstone of this film; he is the link which holds the other stories together, and there is something very poetic about the way the search for his benefactor takes place as he fulfils the same role for other children, who he hopes will go on to do the same so that the one small act grows and grows.

Kimani, Ruth and Caroline, the three children we are introduced to, are warm and engaging, with drive and determination to do well. They are under no illusions about how important the scholarship is, not just for them but for their whole families - they feel that the responsibility for providing their loved ones with a better life rests on their shoulders.

On the other side of the world, Hilde Back represents all that this film is about. She is an ordinary yet extraordinary lady, a retired schoolteacher, a German-Jewish refugee, a woman of 85 who is still full of spirit and vigour. She has seen humanity’s power to do both good and evil. She is not sentimental and takes everything in her stride, including a trip to Kenya, but is truly amazed when Chris finds her and ends up forging a strong relationship with him. Her uncomplicated words of wisdom provide much of the narration in the film.

The less obvious hero in this story is Chris’s cousin, Jane Wanjiru. She too had a Swedish benefactor, and she followed Chris to Nairobi, Harvard and the United Nations, where she works as a lawyer, specialising in refugee crises. She is on the board of the scholarship foundation, where she not only argues to get children accepted who have not made the required grade, but is also the voice for women’s rights, proposing that there should be an equal number of boys and girls on the programme. She knows all too well what a lack of education means for women in that situation, and is determined that the girls should also have the opportunity of a good education.

What makes this documentary special is the fact that, above all, it has a positive message. It does not shy away from harsh realities, or portray the situation in a falsely optimistic way, but it is ultimately uplifting. In an increasingly cynical and pessimistic world, where the individual can often feel that nothing they do will make the slightest bit of difference, this film offers a message of hope. Hilde Back did not know for years what happened to the child she sponsored in faraway Kenya, she had no idea that her small donation had created so much good.

At an hour-and-a-half, the film does not labour its points, and the viewer never feels like it is preaching; it is simply telling a story and showing the exponential ripple effect that a small act can have. While it does tie up enough loose ends to give it a satisfying conclusion, it is a real-life documentary; these people’s lives are still continuing and that is also clear. In this way, it creates a very interactive experience with the audience. There is never any kind of appeal for money, but you cannot fail to be moved by the story and frustrated that more children cannot be helped. This explains why so many people have donated money to the Hilde Back Education Fund after seeing this film. The story is not yet finished, and it offers the chance for everyone to be a part of it.


An inspiring and powerful documentary which empowers the viewer to make a difference. A Small Act really can change the world. KS

REVIEW: Cinema Release: Little White Lies

Film: Little White Lies
Release date: 15th April 2011
Certificate: TBC
Running time: 154 mins
Director: Guillaume Canet
Starring: Marion Cotillard, François Cluzet, Benoit Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Laurent Lafitte
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Studio: Lionsgate
Format: Cinema
Country: France

In 2006, Guillaume Canet took the world by storm with his astoundingly successful thriller Tell No One. This sophomore film by the young director introduced not only himself but modern French cinema to a much wider audience. As such the film’s popularity (both critically and financially) led many critics to predict a ‘new wave’ of the French Nouvelle Vague to resurge upon our shores – which to an extent it did with films such as, Diving Bell & the Butterfly, Mesrine and I’ve Loved You So Long all faring relatively well. Canet’s much anticipated follow up, Little White Lies was the second highest grossing film in France last year (only just behind Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows). Yet with its tremendously inward looking and nationalistic blend of comedy and drama, will this charming expose of the laboured friendship of eight wealthy friends resonate with the same widespread success over here or remain one strictly for British Francophiles?

We join these carefree socialites just days before departing on one of their ritual summer vacations. But when a sudden horrific traffic accident lands one of their party in intensive care (Ludo) they find their plans have to be reassessed. As he fights for his life, his friends have a seemingly difficult decision to make. Do they stay and watch over their seriously ill friend, or instead leave him, and go ahead with their original plans anyway? They soon convince themselves that by cutting short their break by a couple of weeks, they’ll be able to get the much needed rest they feel they deserve, whilst being back in time to tend to Ludo once he regains consciousness. It’s a choice that many would frown upon, and as events unfold, it would appear they’d be correct. This decision soon becomes a classic example of ‘an elephant in the room’ as it slowly starts to over-shadow any enjoyment that is to be had, gradually illuminating the Little White Lies that threaten to tear apart the fragile fibres holding the group together.

The holiday is funded by Max (Francois Cluzet), something of an older brother figure to the group, who allows his younger acquaintances to gallivant around his opulent beach house, eat from his bountiful fridge, and take trips into town on his lavish power boat. It all sounds rather generous, until you realise he seizes any opportunity to make this fact abundantly clear to the eternal teenagers he chooses to mingle with. It’s at these strikingly charmless moments that we begin to realise that this high strung restaurant owner is purely obsessed with material wealth, and masks his egotistical desire to be respected with hand-outs and charity.

Also amongst this selection of the crème-de-la-crème of French acting talent we have Marie (played by recent Hollywood leading lady, and Guillaume Canet’s wife, Marion Cotillard), a pot smoking, heavy drinking, self-proclaimed ethnologist, whose penchant to study others is no more than an attempt to prevent studying herself. She’s a perfect example of the emotional damage which can be caused by continually putting off tomorrow.

Next there’s Eric (Gilles Lellouche), a failing actor who softens the crippling effects of his faltering career by pursuing a life of infidelity. Yet, when his girlfriend breaks up with him after her attempts to garnish a little more commitment from him fail, he struggles to truly convey his heartbreak, instead hiding behind the same persona he has created to mask his other numerous shortcomings...


What unravels is a thoughtful, unashamedly sentimental and genuine film about friendships and family ties. This seemingly cluttered cast, at first, look like nothing more than superficial, pretentious clichés of the modern French bourgeoisie society. An example of those who have disregarded their traditional family values in favour of a lifestyle fuelled solely by desires of the flesh and an apparent need to escape the hardships of life through a state of constant inebriation. Yet, somehow, despite the apparent detached moods of each character, director Guillaume Canet manages to shine a light on the inner beauty inside all of them. This is achieved through a subtle use of elegantly framed and perfectly timed close ups, combined with some incredibly evocative and sincere dialogue.

The pivotal and shrewd role of Jean-Louis (the oyster farmer) should also not be forgotten. He is more than just a periphery character, but instead an important voice of reason and statue of moral purity with which to both judge, and then lead the group to redemption. He is our window into this world of opulence, like an ambassador for many of us viewing who fail to feel sorry for these spoilt, immature and quite abhorrently melodramatic characters. It’s partly down to the inclusion of this divisive role that makes Canet sprawling character drama a successful searching piece of film, which, regardless of class or age, takes you on a journey to the extremes of human emotions.

There’s an obvious nod towards films such as The Big Chill, Mes Meilleurs Copains and Un Elephant ca Tromp Enormement, but Canet openly admits these sources of inspiration, and has stated that he was always attempting to make a “friends movie.” His achievement in creating some of the most magnificently realistic looking friendships to ever grace the big screen is worthy of the highest praise. Apparently this feat was produced by insisting that all cast members spend two weeks prior to filming at the cabin the film was to be shot. He wanted them to learn each other’s mannerisms, as well as seemingly minute details, like where the knives and forks were kept. It clearly works, and at no point should you ever feel like you’re watching actors ‘pretending’ to get along. It’s this natural feeling atmosphere which ensures that the emotive traps set throughout the course of the film are truly effective.

With a runtime of 154 minutes, Little White Lies is perhaps guilty of being a little too self-indulgent. Some of the scenes are strung out far too long, giving the impression that the cast were having far too much fun filming to take into consideration the dwindling attention span of the audience. However, a film with such an extensive list of high profile stars was always going to be accused of either being too long, or guilty of under developing characters. The closing third, unfortunately, does suffer mildly because of this, and as tempers begin to flare and lessons start to be learnt, the impact is slightly diluted - Canet’s lofty ambition to tie up the high volume of loose ends results in an ever so slightly clumsy, and toothless final act.

As with his previous directorial work, Canet also still seems determined to show off his expansive record collection, through a heavy-handed use of non-diegetic sound. It’s used in an attempt to help amplify the feeling of certain scenes, and evoke a stronger emotional reaction than perhaps he feels comfortable achieving through simple dialogue and framing alone. It’s a negative viewpoint that’s incredibly subjective. Depending on your musical tastes, it’ll either come across as ingenious or momentarily cringe worthy. Yet a film built on a strong foundation of meticulous character development, viscerally beautiful cinematography and such rich ideas, as are present here, shouldn’t need such un-subtle devices to enhance the mood of key moments.


Like a modern day sitcom, but without the furious pace and mainstream sensibilities, Little White Lies may lack the thrill a minute, breakneck action of Tell No One, but is certainly no worse a film for it. What could have been a cluttered, pompous mess of a drama is instead an accomplished and immersive (if perhaps overly long) subtle blend of genuinely, laugh out loud comedy and effectively moving tragedy. Little White Lies will ultimately leave you feeling emotionally exhausted by the end - regardless of whether you’re an auteur of French cinema or not. PG

NEWS: Cinema Release: Sparrow

Daily proceedings of a band of pick-pockets (‘sparrow’ in Hong Kong slang) are disrupted by the sudden appearance of a beautiful and mysterious lady, who turns the tables on them.

Following her trail, the pick-pockets are led to a face-off on the streets of Hong Kong with a rival pick-pocket gang, with both gangs vying for the possession of this enigmatic lady.

A comedy caper with comparisons to French New Wave work such as Umbrellas Of Cherbourg, Sparrow has the stylish trademarks of a Johnnie To film, with a wonderful jazz-tinged soundtrack and a photographic blend of the nostalgic old Hong Kong and the modern sky-scraper city.

Starring To regulars Simon Yam (Tomb Raider 3. Election), Lam Kar Tung (Election, Triangle, Vengeance) and Kelly Lin (Reign of Assassins).

Film: Sparrow
Release date: 15th April 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 87 mins
Director: Johnnie To
Starring: Simon Yam, Kelly Lin, Lam Ka-tung, Lo Hoi-pang, Law Wing-cheong
Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama/Romance
Studio: Terracotta
Format: Cinema
Country: Hong Kong

NEWS: Cinema Release: Little White Lies

From the prolific César winning director who gave us Tell No One this intimate study of friendship and humanity brings together a truly exceptional ensemble cast; including the Academy and BAFTA award winning actress Marion Coutillard; and the César ‘Best Actor’ award winner François Cluzet.

Walking the fine line between laughter and tears Canet directs some of France’s most skilful performers to deliver startlingly intimate performances. As we learn of each character’s flaws we also understand the bond between the friends, and recognise ourselves in them.

Every year Max (François Cluzet), a successful restaurant owner, invites his family and friends to his beautiful beach house. This year, before they leave Paris, one of the group (Jean Dujardin) is seriously hurt in a traumatic accident. The friends decide to go ahead with their holiday, but the accident sets off a dramatic chain of reactions and emotional responses.

The eagerly anticipated vacation leads each of the protagonists in turn to raise the veil that for years has covered their true feelings. Their relationships, convictions and friendships are sorely tested when finally forced to own up to the little white lies they have been telling each other.

Film: Little White Lies
Release date: 15th April 2011
Certificate: TBC
Running time: 154 mins
Director: Guillaume Canet
Starring: Marion Cotillard, François Cluzet, Benoit Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Laurent Lafitte
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Studio: Lionsgate
Format: Cinema
Country: France

TRAILER: Cinema Release: Cold Fish

Check out the trailer below for Cold Fish, which is released in cinemas on 8th April 2011.

More information on this film can be found by clicking here.

NEWS: Cinema Release: The Silent House

Laura and her father settle down in a cottage off the beaten track in order to update it, since its owner will soon put the house on sale.

Everything seems to be going smoothly until Laura hears a sound that comes from outside, and gets louder and louder in the upper floor of the house. Her father goes up to see what is going on while she remains downstairs on her own waiting for him to come down.

Based on a true story from the late 1940s in a small village of Uruguay.

Film: The Silent House
Release date: 8th April 2011
Certificate: TBC
Running time: 86 mins
Director: Gustavo Hernández
Starring: Florencia Colucci, Abel Tripaldi, Gustavo Alonso, Maria Salazar
Genre: Drama/Horror
Studio: Optimum
Format: Cinema
Country: Uruguay

NEWS: Cinema Release: Cold Fish

The latest feature from cult Japanese writer-director Sion Sono (Love Exposure).

Inspired by and loosely based on the real-life exploits of serial killer couple Gen Sekine and his ex-wife Hiroko Kazama (the perpetrators of Tokyo’s notorious 1993 “Saitama serial murders of dog lovers” killings), the film is a psychotic cavalcade of sex, violence and comedy that has been hailed by Variety for its “gleeful humour and dare-you-to-watch aesthetic.”

Shamoto runs a small tropical fish shop. His second wife, Taeko, does not get along with his daughter, Mitsuko, and this worries him. One day Mitsuko is caught shoplifting at a grocery store. There they meet a friendly man named Murata, who helps to settle things between Mitsuko and the store manager. Since Murata also runs a tropical fish shop, Shamoto establishes a bond with him and they become friends; Mitsuko even begins working for Murata and living at his house. What Shamoto doesn’t know, however, is that Murata hides many dark secrets behind his friendly face. He sells cheap fish to his customers for high prices with his artful lies. If anyone detects his fraud or refuses to go along with his moneymaking schemes, they’re murdered and their bodies disposed of by Murata and his wife in grisly ways.

Shamoto is taken in by Murata’s tactics, and by the time he realizes that Murata is insane, and a serial killer who has made over fifty people disappear, he is powerless to do anything about it. But now Mitsuko is a hostage at Murata’s home and Shamoto himself has become the killer’s unwilling accomplice. Cruel murders gradually cripple his mind and finally the ordinary man is driven to the edge of the abyss.

Not for the squeamish or those easily offended by graphic images of sex and violence, Cold Fish is a compelling, slowburn thriller, peppered throughout with unexpected twists and surprises.

Film: Cold Fish
Release date: 8th April 2011
Certificate: TBC
Running time: 144 mins
Director: Sion Sono
Starring: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka Kurosawa, Mugumi Kagurazaka, Hikari Kajiwara
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Studio: Third Window
Format: Cinema
Country: Japan

NEWS: Cinema Release: Before The Revolution

Bertolucci’s dazzling second feature, made at the age of 22, is being released nationwide to coincide with a major Bertolucci season at BFI Southbank.

Before the Revolution won the Young Critics’ Prize at the Cannes Film Festival (1964) and was, according to the New York Times, the ‘revelation’ of the New York Film Festival the same year. The Italians hated it, but post-Cannes the French critics hailed it as a homage to the school of Cahiers, whereupon the Italian poet-turned-filmmaker Bertolucci found himself adopted by the French New Wave. Loosely based on Stendhal’s ‘The Charterhouse of Parma’, Before the Revolution is also partly autobiographical, and indeed Bertolucci spent much of his youth living in Parma where the film is based. The title derives from a remark made by the 18th century French diplomat Talleyrand: “He who did not live in the years before the revolution cannot understand what the sweetness of living is.”

Before The Revolution centres on the emotional and political conflicts within a young man, Fabrizio (Francesco Barilli), who is contemplating joining the Communist Party. But his personal life is even more unresolved as he breaks away from his planned marriage to Clelia (Cristina Pariset), a perfect bourgeoise, and begins an affair with Gina (Adriana Asti), his neurotic aunt who is visiting from Milan. Bertolucci’s obsession with politics and cinema is openly expressed through this alter-ego and in the extraordinary freedom of his camerawork and editing.

In making Before The Revolution, Bertolucci assembled a remarkable wealth of young Italian talent: cinematographer Aldo Scarvarda, who had shot Antonioni’s L’Avventura in 1960, actress Adriana Asti, who had appeared in Pasolini’s first feature Accattone (on which Bertolucci was production assistant), and composers Ennio Morricone and Gino Paoli.

Film: Before The Revolution
Release date: 8th April 2011
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 112 mins
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Adriana Asti, Francesco Barilli, Domenico Aldi, Allen Midgette, Morando Morandini
Genre: Drama/Romance
Studio: BFI
Format: Cinema
Country: Italy

REVIEW: Cinema Release: Essential Killing

Film: Essential Killing
Release date: 1st April 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 84 mins
Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring: Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Stig Frode Henriksen, David L. Price
Genre: Thriller/War
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: Cinema
Country: Poland/Norway/Republic of Ireland/Hungary

“If survival is essential, one might have no choice but to kill.” So states director Skolimowski, describing the journey of Mohammed, a man who has managed to escape the American military, as he runs for his life across a frozen, foreign land.

After killing three American troops, a (probable) insurgent in Afghanistan is captured, shaved, interrogated, waterboarded, beaten, bound, blindfolded and extradited to an ambiguous Eastern European country.

When the truck he is being transported in crashes, he seizes the opportunity to escape, running for his life from his American captors. Doing everything that is required of him to survive, he is forced to eat what he can scavenge, and even kill to evade his pursuers…


Essential Killing was in competition at the 2010 67th Venice International Film Festival with, amongst others, Black Swan. Interestingly, it has parallels to the ballet film; once events are set in motion, there is no let up for the viewer who is taken along, helpless, never leaving the main protagonist’s side. The truck he is in crashes, and he escapes, only to soon realize that his situation is hopeless – he has no shoes, no warm clothing, no food, no water and no idea where he is. Returning to the scene to give himself up, he finds the crash site deserted, save for two soldiers. Stealing a gun, Mohammed shoots them both and steals their vehicle and clothing. Chased by man, dog and helicopter, he is forced to (reluctantly) stab a dog to death, steals the white fatigues of a fallen pursuer and head off deeper into the woods. Eating insects and berries and struggling to stay alive in the bitter cold, he lapses into visions of his life, his family, his wife and perhaps a premonition of his future death.

There is an image about a third of the way in to Essential Killing that could have been lifted straight out of a Disney animated feature. Injured and scared, a lone figure tracks on the virgin tundra between two huge peaks as the sun sets in the distance. It’s a glorious picture to gaze at, almost as though it were painted, and all the more so given that this is virtually a silent movie that thus relies more than most on the visual. There is almost no dialogue; Gallo utters not a single word and the only other character of note is deaf/mute.

Skolimowski’s use of Vincent Gallo was meant to be as ambiguous as the locations depicted and the names not used. We only learn Mohammed’s name in the end titles, we’re left to presume that the opening scenes in a desert locale are set in Afghanistan (they are, but actually shot near the Dead Sea in Israel) and the bulk of the film depicting Gallo’s flight across a frozen woodland could be anywhere (actually filmed in both Poland and Norway). Skolimowski has stated that he has no interest in politics and that the film “is not a commentary on America or Afghanistan.” His desire was to pare to the bone what it means to be a man, and what man is capable of, both in how he behaves toward his fellow brother, as well as in terms of survival, and in this he succeeds admirably. The wintry landscape is depicted as a cold black-and-white, with splashes of crimson coming from spilled blood, and the sound design puts you in Mohammed’s head as we hear what he hears. Mimicking the almost non-existent dialogue, there is almost no soundtrack to speak of, which only heightens the sense of isolation and bewilderment this man must feel in so utterly alien a place.

There are some misfires. A shocking scene involving a breastfeeding woman seems to have been included only to, well, shock, and the death of a woodsman at our protagonists’ hands could have been handled better. There is also some marvelous serendipity allowing Mohammed to continue his journey, a Hollywood convention that jars somewhat with the tone. But these aren’t major quibbles. It is hard not to sympathize and, yes, root for this chased man. It’s what cinema has taught us to do after all. And that may rankle with some viewers. But it really shouldn’t for, taken for what it is and what it is meant to be, Essential Killing is a tour de force from one the of most seasoned of filmmakers (he’s been both acting and directing since 1960, and co-wrote Knife In The Water with Polanski).

It won the Special Jury prize at Venice and Gallo won Best Actor. Truculent as ever, he remained hidden in the audience as his director picked up the awards.


A frenetic, fast-paced chase movie that’s meant to thrill you, not make you think. And that’s a good thing sometimes. JMB

NEWS: Cinema Release: Essential Killing

Multiple language, including English.

Vincent Gallo stars in this thriller by Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski.

Afghan soldier Mohammed (Gallo) is taken prisoner by American forces after killing three American soldiers. He is transferred to a detention centre in an unspecified eastern European country for interrogation, but manages to escape his captors.

Now, as an escaped convict in a hostile and unknown country, Mohammed is forced to take extreme measures in order to survive.

Film: Essential Killing
Release date: 1st April 2011
Certificate: TBC
Running time: 84 mins
Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring: Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Stig Frode Henriksen, David L. Price
Genre: Thriller/War
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: Cinema
Country: Poland/Norway/Republic of Ireland/Hungary