Film / Bristol
Best of Bristol 2017: Films
1. The Handmaiden
Park Chan-wook’s reworking of Sarah Waters’ crime novel Fingersmith is a deliciously nasty, daringly funny, beautifully photographed, disgracefully arousing and emotionally satisfying con-artist thriller. All this and tentacle porn too. What’s not to love?
2. Elle
Paul Verhoeven’s magnificently subversive, taboo-busting slice of arthouse sexploitation was gleefully calculated to outrage the ever-growing Twitter lynch mob of the easily offended. The great Isabelle Huppert is on mesmerisingly flinty form throughout and should have won the Oscar for which she was nominated.
3. Get Out
In a strong year for horror (IT, Prevenge, Raw, Hounds of Love, It Comes at Night), Jordan Peele’s brilliant, unsettling directorial debut achieved chattering-class crossover appeal with its seam of sly social commentary. Little wonder Get Out turned up belatedly at the Watershed and was selected for screening and discussion by local black programming collective Come the Revolution.
is needed now More than ever
4. Dunkirk
“The third ship on the left in that wide shot didn’t come into service until 1947, which means Dunkirk is rubbish!” whined the nit-pickers, spectacularly missing the point. Christopher Nolan’s suspenseful and exhausting WWII flick succeeded superbly in immersing us in the Dunkirk landings. It was also grand to see a bona fide summer blockbuster that didn’t insult our intelligence and wasn’t a remake, sequel or yet another bloody superhero movie.
5. Lady Macbeth
https://youtu.be/zDhZI4WiQ78
British theatre director William Oldroyd’s feature debut achieved wonders on a tiddly budget, coaxed a terrific performance from 19-year-old Florence Pugh, and gave the trad period drama a kick up the arse with unbridled sexuality and brutal murder in place of genteel National Trust stately home porn. Best performance by a cat in any drama released this year too
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