It’s festival season! The FilmSoc blog is covering the 62nd BFI London Film Festival (10th – 21st October), diving into the myriad of films and events on offer to deliver reviews.

Karina Tukanova reviews Matteo Garrone’s portrait of bathos and humanity. 

Foaming saliva, glaring teeth, clinging chains. A vicious pit bull strikes, barking with rage. The audience is taken aback by the canine’s frenzied behaviour, snatching uncomfortable half-glances at the screen. Moments later, Marcello (Marcello Fonte) coiffeurs the animal, all the while cooing “sweetie” and “good boy”. The dog is calmed, and Dogman begins its convoluted tale of human despair.

Matteo Garrone’s latest crime drama Dogman brings us the story of Marcello, a timid owner of a dog-grooming salon in a tiny suburb in Rome. He loves his young daughter Sofia and plays occasional football with his buddies. To make ends meet, Marcello is also small-time coke dealer, which explains his good terms with other members of the tight Italian community. The peaceful serenity of his life is however shaken up by the local sociopathic bully Simone (Edoardo Pesce) who feeds off Marcello’s meek and unassuming character. Despite that, Marcello desperately wants to be on Simone’s good side – an issue that makes itself clear when he saves Simone from a revenge bullet from the locals who have had enough of his destructive demeanour. Marcello goes even as far as going to a prison for a year, only to realise a tad too late that his “frenemy” has stripped him of everything.

Characteristic of the questions it is trying to explore, Dogman is built on polar opposites. One moment we witness the heart-warming relationship between the father and the daughter; the other – we tense up at the stomach-churning violence educed by cocaine-huffing and uncontrollable aggression. At the heart of it is the protagonist himself. On the one hand Marcello is a sweet and loving character, who cherishes for his daughter, loves his job, and tries to love the life around him. At the same time, it is hard to ignore his responsibility in Simone’s becoming of a maniacal coke-addicted monster that terrorises the neighbourhood, and the masochistic relationship he chooses to endure. Drawn to Simone by his brutal confidence and questionable degree of power, Marcello enables his drug addiction that clearly only has destructive consequences. Yet it is impossible not to feel for Marcello’s meagre existence characterised by his loneliness and pathological need to be liked by everyone. Behind every pathetic action he makes, there is a gulf of sadness and desperateness, a scream for help out of helplessness.

Deservingly, Fonte has bagged himself the Best Actor for the role at Cannes. Fonte inhabits and sees through his character so fully that he never lets naïve kindness fused with despair go out of his eyes. His astonishing performance brings out every nuanced contradiction of his character – it is enough to glimpse at Marcello’s face to realise the pain and turmoil behind a hesitant smile. Pesce’s portrayal of Simone is equally impressive. His character is like an untamed beast who goes on rampaging peoples’ property and lives, and Pesce executes the role perfectly, leaving you with feeling utmost animalistic horror.

Marcello is compelling in his idle loyalty to Simone, although that does rear into the audience’s frustration. Midway through the film this relationship of subjugation becomes so inconceivable, it ceases to make sense entirely, hindering the emotional realism for the sake of the plot. That’s not to say this renders Dogman completely unrealistic. Indeed, at times it becomes too real. Once Marcello seemingly transforms from a feeble dog-groomer to a man brooding on revenge, the boundaries between what is good and evil blur completely, inviting the audience to ponder on moral ambiguity of each character. During one of the most climatic scenes – when Marcello traps Simone in a dog’s cell and ruthless violence ensues – there is little left of that sweet-natured innocent champ who just wanted to keep out of trouble and enjoy his peaceful life. Yet again, he doesn’t let Simone die and even attempts to help him before the bloody fight resumes. Dogman shows how easily one can slip into bitterness and vengefulness, but still seems to reaffirm Marcello’s innocence and kind heart. I, for one, wasn’t so sure anymore. The scene leaves a bitter aftertaste about humanity itself, or rather the loss of the humane. Ironically, actual dogs in the film seem to be more humane and dignified, something that cannot be said about the people.

On a technical level, Dogman’s cinematography is a visual delight. Bathed in a predominantly grey colour palette, the long takes lingering on bleak landscapes perfectly capture and reinforce the interior worlds of the characters. These are lives of ordinary small people enveloped in their worries, with a common goal – to survive until tomorrow and live another day. The neglected setting, almost crumbling apart, reveals the subtleties of this small community intertwined with criminality and feels uncomfortably organic. There is surprisingly little incidental music, and the film does not call for one. It is the unbearable silence and passion-filled dialogue that creates the atmosphere in Dogman.

A story that examines the human condition, Dogman asks the ever-so-constant question: “What is it that makes us human?” It challenges our conceptions of innocence and evil, urging to look the answer within ourselves. A potent film that gives much to think about.

Dogman is currently released in cinemas. Check out its trailer below:

Karina Tukanova reviews the dark but entertaining Marvel anti-hero spinoff. 

Warning: Mild spoilers follow.

When it comes to mainstream films, audiences and critics rarely agree. In fact, critics and ordinary cinema goers in general are often at loggerheads: the former wants carefully-crafted stories elucidating undying themes of human experiences; the latter – just a nice piece of entertainment to enjoy and ramble about with friends. The two ultimately prioritise completely different aspects of a film, and expectedly represent two different demographics.

Venom is the newest addition to the long line of superhero movies where critics and audiences disagree. The critic consensus on Rotten Tomatoes ranks the film at an unjustly 30% compared to whooping 88% from the audiences. This significant divide ultimately comes down to expectations: one wanted “a stronger attachment to Spider-Man”, but frankly Venom offers its audience a decent standalone film that doesn’t need to depend on MCU or Spidey for its storytelling.

In a special space mission, a bioengineering corporation Life Foundation discovers a comet filled with symbiotic life forms. Its CEO Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmad) discovers that the symbiotes could not survive in Earth’s environment without attaching themselves to an oxygen-breathing host. Obsessed with the idea of “higher life-form”, Drake begins human trials. Meanwhile, journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) investigates a little bit too much into said foundation and its cynical Head. His bluntness costs him his job and respect, and much loved fiancée Anne Weying (Michelle Williams). It’s all downhill from here for Brock until he is approached by Life Foundation scientist Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate), who helps him break into the lab to find evidence, eventually getting more than he bargained for as Brock himself becomes the host of a symbiote, rendering a perfect match with Venom. He then successfully escapes the facility, and this is where the fun begins.

Mind you, by this point, we are around 40 minutes into the film. The first act lingers on irrelevant details for a tad too long, setting up way too much and deciding to focus on Eddie’s personal life instead of delving into the fascinating symbiotic or parasitic relationship with Venom. However, the lengthy exposition is not valueless. It manages to pack a lot of information and provide enough context for an average viewer who might not have a clue about Venom and its comic book origins without being too distracting. Indeed, it does blend hundreds of comic books worth of content into an enjoyable and coherent enough form. In this, I argue, it beats most MCU films.

In all fairness, the Eddie-Venom dynamic is what holds the film together. Brock’s first transformation is a gem on its own. It is crackingly funny, gross, and profoundly revealing of the future relationship between the two. Due to the nature of the symbiote that emerges within its host, transforming itself in an unprecedented way, while endowing the host with enhanced physical abilities at the cost of fatally draining them out, the transformation scene could have either made or broken this film.

At first, Eddie is troubled, even tormented physically by his new companion. He sweats profusely, downs old leftovers for lunch, and is startled at a scheming voice inside his head. But once you see Venom in his full swing, you feel like he has come straight from the comic book pages (what can’t be said about his 2007 predecessor). In stunned awe, we witness the giant, toothy, long-tongued monster go onto his raving rampaging, mercilessly beheading anyone in its way. These are one of the few moments in film when you forget that you sit in a cinema and get fully absorbed into dark and gritty world of Venom.

It is a shame there was no deeper exploration of the Eddie-Venom relationship, particularly how Venom transforms from a maniacal head-eating killer to a charming (but still head-eating) anti-hero. I would have liked that. It seems that film opted out for more action scenes – that were nonetheless impressive – than thorough character development.

It goes without saying that Tom Hardy knocked it out of the park with his terrific performance. I love the man unconditionally, he added a new dimension to the character of Eddie Brock, drawing the audience into his plight. An underdog on his way to becoming a hero, a familiar trope that takes on an original flair thanks to Hardy’s charisma and thoughtful interpretation of his character. The same unfortunately could not be said about the villain. Riz Ahmad’s Drake is mediocre at best, both as a typical “evil corporate bad guy” and as Riot. He is neither intimidating enough to be convincing nor charismatic enough to be memorable. Along with similar disposable MCU villains, he is just another obstacle for the protagonist to overcome, another tool to move the plot forward. The biggest shame, however, is that their hero-villain relationship had so much more potential. The premise nonetheless is a hapless but humble low-class reporter grappling against an invincible, corrupt millionaire controlling a powerful survivalist organisation. There is so much room for exploring questions of power, morality, and the eternal “what does it mean to be good or bad?”, but Venom leaves much to be desired in this sense.

It is fair to state that Venom misses the mark because of its messy plotlines and somewhat sloppy and formulaic script, yet it does not render the film unwatchable. Coming back to my original point, the critics’ consensus doesn’t do Venom justice. Yes, it’s imperfect, but considering the production mess that it has been in since its conception, it has done a great job. More importantly, its fans enjoyed it. It was fun. Perhaps unlike critics, loyal fans of the Venom canon are more prepared to forgive its obvious flaws in return for its generous fan service. At the very least, the mid-credit scene is worth it. “There will be Carnage.”

Venom is currently released in cinemas everywhere. Take a look at its trailer below:

Karina Tukanova reviews Spike Lee’s Cannes-winning, KKK-infiltrating biopic.

There are few films that can leave me speechless. Not because it is hard to impress me, but because there is always something left to be said, discussed, or think about. Yet I find it hard to put into words what BlacKkKlansman really is. It is funny, heart-breaking, infuriating – all at the same time, and definitely is worth the hype.

Spike Lee’s most recent hit, BlacKkKlansman, has already won over the hearts of critics and audiences alike. Set in the early 1970’s, the film chronicles “some fo’ real, fo’ real shit”. A story of the first African-American officer to serve in Colorado Springs Police Department, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is determined to make a name for himself after he joins the force and sets out on an undercover mission to infiltrate and expose the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan (the KKK). His Jewish partner Flip (Adam Driver) becomes a surrogate to the mission, acting as a blacks-Jews-Mexican-Irish–hating persona of Stallworth at the Klan’s meetings. The two eventually gain insider knowledge about “the Organisation,” preventing several cross-burnings and deadly plots. But was this investigation a success, or were their efforts futile? BlacKkKlansman leaves you only with one answer.

Brought to life by the same team behind Get Out, one would expect the same level of witty humour blended with all-too-current issues of racial identity in the US from Lee’s work. Justly, BlacKkKlansman does not disappoint. It is somehow funny and brutally honest, hammering home its main message: history repeats itself. Indeed, the whole film seems to be structured around leveraging a 1970s tale to shine a light on – or should I say shove down your throat – what’s happening in our world right now. The parallels are so in-your-face, there is little left to interpret. At one point even, a white cop explains to Stallworth that the way to promote racist ideology among average Americans is to slip it beneath other issues such as immigration and crime. He then continues that Americans one day will elect someone who embodies these ideals. All the while throughout the film, we hear “America first” and cries for the country to “achieve its greatness again.”

Sounds a bit too familiar, doesn’t it? Some would say that this all-too-political approach weighs down the otherwise decently made fiction flavoured with a documentary, but isn’t this exactly what we need right now? As the white cop urges Stallworth, it is time for the world to “wake up”. BlacKkKlansman does not shy away from using history to offer a bitter commentary on current politics and this is exactly what makes it so uncomfortably important.

Politics aside, BlacKkKlansman deserves a share of its own for the grappling tension and drama. The dual oppositions – black power vs white power, deeply moving gatherings of BSU vs perverse rituals of the Klan, compassion vs hatred, past vs present – are the backbone of the narrative, and the suspense created leaves you itching at the edge of your seat.

One feature that does balance out the otherwise bleak undertones is the well-balanced humour. Outlandish at times, it offers a necessary relief without undermining the dramatic tension. “With the right white man,” Stallworth jokes, “we can do anything.” The audience bursts in genuine laughter, only to realise the bitter aftertaste of Ron’s words. The slapstick comedy scattered throughout is by no means absurd and on the contrary quite cunning. Except for some Klan members. The KKK are obviously terrible people, yet their portrayal is frankly pathetic, rendering them unrealistic. Save for the amazing performance of Jasper Pääkkönen as Felix Kendrickson and poignant portrayal of David Duke, grand wizard of KKK (Topher Grace), the Klansmen are caricatures of themselves. Outright dense and misogynistic, they are not only unlikeable but incomprehensible characters. They seem to be a thing of the past – so ridiculously pompous in their beliefs – and it’s hard to imagine any sane person say “blacks” with such passionate hate (they use a far less endearing term). Maybe though, this is exactly what Lee was aiming to show: these are no relics of the past but terrifying realities.

What did bring down the film was the odd pacing, especially in the beginning. Some scenes turned out to be needlessly long – I found myself looking at my watch couple of times. At the same time, some of the most dramatic and exciting moments seemed to be squeezed in a matter of minutes. Such is the case with the sub-plot of Stallworth’s romantic interest, the BSU president Patrice (Laura Harrier). Their love story only serves the main plot and disintegrates into nothing midway through the film. The epitome of their tension – Stallworth who believes he can change things from the inside and Patrice who is angry at the injustice Black people face at the hands of the police, or “pigs” – is brushed off towards the end. Even though completely fiction, the audience never gets a full exploration of their relationship and these conflicting opinions.  Don’t get me wrong though, it is indeed a thrilling film to watch with only minor flaws that can be easily ignored. Especially great are the visuals. The iconic dolly shots, aesthetic colour palette, and stylised costumes make it impossible to resist getting sucked into the visceral environment of 70s America. Topped off with a wonderful soundtrack, it makes a very pleasant watch.

BlacKkKlansman’s most powerful and nerve-shattering part, however, ditches completely from the story of Ron Stallworth. The eruptive fictional violence that we see characters experience on screen suddenly turns into an all-too-real and disheartening clips of white supremacists’ march in Charlottesville, Virginia, along with the real David Duke and his avid support for Trump’s administration. Seconds later we see the man himself, proudly proclaiming that not all white supremacists are Nazis, and that “there is blame on both sides.” The last shot, like a punch in the stomach, is the familiar stars and stripes turned upside down, stripped of their lively colours. If BlacKkKlansman were to come out a year earlier, it would have been an unnerving prophecy. Now, rather, it is an alarming confrontation with the truth. Watching it with a lump in my throat, I could hear the penetrating silence that filled the audience and stuck with me since. BlacKkKlansman reinforces what we are already frustrated with and calls us out directly: do we really believe racism is a thing of the past or do we just choose to hide behind the pathetic lies?

BlacKkKlansman is currently out in UK cinemas everywhere. Check out its trailer below: