Beau Is Afraid ★★★★★
Directed by Ari Aster. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Kylie Rogers, Denis Ménochet, Parker Posey, Julia Antonelli, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Richard Kind, Hayley Squires. 16 cert, gen release, 179 min
Beau Wasserman (Phoenix) sets upon an odyssey after learning that his mother has been decapitated by a falling chandelier. Nobody can doubt Aster’s commitment to the bit. This is a vast, generous, properly hilarious entertainment that will spawn debate for years to come. Hereditary and Midsommar, Aster’s first two films, combined full-on horror effects with emotional austerity born in the European art house. With Beau Is Afraid, he adeptly juggles the sort of laughs you get from Samuel Beckett with the sort you encounter in Mel Brooks. It will certainly drive some viewers mad. Full review DC
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret ★★★★★
Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. Starring Rachel McAdams, Abby Ryder Fortson, Elle Graham, Benny Safdie, Kathy Bates. PG cert, gen release, 106 min
It’s all happening at once for Margaret (Fortson). Her family has moved from Manhattan to New Jersey, placing her miles away from her beloved grandmother (Bates) and next door to Nancy (Graham). It’s a tricky business explaining the importance of Judy Blume’s pre-teen cornerstone to anyone who hasn’t experienced a period or bra fitting. Trust Craig, the writer-director of Edge of Seventeen – the best teen movie of the past decade – to translate Blume’s seminal novel into a funny, exhilarating, coming-of-age movie that will charm all genders. Full review TB
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Fast X ★★★☆☆
Directed by Louis Leterrier. Starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jason Momoa, Jason Statham, Jordana Brewster, Helen Mirren, John Cena, Rita Moreno, Brie Larson, Charlize Theron, Michael Rooker, Cardi B, Scott Eastwood. 12A cert, gen release, 142 min
In the great game of Fast & Furious bingo, Fast X hits a full house around 23 minutes into its extensive two-hours-plus run time. A suburban barbeque? Check. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris tomfoolery? Check. Ret-conning? Check. Product placement? Check. Vin Diesel talking about family? Check, check, check to the power of 10. It’s unfortunate that the gritty street races that once defined the Fast sequence have given way to green screen, CGI and unintelligible fast cuts as director Leterrier can still ramp up the adrenalin. But you do know what you’re getting. Full review TB
Under the Fig Trees ★★★★☆
Directed by Erige Sehiri. Starring Fide Fdhili, Feten Fdhili, Ameni Fdhili, Samar Sifi, Leila Ouhebi. Limited release, 93 min
Here is a neatly structured, naturalistic film that packs a great deal of believable human drama into a small space and a limited time frame. Staying true to its title, Under the Fig Trees follows one day in the work of fruit pickers in contemporary Tunisia. There are old women. There are youngish men. The film is, however, most concerned with a group of teenage girls working during their school holidays. The improvised dialogue and nimble camerawork adds to the sense of life unfolding to its natural rhythms. Lovely. Inciteful. Full review DC
