TELEVISION & FILM
BFI Player
Afire ★★★★ 12 Available now
Following the masterful Transit and Undine, auteur Christian Petzold and star Paula Beer continue their collaboration with this fine German-language drama. Thomas Schubert stars as a struggling novelist who arrives with his friend (Langston Uibel) at a holiday let — only to find a free-spirited stranger (Beer) already there. An expert character study ensues, with Petzold mining unexpected depths from the plot of a self-absorbed neurotic forced to confront his own failings. Beer stands out as the film’s emotional centre.
Now Cinema
L’immensità ★★★★ 12
Available from Sunday
Identity and mental health loom large in this tender Italian drama set in 1970s Rome. Penélope Cruz stars as Clara, an expat Spanish mother struggling in her marriage to unfaithful husband Felice (Vincenzo Amato). Meanwhile, eldest child Adri (Luana Giuliani) has issues of gender dysphoria. Writer/director Emanuele Crialese crafts a melancholic family portrait, thanks largely to Cruz’s heartfelt turn. It may not achieve the “immensity” of its title, but it offers a beguiling mix of realism and flights of fancy.
BIOGRAPHICAL DRAMA
Ferrari★★★★ 15
Available from 1 March Michael Mann’s hefty portrait of daredevil ambition takes us deep into the world of one of the most famous names in motorsport. A silver-haired Adam Driver plays Enzo Ferrari, who together with his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) started the Italian automobile company in 1947. The film takes place a decade later, as Ferrari builds towards throwing his team into the Mille Miglia endurance race. While this doesn’t quite stack up alongside Mann’s finest work, it’s filled with his usual bravura film-making, and there’s at least one jaw-dropping set piece.
Amazon Prime Video
The Lost Weekend: a Love Story ★★★★15
Available now
In 1973, Yoko Ono selected her 22-year-old assistant May Pang to be John Lennon’s companion while the couple took a break from their marriage. Drawing on largely unseen archive material, Pang tells her story, explaining how Lennon came to terms with his post-Beatle status, made new music and patched things up with Paul McCartney. More importantly, he reconnected with his son Julian, whose obvious affection for Pang lends authenticity to her for Pang lends authenticity to h account.
Ricky Stanicky
★★
Ava
