BFI London Film Festival 2025
SECOND REPORT by Carlie Newman
A number of the Films have now been released generally and some are coming on at the present time .
Here are some more recommendations from the festival.
HAMNET has been given the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.
Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel and brought to the screen by director, Chloe Zhao, it’s the story of Agnes (played by Jessie Buckley), who becomes the wife of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and her struggle to come to terms with the awful death of her son, Hamnet. With William working on the stage in London., which, at that time, was a long journey from Stratford-upon-Avon, she is left alone to cope with illness in the family. While William uses his personal tragedy to create his play, Hamlet, Agnes retreats into her own sorrow, and the couple find it hard to overcome their grief together. Mescal and Buckley give outstanding performances.
BUGONIA is another collaboration between Emma Stone and director Yórgos Lanthimos. This very weird comedy sci-fi sees Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) kidnapped by Teddy (Jesse Piemonte) and Don (Aidan Delbois), his neurodivergent cousin. Teddy, a keen, beekeeper, believes that Michelle is an alien from Andromeda, which controls humans on earth. Teddy ties Michelle up and she tries everything to firstly convince him that she is not an alien and later on she tries agreeing with everything he says. It’s worth seeing not only for the performances of the main actors and the quirkiness of Lánthimos’ direction but also for the amazing final frames.
There are a number of films this year, which showcase the extraordinary range of female actors. One such is Lynne Ramsey’s new film DIE MY LOVE with Jennifer Lawrence giving a stupendous performance as a woman descending into postpartum psychosis. Before having a baby and even for a short time afterwords we see Grace (Jennifer Laurence) and her husband Jackson (Robert Pattinson) having exuberant sex together. But the couple have moved to an isolated house in the country and Grace is left with a new baby alone while her husband travels on business and possibly has sex with others while away from home. The film is adapted from the award-winning novel of the same name by Ariana Harwicz. It captures the extreme psychological disturbances that can occur with new motherhood. Laurence is amazing in the role and Lynne Ramsey captures what is actually happening and what Grace imagines. Hallucinations alongside actual events are sometimes confusing but the film is physically impressive as well as thrilling.
There’s another impressive performance by an actress in HEDDA – Nia DaCosta’s very different version of Henrique Ibsen’s ‘Hedda Gabler.’ Tessa Thompson gives an amazing performance as Hedda, the unconventional wife of a wealthy academic husband. The film is set entirely within a party being given by the couple, Hedda (Tessa Thompson)and George Tesman (Tom Bateman) on their country estate in 1950s England. An unexpected guest arrives in the form of Eileen Lovborg (excellent Nina Hoss), an ex lover of Hedda, who is who is applying for the same professorship as George. George really needs the promotion in order to pay his debts and his wife backs him in his application. Eileen has a drink, problem and Hedda encourage her to get drunk. Bad behavior and violence ensues. A terrifically sensuous performance by Tessa Thompson is one not to be missed.
Good acting is displayed by other female actors in 100 NIGHTS OF HERO, Julia Jackman’s second feature film. Emma Corrin and Maika Monroe star as the maid servant Hero and newly wed noblewoman Cherry respectively in this modern fairy tale. Cherry is married to Jerome, who refuses to consummate the marriage. It is up to Hero, who tells lots of stories, to introduce Cherry to sexual intimacy.
LOVE +WAR is a documentary film about the Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, Lindsey Addario. Detailing her life as a photographer covering war zones and her life at home as a wife and mother, the film gives a blistering account of the danger she faces in her career and her struggle to combine the war photography she enjoys with her domestic life.
An interesting documentary-style film, NOUVELLE VAGUE is Richard Linklater’s recreation of the making of ‘ Breathless’ the genre-making film by Jean-Luc Godard, which ushered in the French New Wave. Featuring actors playing Truffaut, Chabrol, Jean Seberg and others, this black-and-white movie, is a film-lover’s delight.
And looking at male actors : one of my favorite films of the festival was MASPALOMAS which deals with an older gay man and the difficulties he faces in living the life he wants. Vicente is 76 and enjoys his life as a gay man in Gran Canaria. However, when he has a stroke, he finds he has to repress his homosexuality when he is put into a care home. He also has family problems with those who don’t accept his homosexuality. Well directed by Altor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga and acted in a natural and honest way by Jose Ramon as Vicente, the Spanish film is another unmissable one.
I’m a fan of director, Kelly Reichardt , and her tongue-in-the cheek film, THE MASTERMIND is a delight. Josh O’Connor is just right as a bumbling would be criminal mastermind who plans a robbery in 1970s America. The heist doesn’t quite go according to plan and Mooney (Josh O’Connor) is forced to go on the run. But that doesn’t work out well either. Lots of comedy with some serious issues in the background, Reichardt presents a film that is good to look at and has a great jazz score.
A real-life story, ROOFMAN, directed by Derek Cianfrance, is an exciting and very unusual drama. Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) commits petty crimes to support his family. To evade capture he makes a temporary home for himself in the roof area of Toys “R” Us. When he falls in love with Leigh (Kirsten Dundee), he commits the mistake of trying to lead a new life. It’s a different sort of film with very good performances from the main actors. Always enjoyable, it’s well worth catching.
The final film of the LFF Festival 2025 stars the gorgeous George Clooney as JAY KELLY. This is the story of an actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney) – not a million miles from Clooney himself – who is forced to examine his life and his career when he is honoured with a lifetime achievement award. Deciding he wants to get close to his daughter at the same time, he sets off with his long-suffering manager, Ron (Adam Sandler), following his daughter across Europe, hoping she will come to the ceremony. Director, Noah Baumbach, gets a seemingly truthful performance from Clooney, bringing out the actor’s superficiality, as well as his gradual understanding of how he has used people in his career and neglected his family responsibilities. Adam Sandler is excellent and Clooney is superb.
