David Farnor | On 09, Oct 2017

With Netflix, Amazon, MUBI and more all taking to London’s Leicester Square to showcase a diverse range of films, we head to the London Film Festival to review the latest films – and TV shows – either looking for distribution or heading to a streaming service near you.

Loving Vincent

How do you pay tribute to Vincent Van Gogh in film form? Grab a paintbrush. Loving Vincent does just that, daubing oil on canvas to bring to life the story of the artist’s infamous death. It gorgeously captures the small French town of Auvers, from glowing stars to rolling wheat fields. Then it scrapes off the paint and does it again – 65,000 times. The result is something stunningly unique: the world’s first painted film. Read our full review, plus where to watch the film online.

Thoroughbreds

If you thought Anya Taylor-Joy was disturbing in The Witch, wait until you see this. Thoroughbreds sees her play Lily, the former childhood friend of Amanda (Olivia Cooke). Lily is well-off, admitted to a good college and popular. Amanda is weird, has a violent reputation and doesn’t really do emotions. So when Lily is hired to help tutor Amanda, their reunion is far from friendly. But, in a weird, warped way, that only brings the two closer, as they relish the chance to be cruelly honest with each other – and the result is a relationship that tumbles into darkness like a Slinky in an Escher painting. Playwright Cory Finley makes his directorial debut with this nimble, low-key thriller, and his command of tone is astonishingly tight, veering from funny to sad to unnerving in the blink of a eye. Dread mounts, dares escalate and things become hilariously unpredictable, creating a comedy that lashes out at the world around these unhappy teens, but never spares these disaffected, privileged youths from its satirical gaze. Deliciously twisted – and destined to become a cult favourite for a generation.

Last Flag Flying

 
Richard Linklater is one of the most distinctive filmmakers around, able to blend humour and heart with a near-realistic feel to every on-screen exchange. It’s slightly disappointing, then, Last Flag Flying, an Amazon Studios production, should feel so conventional. Read our full review

Call Me By Your Name

1983. Summer. “Somewhere in the north of Italy.” Where? It doesn’t matter, because Call Me By Your Name is too busy soaking up the feel of the place – a feeling of curiosity, excitement and arousal. Read our full review

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