David Farnor | On 20, Oct 2019

With Netflix, Amazon and MUBI debuting their latest exclusives and originals at the London Film Festival, we head to Leicester Square to catch up with some of the films on offer.

For more of our coverage from the 2019 London Film Festival, click here

The Aeronauts

Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are back together again for Tom Harper’s uplifting tale of scientific derring-do. They play scientist James Glaisher and pilot Amelia Wren, who break the record for the highest-ever balloon ride, in the name learning how to predict the weather. Jack Thorne’s script weaves their individual life stories and motivations in with their ascent, juggling flashbacks with heartfelt dialogue, and Redmayne and Jones throw themselves into the courage, imagination, boldness and romance of the age and of their voyage. Harper, who wowed with Wild Rose, gives both of them enough space to bring a convincing intimacy, and blends physical and special effects with seamless visuals – even if you don’t suffer from vertigo, you’ll be biting your nails repeatedly for 100 minutes. The final act and resolution feels rushed and unsatisfying, but the tensions sticks with you long after the end credits.

The Aeronauts will be released in UK cinemas by eOne on 4th November 2019.

37 Seconds

Newcomer Mei Kayama is sensational in this charming coming-of-age comedy, which sees her play Yuma, a manga artist with a talent for illustrations, a boss who takes advantage of her and a mother who won’t give her breathing space. And so strikes out for independence, and does so in the unlikeliest of places: she crosses paths with a sex worker, who takes her under her wing, while Mei secretly hopes to gain some experience so she can draw adult comics with familiarity. If that sounds like a racy outing, what’s surprising about 37 Seconds is how thoughtful it is, growing from its initial starting point to become a touching meditation on family and communication.

37 Seconds will be released worldwide by Netflix on 31st January 2020.

Monsoon

Henry Golding gets a welcome chance to take centre stage in this thoughtful story of an expat returning home to Vietnam. The latest from Lilting director Hong Khaou, Monsoon is, unlike its title, a deliberately quiet, understated affair. It sees Kit (Goldoner) return to his home country to scatter his mother’s ashes, only to wind up trying to reconcile the Vietnam of his path with that of the presence. He also crosses paths with Lewis (Parker Sawyers), an American living in Saigon, and their interactions blossom into an unexpected bond that unites them in trying to reconcile their past heritage with their present surroundings. A lingering opening shot gazing at moving traffic, which slowly zooms out to appreciate the gradual hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, sets the pace for this very slow, gentle tale. The ending is, perhaps, too gentle to avoid feeling inconsequential or even unfinished, but Khaou’s mastery of mood and atmosphere remains beguiling.

Monsoon is looking for UK distribution.

Jojo Rabbit

You could easily think that Taika Waititi could do no wrong, but with Jojo Rabbit, alas, comes the first major misstep of his career. A comedy set in the final days of WWII Germany, it follows Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), a young boy who has been raised as a member of the Nazi youth and who ardently believes everything he’s been told about Jews and the war – even though he’s secretly hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic, taken in by his quietly radical mother (Scarlett Johansson). Waititi pieces all of this together with a streak of absurdist, brightly coloured comedy, owing a lot to Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom as he charts a burgeoning young maybe-romance and a training camp run by irresponsible leaders. But Taika’s attempt to balance those moods and the central subject matter is never quite pulled off, something that’s epitomised by his own appearance as Adolf Hitler, an imaginary guardian angel for Jojo. Gurning, shouting, teasing and pleading, it’s a performance turned up to 11 that drowns out any sense of purpose or point. Couple that with a fatal turn of tone in the second half and the result is an unfunny, awkward attempt at satire that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to satirise.

Jojo Rabbit will be released in UK cinemas by Disney on 1st January 2020.

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