Fascinating to see what came before the feature-length film. 2019 short 'Boiling Point' is honestly as entertaining as the 2021 flick, it even feels like a prequel/sequel at times. They most definitely elevated it to make it bigger and better but the same sorta chaotic charm is present in this too. Neat to see some of the cast members made the move over into the full one, including the terrific Stephen Graham of course. I read that they are doing a sequel television series for the 'main' production. Ought to be good!
Twenty minutes of continuous drama showcasing the horror of working for a vodka-imbued perfectionist chef (Stephen Graham) who has to run an hectic kitchen of professionals (and lazy gits) whilst trying to keep his increasingly irritated front of house manager placated as she relays complaints from the hungry that it's all just taking too long to get their mallard from saucepan to sauce. It's nearly Christmas but any spirit of peace and goodwill has long been abandoned as the freneticism reaches it's not entirely unsurprising denouement. I thought the dialogue a little unnecessarily angry and confrontational at times, but director Philip Barantini let's Graham flow freely with this natural and quite unsettling look at what goes on behind the doors. Perhaps worth considering when we think to complain in a restaurant, next time?
In Afghanistan, "batchas" are young male prostitutes who live under the protection of a master in a house where they are trained to dance dressed as girls for a men's audience. Veteran dancer Saman starts worrying when he sees Bijane, the new recruit, who has been chosen to replace him. Despite his jealousy, he must initiate Bijane into the art of the Batcha dancing.
Léto, a young trans and gay man, lives in a small, social housing apartment near Tours. During the day, he kills boredom on his phone from the ticket booth of a movie theater on its last legs. But where he's looking for feelings, he's only offered sex. So at night, he flees disillusionment by heading for the stars. The roof of his high-rise building is like his moped: a refuge, an escape. However, one morning, the parking lot of an ice rink becomes the setting for a life-changing encounter when he comes face to face with Hamza, a solitary employee with an enigmatic charm. The emotional disturbance is immediate. With all due respect to the scoundrels!
Andreas and Alessandro are two friends who have known each other since their childhood. Now that they have grown up, they study at University in different cities but they always spend the summer together in the place where they were born: a seaside resort that regularly fills up with tourists every year.
This short story is a prequel to our favorite friendship unit, Apple. Follow her in her adventure from the other side of the Wasteland, right before her memorable encounter with the Kid!
Based on a true story of two brothers in 1970's Ohio. It tells of their abandonment by their alcoholic parents and how the brothers turned to each other for support.
When newly elected MP Richard Dove runs over a young girl on a deserted forest road, he must decide to what lengths he will go to save his blossoming career.
A young boy’s infatuation with flight is the subject of Vláčil’s poetic, prize-winning early short, made for the Czechoslovak Army’s film unit.