Review Of The Year: 2013
In black and white or riotous colour, here’s a quick look back over the best and worst films of 2013 and a sneak preview of the movies to watch out for in 2014.
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Mandela – Long Walk To Freedom (2013)
★★★★☆
From boyhood to presidency, Justin Chadwick offers a solid biopic of Nelson Mandela, the iconic world statesman who achieved a political and moral miracle in South Africa.
NFA (No Fixed Abode) (2012)
★★★☆☆
Adam has it all – a beautiful wife and daughter and home, but one day he wakes up in a hostel for the homeless. How did he there and how can he get his life back?
Philomena (2013)
★★★☆☆
As the worlds of an Irish catholic and an atheist ex-politican collide, Stephen Frears’ Philomena sees a simple faith go head to head with Catholic conspiracy.
The Selfish Giant (2013)
★★★★☆
Based on a children’s short story by Oscar Wilde, Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant is a rag and bone tale of friendship de profundis.
Le Week-End (2013)
★★★★☆
Love, life and languor in the City of Lights, Roger Michell’s Le Week-End sees a couple renegotiating their marriage and giving it the ooh-la-la.
Harrigan (2013)
★★☆☆☆
Bringing the wild west to the North East, Vince Woods’ Harrigan offers a moody warning against the dangers of police cuts amidst blackouts and strikes.
Kelly + Victor (2013)
★★★☆☆
As two lovers meet and start an intense, doomed sexual relationship, Kieran Evans’ Kelly + Victor offers a charged portrait of two worlds colliding.
The Stuart Hall Project (2013)
★★★★☆
A study of the great British cultural theorist, John Akomfrah’s bio-doc The Stuart Hall Project is a patchwork of black identity exposing the empire state of mind.
A Field In England (2013)
★★☆☆☆
A search for treasure on the fringes of the English Civil War, Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England draws a blank.
I Am Breathing (2013)
★★★☆☆
Living and dying with motor neurone disease, Emma Davie and Morag McKinnon’s I Am Breathing bears witness to Neil Platt and his uncertainty if this is a man.
Summer In February (2013)
★★☆☆☆
The portrait of a love triangle in Lamorna, Christopher Menaul’s cinematic debut Summer In February drags woman through the rose madder.
The Comedian (2012)
★★★☆☆
A modern take on the clown’s tragedy, Tom Shkolnik’s The Comedian is short on laughs but strong on introspection.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)
★★★★☆
Caught between tradition and progress, Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist turns Mohsin Hamid’s bestselling novel into a cat and mouse thriller.