This August, MUBI UK's exclusive showcase of recent releases are
Lawrence Michael Levine’s
Black Bear
(2020) and Christos Nikou’s
Apples
(2020).
Black Bear
Featuring runaway performances from Aubrey Plaza, Sarah Gadon and
Christopher Abbott, Black Bear follows Allison (Plaza),
a filmmaker battling writer’s block who arrives as a guest to a troubled
couple (Abbott and Gadon) at a remote lake house, only to find that the
woods summon her inner demons in intense and surprising ways.
Apples
A moving and satirical new entry to the Greek Weird Wave,
Apples follows a man that appears to succumb to a strange
condition affecting the whole world: people are being randomly afflicted
with amnesia. For the unlucky few who have no family and are found lacking
any ID, they are forced to start life anew in a peculiar state-sponsored
programme.
Varda Abroad
Agnès Varda travelled around the world, collecting stories to share
with her signature flare and warmth. This season MUBI celebrates three of
her discoveries from her time in Cuba and the States. Their selection
includes Salut Les Cubains (1963),
Black Panthers (1968) and
Lions Love (1969).
Turn It Up: Music on Film
This spotlight celebrates cinema’s intimate dance with music. It features
Grant Gee’s documentary Joy Division (2007);
Michael Winterbottom’s Palme d'Or nominated
24 Hour Party People (2002) starring Steve Coogan;
Glenn Leyburn & Lisa Barros D'Sa’s
Good Vibrations (2012) and Tom DiCillo’s documentary
about The Doors, When You’re Strange (2009).
Russian Dark: The Films of Aleksey Balabanov
This month, MUBI spotlights the work of Russian filmmaker
Aleksey Balabanov, whose films fused violence, humour and rock
music to convey a darkly compelling vision of the last days of communism
and post-Soviet society. In Brother (1997), the
innocent-looking Danila (Sergei Bodrov) returns from army service
to St. Petersburg. But soon, the young man is accompanying his brother, a
contract killer, through the Russian underworld…
The focus will also include Cargo 200 (2007),
Of Freaks and Men (1998), Brother 2 (2000),
Morphine (2008), Dead Man’s Bluff (2005),
It Doesn’t Hurt (2006), War (2002),
The Castle (1994), The River (2002),
Trofim (1995), Me Too (2012) and
A Stoker (2010).
All Hands on Deck
On an impulse, Félix decides to surprise Alma, a woman he’s met just a few
days before, where she is holidaying, and enrolls a friend in the adventure.
This lush, summer road trip film from Guillaume Brac (Berlinale '20)
is a delightful gem to accompany us on our vacations this August!
The Cloud in Her Room
When Muzi returns home to Hangzhou for Chinese New Year, she finds the city
covered in mist. Failing to connect with those around her, she takes comfort
in solitude and deserted city spaces at night. Winner of the Tiger Award in
Rotterdam 2020, this debut film by Zheng Lu Xinyuan captures an
alienated, global generation in flux.
Menarca
In a Brazilian village infested with piranhas, Nanã and Mel are fast
growing into adolescence, as they dream of ways to protect themselves
against a seemingly inescapable violence. A reinterpretation of the myth of
the vagina dentata, Menarca (Cannes '20) is a feminist call to
arms, which strikes an incredible balance between magical realism and a
present-day social realist parable.
Lina from Lima
Lina is a Peruvian woman who works as a domestic helper for a wealthy
Chilean family. At Christmas, she prepares for her annual trip home, but
this year she comes to the stark realisation that no one is really waiting
for her there. A revisiting of the musical comedy genre born from a
documentary project, this joyful portrait of a migrant woman also brings to
light stark realities.
Purple Sea
Syrian artist Amel Alzakout documented her journey to Europe with
smugglers across the Mediterranean Sea to join her partner. The result is a
visceral, raw and immersive vision floating between terror and beauty,
Purple Sea (Berlinale '20) is a radical essay film, and a profound testimony
to being caught in the liminal space between statelessness and
survival.
