45 Years (2015)At this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, six BFI Film Fund-backed films are in contention for the Michael Powell award for best British feature. Over the weekend, Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years and Simon Pummell’s Brand New-U made their UK festival debuts, and both won themselves a host of new fans.
45 Years arrives at Edinburgh riding a wave of acclaim. Andrew Haigh’s follow-up to the glorious romantic drama Weekend received its world premiere earlier this year at the Berlin Film Festival, and was hailed as a triumph. Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling both picked up Silver Bear awards for their portrayal of a retired couple whose relationship is unexpectedly thrown into turmoil. Critics at the EIFF screening were unanimous in their praise.
45 Years comes impossibly close to perfection. A subtly rich, at times warming and still, often devastating relationship drama, Haigh proves his worth as an exemplary British filmmaker. Douglas James Greenwood, The Edinburgh Reporter”Douglas James Greenwood, The Edinburgh Reporter
Leaning heavily on his seasoned, mesmeric performers… and their ability to wordlessly fill in the gaps, Haigh crafts a credible, unsensational picture of a relationship shaken to its core by information which loosens the foundations upon which it is built. ”Emma Simmonds, The List
Much like his earlier film Weekend, Haigh has approached this relationship with nuance, detail and great sensitivity, and as such, watching 45 Years is a quietly moving experience that's worth seeing for its lead performances alone. ”Seensome.com
Brand New-U arrived at the festival as rather more of an unknown quantity – Saturday night’s screening was the film’s world premiere. But Simon Pummell’s bracingly imaginative and ambitious sci-fi thriller proved an instant audience hit.
Lachlan Nieboer stars as Slater, a young man in a futuristic London whose life is plunged into chaos following the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend, Nadia (Nora-Jane Noone).
Brand New-U creates a tense and dramatic showing of dream logic. As with all nightmares, the audience is never sure which way it is going to go, and the slow building tension is ramped up in a deliberate and cleverly conceived melange of powerful imagery and visual riffs.”Robert W Monk, Flickering Myth
The Guardian’s Andrew Pulver praised this “very distinctive science-fiction parable” as being “fully thought-out” and “intellectually demanding”. Eye For Film’s Luke Shaw concluded that “there’s a lot to enjoy here, especially in the glossy, mirrored fractal aesthetic.”
The BFI Film Fund is also supporting Jane Linfoot’s The Incident, Martin Radich’s Norfolk and Scott Graham’s Iona.
