Custody
Dir: Xavier Legrand.  Fr   93mins 
 Xavier Legrand’s debut feature was the surprise winner of no less than 4 Cesar awards at the 2019 ceremony, including Best Film. It had already taken several audience awards, including the 2018 Glasgow Film Festival prize for best debut feature. This is even more surprising when you examine the plot more closely, a tale of divorce, custody and the toxic relationships at the heart of all of this. At a superficial level this all seems fairly derivative and pedestrian, akin to the Fatal Attraction school of cinema from late 80s Hollywood. However, this is a film with way more gravitas, helped by Legrand’s taut direction, a hybrid of social realism and Hollywood thriller as well as the blistering performances by lead actors Denis Menochet, Lea Drucker and child actor Thomas Gioria.  The latter conveys the confusion and fear that will helps ratchet the intensity as the plot progressy.
 It is no exaggeration to say that this is not one of the most comfortable films to view and the tension becomes almost unbearable at times. There is also a nagging doubt that pervades throughout the film that all is not what it seems and this makes the denouement all the more satisfying.However if you can bear to see more there is an excellent short film prequel Just Before Losing Everything, made by Legrand in 2013 which was Oscar nominated. .   One final piece of advice- don’t forget to breathe in the film’s final ten minutes but it may be harder to remind yourself that this is only a movie!!.
  PLEASE NOTE; in response to a request from members at the recent AGM, the club will be holding a discussion event after this screening. It will be held in the foyer of the Cramphorn Studio and will be a chance for members to reflect on the season so far; all are welcome.
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Our next screening is BIRD OF PASSAGE on TUESDAY 21ST January at 8pm.