I've Loved You So Long

Thank heavens for the French. It sometimes feels like the only decent roles for women of a certain age (no matter how beautiful they may remain) are handed out by French directors. Condemned to play mothers or middle-aged professionals in mainstream English-language films, they are allowed to flex their acting muscles across the Channel. Francois Ozon came up with some cracking roles for Charlotte Rampling and now Philippe Claudel has written a terrific part for Kristin Scott Thomas as a woman just released from jail after 15 years. It's gradually revealed that she killed her own child (the reason why is withheld until the end) prompting distrust and unease from her brother-in-law, especially when she's around her nieces. The real heart of the film though is the relationship with her younger sister Lea, who unconditionally welcomes Juliette into her home, despite resistance from both her husband and her sister herself. Gradually the wan, withdrawn Juliette rejoins the world, bonding with the eldest niece by teaching her to play the piano, just as she did with Lea. There's a terrific moment when an aggressive dinner host goads the "mysterious Juliette" into revealing the truth about herself. The guests burst into delighted laughter at how she has bested him, apart from one who realizes she has indeed revealed the truth.

Linha de Passe

If you ever saw Central Station, an earlier film by Walter Salles, you will be in for a shock. The cute little boy has grown up to be an acne-plagued teenager. It's an moments like this that one feels old. He's one of 4 brothers from a poor family living in one of Sao Paulo's slums but it isn't City of God pt.2. The threat of violence is indeed ever present but it's more likely to take place at traffic lights with a car window being smashed and a bag stolen. One of the sons clearly had a criminal past but is now involved with a local church; another desperately tries to gain a foothold in the world of professional football; while the eldest is a motorcycle courier, never quite earning enough. The youngest meanwhile rides the buses searching for his absent father. The brothers fight and the youngest has a huge amount of turmoil lurking beneath his angelic features but the affectionis there. It's not sentimental. The mother might be pregnant yet again with another fatherless child, but film doesn't end with anything as crass as a sweet little baby making everything alright. The futures of the boys are left open to interpretation although reason suggests that they won't ultimately be able to escape from their poverty-stricken lives. Yet it doesn't feel pessimistic. Noone's died and the spark of decency is still flickering in all the characters.

Hadrian

The first items that you see as you enter the exhibition are the remnants of a huge statue of the Emperor Hadrian, recently excavated in Turkey. You look at the head and think that it does indeed look larger than the usual statues you see. You look at the section of leg, and then you look at the beautifully carved foot. It's at that point that the true scale of the original becomes clear. This statue would have towered above mere mortals and would have been an awe-inspiring sight. Later on in the exhibition, there is an equally enormous sculpted head of Antinous, the Emperor's lover. Expressions of power don't come more blatant. Elsewhere there are beautifully detailed friezes and columns, and pieces of brightly coloured marble floors that enable the viewer to imagine the full glory of the villa at Tivoli, and two bronze peacocks indicating themajesty of Hadrian's tomb. Possibly the most amazing items on display though are the selection of items from the Cave of Letters, the refuge of rebels during the Jewish revolt, including letters, keys, domestic implements and, wonder of wonders, a complete large glass dish looking as lovely as the day it was made. So while sculpture features very prominently as one would expect, there are many other objects to excite the eye and mind.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

This could have been ghastly: children + the Holocaust. I still shiver at the memory of the unspeakably awful Life is Beautiful. Fortunately this, for the most part, avoids the clutches of rampant sentimentality. The child actors are mostly competent, although Shmuel looks way too healthy for an inmate of a work camp. With those chipmunk cheeks he's clearly got a stash of food somewhere. It's even more jarring during the final sequences with adults who *do* look alarmingly thin. The best performance probably comes from Vera Farmiga as the mother who gradually becomes aware of just what her husband's new job truly entails and begins to unravel. While her daughter becomes increasing pro-Nazi, she finds herself increasingly at odds with those certainties. While she may view the Jews with disdain, the harsh treatment and cruelty they receive, even under her own roof, gradually prompts a more humane reaction. In the circumstances that is about as hopeful as it gets.

Jar City

A lot of the expected elements of the crime thriller are present in this Icelandic film: a taciturn policeman who has a dysfunctional relationship with his troubled daughter; a seemingly ordinary murder that leads to a murky, hidden past; an apparently unrelated parallel plot that eventually converges with the main story; eccentric secondary characters. However, this is no hack job. The bleak, windswept setting, a streak of blackly comic wit (noone in Iceland seems to be a vegetarian) and some excellent performances lift this above the competition. There's also a pleasing attention to details, such as the way Inspector Erlandur puts on and removes his spectacles as the occasion arises. His sardonic remarks at the expense of a younger and rather inept colleague and his disconcerting taste for sheep's head as an evening meal make him a thoroughly engaging character to guide the viewer through the labyrinth.

Hamlet: RSC

Another production of Hamlet, but luckily one with a few unusual touches. Don't be alarmed if you think that "To be or not to be" occurs a bit earlier than you recall. It does. Gregory Doran has repositioned the speech to its place in the First Quarto instead of the more familiar First Folio. He's done this because it seems to fit in better with the psychology of Hamlet at this earlier point in the play, and it does work rather well. Likewise, the actor playing Old Hamlet usually doubles up with the role of the Player King. However, this time Patrick Stewart plays both Old Hamlet and Claudius, adding an extra dimension. This means that in addition to Hamlet being mirrored by the more active characters of Laertes and Fortinbras, and the true friendship of Horatio being contrasted with the more venal Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the warlike Old Hamlet is thrown into relief by the wily politician that is Claudius. Curiously this makes the latter more sympathetic as a diplomatic ruler endeavouring to avoid war. There's also a hilarious Polonius, prone to rambling mid-sentence, but with flashes of dignity. As for Hamlet, he's clearly not mad and the Doctor's performance is very solid. There's a few too many pauses between the lines during the early monologues but matters improve later in the play. The final appearance of Fortinbras might not be completely obvious to those not familiar with the play, especially as his lines are cut, but otherwise it's all very enjoyable.

The Duchess

Keira pouts her way through yet another film but at least that plummy accent perfectly fits the milieu. Set among the upper classes, the message hammered home is the dreadful treatment of women in 18th century England. Hence, endless scenes of Georgiana, her friend and her mother bemoaning their lot. Just think what life must have been like for women without riches, lots of clothes and servants to carry out their every whim, but that film would involve fewer pretty dresses and elaborate hairstyles. It doesn't help that it's all so superficial. Thank goodness for Ralph Fiennes. His potentially one-note "heartless cad" is invested with unexpected flashs of self-awareness. Not that the character becomes sympathetic but occasionally his eyes reveal glimpses of the decent man buried under the weight of tradition and his class upbringing. And he gets the best line in the film in a scene where a wig catches fire. Yes, it gets *that* deep.