On this special "Indie Film Only" additional episode of UK Film Club, film critics Chris Olson and Brian Penn review a selection of short and feature-length independent movies.
The movie reviews include:
- Rock, Paper, Scissors: A short film directed by Franz Böhm, Rock, Paper, Scissors is based on the true story of Ivan (Oleksandr Rudynskyi) who helped his father (Sergey Kalantay) run a makeshift hospital during the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. After their plans to move the hospital go awry thanks to their getaway transport being bombed by a Russian aircraft, their peril increases when a group of Russian soldiers are seen scouring the hill looking for their bunker. Ivan, who has made the decision to take on the soldiers after an impromptu sniper rifle lesson from one of the patients, finds himself in over his head when the original estimate of two Russian soldiers turns out to be disastrously incorrect.
- Curiosity: A short film directed by Michael Cooke, Curiosity is about a young guy named Kevin (Bishop) is in his bedroom, relaxing, messing about with his phone. He comes across a video that instructs how to access the dark web. Curiosity gets the best of Kevin and he goes to his computer and follows the instructions. To his delight, he finds himself accessing that part of the Internet and proceeds to take advantage of what it offers. However, he soon finds a video where a live inhuman and grotesque auction is taking place.
- A Good Day Will Come: A short film directed by Amir Zargara, in A Good Day Will Come Sia Alipour plays Arash, a promising Iranian wrestler whose future career hangs in the balance when he struggles to focus on the sport whilst his country experiences civil unrest. Following the death of his sister in a protest against the government, Arash decides he cannot stay quiet, and wears a t-shirt in her memory after a match. Having chosen to join the protesters, Arash barely struggles to keep the turbulent crowds from turning violent and later becomes swept up in a conspiracy that will see him sign a confession under violent duress that he killed someone during the protest.
- Perennial Light: A feature-length film from Colin Hickey, Perennial Light (2024) is a wondrous experience. So unlike anything being produced in the mainstream, it’s an art film which epitomises what’s interesting about experimental filmmaking. Told without dialogue or conventional narrative, this independent Irish movie paints a seemingly autobiographical portrait of one man’s life – from his troubled youth up to adulthood. From the tragedies that befall him, to fragments we see of family life in a rural setting... you get the sense that you’re witnessing a flow of memories, recalled with both nostalgia and melancholy.
- Embrace Disruption: A short film from filmmaker Johanne Chagnon, Embrace Disruption is an experimental art film.
- The Scalpel: A short film from filmmaker Richard H Lyford, The Scalpel has been restored and scored by Ed Hartman.
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