Rare Beasts
Dir. Billie Piper / Dur. 87 mins / Country. UK
Festival Strand:- Laugh
In A Nutshell:- What would happen if, instead of ditching the terrible first date at the start of a romantic comedy, you went out with that one instead?
The Good:- Another in this year’s theme “anti-romantic” films (along with Dogs Don’t Wear Pants and Heart) and a string first showing for a first time writer-director. There’s a distinctive feel to the film and it’s got some funny lines and dialogue, right from the off. One of the advantages of writing and directing is that Piper clearly knows exactly how she wants to play main character Mandy in this - she’s unafraid to go all out and show a character in all their complex, contradictory and slightly unhinged glory. Leo Bill has a fascinating screen presence as the honest but unpleasant Pete and Kerry Fox and David Thewlis provide strong support as Piper’s parents (with their own unconventional relationship).
The Bad:- It maybe throws in a few too many directorial tics in an effort to create something distinctive and one scene change in particular from what seems to be a foreign wedding to a pub in Camden felt a little too choppy. There was also an element of Pete being so unpleasant at times that it was difficult to understand why they were even in a relationship- which I get is the point but it felt a little too much like there was nothing to recommend him at times.
The Verdict:- A promising first film from Piper with some pleasing directorial style and genuinely funny moments. I’d definitely be interested in seeing what she comes up with next.
The Venue / Intro / Q&A:- Curzon Mayfair for this one. Billie Piper, Kerry Fox, Lily James and Henry Woolf were all in attendance with Piper and Fox coming back out after the screening for the Q&A. Piper talked a little bit about the difficulty of starring while writing and directing and said that it was something that she would think twice about before doing again. Unfortunately, I had to leave to get to me next screening so didn't get the full Q&A.
Side note - the Curzon Mayfair is quite small so the press area was just in the bar. I arrived a bit early so sat in the bar and was ridiculously excited when Billie Piper stood next to me a couple of times before the auditorium opened. What? I’m a lifelong Doctor Who fan, of course I’m going to be excited about being sat next to Rose Tyler!
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