(15) 118mins
“IT never gets easy… it just gets less hard,” is the advice recovering alcoholic Rona (Saoirse Ronan) is given in this adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s best-selling memoir.
We first meet this intriguing character when she is living with her kind, God-fearing mum on the remote island of Orkney in Scotland.
The last two inches of Rona’s hair are bright blue, showing that a previous life of wild times and hedonistic nights may be growing out of her.
She works alone on the family farm while listening to dance tracks on her headphones and downing cans of full-fat Coke.
There’s something manic about her while doing the smallest of tasks.
She’s like a coiled spring, ready to shoot off any minute.
She is clever, fun and full of energy.
We soon see why. In various flashbacks, we follow a fully blue-haired Rona in London, living with boyfriend Daynin (Paapa Essiedu) and studying to be a scientist.
But she carries her demons, with the devil on her shoulder, alcohol.
As the flashbacks continue, we are shown more distressing examples of how Rona poured booze all over her lovely life and then just lit a match.
She is self-destructive and sometimes violent.
She falls into a canal, and puts herself in some terrifyingly risky situations.
It all feels scarily real.
Daynin, who clearly adores her, has his patience pushed to the limit and — as many who have dealt with addicts know — he finally realises there is nothing he can do.
Change has to come from her.
And then it does, when she wakes up in a hospital.
We then see her at Alcoholics Anonymous, where she shares her tales with other survivors.
All this is juxtaposed with Rona living her solitary life in the freezing weather of the Scottish Isles with not even a TV to distract her from herself.
Director Nora Fingscheidt gives this drama a steady hand, allowing the character of Rona to breathe without becoming a cliché.
It is raw and very real, perfectly balancing the monotony and frustration of recovery with the joy and hope it can bring.
The backdrop of the Scottish landscape is sublime, leaving you craving fresh air and the chill on your face.
The standout star though is Saoirse’s understated, outstanding performance.
She truly is something to behold.
LEAD villain in DC’s Supergirl will be Matthias Schoenaerts.
MARGO ROBBIE and Jacob Elordi will lead Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights.
DWAYNE JOHNSON and Chris Evans team up in Christmas comedy Red One, out November.
(15) 138mins
KNOWN for his Mafia movie The Godfather, director Francis Ford Coppola invested over £100million of his own money in this futuristic feature inspired by ancient Rome.
Premiered at Cannes Film Festival in May, it is set in a decaying metropolis where architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) is granted power to rebuild it with a new invention, as a sustainable Utopia.
His nemesis Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) seeks to thwart his plans.
Caught between them is the mayor’s daughter Julia (Game Of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel) who seeks her own path to happiness.
But Coppola’s attempt to tackle big ideas about humanity falls flat, with a bloated, confusing mess almost impossible to sit through.
The lead actors do their best but can’t save this overstuffed, overcrowded, downright ridiculous movie.
The most pretentious film ever? Probably not, but a contender.
Even with a star-studded secondary cast featuring Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf and Jon Voight, this vanity project is sure to leave viewers scratching their heads and more than a bit bored.
Linda Marric
(15) 89mins
YOUTH is wasted on the young, right?
In this whip-smart coming-of-age comedy, we follow 18-year-old Elliott Labrant (Maisy Stella) who one day has a strange encounter with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza).
Older Elliott arrives just as younger Elliott is indulging in some potent mushrooms on her birthday.
Wise words and life lessons ensue, most of which young, carefree Elliott naturally dismisses.
The teen just wants to leave her life on her family’s farm in a Canadian harbour town and like most kids her age, is focused on hanging with her mates, exploring her sexuality and eye-rolling at her mum.
But when older Elliott tells her to “stay away from anyone called Chad”, she tries to take it on board, especially when a farm help called Chad (Percy Hynes White) arrives and Elliott promptly falls in love.
No clear explanation is given as to how older Elliott can travel in time.
The film also doesn’t bother with negative consequences to sexual promiscuity or light drug use, which is refreshing.
The result is a charming, edgy film that will make you laugh and cry.
