Tag: george mackay

DVD & Digital

Film review: The Beast (La Bête)

Garry ArnotLeave a comment

 We’re in a time where artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of our day-to-day conversations, so we should expect a reaction to this cultural moment from the world of cinema. French auteur Bertrand Bonello is making his statement on the matter by loosely adapting the 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James. Simply titled La Bête, the science fiction drama follows Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) across three separate narrative strands, exploring her connection to acquaintance Louis (George MacKay) in each.

Continue reading “Film review: The Beast (La Bête)” →
DVD & Digital · EIFF23

Film review: Femme

Garry ArnotLeave a comment

Developing their own 2021 short into a taut feature, the writer-director duo of Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping study very different facets of masculinity in their neo-noir thriller Femme. The story follows Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) who performs in drag under his ferociously flamboyant alias Aphrodite Banks. On the way home after a show, he falls victim to a brutal hate crime at the hands of Preston (George Mackay), a small-time drug dealer egged on by his jeering gang of friends. Several months later, their paths cross again in the most unlikely of places.

Continue reading “Film review: Femme” →
Interviews

Wolf Interview: Nathalie Biancheri – ‘People will love it or hate it, but should take George Mackay seriously’.

Garry ArnotLeave a comment

Writer and director Nathalie Biancheri released her debut Nocturnal in 2019, which caught my attention and marked her as one of the directors I’d love to talk to about their craft. Her second effort Wolf explores the dark and unusual subject of species dysphoria, as the protagonist, played by George Mackay, believes he is a wolf stuck inside a boy’s body. I was fortunate enough to chat to the filmmaker about this piece…

As Wolf is your second feature film, was there anything in particular that you’d brought forward into it from the learning experience that came with directing your debut?

Wolf was such a crazy, demanding, and very insane film from a performance and directing actors’ point of view, so I think it was really reassuring was to have made a first film before going into it. I think what was what was amazing was to have had that first feature even though it was very small. Knowing that it was possible somehow, and not having this unknown of making a feature film and the absolute fear that comes with that was great.

Continue reading “Wolf Interview: Nathalie Biancheri – ‘People will love it or hate it, but should take George Mackay seriously’.” →
DVD & Digital

DVD review: The Secret of Marrowbone

Garry ArnotLeave a comment
pdc_marrowbone1

Acclaimed Spanish screenwriter Sergio G. Sánchez takes to the director’s chair for his feature debut The Secret of Marrowbone, a mystery drama that follows a close-knit family threatened by their dark past. In dire need of a fresh start, siblings Jack (George MacKay), Jane (Mia Goth), Billy (Charlie Heaton) and Sam (Matthew Stagg) move from Britain to rural America, setting up home in the Marrowbone House where their mother grew up. When tragedy strikes, they must protect each other from a sinister presence.

The titular ‘secret’ of the Marrowbones serves as a plot-device to drive the narrative forward, and while the story becomes overly convoluted by a lacklustre love-triangle sub-plot, the smart implementation of traditional horror elements makes for a tense cinematic experience. Sánchez skilfully executes jump scares and other genre tropes, crafting genuinely frightening scenes in the eerie haunted-house setting. Despite some heavy-handed storytelling flaws, the piece works as a suspenseful chill-ride and a solid showcase for rising acting talent.

3.5stars