Isolation and Other Themes Showcased at the BFI London Film Festival 2021
Spotlight's own Charlie Gardiner provides her takeaway's on the key themes of this year's BFI London Film Festival
By Charlie Gardiner
As we gradually find ourselves coming out of an unprecedented 18 months, full of fear and worry, we turn to cinema to help us rediscover the wonders of storytelling. The last month has seen worldwide releases of some of the most anticipated up and coming films. At the end of September, audiences around the country fled back to the big screen to see Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond in No Time to Die. After multiple release date changes, we finally got the chance to see 007 in all his glory once more.
October is always an exciting month for London as the British Film Institute sets up camp in some of the biggest cinemas around the city for the London Film Festival. This year Spotlight has been at the festival, supporting some of our members who have written, directed, produced and starred in many of the films across this year's programme. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, LFF 2020 was a virtual event, allowing audiences to see a variety of films on the BFI Player from the comfort and safety of their own homes. But this year it was back in full force with in-person screenings, red carpet premieres and screen talks galore.
The festival kicked off with the Opening Gala screening of Jeymes Samuel’s classic style western The Harder they Fall starring Spotlight alumni Idris Elba alongside Hollywood royalty Regina King and LaKeith Stanfield.
Over the course of the 10 days, a varied selection of films has been available for audiences, this year gracing some of the capital’s biggest venues including The Royal Festival Hall, the Southbank Centre and the home of British cinema, BFI Southbank.
As seen in previous years, the BFI categorises the films in a style indicative of the genre of film and the desired reaction from audiences. With categories such as Dare, Laugh and Thrill, there is always a wide selection of films to choose from. This year, we see trends in these themes, and after a difficult two years for so many, the inclusion of isolation and uncertainty are seemingly present in so many of the films shown.
Pablo Larrain’s highly anticipated fictionalised biopic of Princess Diana, Spencer, had its Gala Screening on Thursday 7th October at the Royal Festival Hall, where the red carpet was graced by Hollywood star Kristen Stewart and Spotlight members Jack Farthing and Sean Harris.
Spencer follows Princess Diana as she spends a dreaded Christmas with her in-laws at the Royal estate at Sandringham. She struggles to find her place amongst her esteemed relatives, but also has no place in the kitchen with the staff. The isolation she experiences from all aspects of her life are powerfully portrayed, until she spends time with her beloved children and finally finds somewhere she fits in.
Isolation is also a present theme in Andrew Gaynord’s All My Friends Hate Me, when Pete (Tom Stourton) meets up with some old friends for a birthday celebration like no other, but due to his own insecurities and the actions of those around him, he finds himself plunged into a pit of paranoid anxiety. In this horror/comedy, we see the protagonist suffer with imposter syndrome whilst constantly doubting his relationship with his friends. A feeling that can seem all too familiar for people coming out of a long period of unsociable time. Feeling physically distanced from his old friends, Pete finds his mental health starts to suffer and struggles to trust anyone, even those closest to him.
Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut Passing, stars Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson in a story about racial inequality in 1920’s New York, based on the novel of the same name. Two friends are reunited at an upper-class hotel and soon become fascinated with each other’s lives. A constant throughout the film is the ideology of “passing” which is the term used to describe people of colour disguising themselves as white to increase their societal livelihoods. This is explored in an intricate way throughout the film and highlights the isolation felt by women in this era. Another theme that is relevant today - after the Black Lives Matter movement took the world by storm in 2020 - racial inequality is at the forefront of this powerful drama and is aided by the strong leading female performances from Negga and Thompson alike.
Most of the films showcased at this year’s London Film Festival will be released over the next few months. Highlights to look out for include: Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, Belfast a semi-autobiographical drama directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Judi Dench, Wes Andersons latest quirky comedy The French Dispatch, and The Lost Daughter, an emotional drama starring Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.
And as we look forward to the rest of the year, excitement starts to build for other blockbuster releases coming to cinemas up and down the country, such as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Chloe Zhao’s Eternals. It’s safe to say, cinema is back!
Charlie works at Spotlight in the Membership Support team. Alongside work, she is a film critic for a number of outlets including The Film Magazine, CinemaSavvy and Filmhounds, all of which are featured on her blog. In addition to these ventures, she is currently studying for a Masters in Film and On Screen Media at Birkbeck University.
Main Photo by Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash
