Mubi Monday: September Says (2024)

I've seen a bit of praise for September Says already, and I can understand some of it. Co-written by Daisy Johnson and Ariane Labed, with Labed also taking on feature directing for the first time, this is a dark and interesting psychological drama. I've also seen some people refer to this as unique though, and that just isn't correct. I actually defy any seasoned film fan to start watching September Says and not soon figure out where it is going to end up, generally speaking.

Rakhee Thakrar is a mother, Sheela, and our young leads are July (Mia Tharia) and September (Pascale Kann). July often takes part in a game called September Says, which will be familiar to anyone who has ever played Simon Says. Unfortunately, despite September often trying to support and help July, there are times when a game of September Says can quickly turn dark and dangerous. Oh, they're also on holiday in Ireland, which allows them to feel more like outsiders struggling to fit in with those around them.

Although this could go in a multitude of different directions, allowing it to move from drama into something more genre-heavy, Labed isn't interested in that. That's fine, of course, and she can choose to take her own movie in whatever direction she wants. It's ultimately disappointing though, mainly because it soon becomes clear that neither Labed nor Johnson have anything new or interesting to say. Movies don't have to say anything new or interesting, but that harms a movie when there's not much else to appreciate.

The main performances are good, although the cast sometimes struggle with the idea of expressing themselves within their own little bubble. Thakrar, for example, is playing an interesting and complex figure, but there are only one or two scenes that help to make her more than just a bundle of quirks and nerves. Tharia and Kann work really well together, despite being weighed down by material that thinks it is being much more interesting and clever than it actually is.

What could have been an interesting exploration of the harm that loved ones can do to one another, or just a look at the ups and downs of any sibling/friend relationship, ends up being a waste of time, sadly. There's not enough substance to flesh it out, but it also lacks the artistry to make it the kind of viewing experience that you can at least appreciate for the aesthetic while everyone dances around the slim narrative.

Decent. Occasionally interesting. Dark. I already know that some will appreciate this a bit more than I did, and I can understand that. I still cannot view it as anything unique though, and the thing that stops it from being unique is one important aspect that is almost completely mishandled throughout.

5/10

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Mubi Monday: The Souvenir: Part II (2021)

If you look around for just a few seconds then you will find numerous glowing reviews of The Souvenir: Part II, the filmic continuation to the semi-autobiographical film from Joanna Hogg, The Souvenir. This is not one of those glowing reviews. Frankly, the number of critics hailing this as a modern classic is baffling to me. But maybe this just isn't my thing, which I suspected after also not enjoying the first part as much as many others did.

Honor Swinton Byrne once again plays Julie, a young woman now trying to move on with her life after the death of someone she was in a relationship with. Julie decides to try and process her feelings on this matter through the graduation film that she still has to make, asking people to play out certain key moments in ways that may allow her some sense of catharsis. Characters discuss the mingling of art and fiction, everything feels very precious and pretentious, and it's a real slog to get to the end.

I don't believe for one second that anyone will care about my opinion on this film. And I'm absolutely positive that both writer-director Hogg and her leading lady have moved on to other projects already, other artistic endeavours worthy of their time. So this review, as negative and contrary to so many others, is really just for my benefit. It allows me a bit of space to vent. I didn't expect to like this, but I was certainly willing to give it the benefit of the doubt (as I do with every film). The fact that it squandered a great opportunity, with most of the more interesting points hidden behind a veil of navel-gazing and vague pontification, makes it even more frustrating than the first instalment.

Not that Hogg isn't entitled to craft her movie however she likes, of course, and I assume that this is the way she wanted everything to turn out. It's just that what feels like a personal form of therapy through film doesn't, in my view, resonate with many people who will end up watching it. Whether or not it is true, everyone onscreen feels annoyingly privileged, as well as being in the very earliest stages of any career that they want to have in film. That combination makes so much of what we see happening here just tiresome, at best, and massively out of touch with many viewers. This isn't cinema as an escape, it's not cinema as a filter through which to view reality, it's cinema as a nicely-dressed window. This is the filmic equivalent of a humblebrag social media post, and there's rarely anything of real value in a humblebrag social media post.

I like seeing Richard Ayoade, and his scenes are the absolute highlight of this, but nobody else makes a very good impression here, not even the might Tilda Swinton, acting in a couple of scenes with her daughter. As for "Swinton Jr.", I think it's worth waiting to see how she works with stronger material. She's ultimately just too passive here, a blank avatar. Despite being a representation of Hogg herself, the writer-director seems much less interested in her than in showing the fragmented and meandering process to actually get a film made.

I doubt this review will put off anyone who is already set on seeing the film, but it's here anyway, for better or worse. Maybe one day someone will accidentally stumble upon this and agree with me. I won't be holding my breath though.

3/10

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