Angelina’s war stories
First They Killed My Father (2017)
Available Now ANGELINA Jolie took all six of the kids to the film’s premiere last week and opened up in interviews about the difficult year she’s had since the split from Brad Pitt. The image of family upheaval is depicted far more viscerally, however, in Jolie’s film about a child’s experience of the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s.
Seen from the viewpoint of Loung Ung, who was five years old when her life crumbled around her and much of her family disappeared, the film shines a light on the casualties of war and the effect that the Khmer Rouge regime had on the people of Cambodia.
It might all sound very knotty and worthy but in fact the film manages a deft mix of political and poetic, and Jolie shows surprising artistry as hallucinatory and imagined scenes give way to real-life brutality, enhancing the sense that Loung is trapped in a living night- mare. It’s a harrowing but rewarding film with a stand-out debut performance from child actor Sareum Srey Moch.
The film also marks another significant milestone in the growth of Netflix: it will get a theatrical release, fulfilling Netflix CEO’s Reed Hastings’s promise last year that we would soon see simultaneous streaming and cinema offerings.
Strong Island (2017)
Available now ON April 1992, in a suburb of Long Island, New York, William Ford, a black 24-year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19-year-old mechanic. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder.
Director Yance Ford chronicles the arc of his family across history, geography and tragedy — from the racial segregation of the South to the hope and promise of New York City; from the presumed safety of middle-class suburbs to the indignity of a violent death. It is the story of the Ford family — Barbara Dunmore, William Ford and their three children — and how their lives were shaped by the enduring shadow of racism in America.
There are obviously echoes of this case in many that followed, including that of Trayvon Martin. Strong Island was directed and produced by Yance Ford, William’s brother, and won the Special Jury award at the Sundance Festival earlier this year. It is expected to be one of the more explosive releases this autumn on Netflix.
Jerry Before Seinfeld
Available from Tuesday THERE is always a danger with ageing comedians that they ossify into heritage acts. Elderly rockers can still play their hits but jokes quickly date and the energy of stand-up is a young person’s game. With Jerry Seinfeld, however, there is a sense that he almost needed to rescue his own personal comedy from the syndicated sitcom which bears his name. With his last tour — this special is one of the dates — he goes back to the quiet observational humour which made him famous, while also giving a glimpse of what might have been had the show continued. Here he pokes fun at our obsession with technology and mania for health and energy drinks. It’s all squeaky clean, as you would expect; he never swears and gives politics a wide berth. But perhaps the fact that it’s still hilarious despite all this shows the true genius of the man.
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Available now PERHAPS police harassment is a bit of a theme on Netflix this week. This film tells the story of rap supergroup N.W.A. who wrote tracks about the stop-and-search techniques used by American police and whose efforts became the soundtrack for a generation.
The early part of the movie, which deals with the late 1980s, sizzles with energy and comes with its own incredible soundtrack — at times it feels like a music video.
Director F Gary Gray uses the standard biopic arc — dramatic rise followed by messy, protracted fall and partial redemption — and of course we know what happened to many of the protagonists, including Dr Dre and Ice T, who went on to forge their own solo careers.
It is overlong and certainly sanitised in parts, but succeeds in presenting an important part of contemporary American culture to a mainstream audience.