Watch out for . . .
Scarlett Johansson and adam Driver, who excel in Noah Baumbach’s film Marriage Story (his masterpiece). Driver was being feted at telluride while Johansson was in london shooting Black Widow. I had a ten-second chat with Driver about the brilliant sequence where he performs all of the Being alive song from the musical company. the song makes the point that for Driver’s character, ‘alone is alone, not alive’. Beautifully done. Johansson, with Merritt Wever and Julie Hagerty, sings You could Drive a Person crazy, also from company. Maybe they could sing it at the Oscars?
KELVIN Harrison Jr. and Taylor Russell, who play siblings raised by well-off parents including a stern father (played by Sterling K. Brown) in the film Waves. Tyler (Harrison Jr. ) is pushed so hard by his father to excel in sport that the lad still participates in wrestling matches even though he has crushed a shoulder. He pops painkillers to beat the pain, creating more problems. How far should we push our offspring? That’s the message of Trey Edward Shults’s dynamite drama. I can’t deny I felt pangs of guilt as I watched, and I know others at Telluride did, too. It’s not on the BFI London Film Festival list. It must be added.
RENEE Zellweger, who has emerged as a forceful awards season contender for her outstanding portrayal of a fragile Judy Garland at the end of her career in rupert Goold’s superb film Judy. It played well at telluride and will be showing in toronto. I watched it again, and realised there were so many in the audience who hadn’t been aware Garland was almost destitute before being offered concert dates at the talk of the town. as well as appreciating Zellweger’s brilliant work, I was struck by how good the supporting roles were, played by Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, royce Pierreson, andy Nyman and John Dagleish. Pathe UK and BBC Films have a contender on their hands.