A gripping Japanese drama about family
Irish movie Run & Jump (15A) is a subtle story about family and relationships After making a miraculous recovery from a stroke, furniture maker Conor Casey (Edward MacLiam, Holby City) returns home to Kerry to continue his rehabilitation with American doctor Ted Fielding (Will Forte, Nebraska) in tow to study his progress and document the results on his ever-present camcorder.
Conor’s wife, Britishborn Venetia (Maxine Peake,
Shameless), struggles with the juggling act of a daughter (Ciara Gallagher) ignored by dad, a teenage son (Brendan Morris) coming to terms with his homosexuality, and the real possibility that the furniture business will fail, all the while wearing a brave smile on her face.
Conor has moments of clarity, which give Venetia hope that the doctor’s fears that her husband will never again be the man she married are unfounded. The Harrison Ford 1991 drama
Regarding Henry is what springs to mind here but Run & Jump is no rehash. While the story might veer close to inevitability – Venetia and Ted were always going to have feelings for each other – Ailbhe Keogan’s script displays subtlety and nuance, pulling back from the potential big movie moments for something smaller, more meaningful and true.
Steph Green’s direction is discreet too – Ted’s camcorder POV used less and less as he becomes more and more connected Venetia and the kids.
Will Forte is the marquee name here, the comedian continuing the newfound knack for understatement he discovered in last year’s Oscar-nominated
Nebraska. But this is Maxine Peake’s film and she is wonderful. She exhibits restraint in a character that’s written as quietly powerful. Save some kudos for Macliam, who does his best with a difficult role, and Morris too.
A touching drama that’s not without its moments of humour.
Jason Solomons adds: American indie film Blue Ruin (16) plays with expectations and mood to create something that,, while certainly fresh, is ultimately frustrating.
The writing and directing debut of Jeremy Saulnier, it’s an unlikely revenge story featuring a man named Dwight (Macon Blair) who lives in an old car, like a timid tramp. A piece of news jolts him into action and he tracks down the man he believesves killed his parents.
Blair brings such an air of slovenly desperation to the partart that it is hard to sympathisese with him, and there’s a trou-bling gun-happiness about it all, which felt too much like cheap exploitation rather than any telling comment on American culture.
Dire British lad romp Plastic c (16) is allegedly based on a true story about a bunch of students who realise they canan commit undetectable credit-ditcard fraud before findingng themselves in Miami plotting a silly ‘fake sheikh’ scam on a diamond dealer. The lads include Alfie Allen, Ed Speleers and the usually excellent Will Poulter, who simply looks embarrassed he took the gig.
There’s a blonde in a bikini holidaying from Hollyoaks (Emma Rigby, pictured above with Speleers) whose job is to scream a lot and eventually get locked in a car boot.
And then there’s a ropey car chase with cockney cops in Hyde Park and a preposterous shootout in a London hotel.
Give it a miss.