Regrets of a mother and a superhero
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Film| Cert:12A |
The moment millions of Marvel fans have been waiting for is finally here as Tom Holland reprises his role as SpiderMan for the third time. Directed once again by Jon Watts and co-written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, the film also sees the return of Zendaya as Peter’s girlfriend Mary Jane, while of the inimitable Marisa Tomei returns as Peter Parker’s aunt May.
The action picks up right after the events of the last instalment which saw an eventful encounter between Peter and the deceitful Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). After being outed as Spider-Man by the latter, Peter’s life turns into a spectacle with everyone wanting a piece of him. Fed up with his new celebrity status, our young superhero begs his old friend Dr Strange to bend time in order to make everyone forget who he is.
But Strange’s spell results in a shift in the multiverse bringing with it some of Spider-Man’s most mortal enemies. Chaos and much soul-searching ensues when Peter realises that maybe being outed as a superhero may not have been the worst thing hat could happen to him. Meanwhile Alfred Molina is back as Doctor Octopus, a role he last played in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 in 2004.
There’s more than just a hint of
It’s A Wonderful Life running through the narrative in the way it deals with
The Lost Daughter
Ahefty existential questions. While the plot feels a little messy, there’s no denying that the action more than makes up for it. There are moments of pure fan-service which never feel cclaimed Jewish actor out of place or overdone. Maggie Gyllenhaal
Holland, Zendaya and Batalon here directs a brilliantly give the impression that they are detailed character having the time of their lives in a study about a film which often feels like more of woman tormented a buddy movie than a classic superhero by maternal guilt in this impressive story. The movie does a great directorial debut feature. Based on job in reminding us that behind the the 2008 novel of the same name costume and bravado, Peter is still a by Elena Ferrante, The Lost Daughter teenager at heart navigating his way features a stunning turn from into a cruel world. Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (The
Overall, a bombastic, crowdpleaser Favourite, The Crown) who stars as a which is sharp, funny and just as woman forced to confront her troubled chaotic as its titular character. Like past during a solo beach holiday. a bratpack movie, it’s a film about Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, growing up, knowing one’s place Normal People’s Paul Mescal and Ed in the world and appreciating it for Harris also star. what it is. Arriving in Greece for a brief beach sojourn, middle-aged academic Leda (Colman) hopes to spend her days reading and researching for the new academic year. When her peace is disturbed by a newly arrived loud ItalianAmerican family, Leda instantly takes a dislike to them, but later becomes obsessed with young mother Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her clingy daughter. Meanwhile, Nina who is married to the overbearing and abusive Toni (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is also having second thoughts about staying with her abuser.
It soon transpires that Leda has suffered a troubling experience in her youth. As flashback sequences later reveal, the academic (played gorgeously as a younger woman by Jessie Buckley) had struggled to juggle her fulfilling research work and that of being a mother to two young daughters. As memories rush in of her cruel and unforgivable behaviour towards them and their father some twodecades earlier, Leda can’t seem to forgive herself or come to terms with what she did. Her ordeal soon culminates in a showdown withNina who in turn has caught the eye of handsome student Will (Mescal).
Gyllenhaal navigates this rather thorny subject matter with impressive ease as she delves deep into the psyche of a woman who chose a career and a new lover over her own flesh and blood. Although one has to admire the honesty with which the subject is broached, what’s even more impressive is how little judgement there is here. Although it looks like Colman may already be a shoe-in for an Oscar nod for her beautifully nuanced interpretation, there is also a lot to be said about Jesse Buckley’s fearless and visceral performance as a woman caught between the desire to live her life freely away from her responsibilities and the duty of care that is expected from all mothers. Granted, many will fail to sympathise with the younger Leda’s actions, but it is precisely this honesty in writing and direction that makes Gyllenhaal’s film into one the best dramas of the year.
The Lost Daughter isn’t just cleverly adapted, it is also a film that knows its audience and trusts them to understand the original text’s motives. The film is also a tour de force in the art of “show, don’t tell” where often all is implied without being said. It takes real talent to be able to inject this much nuance and as a director, Gyllenhaal has proved that she has what it takes.