Award Winning Independent Cinema

Helen Tope reviews All is True, showing in our cinema from Friday 8 March. Based on the final years of William Shakespeare’s life, All is True is a literary biopic that throws away the rulebook. Gone are the well-worn tropes of struggle and triumph. Here, Shakespeare has reached the high point of his career. He is an established talent, working in London, with a family back in Stratford. On the face of it, Shakespeare has every reason for happiness. But in August 1596, his son, Hamnet, dies from plague. This film explores how Shakespeare deals with this traumatic ... Continue Reading

Reviewed here by Helen Tope, Lizzie is showing in our cinema until Thursday 21 February. If you’re watching Lizzie, chances are you already know the story. On 4 August 1892, Thomas and Abby Borden were found murdered in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Bludgeoned with an axe from their wood-shed, the only other person in the house was their daughter, Lizzie. Arrested and put on trial, the case of Lizzie Borden became notorious in American legal history. Despite evidence presented at the trial, Borden was acquitted and released. Lizzie, starring Chloe Sevigny and Kristen Stewart, looks at the events leading ... Continue Reading

Reviewed here by Helen Tope, Colette is showing in our cinema until Thursday 7 February. Telling the story of a literary sensation, Colette takes us to the heart of how a writer is created. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=BZdh6Aax7KE We meet Sidionie-Gabrielle Colette as a girl about to get married. Her beloved, Henry Gauthier-Villars (known colloquially as ‘Willy’), is older and more experienced in the ways of the world. Despite this being an uneven match, Colette gladly marries, and moves with Willy to Paris. An author living on former glories, Willy is at the centre of Parisian artistic life. Fin-de-siecle Paris is the place to be; ... Continue Reading

In the cinema from 25th Jan - 7th Feb, Helen Tope reviews this week's film, 10 times Oscar-nominated The Favourite. A comedy of manners, The Favourite is smart, elegant and deliciously foul. Director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, Dogtooth) has form in creating absurdist worlds. Taking the formula of the costume drama, and upending it, our perceptions of the past are blown apart in this story. https://youtu.be/SYb-wkehT1g We are witness to the final years of Queen Anne’s court. A monarch in poor health and no heir – she is, despite her status, utterly vulnerable to those on the make. ... Continue Reading

Reviewed here by Helen Tope, Disobedience is showing in our cinema from 12th - 17th January. A film of rare intelligence, Disobedience explores a love affair that threatens to tear a community apart. https://youtu.be/RgoKZ3zORfE Set within an Orthodox Jewish community in North London, the sudden death of community leader Rav Krushka means a change in the ranks. His disciple Dovid (Alessandro Nivola) is the natural choice to be his successor. Krushka’s only child, Ronit (played by Rachel Weisz) is notified of his death, and returns home. A photographer living and working in New York, Ronit has left the Orthodox life behind. Returning ... Continue Reading

Helen Tope reviews Bohemian Rhapsody, showing at Plymouth Arts Centre until this Thursday (limited tickets available here).  On 13 July 1985, rock band Queen took to the stage at Wembley Stadium. Taking part in Live Aid, a benefit concert spearheaded by Bob Geldof, each act was allowed twenty minutes to perform. Everyone used the same set, lights and sound – the only difference would be the music. Freddie Mercury walked out on stage, sat down at the piano and began to play Bohemian Rhapsody. Their 20-minute show has become a marker in the history of rock performance, a feat made all ... Continue Reading

Helen Tope reviews First Man, showing at Plymouth Arts Centre until this Thursday (tickets available here).  The challenge in making a film about space travel is how to make it human. Astonishing technical feats; pilots at the peak of mental and physical perfection – excellence may be laudable, but it’s not always watchable. Director Damien Chazelle squares up to this challenge in First Man; a film that gets to the heart of the Space Race. Here we find not just brilliance, but courage and fallibility.  It is a beautifully balanced piece of work, detailing just what it took to put Man ... Continue Reading