Close-Up Culture

Independent journalism on the things we love

The Truth – Nothing but the Truth: Apostasy

DANIEL KOKOTAJIO grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. Although he is no longer a Witness, nor a believer in ‘The Truth’, he has used his experience as the basis for his directorial ‘debut’ (admittedly he has previously made a couple of short films). The result, Apostasy, is an accomplished piece of filmmaking that shines a…
Faithfull: A Broken Documentary

MARIANNE Faithfull’s flame continues to burn brightly if a little less brilliantly as it did in the 1960s. Despite a life defined by addiction, she still mesmerises audiences as she did last year at Ronnie Scott’s in London where she earned rave reviews. Now 70, Marianne is a little frailer than she used to be,…
The Last Word (DVD Review)

THE finality spelt out in the title of Mark Pellington’s film, The Last Word, leaves little doubt where we are heading in the 108-minute runtime. But there are few actresses that I would rather have steering that ship than the legendary Shirley MacLaine. She plays Harriet Lauler, a retired business woman who thrives on control.…
Cage Dive (DVD Review)

TERROR is commercialised in a shark cage. Lowered into the water, only steel bars separate thrill-seeking customers from the predatorial jaws of the circling sharks. Gerald Rascionato’s film, Cage Dive (the third in the Open Water series), takes this daring tourist pursuit and turns it into a hellish nightmare for three young Californians. Megan (Megan…
BFI London Film Festival: Tiger Girl and Have a Nice Day

THE Prince Charles Cinema was filled with laughter and well-earned applause as two provocative films helped kick off the BFI London Film Festival in grand style. Have a Nice Day – JIAN Liu’s animated feature, Have a Nice Day, was served up first. A dark comedy, set in a decaying Chinese town, it is based…
BFI London Film Festival: L’Equilibrio – An Allegorical Insight into Italy’s Corrupt Underbelly

ITALIAN film director Vincenzo Marra (Bridges of Sarajevo and The First Light) spends half of every year living outside of Europe. South America is his preferred continent. ‘In Europe, we’re paralysed with fear,’ he told the audience who had just watched the British premiere of his latest film – L’Equilibrio (Equilibrium) – at the Curzon…
An Apology For a Family: Internecine Warfare – Apologia

LET US cut to the chase (and I make no apology for saying this). Apologia is a cracking play which I urge you to go and see before its run ends mid next month at Trafalgar Studios just off Trafalgar Square. It is a marvel on so many levels. Written by Alexi Kaye Campbell (The…
I See Dead People: Ghosts on Film

THE unknowing of the afterlife is one of life’s great mysteries. It is a theme that filmmakers have long explored, playing on fears that the supernatural might be hostile, or in contrast, by subverting these scary figures for more gentle purposes. As Halloween approaches, let us look back at the different manifestations of ghosts in…
Close-up: An Interview with Ella Rumpf

ELLA Rumpf is one of Europe’s finest young actresses. She has starred in films such as Summer Outside (2014), War (2014), and most notably, highly-acclaimed horror film Raw. Her latest film, Tiger Girl, will air at the BFI Film Festival on Thursday (October 5). Ella took some time out of her busy filming schedule to…
Goon: Last of the Enforcers (DVD Review)

IN a film of blood-splattering hockey brawls and uncouth locker rooms jokes, it is hard not to raise an eyebrow at the multiple references made to 19th century biologist Charles Darwin. Fortunately, Goon: Last of the Enforcers, like its predecessor, produces both laughs and warmth out of the indelible stamps of man’s lowly origin. Six…