paul2001sw-1

The director Mike Leigh makes wonderful, poignant, sometimes hopeful, sometimes bleak, stories of everyday weirdos trying to get along with their lives. You might think it a simple thing to do, but it isn't, and I've seen a number of failed attempts to clone his style. This one comes from his own son, Leo. There some similarities to his father's work, most notably 'Life is Sweet' (and not just in the name), but the characters are neither as human nor as funny, and the film seems to advertise what it is trying to do rather too obviously. In particular, Harry Trevaldwyn's wannbe influencer is a soft target, painted without any obvious affection. To be fair, this is Leo's first film as writer/director; but sadly it feels like it.

This follow up to the acclaimed documentary 'Leaving Neverland' tells of the fight of the people abused by Michael Jackson for legal justice (that abuse having been the subject of the earlier film). The film is short and doesn't waste time repeating the claims made in the earlier film; it's more of an update for those hoping that after its showing, something would be done. Now justice needs to be timely, but it sometimes seems that with sufficient money, you can basically escape the law simply by fighting on every possible point. One can think about the current U. S. President as one example; and the fact that the case against Jackson's estate will not be held until 2026 while Jackson's music continues to make millions for his heirs is surely a sign that something is wrong with the system. Also, why is it socially more acceptable to be a fan on Michael Jackson than of, say, Gary Glitter? Answers on a postcard...

I don't know the route to a happy Middle East any more than the next person; that it will never be achieved if Israel continues on its current path seems certain. Defenders of the Israeli state dislike the use of the term "settler-colonialism" to describe what has been happening, but it's hard to find an alternative for the bleak reality shown in this film, a collaboration between a Palestinian facing eviction from the family land in the West Bank and a sympathetic Israeli. That collaboration is perhaps the only heartening thing in an otherwise deeply depressing, but important, film. Tellingly, it was all shot before autumn 2023; it's hard to believe that anything has got better since then.