GFF23

Published: 12/03/2023

Gods Creatures UK premiere

content warning: brief mention of sexual assault.

Gods Creatures originally first premiered at Cannes 2022 but didn’t have it’s moment in UK cinemas until GFF23 in March. In attendance was lead Emily Watson and writer Shane Crowley with the love of Paul Mescal being passed on by Watson as his West End run of A Streetcar Named Desire stopped him from being able to attend the screening.

The film took a unique visual take on the the issue of sexual assault while portraying the taboo nature of the topic for discussion. We never the see the act and it is only ever implied through the dialogue which allows for a perspective from the others in the town such as Watson rather than Mescal and Aisling Franciosi’s characters. The film results in an uncomfortable viewing without having overly graphic depictions of the violence that is often used to touch on the issue such as Straightheads (2007).

Rye Lane

As the director themself, Raine Allen-Miller, perfectly puts:

“Rye Lane is a rom-com that rejects the rom-com genre”.

Premiering earlier this year at Sundance it is clear that Rye Lane will be one of the most prominent indie releases of the year. With the vibrant visuals and witty editing and comedic dialogue paired with the incredible performances and line deliveries of Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson the audience are in for a fun 82 minutes.

Allen-Miller succeeds in creating the most refreshing take on the over done and repetitive genre that doesn’t leave you cringing or asking yourself “am I meant to be laughing right now?”.

South London is also shown in a way that it rarely has been before through Allen-Miller’s intimate and personal love for and experience in the area of London.

After its UK wide theatrical release on March 17th, as of May 3rd you can catch Rye Lane on Disney plus in the UK.