At The Movies for Wednesday 4 May 2022

AT THE MOVIES #878    MOVING PICTURES

 

Simon Morris discovers that, in the age of post-modern irony and multiverses, there are still movies that believe in telling great stories.  Just not always in English.   A drama from Iran and a thriller from Korea are two of the best of the year.  Meanwhile the wait is over for Downton Abbey fans.

 

 

Downton Abbey: A New Era sees half of Lord Grantham’s family go to the French Riviera, while the other half host a film crew, shooting a silent movie at Downton.   Starring Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Tuppence Middleton and new face Dominic West (The Wire).

 

A hero is the latest from Iranian master Asghar Farhadi (A separation, The salesman).  A winner at the Cannes Film Festival last year, it tells of a bankrupt man who gains a popular reputation when he finds a bag of money, and nobly returns it to its owner.  But is the story quite as straightforward as it seems?

 

And Escape from Mogadishu sees a violent civil war break out in Somalia, trapping many foreign embassies.  And the only way the rivals from North and South Korea – long-standing enemies – can get out alive is if they co-operate with each other.