At the Movies for 4 May 2022
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 weight 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. 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 man y 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.