ALISON ROWAT
Phoenix (12A)
four stars
Dir: Christian Petzold
With: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld
Runtime: 98 minutes
GERMAN director Christian Petzold and actor Nina Hoss have made some remarkable dramas together (Barbara, Yella), and Phoenix is no exception. Hoss plays Nelly Lenz, a concentration camp survivor who returns to Berlin after extensive surgery to repair the damage done to her face. Despite the warnings of her best friend, Nelly wants to find the husband (Ronald Zehrfeld) she left behind. Adapted from the novel by Hubert Monteilhet, the plot of Phoenix is easier to swallow on the page than on the screen, but once that leap of faith is taken this is a picture that will keep you spellbound to the end. Hoss, a Herald readers' favourite, is magnificent.
Filmhouse, Edinburgh, May 8-14; Glasgow Film Theatre, May 15-21; Filmhouse Aberdeen, May 22-28
Rosewater (15)
four stars
Dir: Jon Stewart
With: Gael Garcia Bernal, Kim Bodnia
Runtime: 103 minutes
ANYONE wondering how Jon Stewart will fare after he leaves The Daily Show hot seat in August need not worry if his directorial debut is any guide. Rosewater is the true story of an Iranian-Canadian journalist, Maziar Bahari (played by Gael Garcia Bernal) who thought the regime in Iran could take a joke, only to find himself accused of being a spy and thrown into prison, where he was interrogated by a guard (played by Kim Bodnia) who reeked of rosewater and sadism. Stewart keeps the story rattling along but it is Garcia Bernal, alternately heart-rending and funny, who makes the picture a must-see.
Glasgow Film Theatre, May 8-21
Girlhood (15)
three stars
Dir: Celine Sciamma
With: Karidja Toure, Lindsay Karamoh
Runtime: 113 minutes
WATER Lilies and Tomboy director Celine Sciamma returns with another exploration of modern French womanhood, this one with more of an edge than her previous pictures. Marieme (Karidja Toure) lives in a Paris banlieue. Bored, spirited, with a lot of anger to burn, Marieme cannot seem to find her place in life - until she meets a gang of girls and joins their "family". Slim on story, Sciamma's drama works well as more of a mood and music piece.
Glasgow Film Theatre, May 8-21
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article