Le Havre (N/C 12+)
HHH
Dir: Aki Kaurismaki
With: Andre Wilms, Jean-Pierre Leaud
Running time: 93mins
HAVING opened with the offbeat and endearing American indie Your Sister's Sister, the Glasgow Film Festival says au revoir with a charmer from the Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki (The Man Without a Past, Drifting Clouds). Marcel Marx (Andre Wilms) plays shoeshine man Max, a chap "in his prime" even if he does say so himself. One of life's easy-going dreamers, harsh reality intrudes on Max's life when first, his beloved wife falls ill, then he meets a young African immigrant (an ace performance from Blondin Miguel) who is on the run from police. Can the shoeshine man (and his dog, naturally) save the day? As with many of Kaurismaki's films, there's a whimsical breeze blowing around Le Havre, with the comedy played either very gently or slightly broad. Mostly it hits the mark, sometimes not. But eccentric or not, the film doesn't flinch from exploring, in its own clear-eyed way, the harsh realities of migration and attitudes to it. A fitting, internationalist, big-hearted end to another terrific festival.
Sunday, February 26, 20.20, Glasgow Film Theatre.
Bonsai (N/C 15+)
HHH
Dir: Cristian Jimenez
With: Diego Noguera, Nathalia Galgani
Running time: 95 minutes
IN what must be the ultimate spoiler in the entire history of cinema, Cristian Jimenez's comedy drama begins by telling you how the film ends. But then everything about this Chilean confection from the director of 2009's Optical Illusions is topsy-turvy, from the hero, who falls asleep with a copy of Proust on his chest while sunbathing and is marked as a result, to the heroine, the endlessly hip Emilia. Besides a shared passion for tea, they are similarly fond of each other. Can love last for those who take literature as their guide? Funny, sweet, and delightfully silly.
Tonight, 20.45, Cineworld Renfrew Street
Vivienne Westwood: Do It Yourself (N/C 8+)
HHH
Dir: Letmiya Szatalryd
Running time: 57 minutes
FROM the queen of punk fashion to grande dame of British couture, there is no-one quite like Vivienne Westwood. Letmiya and Jean-Marie Szatalryd's cameras followed her for a year from workshop to singing lessons to catwalk. While they are clearly fans, saying such absolutely fabulous as "She has the soul of a revolutionary" – the clothes are free then? – the film is a brief but telling glimpse into the wacky world of fashion and a decent-enough portrait of Westwood's way of working. A must-see for fashion students – especially since it's free.
Tomorrow, 20.30, CCA. Free but ticketed. Tickets available from CCA on the day.
Bob and the Monster (N/C 15+)
HH
Dir: Keirda Bahruth
Running time: 85 minutes
THE Bob of the title is Bob Forrest, the rocker who found himself between the ultimate rock and a hard place when it came to addiction. A contemporary of Courtney Love and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Forrest admits it was ultimately the LAPD that ultimately made him see the light about drugs. Now a drugs counsellor and something of a cult figure in that field, Forrest is a likeable enough sort, humbled by what he has been through and keen to help others, but unless you are particularly into the music and faces of the time – LA, the 1980s – Keirdra Bahruth's documentary is no different from many others you might have seen.
Tomorrow, 20.45, Centre for Contemporary Arts, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3JD; Sunday, February 26, 20.30, GFT.
Brigadoon (U)
HHHH
Dir: Vincent Minnelli
With: Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse
Running time: 103 minutes
VINCENT Minnelli's musical fantasy, set in the mythical village of the title, was always going to have trouble among the home crowd. Shot entirely in California because the studio didn't trust the weather over here – what a cheek, eh? –the film became a byword for tartan- tat romanticism. Unfair. The tale of a visiting American (Gene Kelly) who discovers the sleepy village is deliriously daft at times, but the settings conjured up by Minnelli are sumptuous and the songs are very easy on the ear. Regard it as strictly fantasy, and enjoy.
Tomorrow, 11.00, GFT
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