Alison Rowat
The Green Prince (15)
four stars
Dir: Nadav Schirman
Runtime: 101 minutes
DOCUMENTARY maker Nadav Schirman has made it his business to shine a light on those who live shadowy existences, and in Mosab Hassan Yousef he has found a standout subject. Yousef, a Palestinian, was the son of a Hamas leader. He was also spying on the organisation for Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service. How that situation came about, and ultimately played out, is told by Schirman in the style of a thriller, with facts and tension mounting by the minute. Produced by the same team behind Man on Wire and Searching for Sugar Man, this is an incredible story told in a gripping, cinematic way.
Glasgow Film Theatre, December 12-18
Electricity (15)
three stars
Dir: Bryn Higgins
With: Agyness Deyn, Lenora Crichlow
Runtime: 96 minutes
THERE has long been a fashion in movies for models to make the crossover into acting, some doing so with more distinction than others. Agyness Deyn, who takes the lead in this British drama about a fractured family trying to come together again, is one such success. Deyn plays Lily, a young woman with epilepsy whose stress levels are sent soaring with the death of her mother and attempts to find her long lost and beloved brother. Bryn Higgins's picture struggles at times to be convincing, but there is never any doubting Deyn's talent and screen presence.
The Face of Love (12A)
one star
Dir: Arie Posin
With: Annette Bening, Ed Harris
Runtime: 90 minutes
STRAIGHT out of the box marked bonkers comes this tale of doppelgangers and grief. Annette Bening plays Nikki, who was blissfully married to Garret before he drowned on holiday. Years later, still buckled by her loss, Nikki is amazed to come across someone who looks just like her dear departed husband. What is going on? Bening, Harris, playing the man of many identities, and the late, lamented Robin Williams, turning up as Nikki's LA neighbour, do well to keep straight faces amid industrial quantities of hokum.
The Snow Queen: Magic of the Ice Mirror (U)
two stars
Dir: Aleksey Tsitsilin
Voices: Anna Khilkevich, Ivan Okhlobystin
Runtime: 79 minutes
BETWEEN Paddington and Penguins of Madagascar, the race for the festive family film buck is well and truly on. This Russian animation, being something of a donkey, is well back in the field. A follow up to the 2012's Snow Queen, Magic of the Ice Mirror sees the return of the adventurous young heroine Gerda and her sidekick troll friend, Orm. Having vanquished the Snow Queen the first time around, the pair are now faced with a new mission. A convoluted tale that would look more at home on a TV screen on Saturday mornings than a cinema.
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast (TBC)
three stars
Dir: Steve Loter
Voices: Mae Whitman, Ginnifer Goodwin
Runtime:
TINKER Bell, the hardest working gal in the fairy business, takes a back seat in this, the latest instalment in the animated series for the very young. This time it is fellow flyer and animal lover Fawn who is front and centre. Fawn wants to help a mysterious creature she has found in the woods, but the rest of Pixie Hollow fears the beast will destroy everything in its path if it is let loose. It is the usual, message-laden, harmless fluff, even if the girl power message is rather undermined by all the fairy characters looking like absolute babes.
Open Bethlehem (PG)
four stars
Dir: Leila Sansour
Runtime: 90 minutes
WHILE the little town of the title is in many minds at this time of the year, what is it like to live and work in modern Bethlehem? Filmmaker Leila Sansour returns after a long absence to cover a year in the life of the town as Israel builds its wall. As Sansour moves from observer to becoming more actively involved in shaping the future of her home town, she brings a familiar story to life in a refreshingly novel way.
Glasgow Film Theatre, December 12-14, followed by Q&A on December 12; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, December 11; Belmont, Aberdeen, December 13; DCA, Dundee, December 13; all with Q&As.
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