Adventures on the Internet

Once again Clint Eastwood throws caution to the wind, directing himself in a supporting part in this drama examining the pressing social issues confronting immigrants in mid-western USA. The lead role is played by Clyde, a tree-dwelling native of the forests of Borneo and Sumatra, who is finding it difficult to adjust to the mores of rural Nebraska. Whilst lodging with Eastwood's character (Philo Beddoe), Clyde seeks excitement as a spectator at barbaric bare-knuckle fights - a sport from which Beddoe ekes out a precarious existence. In the course of his travels with Beddoe, Clyde is subjected to the twin horrors of bikers and country music. Unsurprisingly his tenuous grasp on reality finally snaps, leading to alcohol dependency and increasingly coarse mannerisms.

A disturbing glimpse of modern-day USA. Not for the squeamish.

Railway journeys are the defining cultural experience of our age, so it was inevitable I'd choose this mode of transport for my summer outing. The Inverness Caledonian Sleeper service makes an unpromising start from Euston, a worthy competitor for the title of London's least attractive railway terminus. Perhaps it's the drab 1960's feel of the place, or possibly the beer-swilling northerners (no offence!) on the station concourse. In any case, boarding can't come too soon, as we are welcomed by the friendly staff, drawn mainly from the Baltic states.

The cabins are clean and functional, but decidedly not luxurious. The faded decor throughout the sleeper carriages and the lounge suggest that First Scotrail has decided shareholder profit can't be sacrificed at the altar of customer service. Nevertheless, the lounge car is comfortable enough, and a pleasant environment in which to consume a sleeping draught. At least the bar tariff has a 21st century feel about it.

A patchy night's sleep ensues, as the train winds its way up the west coast mainline. Rising at 0700, we find ourselves two hours behind schedule in the central lowlands, but who cares? Within half an hour the magnificent Highland scenery is rolling by, as we tuck in to breakfast washed down with as much tea and coffee as can be drunk. The perfect start to a day in the far north. Only the prospect of a return journey by aeroplane can detract from the pleasure of the experience.

An estranged father returns to spend quality time with his two sons Andrej and Ivan, who live with their mother and grandmother in a remote Russian village. What starts out as a short fishing trip is extended and becomes intertwined with business to which the father must attend, and their journey is transformed into a physical and emotional endurance test set in the context of the relationship between three males in a patriarchal society.

Little prior detail is disclosed, so the reason for the father's long term absence and his present circumstances remain mysterious although there's a suspicion that he may have underworld connections. Photographs discovered by his sons hint at the possibility of a second family elsewhere.

Each character displays a distinctive mental resilience - the father in his generally harsh treatment of his sons, Ivan through a rebellious spirit that refuses to yield to that treatment, and finally Andrej in his pragmatic approach to coping with the circumstances that bring to a close their short time together.

In summary a stark film, encompassing an engrossing study of family relationships in a society far removed from the drawing rooms of the soi disant liberal intelligentsia.
Well worth seeing.

An engaging journey through events in pre- and post-revolutionary Iran, seen through the eyes of Marji, a young girl growing up in a westernised Teheran family under both the Shah and Khomeini's regime.
Marji's development from lively infant to rebellious teenager leads to clashes with the religious authorities, prompting her family to send her into exile in Vienna, rather than risk imprisonment, rape and execution. Life in Vienna, though less risky proves just as difficult and ultimately unfulfilling, and in time Marji rejoins her family in Iran where she finds herself a stranger in her homeland. She attends university, falls in love, gets married, falls out of love, and finally returns to exile in Paris.

Revolving around Marji is a cast of characters whose individual lives are equally disrupted by the world-changing events going on around them - the fall of the Shah, the Iranian revolution, Khomeini's return, and the Iran-Iraq war. Relatives return from exile, are imprisoned, tortured, executed. Neighbours are killed in Iraqi missile attacks. Marji's family and friends conduct a westernised social life behind closed doors when they can, consisting of parties, pop music, and home-brewed alcohol, always under threat of discovery and punishment.

Throughout it all, one constant figure is Marji's beloved grandmother, who dispenses wisdom, comfort, reassurance, and who also has an interesting line in beauty tips.

Persepolis exposes some of the characteristics of individual human stories behind the headlines that have documented life in Iran over the past 30 years. Complex, humorous and poignant, you'll laugh and cry in equal measure.

Essential viewing.

Lacking a narrative thread, this series of occasionally comic scenes, featuring a cast of melancholy Scandinavians some of whose lives briefly overlap, skilfully charts the minutiae of ordinary life, and the hopes and disappointments contained therein.
Washed-out greys and pastel colours fill every shot, contributing to the downbeat feel of the film, and the contrast between the clean elegant public spaces depicted in the exterior shots and the dingy apartments inhabited by the characters hints at an underlying conflict between the public and interior lives of the protagonists.
Beautiful imagery, and stirring music courtesy of the 'Louisiana Brass Band'; essential viewing.