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Family and community takes center stage with the three new releases we are highlighting this week. A French urban drama, a British LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story and an archive-based short film may all seem very different on the surface but each one contains themes and messages of people being brought together under trying circumstances.
Safety is of course at the forefront of everyone's mind right now so make sure to check out the specific guidelines for your local cinema before visiting. Meanwhile, many cinemas have used lockdown as an opportunity to improve and renovate their venues so that we can all enjoy the best possible cinema experience.
New in cinemas
Gagarine
This stylish French drama set in urban Paris puts an emphasis on marginalised communities, the struggles they face and how an individual's class and background does not define their aspirations in life. It follows Youri, a resourceful teenager and a gifted engineer who lives in Cité Gagarine. Although he has been abandoned by his mother, Youri is optimistic about the future and obsessed with science in all its forms, especially the concept of space travel. He is devastated to find out that Cité Gagarine, his entire world, is set to be demolished and everybody who lives there must leave. Determined to make sure that the building will survive and his community will not be fractured, he enlists the help of his best friend Houssam and the gifted Diana, a local Roma girl on which he has a quiet crush, to defend the building until the end.
Also new in cinemas
Sweetheart
A welcome addition to the LGBTQ+ coming-of-age film canon, Sweetheart is also an authentic look at the frictions that occur inside the family unit around topics of sexuality or gender and how we might be able to overcome them. 17-year-old AJ is mortified at the thought of having to spend time with her family at a Dorset holiday camp. Not only does she look different from them, in her orange-tinted glasses and bucket hat, but her family don't seem to understand her passion for environmentalism, sexuality and gender expression. One day at the pool with her little sister she meets Isla, one of the young lifeguards. The two fall for each other, prompting AJ to reflect on her identity and way of seeing the world.
New Short Film on Into Film+
Lost Connections
Created in collaboration with twelve moving image archives across the UK, this short film responds to the experience of the Coronavirus pandemic, looking in particular at the effects on human connection and the unique experiences of loneliness, isolation and loss. The filmmakers aim is to provide a thoughtful and powerful exploration of community and the many emotions that can arise when reconnecting with others and to a world that has significantly changed. Featuring a variety of fascinating footage and led by a poetic voiceover, Lost Connections is an accessible piece that can help spark conversations about contemporary society and the drastic changes to our personal lives.
