The Kingdom (15)
Directed by Julien Colonna
★★★★★

IN THE incessant flood of shallow “hollywoodesque” entertainment by worn-out formulas every now and then a film makes it to the screens that addresses respectfully our need for stories that are imbued with recognisable emotional depth and offer illumination rather than titillation.

Julien Colonna’s debut The Kingdom is, on the surface, a glimpse into the Corsican mafia in the 1990s where unexpectedly one clan, attacked by unknowns, seeks to ascertain and nullify the threat.

The clan, made up of men of in their 50s and 60s, who grew up together in the coastal city of Ajaccio, is led by Pierre-Paul Savelli, impressively rendered by Saveriu Santucci. Savelli comes out of hiding to marshal the response.

It is then that he makes contact with his estranged teenage daughter Lesia — who’s looked after by her aunt — played with rare thoughtfulness by Ghjuvanna Benedetti.

From then on Colonna explores movingly the emotional turmoil of separation, the complexity of reunion and bonding anew, Lesia’s vulnerability and her potent love for the father she knows little about. She took up, despite reservations, the traditional wild boar hunting (for food) her father is fond of just to feel close to him.

The intimate moments of mutual discovery and tender affection between daughter and father are admirably filmed. It took Colonna, a Corsican, three and a half years to finish the film working mostly with non-professional actors.

In the background the narrative is strewn with tragedy and death brought about by greed and treachery to be anticipated in such modus vivendi.

The conclusion will, unexpectedly, offer a glimmer of salvation.
MB
In cinemas August 8

Young Hearts (12A)
Directed by Anthony Schatteman
★★★☆☆

YOUNG HEARTS, the debut feature by Anthony Schatteman, tells the story of Elias (Lou Goossens), a Belgian teen whose quiet life is upended when Alexander (Marius De Saeger), a confident boy from Brussels, moves in across the street. What unfolds is a tender, sun-dappled queer coming-of-age tale full of warmth, first love, and hesitant desire.

While the story, which echoes some elements of the film Close (2022) and the TV series Heartstopper (2022), brims with charm, it avoids deeper emotional complexity, especially in moments that call for more dramatic tension. A surprisingly supportive family, especially Elias’s empathetic grandfather, feels more idealised than earned.

Still, Schatteman’s personal touch is evident, and his aim to create the film he “needed to see” as a teen is both touching and important. As someone who grew up in a less accepting time, I found the story both distant and quietly hopeful. Young Hearts doesn’t push boundaries, but it tenderly celebrates how far we've come — and how far we still have to go.
LB
In cinemas August 8

Marlee Maitlin: Not alone any more (tbc)
Directed by Soshannah Stern
★★★☆☆

Marlee Maitlin was the first deaf actress to win an Academy Award for her role in Children of a Lesser God in 1986, co-starring with William Hurt with whom she had a tempestuous relationship off screen as well. The film tells how she made it in Hollywood, signing rather than speaking, although she did subsequently speak too. This was a very controversial decision: so many deaf people resisted the view that learning to speak, rather than signing, was the only way to gain wider acceptance.

Marlee Maitlin: Not alone any more charts the story of her career in film and television, including her successes in Seinfeld and the West Wing – as well as following aspects of her personal life as a survivor of domestic violence and abuse. Whilst repetitive in parts, this will be of particular interest to her fans.
MM
In cinemas August 8

Stans (15)
Directed by Steven Leckart
★★☆☆☆

BILLED as an exploration of the relationship between its producer – the rapper and songwriter Eminem – and his obsessive fans, Stans drifts off-theme and becomes a tedious mess.  

The term “Stan” comes from Eminem’s 2000 hit about a dangerously fixated devotee. The fans participating in the film’s vox-pop interviews are likeable, but the veneration of their musical idol is sometimes unsettling. One has multiple Eminem tattoos; others opt for homage through cosplay. Disappointingly, the causes and consequences of these behaviours are not considered.

This material is intercut with vacuous commentary from celebrity talking heads, and rushed accounts of Eminem’s childhood, artistic processes, stage personae and attitude to fame. Stephen Leckert’s approach to these issues is so shallow that his film is less than the sum of its parts.  

A documentary on fandom and the parasocial relationships it creates would be fascinating, but Stans is a hagiography rather than a thoughtful investigation.  
AH
In cinemas August 7