A New Kind of Wilderness (12A)
Directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen 
★★★★

A NORWEGIAN-English couple, who left the rat race to bring up their four bilingual children on a small farm in a forest in Norway independently and self-sufficiently, are the focal point of this captivating and moving documentary by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen.

Choosing to live an isolated life, Maria and Nik Payne home-schooled their kids, teaching them to live wild and free and to be one with nature (watching them chop down trees was incredible to witness, if a little disturbing) and without technology. 

Jacobsen first met Maria in 2014 after following her blog WildandFree.no but by the time she was able to make a film about the Paynes in 2019 they were dealing with grief following Maria’s death, which upended their idyllic life and propelled them into modern society.

Unable to pay the mortgage, Nik was forced to sell the farm and downsize and to send his non-materialistic children to school where they were given a tablet and encouraged to watch television shows for the very first time. This is heartbreaking to witness as they soon become hooked on apps and playing games.  

Silje paints an intimate and soulful portrait of a close-knit family rocked by tragedy, and shows how children cope with loss as they speak candidly about their feelings which is heartbreaking to hear. 

It is a bittersweet film, which is inspiring, and touching and illustrates the advantages of living off the grid. 
MD
In cinemas May 16. 
 

The Marching Band (15)
Directed by Emmanuel Courcol
★★★

IN need of a lifesaving bone marrow transplant, an internationally renowned conductor discovers he is adopted and has an unknown brother in this gentle but rousing French comedy drama. 

Suffering from leukaemia, Thibaut (Benjamin Lavernhe) seeks out his sibling Jimmy (Pierre Lottin), a factory worker and member of the local marching band for his help in becoming a donor. 

Thibaut is soon haunted by the fact he had a comfortable upbringing, raised by a middle-class couple which provided him with lots of opportunities while Jimmy, also a musician, did not as he was brought up singlehandedly by his grandmother.  

Co-written and directed by Emmanuel Courcol, this funny but heartfelt drama is set against the backdrop of a looming factory closure and striking workers, although it is the blossoming friendship between the two brothers that takes centre stage.

As Thibaut recognises Jimmy’s musical talent he encourages him to push himself and aim higher which results in a wake-up call for Jimmy. 

This is a captivating film about two worlds colliding which ends on an overwhelmingly emotional and touching note.  
MD
In cinemas May 16.
 

Good One (15)
Directed by India Donaldson
★★★★



 

IN India Donaldson’s emotionally intense debut feature the landscape of the Catskill Mountains shapes conversations, modifies moods and offers a symbolic commentary on the narrative. Beautifully composed shots of characters in woodland, water and firelight are as central to the story as its terse but telling dialogue.

Seventeen-year-old Sam embarks on a hiking trip with her father, Chris and his friend Matt. Lily Collias is quietly compelling as Sam.

The hike is sustained by Sam’s effort, practical skill and emotional intelligence, but this is undermined by the careless entitlement of the men. They bicker, drink and veer from bluster to self-pity. Matt teases Sam about her sexuality and a crisis occurs when he makes a drunken pass.

Donaldson swerves cinematic cliche. No horrors lurk in the woods; Sam’s bonding with nature doesn’t bring her closer to her father; and, while social obligations are explored, the urge to moralise is resisted.
AH
In cinemas May 16.

Magic Farm (15)
Directed by Amalia Ulman
★★

WHEN a group of second-rate US documentary film-makers turn their attention to a musical phenomenon of San Cristobal they neglect to check which of the 105 places in Latin America is their intended destination.

Consequently they arrive in godforsaken rural Argentina where, witless, they are forced to improvise.

What would normally offer a rich vein for a comedy on unpredictable culture clashes turns into a limp series of turgid vignettes with hardly a likeable character in sight and crucially no humour at all save the cringing sort.

Pseudo political commentary is sprinkled by the hotel receptionist played engagingly by Guillermo Jacubowicz who, touchingly, reciprocates the amorous attention of the sound man Justin (well rendered by Joe Apollonio).

In the ongoing shambles integrity is provided by Camila del Campo who transfixes as the streetwise influencer model Manchi.

However, not even the excellent cinematography Carlos Rigo Belliver can save this Titanic. 
MB
In cinemas May 16.