The Blue Trail (15)
Directed by Gabriel Mascaro
⭑⭑⭑☆☆

THREATENED with exile to a senior citizen colony, 77-year-old Tereza responds to Dylan Thomas’s demand that “old age should burn and rave.” Arrested for undocumented overage travelling, she escapes and experiences a series of strange encounters.

Gabriel Mascaro’s fifth feature, set in near-future Brazil, focuses on the resilience of older people in transcending the indignities imposed by capitalism.

Unfortunately, its impact is diluted by an overelaborate backstory and multiple shifts of style and genre. There are echoes of Logan’s Run, The African Queen, Thelma and Louise and Apocalypse Now, as well as hints of magical realism.

There is much to admire: dazzling and imaginative photography of the Amazon; Denise Weinberg’s commanding portrayal of Tereza; and a thrillingly ambiguous casino sequence that might be reality or dream.  

It begins as gritty dystopian satire: Tereza’s gruelling work at an alligator meat processing plant ends when the ageist, authoritarian government declares her an example of “national living heritage.” Policies are communicated through vacuous slogans while police in “wrinkle wagons” apprehend citizens with grey hair. This segment is beautifully shot, but heavy handed in guiding emotional response.

The film comes to life when Tereza encounters two forms of blue trail — the Amazon and the hallucinogenic emissions of the rare blue drool snail, which seems to enable visions of the future. She hits the river with dodgy but charming captain Cadu; and later finds sanctuary – and perhaps love — with an elderly rebel known as The Nun, an atheist touting digital bibles from a double-deck riverboat.  

AH
In cinemas, April 17
 

Kiss of the Spider Woman (15)
Directed by Bill Condon
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

SET in Argentina in May 1983 as the military dictatorship wages a brutal campaign against its political enemies, two prisoners, who are politically poles apart, are forced to share a cramped jail cell in this ambitious and spectacular musical drama from the director of Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast, Bill Condon.

The story, written and directed by Condon, is based on the 1993 stage musical (seven Tony Awards) which was, in turn, based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel which inspired Hector Babenco’s 1985 film version starring William Hurt (Oscar for best actor) and Raul Julia.

This new adaptation features Diego Luna as Valentin Arregui, a Marxist revolutionary who refuses to break under torture and interrogation, and Tonatiuh as Luis Molina, a gay window dresser who loves Hollywood musicals and insists on recounting his favourite film to Valentin — Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring his favourite screen siren Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Valentin tells Molina he hates musicals and finds them ridiculous (which I concur).

This is a film of two halves — one a gritty and brutal political prison drama, the other a Technicolor-styled fantasy musical — which blend seamlessly. The latter is sheer escapism, which the two men desperately need from their harsh reality of beatings, poisonings and homophobic abuse.

Luna is exceptional while Tonatiuh is a total revelation as the vulnerable and fragile Molina. Lopez is just dazzling as she sings and dances in sequences evoking Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and Bob Fosse, among others.

At its core this is about human connection and finding beauty in tragedy as these two men find love and solace in each other as reality and fantasy start blending into one another.  

A tender and heartbreaking visual extravaganza. 

MD 
In cinemas, April 17

Colours of Time (15)
Directed by Cedric Klapisch
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

BOLD and inventive, this surreal comedy-drama examines captivatingly the birth of Impressionism and the relationship between photography and painting.

Co-written and directed by Cedric Klapisch, it follows four cousins, all strangers, who are brought together when they inherit an abandoned house in rural Normandy. It is full of old photos of their ancestor Adele (Suzanne Lindon) and an Impressionist painting and thus begins their journey to uncover her life.

The film moves between the present and the past as the 21-year-old Adele heads to Paris in 1895 to find her estranged mother.

It opens with a hilarious critique of influencers and their superficiality. There are some other priceless moments including the four cousins taking Ayahuasca, which transports them to an art exhibition where Cezanne, Degas, Renoir and Monet are having their picture taken.

Masterfully crafted it is both funny and terribly moving. It is a must-see. 

MD
In cinemas, April 17

Glenrothan (12A)
Directed by Brian Cox 
⭑⭑⭑☆☆

BRIAN COX’S directorial debut feature at 79 is a gentle yet poignant love letter to Scotland and to whisky.

Set in the fictional town of Glenrothan, the film follows the rapprochement of two estranged brothers after almost 40 years. Donal (Alan Cumming) returns from Chicago to his childhood home to make amends with his older sibling Sandy (Cox) who is seriously ill and needs him to take over the family distillery

However, it stirs up painful memories about his fractious relationship with his emotionally abusive father and the traumatic reason he left.

The Scottish Highlands have never looked as wild and as breathtaking in this slow-burning drama which explores the themes of family, reconciliation and heritage.

Cumming is astounding as he gives his most nuanced and powerful performance to date alongside a formidable Cox, while Shirley Henderson is equally phenomenal and a scene stealer.

Cox shows great promise behind the camera in this beautiful homage to his native Scotland. 

MD
In cinemas, April 17.