White Settlers
September is another terrific movie month with a wide range of movies set to hit the big screen.
However, if you are looking for something a little less mainstream to enjoy, we have a series of independent films that cannot be missed.
- White Settlers - released 6th September
White Settlers has hit the big screen today and is the second feature film for director Simeon Halligan: he made his debut with Splintered back in 2010.
He returns to the horror genre with White Settlers as he teams up with Pollyanna McIntosh and Lee Williams.
McIntosh is no stranger to this genre either after her terrific performance in the now club movie The Woman.
It’s Ed and Sarah’s first night at their new home, an isolated farmhouse. This should be a new beginning away from their stressful London lives.
And at first, it is; come sunset they fall in love all over again as they wander in the beautiful Scottish landscape. But as darkness falls, Sarah suspects they’re not alone, Ed goes to investigate and quickly, the evening becomes a nightmare.
It suddenly dawns on them; they do not belong here. And they’re certainly not welcome...
- Finding Fela - released 5th September
Director Alex Gibney has been behind some terrific documentary movies during his career, and now he is back with Finding Fela.
Finding Fela takes us behind-the-scenes look into the Broadway musical, Fela! and gives insight on the life of activist/Afrobeat superstar, Fela Kuti.
2014 has been another terrific year for the documentary genre, and Finding Fela is another movie that is not to be missed.
If you are not familiar with Fela Kuti then this is an excellent place to start, and this movie take a look at his live and shows off his music in fine style.
Perhaps the film doesn't fully pull the curtain back on this enigmatic figure, but it certainly fills in the gaps of our knowledge of this fascinating musician.
- At Berkeley - released 12th September
At Berkeley was one of the movies that I saw and enjoyed at the BFI London Film Festival last year, and it is great that this movie is finally getting a theatrical release.
Directed by Frederick Wiseman, At Berkeley takes us inside the prestigious American school to take a closer look at the problems that it is facing.
Wiseman has been making movies about American institutions for the majority of his forty-year career - and he really has delivered a film that is another very interesting and quite complex watch.
However, At Berkeley is not just a film about the problems that are facing this school, as it also looks into the inequality of the U.S. educational system. We are taken into the classroom where we come face to face with the opinions of some of the students.
From start to finish, this was an interesting watch and one of the best documentaries at the London Film Festival last year.
- Ida - released 26th September
Ida was another movie that I thoroughly enjoyed at London Film Festival last year, as Pawel Pawlikowski returned to the director's chair.
The movie follows Anna, a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland, is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the Nazi occupation.
Agata Trzebuchowska is this film's driving force in the central role of Anna. Her silence makes her a fascinating character, as you never quite know if she is denying or accepting the truths that she uncovers: quite often, her silence is more powerful than any words.
Ida is a movie that really is an ode to Poland, the history of the country and what the Jews suffered during the Second World War.
But this is also a film that sees a young woman discover who she is, while exploring the very limits of faith.
Ida went on to win the Grand Prix Best Film award at the London Film Festival, and is a movie not to be missed.
- Honeymoon - released 26th September
We finish with another horror film, as Honeymoon is set to get a limited released at the end of the month.
Honeymoon sees Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway in the central roles, while Leigh Janiak is in the director's chair.
Young newlyweds Paul (Treadaway) and Bea (Rose Leslie) travel to remote lake country for their honeymoon, where the promise of private romance awaits them.
Shortly after arriving, Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of the night.
As she becomes more distant and her behaviour increasingly peculiar, Paul begins to suspect something more sinister than sleepwalking took place in the woods.
Honeymoon is a movie that I haven't had a chance to see yet, but it really is promising to be quite a creepy watch.
Other movies to watch out for include Watermark, In Order Of Disappearance, and Human Capital.
Tagged in Honeymoon