The Week - UK (2022-02-19)

ARTS 27

19 February 2022 THEWEEK

Film

AdamKay’smemoirabouthistimeasanNHS

doctorsoldabout“atrillioncopiesinamillion

languages”,saidDeborahRossinTheMailon

Sunday.ThisBBCadaptationofThisIs GoingTo

Hurtis justas“gory,despairing,riveting,tender

andinsightful”asthebook.BenWhishawplays

Kay,ajuniorregistrargrapplingwiththeeveryday

horrorsofobstetricsandgynaecology(or,asit is

known,“bratsandtwats”).Theshowopenswith

Kaywakinginhiscar,havingbeen“tootired”

todrivehomethenightbefore;verysoon,the

medicalincidentsarepilingup.Theseven-part

seriesis “unflinching”inawaymostmedical

dramasarenot,“particularlyindetailingthe

errorsthancan,anddo,happen”.

Whishaw’slastoutingwasasQinNoTimetoDie,saidEd

CumminginTheIndependent;it’srefreshingto

seehim“freedfromtheshacklesofthatclaggy

franchiseintoarolebettersuitedtohisgifts”.

AsKay,heis byturnsspikyandempathetic,

displayingimpeccablyfluentcomictiming.If they

hadn’tcastWhishaw,saidCamillaLonginThe

SundayTimes,Kaymighthavecomeacrossas“a

steaming,angryfailure”–his diariesdomakehim

seemlikea“completemisogynist”.ButWhishaw

is “funnyandwarm”,evenashenavigatesthe

“warzone”ofthehospital,portrayedhereasa

“bottomlesspitofpiss-stainedexhaustion”.Ialso

lovedthesceneswithhismother(HarrietWalter),

an“off-the-pegaristocraticlemonsucker”who

forcedhersontobecomeadoctor.“TheBBChasmade

somethingtobeproudof.”

This is GoingtoHurt:BenWhishawshinesin agorymedical comedy

KennethBranagh’s“longcoronavirally delayed”AgathaChristieadaptation hasfinally“puffed

effortfullyintoharbour”,said Peter BradshawinTheGuardian. Branaghreprises hisroleasthe

“amplymoustached”Poirot,lastseenon theOrientExpress,andnow steaminghisway downthe

Nile.AmonghisfellowpassengersareLinnet(GalGadot),a“glamorousheiress” travellingwithher

new husbandSimon, “unfortunatelyplayed” bythescandal-struckArmieHammer,in whatmaybe

his last movierole; SophieOkonedoasajazzsingerandLetitia Wright asher manager;and Dawn

Frenchand JenniferSaunders,playingarich socialist andherlady’smaid.After oneofthese

travellersisoffed,themurdermystery “grinds intoaction, bringingupindue coursemore dead

bodieslikethe ship’spaddlewheel”–butwith nosense ofcrescendo orclimax.

The real mysteryhere,saidCharlotte O’Sullivanin theLondon EveningStandard, iswhyBranagh

strayed sofar fromthesourcetext, tosuchsentimentaleffect. Poirothereisn’tthe“persnickety”

detectivewe knowand love,butaman“scarredin every sense” byhis experiencesin theFirst World

War.Hecries;hefallsinlove. “Thisisthe Belgiandetectiveaswe’veneverseenhim before.And,

frankly,as Ihaveno wish tosee him again.” Thequestion that occurred tome,said BrianViner

in theDailyMail,isn’t“whodunnit,butwhymakeit?”Youmaybe“mildly engaged”as Poirot

exercisesthe“littlegreycells”. Ultimately,though,thishandsomefilmisunlikely todelightanybody

except theEgyptianTouristBoard–“atleast notuntil iteventuallypopsup intheChristmasTV

schedules, whenit willbe just perfect forapost-prandialsnooze”.

Deathon

theNile

2hrs7mins(12A)

Starrybutunsatisfying

AgathaChristieadaptation

★★

This“unmissable” Danish animation received threeOscar nominationslast week,which should

bumpitup “alittlehigheron audienceradars”, said ChristinaNewlandinThe iPaper.Thefilm

tellsthe “anguish-riddenbutultimatelyhopeful truestory”ofAmin,agayAfghan refugeewhowas

raised inKabul,escapedthe mujahideen asayoungmaninthe 1 980s,relocated toSoviet Russia,

and finallysettled inCopenhagen“withaheadfullof hauntingmemories”.While archive footageis

wovenin, most ofthefilmunfoldsina“deliberatelycrudepencilled animation style” that manages

toconveyAmin’soften horrifyingexperiences inasensitiveand “deeplyhumane”fashion.

Thisisafilmthat“simplywouldn’thaveworkedin anymediumbut animation”,saidRobbie

Collin inTheDailyTelegraph. DirectorJonasPoherRasmussen,whometAminwhentheywere

at schooltogether,reconstructs his friend’slifestory “asastringof reminiscences,someflurried and

impressionistic,setdownhotinamatter ofmoments,and othersrecorded withserene,Tintin-esque

precision”.Aminhimself,whoserealnameisnotdisclosed, is“greatcompany”throughout:

“unsparing,eloquentandself-effacing”. Ifoundthe wholething“thrillingly unique”;both“achingly

beautifulandhumane”.The“seriouscartoon for grown-ups genre”–thinkPersepolisorWaltzwith

Bashir–mayhavefound its definingentrywiththis“affecting”documentary, agreedKevinMaher

in TheTimes.As thefilm proceeds,the“violationsandemotionalendurances”becomealmost

unbearable–yetthedirectorunleashes a“climaxofsuchbittersweet ecstasy thatallbut the hardest

heartswillshatter”.Itendsin “tears ofjoy”;someOscarswouldbe“afitting coda”.

Flee

1hr 29mins(15)

Movinganimated

documentaryaboutan

Afghanrefugee

★★★★★

MarryMeisnotexactly a“future Sunday-afternoonromcomclassic”, saidAdam Whitein The

Independent,butit’sperfectlywatchable stuff.JenniferLopezstarsas Kat, apop star who decides

tomarryher equallyfamous boyfriendBastian(playedbytheColombiansinger Maluma)during

aMadisonSquareGarden concert.“Mereseconds beforeshe hits the stage”, however, Kat learns

that“he’sbeencheatingon her with herassistant”.Devastated,“butwearinganexpensivewedding

dress”, shedoes“whatanyself-respectingpublicity houndwould do:she plucksarandomaudience

memberfromthecrowdand marries himinstead”. Luckilyfor her, mathsteacherCharlie(Owen

Wilson)isagentledivorcee with acutechild, and the pair fallinlove“fasterthanyoucansay

NottingHill”.Evenfor aromcom, theplotstretchescredibility–butthefilm“justabout gets

awaywithit”,thanks tothe “winsomechemistry”oftheleadingduo.

“Onpaper thisshouldn’treallywork,”saidMatthew Bond inTheMailon Sunday.“Thepremise

isslight and predictable andLopez, at52,and Wilson,at 53, aresurely alittle toooldto properly

convince.”Onscreen,however,it’sa“treat”,helpedalongby“somelovely setpieces, awell-

polished screenplay and thefactthatLopez–obviouslyplayingaversionofherself–hasalways

beengood at this sortofthing.”I’m afraiditdidn’tcharm me,saidEdward Porter in TheSunday

Times. Thefilmtries to glide over itsunconvincingpremise andshoddystructure “byvirtue of

sheer,shmaltzyniceness”.A“muchbetter ideawould have been to include funny jokes”.

MarryMe

1hr 52mins(12A)

Predictablebutwatchable

JenniferLopezromcom

★★★

Whishaw:“funnyandwarm”

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