Ina Clough Movies
- 2001
British independent filmmaker Andrew Kotting directed this drama that was loosely inspired by a novel by Emile Zola. Francine (Rebecca Palmer) and her sister, Kath (Demelza Randall), inherited their family's farm after the death of their parents, and together they've worked hard to keep the farm productive and profitable. Kath is a single mother whose boyfriend, Buto (Shane Attwool), has a unpredictable and sometimes violent disposition. Kath loves Buto, but his past behavior has earned the enmity of Francine, and she's not at all happy when Kath announces that Buto has finally asked for her hand in marriage. While Kath is delighted about the upcoming nuptials, it turns out Francine was right not to trust her future brother-in-law, as Buto's interest in marrying Kath is primarily motivated by a desire to lay claim to their farm. This Filthy Earth was screened in competition at the 2001 Edinburgh Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca Palmer, Shane Attwooll, (more)
- 1988
- PG13
Set in 1940s England, Distant Voices/Still Lives is a compassionate look at a radically dysfunctional family. The son and his mother must endure the casual and overt cruelties of the bull-necked father. The ongoing abuse takes its toll in the form of failed marriages and misguided attempts at seeking security outside the family unit. As was the case with his earlier short subject trilogy (The Children, Madonna and Child, Death and Transfiguration), director Terence Davies based much of the material on his own life, combining rheumy-eyed cynicism with soft-edged nostalgia (the musical track, drawn from popular wartime songs, is particularly evocative). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freda Dowie, Pete Postlethwaite, (more)
- 1986
- R
A moribund nightclub on the fringes of Liverpool's sprawl is the primary setting for this frenetic, dark, and confusing comedy done in a heavy regional "dialect" by director Peter Smith. Set on New Year's Eve, the film chronicles the rivalry between elderly Irish Catholic and Protestant attendees at a party held in a gritty pub in Liverpool. Mixed in with the warring oldsters are some shady types such as Billy the Beast, the killer of an Ulster terrorist. The club's new manager has a talent for dealing with mayhem and violence, but his first challenge lies in handling the punk rock band perversely scheduled to entertain the oldsters by the disgruntled former manager. After that challenge, he is faced with a magician on the verge of a nervous breakdown and other kinds of chaos that tear through the place. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Angelis, Avis Bunnage, (more)
Mike Leigh began his career as one of Britain's most interesting directors with this realistic drama about a woman looking for respite from an unsatisfying life. Sylvia (Anne Raitt) is a slightly overweight woman who works as a secretary and hasn't had much luck in romance. She shares her home with her retarded sister, whom she looks after, and has been dating Peter (Eric Allen), a schoolteacher whom she hopes will ask her to marry him. However, one evening they have a date that doesn't go especially well, and Sylvia discovers that Peter is impotent; he breaks up with her shortly afterward. The only other interesting relationship in her life is with Norman (Mike Bradwell), a hippie who rents out Sylvia's garage as a workspace for his underground newspaper and plays songs on his guitar for her sister. Bleak Moments was adapted from a play written by Leigh; as is his habit, the story was created in collaboration with the actors who originated the roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Raitt, Mike Bradwell, (more)
