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| | | 'You really hope they don't have sex': meet the man behind the Finnish answer to Lost in Translation | | by Peter Bradshaw Apr 1, 2022 | | Juho Kuosmanen’s new film Compartment No 6 won the Cannes Grand Prix last year. He talks of how it was received in Russia, his underdog status and whether he is a romantic I am speaking to the Finnish film-maker Juho Kuosmanen, director of the prize-winning new film Compartment No 6, under conditions very different from our previous encounter at last autumn’s London film festival. That was a garrulous face-to-face chat about this film in the amiably chaotic surroundings of his central London distribution company. Now it’s our two subdued faces side-by-side on a computer screen, as we dwell on the fact that the phrase “third world war” used to be an essentially comic phrase, or category error, or a piece of intentionally ironic numerical wrongness like “sixth sense” or “fifth horseman of the apocalypse”. Compartment No 6 is set in the spring of 1998, the era that Kuosmanen says was Russia’s hopeful moment, when Boris Nemtsov could have taken over from Boris Yeltsin as president. Laura, played by Seidi Haarla, is a lonely Finnish archaeology student, who is getting over an affair with her professor in Moscow, and takes a colossally long and arduous train journey to Murmansk in remote north-western Russia to study rock drawings there. She sits herself down in scuzzy compartment No 6, and finds herself opposite Ljoha, played by Yuriy Borisov, a drunk and obnoxious Russian guy who instantly starts pestering her. He appears awful. He is awful. And yet after this meet-uncute it becomes clear that he may not be so awful. It’s a wonderful and thoroughly engaging film whose romantic element remains complex and elusive right to the very end of their epic train journey. Continue reading... | | | | | French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier dies at 78 | | by Jamie Grierson Apr 1, 2022 | | Demarchelier photographed Princess Diana, Beyonce and Madonna during long career Patrick Demarchelier, the fashion photographer who worked with high-profile figures including Diana, Princess of Wales, has died at the age of 78. His death was announced by his representatives on Instagram on Thursday. Continue reading... | | | | | We Move by Gurnaik Johal review – virtuosic stories of British-Punjabi life | | by Sana Goyal Apr 1, 2022 | | The understated and surprising tales in this debut collection provide multiple perspectives on recurring scenes The award-winning story Arrival, which opens Gurnaik Johal’s virtuosic debut collection, exemplifies his deceptively simple style. A young couple live near the airport, and a car has been left on their driveway by the sister of a friend. The car’s presence – its practicality and luxury – changes the couple’s relationship. Both humans and objects often appear or disappear in Johal’s stories, altering the destinies and dynamics of the protagonists’ lives. These loosely linked stories are mostly set in Southall, west London, among a close-knit British-Punjabi community, with multiple perspectives introduced that shed light on recurring scenes. Characters reappear across stories to create new beginnings and to change endings and readers’ expectations. Johal writes about relationships with the assuredness of Akhil Sharma, as untranslated Hindi, Punjabi and Marathi words and idioms sit confidently on the page. Leave to Remain is less about crossing political borders and more about traversing personal thresholds. The Red River is less about assimilation and more about finding a room of one’s own. Strange Attractor and Haven Green explore such elusive concepts as serendipity and destiny. Continue reading... | | | | | Grammy awards 2022: who will win – and who should | | by Ben Beaumont-Thomas Apr 1, 2022 | | The biggest night in American music sees Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Jon Batiste, Olivia Rodrigo and Silk Sonic among those battling for awards Abba – I Still Have Faith in You
Jon Batiste – Freedom
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga – I Get a Kick Out of You
Justin Bieber – Peaches (feat Daniel Caesar & Giveon)
Brandi Carlile – Right on Time
Doja Cat – Kiss Me More (feat SZA)
Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
Lil Nas X – Montero (Call Me By Your Name)
Olivia Rodrigo – Drivers License
Silk Sonic – Leave the Door Open Continue reading... | | | | | |
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