THE ASSISTANT ★★★★☆
Directed by Kitty Green. Starring Julia Garner, Matthew Macfadyen, Makenzie Leigh, Kristine Froseth, Noah Robbins, Jon Orsini. Various platforms, 85 min
An assistant at a production company (Garner) experiences long work days characterised by menial tasks, snacking on crumbs and cereal. Harvey Weinstein doesn't appear in The Assistant, nor does anyone mention him by name, but Jane's boss is clearly a stand-in. Kitty Green's follow-up to Casting JonBenet is elegant, gripping and minimalist. Garner is terrific in a role that often relies entirely on movement and facial expression.Picture Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman for the #MeToo generation. Full review TB
EMA ★★★★★
Directed by Pablo Larraín. Starring Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael García Bernal, Paola Giannini, Santiago Cabrera. Mubi, 102 min
A carnal telenovela in which the lines between dance, sex, and fire-starting are blurred, Ema stars Di Girolamo as a grieving mother looking for solace in what looks like all the wrong places. The erratic Larraín hits brilliant form again. A boldness courses through every fibre of Di Girolamo's being, through every stunning composition by DOP Sergio Armstrong, and through Nicolás Jaar's electrifying score. Dance and cinema marry to create an innovative grammar. Get to Mubi now. Full review TB
NOTHING FANCY ★★★★☆
Directed by Elizabeth Carroll. Featuring Diana Kennedy. VOD, 75 min
Lovely, economic documentary on Diana Kennedy, the Englishwoman who did for Mexican cooking in the 1970s what Elizabeth David did for French a decade and a bit earlier. Nothing Fancy is a rare documentary one would wish longer. The contemporary Kennedy is marvellous company: awkward, intelligent, amusing, realistic about mortality. The archival footage reveals one of those unusual creatures who, born in the pre-television age, proved a natural on the new medium. She's cranky, but she has earned the right to be so. DC
