Kajillionaire, Siberia and Never Gonna Snow Again – LFF Capsule Reviews

With so many movies showing at the London Film Festival, it can be challenging to plough through all the full-length reviews. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered; these quick picks offer a summary of our thoughts alongside our star rating. This edition features Kajillionaire, Siberia and Never Gonna Snow Again.

Kajillionaire (2020)

Kajillionaire is showing in cinema’s nationwide now

There is an ethereal quality to Miranda July’s deadpan tale of dysfunctional family life. The narrative is surrounded by bubbling surrealist charm. July’s film, one part crime caper and one part psychosocial comedy. With love, belonging, and identity sitting at the core of a story that slowly wraps its audience in a quirky, tender and loving journey of acceptance.

Director: Miranda July

Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez, Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins

Genre: Comedy

Siberia (2020)

Visually stunning, Abel Ferrara’s journey into existential angst never quite finds its footing, despite Defoe in the saddle. The result feeling more like a grand artistic experiment than an accessible movie. The descent into a dreamlike void between reality and fiction not only losing the viewer but purposefully alienating them. Of course, some will find Siberia to be a work of art, but for me, it was a desolate, cold, and a rather lonely place to spend 92 minutes.

Director: Abel Ferrara

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Dounia Sichov, Simon McBurney

Genre: Mystery/Drama

Never Gonna Snow Again (2020)

Sitting somewhere between comic book fantasy and social satire, Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s film is both beautiful and, at times, frustrating. The beauty seated within a stunning dissection of middle-class life, as seen through the eyes of a rather gifted Ukrainian Masseur. His visits from one house to the next joyously dissecting the hidden truths that sit behind the doors of suburbia. Our masseur is played beautifully by Alec Utgoff, who floats through the streets and houses with a calm yet bold demeanour. But, while full of wonder, originality, satire and stunning performances, there are elements of the screenplay that suffer from a lack of space to breathe. The result of which leaves the viewer left dangling in a slightly frustrating finale.

Director: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert

Cast:  Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza, Weronika Rosati, Katarzyna Figura

Genre Fantasy/Comedy

Check out more from this years BFI London Film Festival here