Emily Maskell

Rivalry and romance bloom in Swedish-Georgian director Levan Akin’s captivating coming-of-age drama.

Spinning in dizzying circles of desire, Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) repeatedly stumbles as he tries to land on his feet. The physically demanding steps of Georgian dance consume his every thought; it is only when the mesmerising Irakli (Bachi Valishvili) steps onto the dance floor that Merab snaps out of his daze. The two are opposites who slot together effortlessly; Merab’s sharp features compl...

From page to screen, André Aciman’s ‘Call Me by Your Name’ has captured the hearts of readers and filmgoers alike with its authentic characters and alluring narrative. Later this year, the Call Me by Your Name universe is set to expand with the release of Aciman’s sequel, ‘Find Me’...

Two brilliant new movies are giving the quiet teenage girl a long-awaited strength. Emily Maskell looks back on The Edge of Seventeen and Eighth Grade, celebrating the voices of the ones who usually hide.
There’s nothing like falling into bed after school and recounting all the nightmare-inducing interactions that have just been lived through. From mortifying conversations to cringe-worthy silences, all that remains is to contemplate: when will the memorable moments start happening in this mo...

In James Eames’ pertinent documentary, the rumbles of a revolution begin to reverberate. It begins in the subdued streets of Tbilisi, where a quiet game of hide-and-seek is being played. The hiders are a small group of LGBTQIA+ activists, bravely organising the first public Pride march on Georgian soil. Meanwhile, the seekers are counter-demonstrators: far-right groups who prowl the streets in an attempt to intimidate. For the seekers, this is a game of outmaneuvering an opponent; but for the...

With his tremendous new film And Then We Danced, director Levan Akin is responding to Tbilisi's yearning for progress – a dancing rebellion is marching forward, finds Emily Maskell
“I am weak for folk dance, all folk dance, but there is something so cinematic about Georgian dance.” Levan Akin means this wholeheartedly. The filmmaker’s coming-of-age film is set under the watchful eyes of the conservative values of Tbilisi, Georgia, as Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) dances his heart out for a place ...

In the end credits of Proxima the names and images of mothers and their children are shown, family portraits where each of these women are kitted out in full astronaut gear. These brave women are the real-life individuals that Proxima honours. Through exploring Sarah Loreau’s (Eva Green) aspiration of leaving earth, while battling her role and responsibility as a mother to her young daughter, Proxima unites titles of mother and astronaut. Both roles are synonymous with venturing into the unkn...

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A sweltering summer romance set in mid-1980s Normandy which balances thematic darkness with exhilarating liberation, Summer of 85 is the latest film from François Ozon (8 femmes, Swimming Pool).
16-year-old Alex (Félix Lefebvre) and 18-year-old David (Benjamin Voisin) meet when Alex’s sailboat capsizes during a storm. David is a floppy-haired, dreamy prince charming who heroically saves the younger man, taking Alex home as if he were a lost puppy. David, who can recite poetry and hyp...

Across just three features, Eliza Hittman has cemented herself as an incomparable presence in American independent cinema. Her young characters wrestle with intense feelings, and such heat manifests physically, too. Across It Felt Like Love, Beach Rats and Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Emily Maskell writes on Hittman’s tactile fascination and exploration of the human body, closing in on the details of our skin.

Benjamin Ree’s fascinating documentary explores the relationship between an artist and the complicated man who stole her paintings
The premise of The Painter and the Thief is almost too good to be true: an artist befriending the criminal who stole their most valuable work. Refraining from succumbing to over-dramatics, Benjamin Ree’s intriguing documentary is an arresting portrait of the human connection.
This unbelievable tale of improbable friendship begins with Barbora Kysilkova, a Czech ar...

Francis Lee has a challenge to follow-up God’s Own Country, his masterfully honed debut, a stunning rumination of isolation and sexuality in the story of a young gay man’s self-acceptance. With Ammonite, Lee swaps the rural fields of Yorkshire for southern coastlines in a quietly affecting romance under the grey skies of Lyme Regis. With little knowledge of the private life of the real Mary Anning, Ammonite fills in the gaps with queer pining and fossil hunting.

In an oversized orange hoodie and leopard print pants with multi-coloured painted nails, Fraser Wilson (Jack Dylan Grazer) is a teenager draped in unique fabrics. He arrives on the screen with an influx of questioning: Where is his luggage? What’s your zodiac sign? Who am I? At the heart of Luca Guadagnino’s We Are Who We Are, a queer coming-of-age show, is the self-questionning of Fraser’s identity.

Black rooms and bloody toilets: our writers choose the most frightening scenes in film, from classic horror to coming-of-agers
The Bonfire (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) – Emily Maskell, Contributor
Fear can be the last component of a terrifying realisation and yet the most visceral. In Céline Sciamma’s stunning film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Marianne (Noémie Merlant) experiences that hair-raising dread as she looks through the bonfire that separates her and Héloïse (Adèle Haenel). As the flames dance between them, Marianne realises she has fallen in love and, subsequently, the terror...

Sat opposite each other at a shared desk, Jane (Jeanette Maus) and Fiona (Sara Amini) hum along to the same tune. The camera fully circles them before Fiona looks down at her phone and her face drops. Minutes later, a body jumps from the top of the building.

The line between performer and performance becomes blurred as the work bleeds into life in Patric Chiha’s documentary: If It Were Love (Si c’était de l’amour). It seems fitting that in this era of theatrical pause, where the arts are succumbing to judgement, that a film would arrive as an appreciation of the intimacies and duplexities of performance.

Supernova is a tender, devastatingly gorgeous road trip, brooding with introspection.