London Film Festival 2025 reviews: Jay Kelly, Sirat and another, out now…Urchin
Jay Kelly – Hollywood’s finest
Director: Noah Baumbach
132 minutes
REPRISING old Hollywood glamour with George Clooney in the titular role as Jay Kelly is something of a banker, no? Writer-director Noah Baumbach has burst into the A league off the back of his indie films (‘The Squid and The Whale‘) and being Mr Greta Gerwig – the two coming up through the same system, working together and sharing artistic sensibilities – though for this critic, Baumbach offered more from the outset. Jay Kelly is a hugely successful Hollywood star and it’s the death of a beloved director (Jim Broadbent) who gave him the lead in one of his early hit movies that sets off down memory lane. These scenes where he walks back into time (literally) are tremendous, as we see the young Kelly making his way; where the film loses itself a little is in what happens in Italy, when his team set out to receive a lifetime tribute award. Fine moments with Clooney and Adam Sandler doing their thang, Sandler as his agent/manager. We came to this with very fine expectations – not all were realised but this is still decent fare, if a little hackneyed and predictable in – family fulfilment or fame, money, security and troubled kids. You can’t have it all, Baumbach seems to say. Acv rating: *** (out of five)
Screens LFF Sunday (Oct 12) 11am Royal Festival Hall (Southbank)
Sirat – Hard and brutal – steel yourself
Oliver Laxe
115 mins
UNRELENTING and certainly not for the faint-hearted, Oliver Laxe’s ‘Sirat’ is as brutal as they come. But don’t let that put you off, if you want to be challenged and moved and be just a little thankful that your life is not quite so fragile, then this is definitely for you. A small tight family group – not related but on the indie music festival circuit and large raves, they venture to Sirat in the North African desert for the experience. There is an unravelling. Powerful ensemble acting helps. What happens there might stay with you for a long time, it has for Bird No1. We saw in Cannes. Acv rating: **** (out of five)
Comes to LFF on Monday (13) 5.30pm BFI IMAX Southbank and Tuesday (14) to the ICA, The Mall
See this page for latest ticket availability
URCHIN
Harris Dickinson
99 minutes
THOUGH not in LFF, it enjoyed its world premiere in Cannes earlier this year and is where we saw it. This is fine film with a sensational central performance from Frank Dillane as Mike. Some of the early scenes are shot around the Southbank and it’s where we first meet Mike living on the street. He mugs someone trying to help and gets banged inside – it not being his first offence. We don’t see the six months inside but he emerges with a new purpose and determination to follow the straight and narrow. He gets a job as a chef, meets a nice girl and you think…redemption story, with a few temptations he sidesteps along the way – sadly not for long. It’s entertaining, powerful and very believable – Dickinson in what is his first directorial outing proves himself and has a cameo too. Cannes was impressed so were we. ACV rating: ****
Urchin is in cinemas in the UK now
All reviews Bird No1 (editor Sailesh Ram)
