
We have a corporate membership here for the Filmhouse Cinema. I’m a bit of a cinema junkie so have been to see all manner of rubbish courtesy of this membership. My high point (or low point) was a film innocuously called My Mother which culminated in a fine scene of simultaneous incest and self-harm. Films like this always scare me off the Filmhouse temporarily but Pavlov’s dogs-like, I faithfully return.
And now and again, I see something really lovely. So last night for example, I saw a movie called La Antena which means The Aerial. It’s an Argentinian film, made in Spanish, but largely silent so the language is pretty immaterial.
It’s an extraordinary thing. Like a more optimistic version of Tim Burton meeting a 1940s silent movie and having a strange slightly surreal but adorable love child.
Most surreal of all, it’s directed by a guy who started out directing Shakira videos.
It’s about a city whose inhabitants have lost their voices. It also manages to be a cunning allegory for Nazi Germany.
I shall not say much more than this as I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise but catch it if you can. It’s on for a precious couple more days I think and then it’s gone. So be quick!