The programme selection process has started for Cheltenham International Film Festival 2023, and I am once again very honoured to be on the selection committee to help whittle down the many entries to the complete screening list- I will endeavour to summarise each I see as a record of the journey. My first watch was The Accident, an impressively controlled Brazilian drama which follows a strained lesbian couple after one is purposefully hit by a car, driven by an equaly strained woman with family issues.
The accident is a framing device that brings all of the main characters together on their journey to enrich thier lives and come to terms with the trials and tribulations of family. Modern themes of voyeurism, social media and control/oppression of women and minorities echo through the script. We also witness pressure that secrecy can put on relationships - there may even be an entirely unspoken but very subtly hinted secret, regarding potential interference in the pregnancy, under the surface which could also suggest an ironic double meaning to the title.
The film's style is minimalistic yet competently filmed, with some nice shots and a nice score. It feels as if it is slowly and tensely building to an explosive climax, which never really comes - this isn't necessarily a criticism as it subverted my expectations by staying quiet and controlled and, in truth, the examination of the characters and themes is more than enough. At it's very best, moments feel like the work of the master of simmering tensions Michael Haneke, and it reminded me of great films like The Page Turner and to a lesser extent Tyrannasour, but ultimately I found it not quite as powerful as it could have been. Still, I liked it overall and would recommend it.
3.5 out of 5
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