Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/688389
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 JUNE 2016 38 This Week IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Angry Birds (U) 10:20, 13:40, 16:00, 18:25, 20:50 Alice Through The Looking Glass (PG) 10:30, 13:30, 16:00, 18:20, 21:00 Captain America – Civil War (12A) 17:45, 20:50 Money Monster (15) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 X-Men: Apocalypse (12A) 10:30, 14:15, 17:45, 20:50 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Everybody Wants Some!! (15) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15 Alice Through the Looking Glass (PG) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:00, 23:30 Mustang (12) 14:05, 18:20 The Jungle Book (PG) 14:05, 16:20, 18:35, 20:50 Eye in the Sky (15) 14:10, 16:25, 18:40, 20:55 Angry Birds (U) 14:10, 16:25, 18:45, 21:15 Our Kind of Traitor (12A) 14:10, 16:30, 18:50, 21:10 Robinson Crusoe (PG) 14:15, 16:20, 18:25 X-Men: Apocalypse (12A) 14:15, 18:10, 21:10, 23:15 Money Monster (15) 14:15, 16:25, 18:45, 21:00, 23:15 Bad Neighbours 2 (15) 14:20, 16:25, 18:40, 20:55, 23:25 Captain America: Civil War (12A) 14:30, 18:00, 21:05 A Hologram for the King (12A) 14:30, 18:20, 21:05, 23:30 Taking Stock (15) 16:15, 20:55 Criminal (15) 20:45 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 A Hologram for the King (12A) 11:00, 13:35, 16:05, 18:30, 20:45 X-Men: Apocalypse (12A) 10:55, 13:50, 17:55, 20:55 Alice Through the Looking Glass (PG) 21:05 Angry Birds (U) 10:55, 13:45, 16:00, 18:15, 20:30 Money Monster (15) 11:15, 13:40, 16:05, 18:35, 21:00 Our Kind of Traitor (15) 10:50, 13:35, 16:00, 18:30, 20:45 DANISH actor Christian Tafdrup takes a stab at feature film directing with a themati- cally resonant but narratively sketchy debut, which juggles worthy themes of nostalgia and ageing within a splintering fam- ily dynamic. When their son, Esben (Anton Honik), moves out to live with his girlfriend, Kjeld (Søren Mall- ing) and Vibeke (Bodil Jørgens- en) don't take the transition too well, with Vibeke in particular being overcome by the new void in their lives. While hunting for a smaller apartment, Kjeld happily discov- ers that the couple's old student pad is up for sale. Knowing full well that the modestly budgeted apartment will be snapped up quickly, they move back in with nary a second thought, and re- furnish the place to match the memories of their carefree stu- dent days. But a surreal twist of fate leads their nostalgic reverie to its ex- treme conclusion… and shoves their entire family dynamic into a disturbing downward spiral. Tafdrup, working on his own screenplay, is clearly invested in the core themes of the drama, and he gingerly sets them out to play in ways that are by turns melancholic, amusing and dis- turbing. And while the turn to- wards complete whimsy – where Elliott Crosset Hove and Miri Ann Beuschel step into the roles to play the couple's younger selves – would traditionally be played up for its screwball po- tential, Tafdrup opts to mine a darker vein. This both intensifies his film and leaves it open to accusa- tions of a tactical misfire. There is a hint of inspired humour in how the couple reacts – or fails to react – to their sudden time- travelling-body-swap, but this is clearly not Tafdrup's prior- ity. Which is a shame, because humour might have been a less laborious way of putting his themes across, and a strong dour note threatens to compromise an otherwise inspired set up. That said, the film feels like a debut in ways that don't just evoke the pejorative associations of the term. In a welcome tonal shift from the standard festival fare that Parents forms a direct part of, there's a refreshing lack of cynicism at play here, and we are invited to sympathise with the couple from the word go – a sympathy that's rewarded and not punished (as perhaps fellow Dane Lars Von Trier would have meted out). The script could have done with another layer of editing to bring out the characters as nuanced individuals – its por- trait of the mid-life crisis veers dangerously towards the two- dimensional – but coupled with capable cinematography on the part of Maria von Hausswolff handling the crucial interiors, and delicate performances from Malling and Jørgensen, it makes for a worthwhile, if unsettling, experience. Parents will be screened tomor- row at Pjazza Teatru Rjal at 21:00 and St James Cavalier on June 7 at 17:00, as part of the Valletta Film Festival. For more informa- tion and a full programme, log on to: http://www.vallettafilmfesti- val.com/programme/ The perils of nostalgia ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ PARENTS OF THE YEAR ★ ★ ★ ★ MODEL PARENTS ★ ★ ★ PARENTING CONFERENCE ★ ★ NEGLIGENT PARENTS ★ JOSEF FRITZL FILM Søren Malling and Bodil Jørgensen struggle with the ravages of time Elliott Crosset Hove and Miri Ann Beuschel PARENTS (15) ★ ★ ★ By Teodor Reljic