Słowik

(50th KVIFF) A true one-man show. David Oyelowo never leaves the screen and we don’t see any characters other than him (and I think we don’t even hear them, only he can be heard when he’s on the phone, but I wouldn’t swear on that). And yet, the film never manages to get boring. Oyelowo plays a sociopath and a killer who’d already had enough with his mother and has murdered her, and now he’s in peace. But because he’s alone he pathologically clings to the idea of inviting an old friend from the army to come over for dinner. The film captures his fall into a deeper and deeper madness. And surprisingly, it’s quite fun (with many dark tones, of course), because, despite everything I’ve written, the character is likeable. Not likeable in a way that I would have dinner with him, but rather, as someone has already mentioned in a comment here, as a poor bastard you feel sorry for. Definitely worth watching. 75 % (11.07.2015)

David Oyelowo is intentionally stealing the spotlight of this movie all for himself. No wonder, since there’s practically no one else in this movie. At the same time, it’s an interesting probe into the mind of someone who got fed up with his day-to-day reality, burdened with not-so-happy past. He doesn’t even seem like a bad person; he just wants to survive in the wilderness of the present day. It’s an interesting small-scale movie with an acting show and a single well-rounded message at the end. (16.07.2015)