Genova

Michael Winterbottom’s latest film begins with a heartbreaking tragedy. Afterwards, university lecturer Joe (Firth) decides to take his two daughters, 16-year-old Kelly (Holland) and 10-year-old Mary (Haney-Jardine), to the Italian city of Genova to allow them the space to get over the tragedy. Co-written by Winterbottom and Laurence Coriat (Wonderland), Genova shows a father coming to terms with a huge loss while his eldest is growing up fast and attracting interest from local boys, and his youngest is racked with guilt and going through a cathartic process through the course of the film. Winterbottom opts for a naturalistic approach, using hand-held camera techniques and calling on director of photography Marcel Zyskind to give Genova an eerieness in its frequently dark and windy, narrow streets that has echoes of Don’t Look Now. Firth is truly excellent as Joe in a tender family drama commendable for its capturing of realism. [Matt Arnoldi]