On Curzon Home Cinema, there is a little gem of a French drama from Gregory Magne, Perfumes. A chauffeur, Guillame (Gregory Montel) takes a job driving Anne Walberg (Emannuelle Devos), a ‘nose’ who makes a living creating scents and fragrances.
She is stand-offish and cold to start with, but as they spend time together, their relationship thaws. So, on the face of it, the plot follows a well worn path, most recently seen in Green Book. However, this is refreshingly cliché free, and the relationship does not develop in a way you would probably expect. At the centre of the story are the terrific Montel and Devos, who bring a rare chemistry to their roles. Film of the week.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Over on Amazon, Burden is currently available to rent for 99p. Written and directed by Andrew Heckler, this is an earnest attempt to bring a true story to the screen. Mike Burden (Garrett Hedlund) is a rising member of the Ku Klux Klan in South Carolina who attempts to break away from the evil cult when he falls in love with a single mum, Judy (Andrea Riseborough). He is helped by a black preacher, Reverend Kennedy (Forest Whitaker) who is also attempting to stop a Klan museum being opened by local leader Tom Griffin (Tom Wilkinson).
The fact that there are two major plot-lines to pursue means that it takes quite a while for the film to get going. As the stories converge in the second half, it gets much better. What sustains it before then are super performances from Riseborough and Whitaker.
Rating: 7 out of 10
For an extra £1 you can rent, The Turning, a new take on Henry James’ classic Turn of the Screw. Mackenzie Davis plays Kate, a governess hired to look after an orphaned girl and her troubled older brother. Soon, terrifying events start happening.
Obviously, the house where they live is old and creepy and the housekeeper is old and sinister. Equally obviously, Kate doesn’t just leave like any sane person would. This is strictly by the numbers horror with no surprises and a terrible ending.
Rating: 4 out of 10