The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

London Film Festival 2020

Wildfire

London Film Festival 2020: Wildfire | Review
10 October 2020
Andrew Murray
Avatar
Andrew Murray
10 October 2020
Public screenings
Online on BFI Player from 10th October 2020 8.30pm until 13th October 2020 8.30pm

Movie and show review

Andrew Murray

Wildfire

★★★★★

Special event

Kelly (the late Nika McGuigan) returns home after having been missing for a year – questions such as why she left, where she went and why she came back are never properly addressed. Initially having believed her to be dead, her sister Lauren (Nora-Jane Noone) takes her in and as a result, the pair become the hottest gossip of the small Irish border village. With Kelly’s behaviour increasingly erratic, Lauren butts head with anyone who accuses her sister of being crazy like their mother (who committed suicide when they were children). It’s easy to see how the duo has become the talk of the town, and underneath all these familial tensions bubbles the aftermath of the Troubles, the Good Friday Agreement and Brexit.

Wildfire – the debut from writer-director Cathy Brady – is a sentimental illustration of sisterly love supported by stunning performances from McGuigan and Noone. Although there are a few shaky moments in their execution (particularly during emotional confrontation), it’s clear that both actors share a deep connection onscreen, and when the pair give a scene everything they have the effect is either joyously entertaining or profoundly intimate. Kelly and Lauren have their own trauma and anxieties;  the talent of the actors is such that viewers can understand each as well as they know each other.

The sisters’ story is undoubtedly the core of the film. However, Brady makes the mistake of presenting the narrative as a melodramatic soap opera rather than a hard-hitting family drama. Most of the conflicts arise from rumours and prying conversations. For instance, Lauren’s work colleagues gossip and laugh behind her back while those close to the family repeat how dangerously similar Kelly’s behaviour is to her mother’s. All these sensationalised moments sour the bittersweetness of the siblings’ bonding and shared heartache.

Equally disappointing is the script’s inability to make the most of its socio-political backdrop. The start of the drama makes a point of emphasising the volatile circumstances, but – aside from one brief encounter that is never brought to light again – it ultimately isn’t brought up for the remainder of the plot. With the exception of a revelation at the end, it seems strange to strongly emphasise context that doesn’t play much of a part in events.

The fantastic performances from both McGuigan and Noone imbue Brady’s debut feature with a bright spark. But due to an over-reliance on melodrama and a confusion of themes, this spark isn’t able to catch fire.

★★★★★

Andrew Murray

Wildfire does not have a UK release date yet.


Read more reviews and interviews from our London Film Festival 2020 coverage here
.

For further information about the festival visit the official BFI website here.

Watch the trailer for Wildfire here:

Related Itemsreview

More in Film festivals

November (Novembre)

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

Forever Young (Les Amandiers)

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

“Ruben is wonderful at picking holes in our behaviour and our egos”: Woody Harrelson, Ruben Östlundand and cast at the Triangle of Sadness press conference

Selina Sondermann
Read More

Summer Scars (Nos Cérémonies)

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Holy Spider (Les Nuits de Mashad)

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Men

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Diary of a Fleeting Affair (Chronique d’une Liaison Passagère)

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Don Juan

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Triangle of Sadness

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Andrew Murray

Wildfire

★★★★★

Special event

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7 June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar
    Food & Drinks
  • Paolo Nutini at the 100 Club
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Crimes of the Future: Three new clips from David Cronenberg’s dystopian body horror film
    Cannes
  • The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Plan 75
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • November (Novembre)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Forever Young (Les Amandiers)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • “Ruben is wonderful at picking holes in our behaviour and our egos”: Woody Harrelson, Ruben Östlundand and cast at the Triangle of Sadness press conference
    Cannes Film Festival 2022
  • Summer Scars (Nos Cérémonies)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Holy Spider (Les Nuits de Mashad)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Emergency
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Men
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Triangle of Sadness
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Aftersun
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Paris Memories (Revoir Paris)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

London Film Festival 2020: Mogul Mowgli | Review
London Film Festival 2020: Siberia | Review