Film: Labor Day (12A) & The Past (12A)

Labor Day (12A)

Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) switches from the breezy, satirical approach of his previous work into a darker exploration of emotional isolation that elegantly weaves together elements of thriller, melodrama and coming-of-age to create this sumptuous and romantic film. Henry (Griffith) is a sensitive teenager preoccupied who cares for his reclusive mother Adele (Winslet), broken-hearted and fearful, after the breakdown of her marriage to his father. On a rare shopping trip together they encounter a wounded man, Frank (Brolin), who uses a mixture of charm and intimidation to inveigle his way into their home. Over the course of the Labor Day weekend, this accidental encounter changes all their lives irrevocably.

Fri 25 April 6pm
Sat 26 April 8.15pm
Sun 27 April 5.30pm
Tues 29 April 8.30pm
Wed 30 April 2.30pm & 6pm
Thur 1 May 8.30pm

Dir. Jason Reitman, US, 2013, 111 mins.
Cast. Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Tobey Maguire.

The Past (12A)

Following the taut Oscar winning A Separation, Farhadi returns to direct another stunning study of modern family life. Set in the outskirts of Paris, Ahmad (Mosaffa) returns from Tehran to finalise his divorce from his estranged wife Marie (Bejo) but as he starts to look into why his daughter hates Marie’s new boyfriend (Rahim), a gripping, emotional detective story unfolds. The cast is note perfect but the real star of this film is the script, a masterwork of restraint that drip-feeds one explosive revelation after another.

Fri 25 April 8.30pm
Sat 26 April 2.30pm & 5.30pm
Sun 27 April 8pm
Tues 29 April 5.45pm
Wed 30 April 8.30pm
Thur 1 May 5.45pm

Dir. Asghar Farhadi, France/Iran, 2013, subtitled.
Cast. Ali Mosaffa, Berenice Bejo, Tahar Rahim.

Details and tickets: www.plymouthartscentre.org