Contributions from Ben Nicholson | Little White Lies

Contributor Ben Nicholson

Close-up of a man with glasses, short grey hair and a beard, against a grey background.
Interviews

Anthony Marra: ‘For every Billy Wilder there is someone like Bertolt Brecht’

by Ben Nicholson

In his first nov­el since being named one of Granta’s Best Young Amer­i­can Nov­el­ists in 2017, Antho­ny Mar­ra turns his atten­tion to old Hollywood.
A person seated on a red inflatable boat in a dark, cavernous underground space, illuminated by a bright light.
Interviews

Michelangelo Frammartino – ‘The purpose of art is to explore the ineffable’

by Ben Nicholson

The Ital­ian film­mak­er on his slow-cooked won­der, Il Buco, and the artis­tic joys of dis­cov­er­ing some­thing new.
Woman in red dress standing on wooden steps, against a cloudy backdrop.
Events

Discover the haunting ghost stories of Tracey Moffatt’s beDevil

by Ben Nicholson

The pio­neer­ing First Nations filmmaker’s debut fea­ture screens as part of a new sea­son at the Bar­bi­can this February.
Young woman with braided hair wearing a blue and white striped top, looking sideways with a serious expression.
Festivals

In praise of Youn Yuh-jung – Korean cinema’s most enduring star

by Ben Nicholson

A new ret­ro­spec­tive at the Lon­don Kore­an Film Fes­ti­val reveals the vet­er­an actor’s rich and var­ied career.
A woman with long, dark hair wearing a red top, staring directly at the camera with a serious expression.
Review

Black Bear

by Ben Nicholson

Aubrey Plaza plays an indie film­mak­er who seeks inspi­ra­tion at a lake house retreat in this ambigu­ous slow-burner.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Green-faced woman in black leather jacket, standing in a dimly lit warehouse-like setting with cars in the background.
In Praise Of

In praise of Holy Motors

by Ben Nicholson

One of the great screen visions of mod­ern Paris come to the ICA on 35mm in asso­ci­a­tion with MUBI
Silhouetted figure in colourful lighting, holding a light-emitting device.
Review

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

by Ben Nicholson

Bel­la Heath­cote plays the real-life inspi­ra­tion for a com­ic book icon in this enter­tain­ing ori­gin story.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A man sits alone in a dimly lit room, a pensive expression on his face.
Review

Neruda

by Ben Nicholson

Pablo Larraín returns to his polit­i­cal roots with a fas­ci­nat­ing biopic of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Woman in polka dot dress, hat, and mask standing in snowy mountain town at night.

A bold new film chronicles life 5,000 metres above sea level

by Ben Nicholson

Salomé Lamas’ doc­u­men­tary Eldo­ra­do XXI fol­lows migrant work­ers in the Peru­vian Andes.
Woman in black coat with studded collar, looking at camera with thoughtful expression.
Women In Film

Discover one of the hidden gems of the Czech New Wave

by Ben Nicholson

Dra­homíra Vihanová’s banned debut and sev­er­al of her doc­u­men­taries are screen­ing for the first time.