As end-of-year poll season rolled to a close, an unlikely victor rose up to defeat all other movie foes. Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann had critics going ga-ga from the very first frames of its premiere screening at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. With little fanfare, this epic comedy instantly became the toast of the festival, the subject of eager conversations about how we had a new master filmmaker in our midst.
It’s a hulking, hilarious and profound exploration of how a father develops an extremely eccentric method of reconnecting with his estranged daughter who has entrenched herself in the cut-throat world of global commerce. The film is a model of patient, detailed character building and its humour is derived from fastidious craft rather than hoping that some flavour-of-the-month stand-up is open to a bit of quick-fire ad-libbing.
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We’re so loved up by this movie that we’ve chosen to dedicate an entire issue to it, taking a deep-dive into its themes as well as a wider scan into the thorny issue of parent-child relationships.
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Our cover has been created by the amazing Los Angeles-based illustrator Bijou Karman, who has taken inspiration from the film’s central concept of a man assuming many secret disguises to find a way back into his daughter’s heart.
In this issue…
While in London to deliver a lecture on screenwriting, the Toni Erdmann director reveals the fine art of making movie watchers laugh. Interview by Sophie Monks Kaufman
We talk to dental technician-to-the-stars Gary Archer to reel off a history of modern Hollywood via the medium of false teeth. Words by David Jenkins
We answer the question on everyone’s lips: can experimental movies ever be funny? Words by Blake Williams
Paul Schrader, Park Chan-wook, Alice Lowe, John Waters and many more each tell us a story of how their parents inspired and impacted their work as a filmmaker. Interviews by Elena Lazic, Manuela Lazic, Sophie Monks Kaufman, David Jenkins, Adam Woodward, Matt Thrift.
Need a great comedy movie in your life? We’ve got 100 of them here culled from the history of cinema.
Also in this issue…
Elle director Paul Verhoeven speaks to Matt Thrift; Moonlight director Barry Jenkins sits down with Adam Woodward; Manchester by the Sea director Kenneth Lonergan is interviewed by David Jenkins; Jessica Barden discusses how she got into acting ahead of a retrospective at the 2017 London Short Film Festival with Sophie Monks Kaufman; 20th Century Women director Mike Mills chats to David Jenkins.
Elle by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; Silence by Trevor Johnston; LoveTrue by Aimee Knight; Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Adam Nayman; Lion by David Jenkins; Moonlight by Charles Bramesco; Miss Sloane by Matt Thrift; Patriot’s Day by Elena Lazic; Cameraperson by Michael Leader; Fences by David Jenkins; Trespass Against Us by Phil Concannon; Manchester by the Sea by Sophie Monks Kaufman; La La Land by Christina Newland; Hacksaw Ridge by David Jenkins; Jackie by Sophie Monks Kaufman; Sing by Manuela Lazic; A Monster Calls by David Jenkins; The Fits by Simran Hans; Certain Women by David Jenkins; 20th Century Women by Sophie Monks Kaufman; Endless Poetry by Anton Bitel; Denial by Trevor Johnston; Loving by Christina Newland; Personal Shopper by Manuela Lazic; Rules Don’t Apply by Glenn Heath Jr; The Founder by Elena Lazic.
Home Ents reviews of The Royal Tenenbaums, Donnie Darko, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Ghosts of Mars and more; Adam Woodward reports from the Los Cabos Film Festival; David Jenkins previews the 2017 Glasgow Film Festival; Ex-Rent Hell presents… Escape to Victory.
LWLies 68 is on general sale 7 November and will start shipping to subscribers from 7 January. Order your copy now via our online shop.
