Bath Film Festival 2009

Helen

The moodconjured up by this film, in which the eponymous Helen seems to take on theidentity of a missing girl, will linger long after its modest running time haspast. Most intriguing is that we’re never sure if Helen, soon to be dischargedfrom her care home and pondering the possibility of contacting her birthmother, is driven by some deep-seated prompt to assume the victim’s identity,or whether she is playfully testing boundaries in preparation for her impendingindependence. Directed in a coolly undemonstrative manner and performed withexemplary clarity, this “episode of TheBill directed by Antonioni” (Jonathan Romney) is one of the mostdistinctive British films of recent years. CB

To download Helen film notes by Zoe Chapman click here!

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