Which film will be this year’s Rocks at FilmBath 2020?

We all know that 2020 has been a tumultuous year for film releases. A long list of movies being pushed back to next year, or in some cases, 2022, is heart-breaking for cinemas and film-lovers.

Some filmmakers still asked audiences to simultaneously adorn masks and eat popcorn this summer; including Christopher Nolan with his film, Tenet, and Sarah Gavron, director of the surprise British film of the year, Rocks.

But having previewed Rocks at FilmBath 2019, we’re not surprised at all. After a limited UK cinema release and currently streaming on Netflix, we are shown into the heart of London’s tower hamlets by a female-led, diverse cast of characters.

Rocks is a modern drama that is beautifully realised, thanks in large part, to the way the film way made: it is probably the most collaborative feature film ever produced – including a wonderful script collaboration between writers Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson who workshopped with the unknown actors. The result gives Rocks more than just authenticity, it gives it truth and optimism, even in the most desperate of circumstances, which are both things we could all do with plenty of right now. 

Which will be this year’s Rocks at FilmBath 2020? 

This week we announced FilmBath’s 2020 programme of covid-safe cinema screenings from 17 – 22 November in Bath’s wonderful Green Park Station. As well as booking in some big names; Frances McDormand in Nomadland, Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci in Supernova and Mads Mikkelsen in Dogme 95 director Thomas Vineterberg’s Another Round, we thought we’d take a look at the films of the lesser-known directors and actors to see if we’ve got another Rocks on our hands. 

Miss Juneteenth

Dir. Channing Godfrey Peoples | 2020 | USA
Nicole Beharie, Alexis Chikaeze, Kendrick Sampson

Channing Godfrey Peoples’ wonderful debut feature is one of three exceptional films about young women we are screening this year (along with Slalom and Cocoon). Kai is a 15-year-old who wants to be practising with her dance squad, but her mother has other ideas. Turquoise, aka Turq, wants her daughter to enter the Miss Juneteenth pageant, which she won herself back in 2004, and which she feels would have led to greater opportunities if she’d played her cards better. Kai isn’t so keen, but the film avoids conventional mother/daughter conflict and chooses a more subtle and unpredictable path whereby we see all points of view.

Nocturnal

Dir. Nathalie Biancheri | 2020 | UK
Lauren Coe, Sadie Frost, Cosmo Jarvis

Described by Mark Kermode as ‘a young Marlon Brando’, Cosmo Jarvis plays Peter, a decorator who makes a habit of transitory relationships with women. When he becomes fascinated by Laurie, a teenage girl at the school where he works, the obvious conclusion is his intentions are less than pure. But as they go to the beach and hang out in bars, it’s clear the relationship is not only platonic but positively playful. Laurie, who has moved to the town with her single mother, is lonely enough to appreciate his company. The only question is, what remains to be revealed? Natalie Biancheri’s debut feature is a slow burn with a sharp edge, fantastic performances, and outstanding camerawork from Michael Dymek.

Slalom

Dir. Charlène Favier | 2020 | France, Belgium
Noée Abita, Jérémie Renier, Marie Denarnaud

After 15-year-old skier Lyz is selected for an elite Olympic training academy, her talent on the slopes sees her becoming a favourite of their coach, Fred. He is a hard taskmaster and Lyz, abandoned and ignored by her parents, is desperate to win his approval, a mindset that Fred soon exploits for his own unsportsmanlike interests. After multiple scandals in recent years about inappropriate conduct in high-level sports coaching, Slalom is a timely and perceptive examination of how such abusive situations are enabled to flourish by systems that mistake cruelty for motivation and prize success over wellbeing.

Farewell Amor

Dir. Ekwa Msangi | 2020 | USA
Zainab Jah, Jayme Lawson, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine

Ekwa Msangi’s marvellous debut feature focuses on three people: Esther and Sylvia, a mother and daughter from Angola, who have just arrived in New York to reunite with husband and father Walter after 16 years apart. Their initial excitement at the reunion is gradually replaced by the realisation that they are not the same people they once were and are going to have to learn about each from scratch. Esther’s religious beliefs keep her life in harmony, while Walter has developed a life of his own in his family’s absence, and Sylvia, so quiet with her parents, is a ball of fire when she starts to dance. Msangi shows us the three characters both together and apart, allowing us to see how they interact, but also what they really want. A remarkably human and tender film that makes compelling viewing.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on 23 October.