Celebrity, Cinematography, and Czechia: Glasgow Film Festival 2024

By Toby Berryman

**Toby meets Viggo Mortensen**, multitalented director, actor, producer, composer, and screenwriter of *The Dead Don’t Hurt* (2023) [image courtesy of Eoin Carey, Glasgow Film Festival]

When the infamous March ‘reading’ week comes to mind, it might be the Aspen après-ski or bustling city-breaks which tempt more St Andrews residents, however I would advocate for a joy much closer to home. Far from any airport anxieties, with my trusty Young-Scot-Card in hand, it was instead the surprisingly dependable X24 bus to Glasgow which directed my week en-route to Glasgow Film Festival (GFF), this year celebrating its twentieth incarnation.

I was not alone in my cinematic pilgrimage either. In fact, GFF24 admissions topped 34,000 (more than double the population of St Andrews) and for good reason, as the festival cemented its status among Scotland’s foremost cultural events. Whilst attendees included fellow students, a great many Glaswegian locals, and industry professionals, it was the calibre of celebrity invitees which most impressed me (not least for a festival so far from London that The Proclaimers could walk comfortably). Having previously played host to the likes of Richard Gere, Alan Rickman, and James Earl Jones, GFF truly upholds the ‘audience at the heart’ of their programming and absolutely succeeded in bringing in the crowds once again.

Unquestionably the biggest draw this year was Viggo Mortensen (thrice an Academy-Award-Nominee, but best known for his turn as ‘Aragorn’ in The Lord of the Rings trilogy), whose first visit to Glasgow marked the presentation of his latest project The Dead Don’t Hurt. With a pristine red-carpet freshly rolled, rows of paparazzi carefully positioned, the entire street safely barriered off, and throngs of fans (who’d travelled globally themselves) waiting somewhat patiently, it really was a spectacle for any unsuspecting passerby. The Hollywood megastar maintained a distinctly understated presence, posing for publicity-stills, fulfilling interviews, and quietly signing autographs on his way into the cinema.

Viggo Mortensen, *The Dead Don’t Hurt*, 2023

Perhaps unexpectedly, this shy and restrained character continued throughout his first event (itself the hottest ticket of the festival). Billed as ‘In Conversation with VM’, it formed a retrospective discussion of much of his career, and despite rather glaringly omitting 2018’s Green Book, was a genuinely insightful hour with someone evidently at the very top of their profession. Fans were treated with the surreal opportunity to watch Aragorn’s iconic battle-cry at The Black Gate with the man himself, and Mortensen fondly reminisced about his time shooting for LOTR. He was, however, clearly most enthused by discussion of his recent work (and who can blame him, two-decades and no doubt a barrage of similar-questions on from The Return of the King’s release), including Falling and the much-loved Captain Fantastic. The Q&A then concluded with a rapturous standing ovation which saw Viggo presented with GFF’s inaugural ‘Cinema City Honorary Award’, testament to a life devoted to film, both on and off-screen.

Solly McLeod and Viggo Mortensen in *The Dead Don’t Hurt*, 2023

Later that same evening, Mortensen returned to the Glasgow Film Theatre for the UK Premiere of his latest film The Dead Don’t Hurt; a movie which (pause for breath) he not only stars in, but also directed, produced, wrote the screenplay, and composed the score for. In spite of its 1860s setting, impeccable period-costuming, and somewhat stereotyped appearances of saloons, sheriffs, and saddles; The Dead Don’t Hurt holds so much more than the gritty, gun-toting Western of its ostensible appearance. Instead, helmed by Vicky Krieps’ spirited leading performance as ‘Vivienne’, TDDH modernises the genre; juxtaposing the typical brutal violence and some deeply shocking sequences with a genuine thoughtfulness, progressive themes, and emotional subtlety borne out in the relationship between ‘Vivienne’ and Mortensen’s ‘Holger’. Young Scots actor Solly McLeod excels in a more traditional role as ‘Weston’ (and was evidently delighted to bring the film to his native country), with a frontrunning performance for the forthcoming BAFTA Scotland Awards. However, it was Marcel Zyskind’s cinematography and The Dead Don’t Hurt’s visual weltbild under Mortensen’s direction which was the greatest treat of any big screen showing. Whether rolling rural-plains, beautiful canyon landscapes, or the intricate set-dressing that lends the film its character, the visuals are frankly stunning. Part-Western, part-romance, but deeply political and elegantly visual, British audiences can only hope for a cinematic release in the near-future, after our American friends enjoy it from May 31st!

Another popular guest this year was George MacKay (of 1917 fame), who touched down in Glasgow to promote the imminent release of Bertrand Bonello’s La Bête/The Beast, in which he stars opposite Léa Seydoux. Although it required a fairly intense focus throughout, this quirky science-fiction romance might well be my favourite screening of GFF24. After all, part of film festivals’ appeal is the chance to try something you might not otherwise have! Very loosely based on a 1903 Henry James novella, The Beast is itself the product of distinctly French filmmaking, overtly intellectual and markedly artistic. Seydoux’s ‘Gabrielle’ was utterly mesmerising, as the film intends, whilst the acting feat for both leads to sustain a performance throughout three different on-screen periods (1910, 2014, and 2044) was indeed impressive. Mackay performs in both French and English (something which he later declared during the Q&A was an initial struggle, given his waning GCSE-proficiency), yet this feels almost the least-surprising element of a film that encompasses different genres, languages, technologies, and storylines. Despite this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hurtling narrative, once again what ties the movie together is its visual appeal. Not only does Josée Deshaies’ cinematography effortlessly aid Bonello’s narrative subdivisions, but the sheer diversity of appearance between a flamboyant, aggrandized 1910, minimalist 2014, and the futuristic creativity of Bonello’s visualisation of 2044 is especially awe-inspiring. The Beast, although not without its flaws and oft-dizzying need for comprehension, lends itself to big-screen viewing too. Distinctly unsettling, weeks later I am still reminded of MacKay’s ‘Louis’ and The Beast’s challenging questions of morality.

Léa Seydoux and George MacKay in *The Beast*, 2023

And yet, GFF was about so much more than these two sold-out screenings. Proud Glaswegian and Academy-Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald delivered an excellent industry-talk, perfectly balanced with genuinely hilarious anecdotes and promptly-noted advice for young filmmakers. Rose Glass walked the red-carpet for the Opening Gala UK Premiere of Love Lies Bleeding, whilst comic Janey Godley’s documentary Janey closed out the festival. Other famous faces included Graham Norton, Maxine Peake, Emily Hampshire, and Ben Wheatley. Meanwhile, the Icelandic footballing documentary The Home Game was an unexpected winner of GFF’s only prize, the public-voted Audience Award.

Both attentive to Scottish output and impressively global (with 650 international delegates attending its industry-events this year), GFF24 also promoted a Czech-focus, screening six highlights from Czech cinema including Věra Chytilová’s once-banned Daisies. Glasgow Film Festival has long been praised for the diversity of its programme and I can only add my voice of support in this respect. With late-night screenings, free-events, countless Q&A’s, a film-filled quiz, and even a ceilidh, GFF is an astonishing opportunity so close to home; not only to meet your cinematic heroes, but also to challenge your filmic predispositions and enjoy something on ‘the big screen’ which might not typically receive that opportunity. As such, their primary partnership with streaming-service MUBI is intriguing, but hopefully indicative of a sustainable co-existent (and possibly co-dependent?) future for these two warring methods of consumption.

GFF24 most certainly lifted my spirits amidst the drizzly gloom of reading-week in St Andrews, so maybe next year you should consider swapping Greece or Girona for our very own Glasgow too…

Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast is in UK cinemas from 31st May 2024

Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt is exclusively in US cinemas from 31st May 2024, with a UK release TBA
Glasgow Film Festival returns for its 21st edition next year, 26th February – 9th March 2025 (see glasgowfilmfest.org for details)

The Glasgow Film Theatre remains open all-year, showcasing a wide variety of films (see glasgowfilm.org for full listings)