London Film Festival 2011: Day Two

IT'S Fashion Week for film buffs, and by day two we've already lost three pounds and elbowed our way to the front seat. Whilst day one gave us Jack Black as Bernie, and the gritty drama, Junkhearts, here is yesterday's top pick from the BFI.

The Future
In movie speak The Future would probably be described as quirky and offbeat. It starts off promisingly as we find our couple, Sophie (Miranda July) and Jason (Hamish Linklater) contemplating the life changing prospect of taking on an injured cat. The couple think that they will be adopting the cat immediately for five months but when they learn that they will have to wait a number of days and then the cat could live for years they are thrown into existential angst. They both pack up their unchallenging jobs. After leaving her job as a kid’s dance teacher Sophie has vague aspirations of doing something creative but which she lacks any discernible aptitude or real conviction. Jason on the other hand, who used to work as a remote operating IT assistance provider, takes a job with a laughably optimistic environmental organisation. Sophie and Jason are essentially a couple of flakes who are searching for meaning and purpose to stem the continual drifting aimlessly nature of their lives. Watching this movie was like slowly taking the effects of a mild but not unpleasing sedative aided by a nice Jon Brion score. Although not without a little charm, The Future won’t be everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ but is a worthwhile quirky slow burner for a lazy Sunday sofa afternoon.

The Future is showing on the 20, 21 & 23 October at the London Film Festival