Great Britain Magnified

Here are ten contemporary British films by a variety of directors—some of whom have been working since the 1970s and others freshly emerging in the 2020s: five decades of filmmaking. Of course, the term ‘British’ is increasingly amorphous if one considers that, as one example, the Brothers Quay were born in Pennsylvania and make distinctly Central European-inflected curiosities, but to have a selection of films from such a wide variety of directors from different backgrounds indicates a much healthier climate than thirty years ago when I started making films. The irony is that the mid-90s were prosperous times in Britain, yet the cinematic output was mostly limited in its worldview and at times, irredeemably smug, especially in the midst of the jingoistic ‘Cool Britannia’ years. Times are now incredibly tough in the mid-20s and films such as Dragonfly reflect what many people are up against, yet film culture is dynamic and pluralistic. There is an anger and an urgency in some of these films, while other films offer escapism, invention or plain goofiness. This is only a small selection and any omissions are out of ignorance or lack of screen time to show everything. I have to confess that I haven’t seen every film on this list, but what I haven’t seen has been highly recommended to me and what I have seen feels fresh and vital.

Peter Strickland