The Apartment

19/12/25

Filmhouse, Edinburgh

It’s the last day of term: I’ve taught my final drama class before the holidays, and I’m ready to wind down. Fortuitously, the Filmhouse has chosen this evening for a members’ free screening of one of Philip’s favourite Christmas movies, The Apartment. Although we arrive early, the foyer is already buzzing, people queuing amiably for the complementary mulled wine and mince pies that are being served. It smells delicious but, as we’re both tee-total, I’m gluten-free and Philip would rather starve than eat dried fruit, we don’t bother joining the line. Instead we head on upstairs to secure ourselves some decent seats.

When it comes to iconic festive movies, I’ve got a bad track record. I didn’t see 1992’s A Muppet Christmas Carol until 2019, but that 27-year lull pales into insignificance compared to the 65 years that have lapsed since Billy Wilder directed (and co-wrote) The Apartment. So I’m excited to finally catch up with this film that Philip is so enamoured of – and what a treat to see it on the big screen in an immaculate 4K restoration.

A study in toxic masculinity, where powerful middle-aged men exploit vulnerable young women, and the only way for anyone to get ahead in the workplace is to submit to the demands of their narcissistic bosses, this feels like a very contemporary tale. Indeed, if it weren’t for the monochrome cinematography, the 1960s fashions and the rolodexes on the office workers’ desks, this could easily pass for a #MeToo-inspired drama. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose…

It’s Christmas-time in New York City, and CC Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a lowly clerk with just one advantage: he has managed to secure a reasonably-priced apartment in a sought-after location near Central Park. When his supervisors learn where he lives, they promise him promotion… so long as he lets them use his conveniently-situated abode to conduct their extra-marital affairs. Cue comedic mayhem as CC struggles to maintain control of an overfull schedule, often forced to kill time lurking outside his own home as he waits for the lovers to leave. As if that weren’t enough, he also has to endure his neighbours’ disapproval: they think he’s some sort of Lothario, entertaining a parade of women. Still, if it means he can get on at work, then it’s worth it, right? And anyway, he doesn’t know how to refuse…

But then CC strikes up a friendship with lift attendant Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) and his priorities begin to shift. When he learns that she’s having an affair with the odious manager, Mr Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he’s devastated, but their warm relationship endures – and, in the end, their mutual affection saves them both.

It’s a beautiful film: at once funny and heartwarming, bleak and hopeful. Wilder and co-writer IAL Diamond’s script is vivacious and witty, and Lemmon and MacLaine are both dazzling in their roles, their naïvety and powerlessness so utterly appealing that I want them to flourish from the moment I see them on screen. Meanwhile, MacMurray makes an excellent villain, all surface charm and barely-concealed self-interest. Convincingly drawn, this is a perfect study of human nature – with an ultimately life-affirming and seasonally-appropriate message.

Merry Christmas! And don’t forget the fruitcake.

5 stars

Susan Singfield

Being Charlie

18/12/25

Amazon Prime

The recent murders of film director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were tragic to say the very least. Reiner followed his own director father, Carl, into the world of entertainment, initially as an actor and latterly as a director, responsible for some of the most-loved films of the 1980s. His debut offering, This is Spinal Tap, is still perhaps my all-time favourite comedy and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Even if the long awaited sequel, The End Continues, wasn’t a patch on the original – how could it ever hope to be? – it was nevertheless warm, affectionate and highly enjoyable.

The news that the Reiners were killed by their son, Nick, was a chilling addition to an already horrible situation. I was, like many of Rob Reiner’s fans, appalled and bewildered by what happened. In the ensuing news investigation, I learned something that I had previously been unaware of: in 2015, Rob and Nick collaborated on a film project called Being Charlie, a drama based around their shared experiences of Nick’s addiction. Somehow, I had completely missed it. It only took a brief search to establish that the film is right there on Amazon Prime and – completist that I am – I decided I needed to see it.

Charlie (Nick Robinson) has just turned eighteen and he celebrates by walking out of the youth rehab centre he’s been based in for a while. As an afterthought, he heaves a large stone through the stained glass window of the church where it’s based and then thumbs a lift from a passing motorist. During a brief stopover at the driver’s home, he steals some of the drugs the man’s terminally-ill mother takes for cancer. 

Charlie, as you will no doubt have gathered, is completely out of control. He hooks up with his best friend, Adam (Devon Bostik), and the pair of them head straight to Adam’s place to get seriously off their heads. Mission accomplished, they drive to Charlie’s swish family home in Los Angeles, where he is confronted by his parents, David (Cary Elwes) and Liseanne (Susan Misner), who have come to the ends of their respective tethers and are more than ready to stage an intervention. David is currently running for the post of state governor and cannot afford any more bad publicity. Charlie must make a choice: enrol at an adult rehab centre or go to prison in Utah for damaging that window.

Charlie reluctantly accepts the former option but, once installed in his new home, under the watchful eye of the straight-talking Travis (Common), he hooks up with the rebellious Eva (Morgan Saylor) and it quickly becomes apparent that, while the two of them are passionate about each other, their relationship is mutually destructive.

What’s immediately evident in Being Charlie is that Rob gives his son free rein to express himself. The witty script, co-written by Nick and Matt Elisofon, explore the lead character’s mind set, his volatility, his doomed attempts to exert any measure of self-control. If his antics are sometimes loathsome, it’s made clear that he cannot change them, that he is a helpless victim of his own crazed impulses. Robinson is a charming and likeable actor, and makes me root for Charlie even when he does heinous things.

David, the character who most closely represents Rob, at first comes across as a callous jerk, determined to follow the ‘tough love’ route, because that’s the advice he’s been given by every expert he’s consulted. It’s only later in the story that his genuine love for his son – and his determination to do his best by him – finally comes across. But it’s also apparent that he’s in an impossible situation and vulnerable to whatever wild notion Charlie comes up with next.

Of course, in light of what happened between Rob and Nick in real life, the film’s conclusion makes for even more heartbreaking viewing. As it stands, it serves to shed some light on a situation that would eventually have devastating consequences. If, like me, you missed it on first release, here’s your chance to catch up – but be warned, it’s not an easy watch.

4 stars

Philip Caveney 

Relay

15/12/25

Amazon Prime

The latest film to be handed a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ theatrical release is this intriguing espionage thriller from David McKenzie. While it’s clearly not the kind of feature that’s destined to pack ’em in at the cineplex, it’s nonetheless brilliantly realised – and, while it starts in a relatively laidback fashion, it steadily builds to a powerful climax with a sucker-punch twist that I just don’t see coming.

Ash (Riz Ahmed) spends his days as a fixer, mediating between whistle-blowers and the big companies about which they have damning evidence. Obviously, such organisations are rich beyond the dreams of avarice and stand to lose a lot of money if the truth ever gets out, so they are willing to spend big bucks having those problem ex-employees ‘removed’. 

In order to help his clients, Ash uses a telecommunications device designed for deaf people, which means that he and his customers never speak face-to-face or even directly on the telephone. The calls between them are transcribed and delivered by a team of complete strangers, who never store any of the information they are asked to deliver, making it virtually untraceable.

When Ash is approached by Sarah (Lily James), who has stolen some documents from her former employers, a major research institute, she tells him the company has been covering up the side-effects of genetically-modified wheat, which has led to the deaths of countless people. Sarah also reveals that, having taken the documents, she’s now had second thoughts about it and wants to return them without fear of recrimination.

Ash takes on Sarah’s case and promises to keep her safe until he can give her the all-clear. But a highly-skilled (and heavily-armed) team of ruthless investigators has been assigned to the situation and they begin to trace Ash’s movements. As they close in on him, it becomes a game of cat and mouse – and there’s a further complication when Ash finds himself beginning to fall in love with his client…

On paper, this doesn’t sound particularly pulse-pounding, but the combination of Justin Piasecki’s intriguing script and Mackenzie’s taut direction ensures that the cinematic pot is kept bubbling throughout. While it may start at a gentle simmer, events incrementally rise to boiling point until, in the film’s latter stages, we are hurled into breathless chase territory. 

Ahmed is always an interesting performer, while James is also impressive in the kind of role she’s not previously explored. There are plenty of other characters featured in Relay but it’s essentially a two-hander. Anyone like me looking to catch up with films they’ve recently missed at the cinema will find this on Amazon Prime, where it’s waiting to be watched at the touch of a button.

4.2 stars

Philip Caveney

Oh. What. Fun.

15/12/25

Amazon Prime Video

Honestly, we’re not the target audience for Michael Showalter’s Oh. What. Fun. There are lots of lovely people out there who just revel in a Christmas movie – but we’re not them. Still, as reviewers, it falls to us to watch as wide a range as possible, and – as it’s charting well on Amazon Prime – we feel we really ought to give this one a go. Also, Chloë Grace Moretz is in it, and we’ve liked everything else she’s done. So that’s how we find ourselves snuggled up under a blanket watching a festive film on a Monday afternoon, the very model of the cosy winter aesthetic we usually reject (because summer and sunshine are just better, right?).

Anyway. This is basically Home Alone in reverse. Every year, Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) puts vast amounts of effort into creating the perfect middle-class American Christmas for her husband, Nick (Denis Leary), and their grown-up family. The trouble is, her kids (Felicity Jones, Dominic Sessa and Moretz respectively) kind of resent the pressure she puts on them: they don’t want to feel obliged to come ‘home’ every year, exaggerating their appreciation for all those extra, unasked-for flourishes Claire insists on. It’s the opposite of relaxing, the antithesis of fun.

Needy Claire isn’t happy either. She desperately wants one of her kids to nominate her as a ‘Zazzy Tims Christmas Mom’ so that she can win a ticket to a recording of her favourite TV show, hosted by her role model, Zazzy (Eva Longoria). But of course, Channing (Jones), Sammy (Sessa) and Taylor (Moretz) fail to respond to her many hints, so it seems a trip to California is not on the cards…

…until Christmas Eve, when Claire’s entire family – husband, kids, partners, grandkids – fail to notice that she’s not with them at the theatre for the So You Think You Can Dance tour, which she arranged (and paid for) as an extra surprise. Alone and forgotten in an empty house, Claire decides it’s time to do something for herself. And off she heads to Hollywood.

If it’s nuance you’re after, this is not the film for you. There’s no subtlety at all: everything is laid on with the proverbial trowel, from Taylor’s over-the-top rudeness towards Channing’s well-meaning husband, Doug (Jason Schwartzman), to the unfiltered bitchiness of Claire’s ‘perfect’ neighbour, Jeanne (Joan Chen). What’s more, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for Claire, with her massive McMansion and basically decent kin. There’s never any real jeopardy or heartbreak here.

Oh. What. Fun. hasn’t changed my feelings about Christmas films, but it’s not a bad movie. In fact, it’s very watchable. So why not pour yourself a glass of mulled wine, switch on the fairy lights and enjoy a bit of lighthearted… well… fun.

3 stars

Susan Singfield

Fackham Hall

14/12/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

I’ve never fallen under the spell of Downton Abbey (even though I loved Gosford Park, the film that spawned it), so I’m more than happy to see the franchise lampooned – and that’s pretty much the motivation behind Fackham Hall. Based by an idea by comedian Jimmy Carr and his brother Patrick (and adapted by three other writers), this sprightly tale thunders along at full gallop, flinging out a whole deluge of jokes, sight gags and historical references as it proceeds. Anyone who’s come to this expecting subtlety has clearly come to the wrong place, but that’s not a criticism. I enjoy the experience and, if a joke occasionally falls flat, well it’s reassuring to know that there’ll be another one along in the blink of an eye.

The titular hall is the ancestral home of Lord and Lady Davenport (Damian Lewis and Katherine Waterston). They have two daughters, Poppy (Emma Laird) and Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), and – in the time-honoured tradition of the upper classes – Poppy is due to marry her first cousin, the odious Archibald (Tom Felton), in order to keep their stately home in the family. But on the big day, Poppy simply cannot bring herself to do it – which inevitably puts a lot of pressure on Rose to step up and take one for the team.

But then handsome and homeless young pickpocket, Eric (Ben Radcliffe), is selected to deliver an urgent message to Lord Davenport and, on the way there, he and Rose cross paths. While this is unfortunate in one way – she’s at the wheel of a car and he’s on a bicycle – once they’ve set eyes on each other, it’s clear that romance is their destiny. But if Rose decides to be with Eric, what will happen to their family estate?

And then a key character is murdered – and the plot begins to thicken.

The recent reboot of The Naked Gun seems to have reignited the public’s taste for a decent spoof and, on that level, Fackham Hall doesn’t disappoint. I spend the film’s duration alternately chuckling, groaning and occasionally guffawing out loud at the film’s smörgåsbord of comic offerings. (The sight gags arrive so relentlessly, I’m actually in danger of missing some of them.)

Director Jim O’Hanlon keeps the pot bubbling nicely and the production is blessed with a cast of excellent actors, who appreciate that the secret of a spoof is to play everything absolutely straight. Anna Maxwell-Martin is great as the ruthless housekeeper, Mrs McCallister, and I love Tim McMullen’s deadpan performance as the butler, Cyril, who also doubles as a prototype AI assistant. Carr has a couple of funny cameos as a short-sighted vicar who specialises in making every sermon a series of tortuous misunderstandings. And I’m delighted by one of the Davenport’s house guests in particular: JRR Tolkien, who is working on what will become his best-known book, finding inspiration in the strangest places…

The big ‘reveal’ at the end will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody but, really, in something like this the usual rules of criticism feel somewhat superfluous. Some Downton diehards might clutch their pearls in outrage, but I have a lot of fun with this and no doubt many others – from both upstairs and downstairs – will find plenty to enjoy.

4 stars

Philip Caveney

4Play: 4 New Plays by 4 Scottish Playwrights

12/12/25

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Last year, 4Play comprised four full plays, performed over two nights. This time around, it’s a truncated affair, with excerpts rather than entire scripts. The first two pieces are only ten minutes long, while the second pair are given longer to develop their themes, each with a running time of approximately twenty-five minutes.

We open with a short extract from Ruaraidh Murray’s Chips, directed by Michael Nardone and Jake Sleet. Nothing to do with the California Highway Patrol, this is a fictionalised account of a true-life tale of… microchip theft. Apparently it was a thing in the 1990s. As if breaking, entering and taking apart computers wasn’t enough of a challenge, Kaz (Christie Russell-Brown) is heavily pregnant, and her partner-in-crime, Wan (Calum Manchip), isn’t exactly focused on the job…

The second piece is Brace, written by Geraldine Lang and directed by Matthew Attwood. Paul (Jack Elvey) and Lewis (Kieran Lee-Hamilton) are apprentice scaffolders, struggling to learn their trade without any real guidance. In their business, mistakes have material consequences, and it’s the people at the bottom of the pile who have to pay. Although I appreciate that the physicality of the boys’ work is key to the piece, I can’t help feeling that it’s a mistake to spend so much time constructing the scaffolding; I’d prefer to hear more dialogue and delve further into the plot.

After the interval, it’s Sunday Palms, which is by far our favourite of tonight’s plays. From the opening soundscape – an oddly unsettling aural representation of a man returning home from work to his empty flat – to the awkward dialogue that follows the unexpected appearance of a childhood friend, Sean Langtree’s script is utterly compelling. Directed by Grace Ava Barker, the piece is immediately intriguing, and I’m fascinated to know where the story leads. Why is Brian (Daniel Campbell) so alarmed by Nathan (Langtree)’s presence? Whose victory does the title presage? Langtree’s Nathan is perfectly observed – just that little bit too needy, too edgy – while Campbell nails Brian’s discomfort, his attempts to hold to societal norms in the face of Nathan’s peculiar demands.

Last up, it’s Hunt by Andrea McKenzie, directed by Gwen M Dolan. We’re in the near future, and AI has taken over the cities. Mags (Deborah Whyte) and Joel (McKenzie) are yearning for a simpler life: to step away from their computers and connect with nature. The trouble is, they’re more familiar with tech than they are with tents, neither has remembered to pack the kettle – and how exactly do you light a fire? What’s more, Joel soon discovers that Mags hasn’t been entirely honest with her, and there’s more to this trip than she’s been told…

Reductions in length notwithstanding, 4Play – and other schemes like it – are vital to ensuring that new voices are heard in theatre. 4Play has had considerable success, introducing Katy Nixon’s Cheapo and Mikey Burnett’s Colours Run, which have both spread their wings and flown to critical acclaim. As Scotland’s new writing theatre, it makes perfect sense for the Traverse to support the event, and we’re delighted to have this opportunity to see emerging playwrights develop their skills.

3.2 stars

Susan Singfield

Eternity

12/12/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

The festive season is upon us so what better time to release a charming, romantic comedy about, er… death? That’s Eternity’s central premise, but hey, don’t let it put you off.

In the film’s opening scenes, we join elderly couple, Larry (Barry Primus) and Joan (Betty Buckley), as they drive to a gender reveal party, bickering all the way there. What they haven’t revealed to their family members is that Joan is in the final stages of cancer and only has a short time left to live. But, ironically, it’s Larry who receives notice of an urgent appointment with his own mortality, thanks to getting a pesky pretzel stuck in his throat.

He suddenly finds himself on board a train as it arrives at ‘The Junction,’ a stopping-off place on the journey to Eternity. Larry (now played by Miles Teller) has been transformed to his younger self, able to do squats without pain, but understandably confused as to his current situation. Luckily, he’s been assigned an ‘Afterlife Co-ordinator’ called Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and, when Larry explains that his wife will be joining him any time now, Anna arranges special dispensation for him to wait for her. 

In the meantime, Anna advises Larry to browse all the many brochures on offer in order to choose an Eternity that will be suitable for him and Joan. There are lots of different settings to choose from, ranging from different types of scenery to what can only be described as niche worlds. But Anna warns Larry that once a destination has been chosen, it cannot be changed – no matter what.

Soon enough, Joan arrives (looking uncannily like Elizabeth Olsen), and Larry is waiting eagerly to greet her. Unfortunately, so is Luke (Callum Turner), her first husband, who was killed in the Korean war. And he’s been waiting for more than sixty years to be reunited with her… which is awkward, to say the very least.

There’s lots to like about Eternity, not least its depiction of the afterlife, which has the general look and feel of a glossy holiday marketing exhibition, with representatives of the various destinations eager to sign up the recently deceased. I find myself laughing out loud at the absurdity of some of the concepts that prospective customers are offered. Germany in the 1930s but with 100% less Nazis? What’s not to like? And I love the ‘Archives’ where the dead can visit key scenes from their past, all of them presented as low-budget stage adaptations of the actual events.

The performances from the three leads are engaging and there’s some sparky interplay between Randolph’s Anna and Luke’s Afterlife Co-ordinator, Ryan (John Early). If I have slight reservations, it’s with the script, co-written by Patrick Cunnane and director David Freyne, which in its final stretches appears to bend some of the rules that it’s previously taken great pains to establish. But hey, it’s no deal- breaker. This is overall a thoughtful and engaging story with a pervading sense of melancholy.

If it occasionally invites comparisons with classics like Powell and Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death, well, that’s no bad thing either. Those seeking something a bit different this Christmas should find plenty here to keep them hooked. Just don’t take pretzels as your snack of choice.

4.2 stars

Philip Caveney

Wicked: For Good

06/12/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Despite being dazzling, bold and unashamedly in-your-face, Wicked: For Good somehow manages to fall flat. Perhaps the problem lies in the year-long gap between the two parts of this story; it’s like a glass of champagne that’s been left out too long and lost its fizz.

That said, in many ways I prefer this second act (which I’m refusing to call a sequel, because it isn’t: the story arc spans both films, and neither stands alone). At least there’s a resolution here, and I enjoy the creative ways the storyline feeds into The Wizard of Oz. Narratively, For Good – directed by Jon M Chu – is stronger than Wicked, but as a musical? I’m no aficionado, but even I can tell there’s only one real banger in this show (Defying Gravity), and it isn’t reprised here. As a result, the big song and dance numbers, even with Christopher Scott’s sumptuous choreography and the cast’s impressive vocals, just aren’t very memorable.

We catch up with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) after their erstwhile friendship has been well and truly shattered by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Neither young woman is exactly happy about the way the duo uses propaganda and misinformation to control the citizens of Oz but, while Glinda opts for a pragmatic, ‘if-you-can’t-beat-’em-join-’em’ approach, Elphaba favours revolution, exposing the truth at any cost. Each feels betrayed by the other…

The two leads are magnificent: perfectly cast and with crackling on-screen chemistry. Their combined talent is beyond formidable, and the strongest scenes are those where they’re together. But they’re let down by a histrionic script (by Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox and Gregory Maguire), where emotions are always dialled up to eleven, and unrequited love is enough of an excuse to destroy a realm. It’s all very teenage – and all very one-note. Nessa (Marissa Bode) fares especially badly, her death-by-Kansas-farmhouse so fudged that you wouldn’t know what had happened if you weren’t familiar with the tale.

There’s plenty to admire here: the production values are second-to-none, and the world-building is exquisite. I just think that it would have been better to make one excellent three-hour film rather than two quite good ones, whose combined five hours add up to less than the sum of their parts.

If you’ve already seen Wicked, then you’ll need to watch For Good to see how it all turns out. It’s not dreadful (there are certainly worse ways to spend a winter afternoon). But is it worth all the money and the hype? You’ll have to decide for yourself if you want to follow the yellow brick road back to Oz.

3.5 stars

Susan Singfield

Pillion

04/12/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Adapted from Adam Mars Jones’ 2019 novel, Box Hill, Pillion is – I think it’s fair to say – something of an oddity. Described by one of its stars as a ‘dom-com,’ it’s set within the world of BDSM and has been assigned an 18 certificate for nudity and explicit sex. And yet there are elements at play here to appeal to a much broader audience than you might expect.

Colin (Harry Melling) is an affable young fellow, still living with his parents. He works as a traffic warden and occasionally sings as part of his father Pete’s barber-shop quartet. Pete (Douglas Hodge) is every bit as genial as his son, but he’s coming to terms with the fact that his wife, Peggy (Lesley Sharp), is in the final stages of her life after a long struggle with cancer. Colin’s parents know he is gay; in fact, Peggy has devoted her final months to trying to get him fixed up with a suitable boyfriend, but he doesn’t like any of the dates she sets up for him.

And then, at the local pub where the group regularly performs, Harry encounters Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), a handsome but monosyllabic biker. Something clicks between them and, when Ray hands Colin a note (on the back of a beermat), instructing him to be at a certain place at a certain time, Colin doesn’t hesitate to comply.

It isn’t long before Colin is on his knees in a dark alleyway giving Ray a BJ – and shortly thereafter, he’s initiated into the small group of submissive followers who ride pillion with Ray’s biker friends, ready to accede to their masters’ sadistic whims. Soon Colin has shaved off his long hair and is decked out in racy leather outfits, complete with a padlock around his neck.

In these scenes the 18 certificate is certainly well-earned – but it’s important to note that Colin enthusiastically consents to every indignity that’s meted out to him. Indeed, he seems to thrive on this new regime, as he discovers a sense of community that he’s never had before.

There’s more to the film than just the sexual content. A wonderfully toe-curling scene where Peggy cajoles Colin into bringing Ray to the family home for dinner and then delivers her unflinching opinion of him is a particular delight – and I’m quite unprepared for the genuinely poignant conclusion. There are also several scenes that make me completely re-evaluate everything that has gone before.

Both Melling and Skarsgård are outstanding in their polar opposite roles: one so vulnerable and desperate to show his devotion; the other locked away, sullen and uncommunicative. Director/screenwriter Harry Lighton handles the difficult material with skill and it’s no great surprise to learn that Pillion has recently walked away from the British Independent Film Awards with five trophies, including best film and best debut screenwriter. It’s also stirred up some indignant editorials in the press, enquiring how the BBC could have ‘lowered itself’ to commission something like this.

But there are all kinds of voices in the world and Pillion sheds fresh light onto a subject about which I previously knew very little. Of course, it won’t be to everyone’s taste but I can honestly say that I haven’t seen quite anything like this before, which – to my mind – is one of the highest recommendations a film can aspire to.

4.6 stars

Philip Caveney

The Fifth Step: NT Live

01/12/25

Dominion Cinema, Edinburgh

As if NT Live performances weren’t enough of a treat, we’ve recently ramped up the indulgence levels by choosing to watch them at Edinburgh’s most bougie cinema, the Dominion. At 3pm this afternoon, we zip up our raincoats and venture out into the December drizzle, ready for the half-hour walk that will take us to our huge, reclining seats.

The Fifth Step is a compact, one-act play by Jack Ireland, and its ninety-minute running time is perfectly judged. This is a tight and concentrated piece, where small impulses are magnified, vague doubts forensically explored. The in-the-round set, designed by Milla Clark, is almost brutalist, comprising a stark square with raised, cushioned sides, reminiscent of a boxing ring or a trampoline: a taut jump mat, ready to absorb the characters’ anger, or give them the push they need to set themselves free.

We’re in the world of AA, where acceptance meets strict protocols and kindness sometimes seems harsh. Jack Lowden plays Luka, a twenty-something alcoholic, scared that he’s turning into his dad, and desperate to avoid this destiny. Nervy and uncertain, he isn’t sure that he can do it, not when sobriety leaves a booze-shaped void he fills with loneliness and self-loathing. Hovering in the room after a meeting, he gets chatting to James (Martin Freeman), who has been on the wagon for more than twenty-five years. The older man knows exactly what Luka is going through, and offers to become his sponsor. From hereon in, we watch as their relationship develops – and as they both continue to battle against their respective addictions.

Ireland’s script is darkly funny, and director Finn Den Hertog maximises its comic potential, without ever belittling the men’s experiences. Not much happens, and yet all of human life is here: our frailty, our fabulousness; our bravado, our beauty; our destructiveness and our shared desperation. Luka begins by looking for easy answers: if he does whatever his sponsor says, then surely he’ll find happiness. But James has his own demons to grapple with and he knows that life is far more complex than that. You just have to keep on being honest, keep facing up to your own failings – and keep supporting one another along the way…

Unsurprisingly, Lowden and Freeman deliver faultless performances. They’re perfectly cast, Freeman’s wry stillness the ideal foil for Lowden’s twitchy, pent-up energy. A fascinating insight into not just addiction but also notions of authority and responsibility, this is definitely one to watch if it’s showing at a cinema near you.

4 stars

Susan Singfield