Month: March 2026

The Secret Agent

06/03/26

Cineworld, Edinburgh

If this film’s title suggests that we might be about to watch a run of the mill spy movie, don’t be misled. Kiba Mendonça Filho’s historical drama is many things, but straightforward it certainly isn’t. Shown here in a season of 2026’s Oscar-nominated films, it’s a complex, multi-faceted work that pulls in elements from many different genres with absolute authority.

The story opens in 1977 in Recife, Brazil, a country suffering under the curse of a brutal military dictatorship. ‘Marcelo’ (Wagner Moura) pulls in at a remote petrol station looking to fill his empty tank. He’s taken aback when he sees a dead body lying in the dirt under a flimsy covering of cardboard boxes. The attendant casually tells him that the man has been lying there for several days while everyone waits patiently for the cops to come and investigate. When two policeman do drive up, they’re much more interested in trying to extort money from Marcelo (real name Armando), who is returning to his old stamping ground three years after the mysterious death of his wife, Fatima.

Armando is also here to reconnect with his young son, Fernando, who lives with Fatima’s parents in Recife. Fernando is currently obsessed with the film Jaws, which he is desperate to see. When a shark is caught in local waters and a man’s leg is found in the creature’s stomach, the resulting news headlines kick off a whole series of wild rumours and myths. Meanwhile, Armando manages to secure a place in a refuge, run by former anarcho-communist, Dona Sebastiano (Tanya Maria), and there he meets others who have various reasons for wanting to stay under the radar. He finds work at the local identity card office, which gives him an opportunity to search for information about Fatima.

But it transpires that two hit men, Bobbi (Gabriel Leone) and Augusto (Roney Vilella), have been despatched by the man responsible for Fatima’s death, their sole mission to murder Armando…

The strength of this film is that it takes in so many different beats that it constantly challenges my expectations. The seventies setting is brilliantly evoked and there’s a vibrant, Latin American score by Mateus Alves and Tomaz Alves Souza. Maura is utterly compelling in the central role, but he’s only one of a host of fascinating characters that parade exuberantly across the screen in smaller parts. Watch out for the final performance of veteran actor Udo Keir as Hans, a German-Jewish holocaust survivor.

There’s also a engaging subplot set in the present day, where young research student, Flavia (Laura Lufési), attempts to piece together the puzzle to discover what eventually happened to Armando.

With a formidable running time of two hours and forty-five minutes, The Secret Agent is inevitably going to prove divisive, but that Oscar nomination for best international picture is there for good reason and I won’t be at all surprised if it ends up walking away with the trophy.

4.5 stars

Philip Caveney

Someone’s Knockin’ on the Door

04/03/36

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Jack (Jonathan Watson) and Kathy (Maureen Carr) are recording an online chat with their granddaughter, Molly, providing her with some recollections she might be able to use in a school project that’s looking for ‘untold Scottish stories.’ Their separate reminiscences take them both back to the long hot summer of 1976, when they set off on their first ever holiday – two years after a rushed marriage, when Kathy fell unexpectedly pregnant.

In the van that Jack borrows from work, they drive to Campbeltown near the Mull of Kintyre. Jack has a hidden agenda. He’s been a rabid Beatles fan ever since he first heard the strains of Love Me Do, and now he’s nurturing a powerful compulsion to visit the secluded cottage where he knows his hero, Paul McCartney, has been spending much of his time since the world’s most famous band went their separate ways…

This first production in the new season of A Play, A Pie and a Pint, written by Milly Sweeney, is apparently based on a true story. It’s a lighthearted, whimsical piece, deriving much of its humour from the ways in which the memories of the two contributors differ in so many important aspects. The constant cross-cutting between them is the basis of the drama but the couple’s banter is not always as precise as it be and I’m left with the feeling that this piece could have benefitted from a little more rehearsal time.

There’s an attempt to draw comparisons between the break up of the Fab Four and the disintegration of Jack and Kathy’s relationship, a central premise that occasionally feels a little too forced for comfort – but I do like the fact that the play readily accepts that not every marriage is destined to last forever, a touch of realism so often lacking in drama.

Both Watson and Carr are familiar performers at PPP and both are appealing in their respective roles. Sally Reid directs the piece with a light touch and Heather Grace Currie’s simple set design successfully evokes the era. The image of a postcard – which is an important element in this supposedly true recollection – is occasionally illuminated in the background.

Someone’s Knockin’ on the Door provides a charming, if innocuous, opening to the new season – I do however occasionally find myself wishing for a little more grit in the telling.

3.4 stars

Philip Caveney

The Testament of Ann Lee

03/03/26

Filmhouse, Edinburgh

Watching The Testament of Ann Lee I find myself, once again, in the uncanny valley of the true story that seems so mind-bogglingly unlikely, I start to ask myself if the ‘facts’ might have been tampered with for entertainment value. But no, it only takes a swift Google after the viewing to establish that Ann Lee really did do all the things that are depicted here. She was the founder of The Shakers – and, if your knowledge of this mysterious religion extends only to the rather fancy furnishings they left in their wake, join the club.

Directed by Mona Fastvold and co-written with Brady Corbet (director of The Brutalist), TTOAL is a great big sprawling narrative about the titular Ann (Amanda Seyfried), narrated by her sister, Mary (Thomasin McKenzie). It follows Ann from her humble childhood in Manchester, through her ill-fated marriage to Abraham (Christopher Abbott), and on to her ambitious pilgrimage to America where, accompanied by her tireless brother, William (Lewis Pullman), she establishes a religion on the premise that she is the reincarnation of God in female form. As you do.

It’s clear, when viewed through a modern lens, that Ann’s beliefs are founded upon a mixture of depression after losing four children in their infancy and her subsequent conviction that sex is inherently evil, something only to be indulged in with the express aim of creating babies. Blaming herself for their premature deaths, she stopped eating and subsequently suffered from visions and began exhibiting the strange, twitchy movements that ultimately gave her religion its name. (For a while there it was going to be the Shaker-Quakers, but they settled for something snappier.)

Oh, and did I mention that this is also a musical? Composer Daniel Blumberg has created a whole series of songs based around original Shaker hymns, to which Seyfried and the rest of the cast dance and leap like demented trancers at an all-night rave. It shouldn’t work and yet it does, big time. TTOAL is an ambitious and exhilarating epic that provides the ever-watchable Seyfried with what just might be the role of her career. She even manages a pretty convincing Mancunian accent, though she does very occasionally lapse into Liverpudlian. It’s important to add that this is not just a star vehicle for Seyfried, but the very embodiment of an ensemble piece, with every member of the cast working hard to make this incredible story credible.

There’s no denying this is the kind of film that’s destined to divide audiences (aside from anything else, I suspect the many song and dance numbers will alienate a lot of people) but, to my mind it’s an ambitious enterprise that achieves all its goals. Brought in on the same kind of ‘modest’ budget that gave us The Brutalist, this screening in 70mm employs old-fashioned matte painting techniques to achieve its stunning vistas and it looks absolutely ravishing. However manic it gets, it manages to keep me hooked throughout its two hours and seventeen minutes run time.

Do I come to understand the rabid sensibilities that fuelled the Shaker movement?

Not for a moment, but I have a wild ride trying to get to grips with it.

4.6 stars

Philip Caveney

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

02/03/26

The Cameo, Edinburgh

Her child is sick and Linda (Rose Byrne) can’t cope. Caring for her daughter (Delaney Quinn) is a full-time job – and she has an actual full-time job as well. Throw in an absent husband (Christian Slater), a judgemental doctor (writer/director Mary Bronstein) and a gaping hole in her bedroom ceiling, and it’s no surprise that Linda is tired, snappy and a little too reliant on wine and weed.

The child has an unspecified eating disorder and has been fitted with a feeding tube. (In an audacious directorial decision we never get a proper look at the girl, but it really works – this isn’t her story.) Linda’s paediatrician insists that she should attend parents’ meetings, where a group of mothers (no fathers in sight) are exhorted not to blame themselves for their children’s conditions. With no sense of irony, Dr Spring follows the meeting by telling Linda that her child is “failing,” that Linda doesn’t have the right attitude and, essentially, it’ll be her fault if the treatment doesn’t work.

Meanwhile, Linda’s husband, Charles, can’t help because he’s working away, but that doesn’t stop him from phoning to hector her. She should make the most of staying in a hotel, he says, implying it’s a holiday, but why hasn’t she chased up the contractor who’s supposed to be fixing the apartment? Why isn’t the child gaining weight? Why has Linda left the child alone to go shopping? Why hasn’t Linda answered his texts? Why, Linda? Why?

Her therapist (Conan O’Brien) isn’t much use either. Linda’s a therapist too, with an office down the hall from his, and his impassive responses rile her. She knows the tricks of the trade and is frustrated that he won’t transgress, won’t relieve her of responsibility by simply telling her what to do. When one of Linda’s own patients, a young mother with post-partum depression (Danielle MacDonald), abandons her baby in Linda’s office, it’s the final straw. Linda has reached her limit.

Almost a companion piece to Lynne Ramsey’s Die My Love, Bronstein’s movie is a searing indictment of a system that sets mothers up to fail, that overloads them with responsibility but provides no safety nets. Byrne’s portrayal of Linda’s mental decline is devastating: she loses all confidence in every area of her life, no longer capable of functioning as mother, therapist, wife or friend. Even her putative relationship with her hotel neighbour, James (A$AP Rocky), proves shallow and unreliable, prompting her to turn even further in on herself. The world is hostile and everyone is an enemy. In the end, there’s only one way out…

Linda’s disintegration is magnified by cinematographer Christopher Messina’s use of light: the gold flashes that dance in her periphery; the dreamscapes that veer between illusion and reality. The hole in the ceiling looms ever larger over Linda’s head, a great big gaping metaphor for a woman on the edge.

Byrne’s towering, nuanced performance makes her a worthy Oscar contender (although I’m still backing Jessie Buckley for the win). Meanwhile, this intense, emotional movie certainly seals Bronstein’s reputation as one to watch.

4.4 stars

Susan Singfield

Bombay Bistro

01/03/26

Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh

We’re meeting up with a couple of pals for lunch and we’ve been hearing good things about Bombay Bistro in Bruntsfield, just a short walk from where we live. Located in the premises that previously housed Tom Kitchin’s much-missed Southside Scran – and, more recently, the same chef’s Kora – the BB’s Mandeep Saini (formally of Gleneagles Hotel), has been based here for several months now, and he promises ‘a fresh take on traditional Indian cuisine.’

As soon as we’re inside, we can see that the interior decor hasn’t changed much. It’s very quiet this Sunday afternoon, which is a shame, since the Prawn Biryani I plump for is deliciously spiced and mouth-wateringly aromatic. It needs to be sampled by more hungry diners. For my money, it’s up there with the best that Dishoom has to offer. Across the table, one of our friends is enjoying the chicken version of the same dish, and we’ve both chosen a peshwari nan to accompany our main course, which is light, sweet and crispy, exactly as it should be.

Our other friend has ordered Rava Fry Haddock with Masala Chips, two enormous fish fillets shallow-fried in spiced semolina and served with tadka mushy peas and the aforementioned fries, which have just a hint of spice about them. She deems the meal ‘delicious’ but can’t manage to finish it all. Susan, meanwhile, has opted for the Masala Broccoli and Pumpkin Superfood Salad, which features spinach, kale, avocado, coconut flakes and dried cranberries. She adds some Salmon Tikka and the combination proves to be a hit.

All in all, the main courses have wowed us, particularly in view of the prices, which offer good value for money. The two puddings we sample are also pretty good, even if they don’t quite attain the heights of their magnificent predecessors. There’s a mango and coconut kheer, that can be served warm or cold; and there’s a perfectly decent sticky toffee pudding, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. However, neither dessert is hot enough: the rice pudding is only lukewarm and the sticky toffee is served cold, making it a little too dry. But these are minor quibbles and pretty much the only criticisms I have.

Those looking for excellent Indian cuisine that won’t make too big a dent on the finances should head up to Bruntsfield at their earliest opportunity and sample Mandeep’s creations for themselves.

4 stars

Phillip Caveney

Fairytales ’26

28/02/26

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

This evening’s scratch night features three works-in-progress, co-written and directed by Jordan S Daniel and Tash McPhillips. If the title makes you think of happy-ever-afters, you’ll need to manage your expectations. There are no wicked step-families either, no magic beans, no once-upon-a-times.

Instead, we are introduced to Cleo (Samuela Noumtchuet), Mark (Kieran Lee-Hamilton) and Jaye (Amandine Jalon), each with an individual tale to tell. Cleo is an AI sex-bot, who wants to become a real woman. Think Pinocchio, but grown up. Next is Mark, a modern version of the big bad wolf: an incel, huffing and puffing at women for not desiring him, certain it’s because they’re shallow and nothing to do with him being creepy AF. And finally, there’s Jaye, as innocent and hopeful as Hans Christian Andersen’s little mermaid, escaping the confines of their provincial life to seek forbidden love in London. But their excitement at living openly as a lesbian soon sours, when they learn that their new girlfriend is transphobic, and the brave new city they’ve embraced is not as accepting as it first seems.

The actors all perform with gusto. Noumtchuet in particular plays up the comedic elements of her role, much to the delight of tonight’s supportive audience, who respond with gales of laughter. Lee-Hamilton successfully conveys the loathsome Mark’s sense of peevish entitlement, while Jalon engages our sympathy for Jaye, as their dreams of a happy life begin to crumble around them.

The three monologues deal with some of the most thought-provoking, urgent issues of our times, and for this I commend them. However, the polemic is sometimes overwhelming, making me feel as if I am listening to a lecture. As these works-in-progress are developed into longer pieces, I’m sure there will be more space for nuance, allowing the themes to be illuminated rather than stated – shown, not told.

There’s no denying the importance of the topics raised by Daniel and McPhillips, and I’m glad to see that Scottish theatre is doing the right thing and giving a platform to queer voices.

Susan Singfield