Late September review

The tough truths of late-life relations

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A dad's Richard Vanstone 65th birthday gathering is the conventional backdrop for Painted Angels director Jon Sanders’ unconventionally realised third feature.

Sanders makes Mike Leigh look profligate but his bare-budget, semi-improv ensemble piece stacks up dramatic riches over its 24-hour timespan: a 40-year marriage crumbles, an ageing lothario cracks up...

More art might’ve helped hone an aesthetic that leaves some exchanges over-stretched and some characters under-developed. But the cast cut into the tough truths of late-life relations. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel it ain’t.

Kevin Harley
Freelance writer

Kevin Harley is a freelance journalist with bylines at Total Film, Radio Times, The List, and others, specializing in film and music coverage. He can most commonly be found writing movie reviews and previews at GamesRadar+. 

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