40 Acres

 This low fi Canadian thriller is an unlikely vehicle for Oscar nomine Danielle Deadwyler, who also produces, but here we are. Deadwyler's Hailey Freeman is the matriarch of a family fighting for survival in post-apocalyptic rural Canada where her farm is besieged by aggressive cannibals (yes) who want the family's crops and, uh, spices, and are quite happy to kill for them. 

The cannibal angle really never comes into focus, but for most of the film, the Freemans, a blended family of Hailey, her indigenous husband and four kids, live a martial existence of surveillance, supply runs and a lot of shooting. She also maintains radio contact with a woman called Augusta, who turns out to have a family connection. Eldest son Manny calls Hailey Ma'am and follows orders, until he doesn't.... 

The action sequences are fine, there is definite feel of threat and jeopardy but the family dynamics are poorly sketched. Deadwyler, a fine actress, spends most of the film gritting her teeth and clenching her weapons. One never feels engaged with the characters, to the point where I realised I was not even sure of most of their names. This is partly due to a sound mix that renders most dialogue a vague mumble. 

The themes of family, trust and letting go are clear enough but it is astounding that this is the type of fare being offered to Deadwyler.  

Trailer

 40 Acres will be in UK Cinemas from 1st August and Digital Download from 4th August 

Cedric Morris: Artist, Plantsman & Traveller

 This exhibit with the unwieldy title at the Granary Gallery in Berwick Upon Tweed caught my attention on a recent visit up north. I was not familiar with Morris's work and wondered if he were a relation to Walthamstow's own William Morris. Not the case, but Cedric Morris was a vibrant character whose life spanned most of the 20th century and a bit of the 19th. Living for many decades in Suffolk with his partner, fellow artist Arthur Lett Haines, he painted, ran a painting and drawing school and amassed an outstanding collection of plants. So, quite intriguing to me on many levels. 

The exhibit, which shows an array of both Morris's and Lett Haines' work, is fairly small, with paintings in low light facing each other, alongside some extended captions. I found Morris' self portrait, in three quarters view, to be quite arresting. There is a hint of melancholia in the shadowing of the eye closer to the viewer. A range of trees frames his head like a nebula or a tiara. Much of the rest of his work is landscapes, but the other one that caught my eye was La Rotonde, which owes a debt to the post-Impressionists in its subject and style, a cafe in Paris. 

What struck me was how many different styles the artists worked in. Lett Haines shows clear European influence with his paintings of train stations and abstract work. But their styles changed a great deal over time. 

Curiosity piqued, I picked up a bio of Morris which explains how the two met, their backgrounds and partnership. There is a lot of name-dropping of other painters, such as Freud and Hambling, as well. I also learned that Morris stopped doing portraits, in part because the sitters hated the finished works so much! 

Although he loved gardening and collecting plants, Morris did not like to be described as a plantsman. He reserved that term for others. But he and Lett Haines spent 60 years together, their interests at least complimentary if not matching. Two extraordinary lives. 

After years of neglect, the garden of their home, Benton End, is being restored with a view to reopening in 2026. Here is a tour of it. 

 Cedric Morris: Artist, Plantsman & Traveller continues at the Granary Gallery, Berwick Upon Tweed, through 12 October 2025. 

 

94114 to E17

 It's rare I get to go out in my locality, tucked as it is on the end of the Victoria line. The number of times I have had people ask, "Where's that?" 

The Times designation as the best place to live in London notwithstanding, Walthamstow is still an under-appreciated neighbourhood.  

So, last night was a rarity, a visit to the new Soho Theatre in Walthamstow. Formerly the EMD cinema and a hotly debated planning morass, the theatre has finally opened, offering live performance to Stowies and non-Stowies alike. On stage was Justin Vivian Bond performing Sex With Strangers, a tribute to the music of the late Marianne Faithfull. 

I confess I never got to see Ms Faithfull live, though I have seen DVDs of her live performance, and I found the ups and downs of her life fascinating. Joining Mx Bond onstage was a five-piece band, bringing the torch and roll of MF to life. 

The last time I saw JVB was way back in 2002 when the headliner of Ladyfest London had cancelled, necessitating a last minute replacement and Kiki and Herb graciously stepped in, doing fabulous covers of female rockers such as Peaches and Alanis. It was brilliant. 

But I go a bit further back with the performer as both of us lived in SF back in the early 90s and I well remember JVB holding court at A Different Light Books in the Castro, offering candid opinions on the written fare on offer. 

How odd it was to sit 10 feet away in the gloriously Baroque grotto of the SHW while Bond worked the stage and told rambling anecdotes about friends, family and Faithfull in amongst the Faithfull song book. I actually felt some of the songs did not suit Bond's voice. Broken English is one of my favourite songs but I didn't feel they did its bassy griminess justice. 

On the other hand, I loved what Bond did with "Why'd Ya Do It", coming toward the end of the 2-hour set. I think the whole band needed to warm up, as did the chanteuse. One person said at the intermission, "I don't know most of the songs, but I'm having the best time." 

The surroundings helped, as well, with many attendees craning their necks to look up at the vaulted ceiling. I recognised a few faces I usually see at Flare, but not in my neck of the woods. Everyone is welcome in E17. I hope they come back and see us some time. 

For Bond's part, they said there are plans to do a show at St Anne's church in September and they hope to use a Roger Waters song. Interesting bedfellows! Marianne would probably have a deep throaty filthy voiced chuckle. 

 Here is Marianne Faithfull's collaboration with Derek Jarman. 

Sex With Strangers continues at Soho Theatre Walthamstow on 12 July.