The WATCH LIST WITH NIAMH ALGAR
“SHANE MEADOWS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST BRITISH FILMMAKERS OF ALL TIME.”
We asked Calm with Horses star Niamh Algar for her top 5 films to watch in lockdown…
1. American Honey
“Andrea Arnold’s work is always unapologetically real and raw and that’s what I love about her films, American Honey is a perfect example of this. All of the performances are sublime particularly Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf, the chemistry between their characters is electric.
American Honey tells the story of a teenage girl who has nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew, and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying, law bending and young love as she criss-crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits.”
2. this is england
“Shane Meadows in my opinion is one of the greatest British filmmakers of all time. This film is the most honest and perfect coming of age tale. The acting and directing is remarkably truthful and was a massive influence to me as an actor growing up. In short it tells the story of a young boy who becomes friends with a gang of skinheads, whom soon become like family to him.”
3. Sicario
“One of my favourite lead performance in a film. Emily Blunts performance is a well crafted balance between defiance and vulnerability, physicality and emotions. She is one of my favourite actors who’s always solid in every role she takes on.”
4. Billy elliott
“One of my favourite films growing up. Its a beautiful heartwarming story that always makes me smile every time I watch it. Hugely inspiring as a film that addresses the issue of gender roles and the impact of stereotype on children.”
5. a woman under the influence
“A Woman Under the Influence (1974) is the greatest of Cassavetes’ films. I'm huge admirer of Gena Rowland's work, she's heartbreakingly fierce as the lead in this story. Every choice she makes as an actor always seems unapologetically truthful and honest, she's incapable of an unreal moment on screen. There's a strength and class to her work that no one has come close to yet.”
Started as a way to end our scrolling during the first COVID-19 lockdown, The Watch List is a series of film recommendations handpicked for you by those in the know - actors, directors, filmmakers and writers whose work has been inspired by the films that came before them.