LRB Screen, the London Review Bookshop’s long-running screening series, continues its exploration of visions of London created by non-British filmmakers: films in which the city is a key player, rather than a backdrop; in which its buildings, streets, parks and rivers cast a distinctive shadow over the drama; in which a fresh encounter makes the city unfamiliar and mysterious again.

Next up is the multi-award-winning Still Life, a portrait of urban loneliness, the forging of connection and the kindness of strangers. In a moving performance, Eddie Marsan is a council worker tasked with locating the next of kin when no will has been left by the deceased. When his office is deemed financially unviable and wound down, there is a final ‘case’ to be solved, which turns out to be close to home.

It’s a humane and truthful work, casting a light on aspects of city life that are all too often overlooked. Mark Kermode wrote in The Observer that he ‘was unprepared for the transcendent final moments, which left me suddenly and unexpectedly in tears.’

Introducing the film, and discussing it afterwards with regular host Gareth Evans, will be the film’s writer and director Uberto Pasolini, who was awarded Best Director at Venice for this work.

Cast:
Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt, Andrew Buchan