BFI London Film Festival: 5 "low-key" picks from this year’s programme - including Peaky Blinders follow up

• The 2024 BFI London Film Festival begins today (October 9 2024.)
• This year’s festival sees highlights including Steve McQueen’s Blitz and Maria starring Angelina Jolie.
• But for those with a more curious movie palette, Benjamin Jackson makes his suggestions from this year’s programme.

The BFI have spent the last few months preparing for today, as the 2024 BFI London Film Festival begins with the opening night screening of Blitz.

Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Saoirse Ronan, Blitz follows a defiant young boy who goes on an adventure in London during World War II only to find himself in immense peril amidst the Blitz, while his distraught mother searches for him.

But away from feature films starring Hollywood heavyweights such as Angelina Jolie, Sebastian Stan and Daniel Craig, there are a few standout films that ebb on the side of caution, filed under “cult” and “thriller” in the festival programme.

Be it Nicolas Cage once again stealing the screen or renowned horror film documentary maker Alexandre O. Phillipe once again delving into the world of celluloid terror, those who hunger for the more offbeat film festival - we’ve got some picks for you.

So what are my picks at this year’s London Film Festival that you can jump on the bandwagon early and say “I know that movie” before the inevitable water cooler or pub conversation?

What are our picks from the BFI London Film Festival 2024?

The Surfer

• Festival dates: October 9,12 and 13 2024.

Synopsis: “Humiliated in front of his son by surf gang the Bay Boys, an unnamed man’s life slowly unravels as he is drawn into an escalating conflict that tests his sanity and identity. Set against the backdrop of a coastal idyll and featuring a hypnotic, pulsating score, an impressive Nicolas Cage and exceptional cast delight in this sprightly paced, trippy thriller that nods to Australian New Wave cinema.”

Skincare

• Dates: October 12 and 17 2024.

Synopsis: “Facialist to the stars Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is about to launch her skincare line. With it she hopes to become the next beauty mogul. But when a new beauty salon opens across the street, Hope’s life unravels. She finds herself enmeshed in a maelstrom of blackmail, lies and self-interest. Only new alliances offer her the chance to take control of her narrative.”

The Wailing

• Dates: October 16 and 18 2024.

Synopsis: “Andrea’s attempts to locate her biological mother are derailed by unexpected news, and in her search for answers she becomes increasingly unsure of who she can trust. As it moves from present-day Madrid to early-21st-century Buenos Aires, past and present intersect to uncanny effect, unsettling notions of what is real, what is inherited and what might just be imagined.”

Chain Reactions

• Dates: October 13 and 15 2024.

Synopsis: “In his latest cinematic odyssey, Alexandre O. Philippe (78/52, Lynch/Oz) treats us to a chat with author Stephen King, filmmakers Karyn Kusama and Takashi Miike, critic Alexandra Heller Nicholas and actor-comedian Patton Oswalt on their relationship to Tobe Hooper’s cult horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A wealth of clips illustrates each rumination on a genre classic that, as Kusama puts it, still delivers ‘a punch in our complacent faces.’”

A Thousand Blows

• Dates: October 11 2024.

Synopsis: “Hezekiah and Alec, newly arrived in London from Jamaica, encounter Sugar Goodson, a notorious veteran boxer, and Mary Carr, leader of an all-female gang. Each fight for survival on the violent, crime-ridden streets of the city’s East End, in this riveting series inspired by real-life figures, featuring Stephen Graham and created by Peaky Blinders mastermind Steven Knight.”

The BFI London Film Festival takes place from October 9 to October 20 2024 at the BFI Southbank and various venues across the city. For more information, bookings and to see the complete programme, visit the official BFI London Film Festival website today.