THIS is a little gem of a movie. We’re in Ponsonby, near Auckland, with a collection of care in the community patients with various levels of madness, alcoholism and even paedophilia.
Our “hero”, Arthur, thinks he’s the Son of God, but is so upliftingly spirited about it that he might just be right. Community worker Margaret, desperate for a baby, is sucked into Arthur’s mystical world and the pair develop a close friendship which turns physical. Meanwhile, developers try to close down the guesthouse where the brilliant owner Bob (Greg Johnson) uses every swear word in the book to keep this motley crew under control. The film’s obvious questioning of how society deals with mental illness and its often brilliant one-liners makes One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest an obvious touchstone. Like that film, you begin to question who are the mad and who are the sane, especially as Arthur asks the speculators: “Who’d want to live their life through their wallet than their heart?” It is funny, touching and life-affirming, a clarion call for man to be nicer to his fellow man. Watch it.
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Billy Connolly’s Route 66 (E)
THE Scottish comedian completes a lifelong dream by undertaking the 2,488-mile journey from Chicago to Santa Monica in this four-part ITV travel series. Embracing the spirit of Easy Rider, Connolly mounts his trusty trike to the best American music of the 20th century, meeting colourful people along the way.
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Senna (E)
ON SUNDAY, May 1, 1994, at the San Marino Grand Prix, three-time champion Ayrton Senna’s car left the track after the Tamburello corner, colliding with a wall.
The Brazilian died soon after. Made with the blessing of Senna’s family and the co-operation of Bernie Ecclestone, Asif Kapadia’s documentary pays glowing tribute to this most charismatic sportsman. Painstakingly constructed from hours of race footage, photographs, interviews and archive material, Senna celebrates the life of the iconic Formula 1 driver, whose death sparked an overhaul of safety. The film opens with 18-year-old Senna in a go-kart. He quickly progresses, making his debut in Formula 1 in 1984, and beginning an intense rivalry with Alain Prost that prompted the Frenchman to claim: “Ayrton has a small problem. He believes he cannot kill himself. That’s a danger to everyone.” Love and attention is in every frame here.
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