Friendship (Tilda Swinton) has been sent to Earth on a peace mission. Heading for MIT, she inadvertently lands in Amman, Jordan during the 1970 ‘Black September’ war and is ushered to safety by journalist Sullivan (Bill Paterson). Holed up in a hotel as the conflict rages outside, the pair enter into a series of fascinating conversations about mortality, technology and the nature of warfare. Swinton gives a captivating early-career performance as she calmly debates with a wry and world-weary Sullivan. Together they ask: are we worth saving? Political and prescient, Wollen’s only solo feature film is a witty exploration of human-machine relations that feels remarkably relevant today.
Up Next in BFI Restorations
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Rynox
The influence of Fritz Lang is unmistakeable on Powell’s earliest extant film – a thriller crafted with real visual style, despite its limited budget. The twisty plot concerns businessman F.X. Benedik (Rome), who has been receiving threats from a mysterious stranger. When Benedik is murdered, the...
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The Night of the Party
Powell was dismissive of this stage adaptation, about a murder at a society party, which was foisted on him by Gaumont-British boss Michael Balcon. While it may betray its stage origins, it’s more fun than Powell suggested, with inventively staged scenes, and characterful performances from its fi...
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Her Last Affaire
Powell’s adaptation of Walter Ellis’s successful play was the most prestigious production he had made to date. A ‘society drama’ involving suspicion, clandestine romance and presumed murder, its cast of accomplished stage actors are nonetheless entirely upstaged by the glorious comic doub...
