Friday, 09 December 2022: The Man In The Hat
Friday, 09 December 2022, 20:00
Venue: (see Locations and Tickets for further details)
Programme category: Forest Row Film Society
Director: John-Paul Davidson, Stephen Warbeck, UK 2020, 95 mins, 12A
“A whimsical and playful film told through the mostly dialogue-free journey… Its beautiful locations and quaint humour makes The Man In The Hat an enjoyable ride” Film Inquiry
The Man In The Hat is an almost dialogue-free picturesque odyssey across the French countryside. The unnamed driver, played by Ciarán Hinds, inadvertently witnesses some supposed criminal behaviour and makes his escape in a Fiat 500 accompanied only by the framed photograph of an unknown woman. The journey unfolds as he is pursued by five angry men in a Citroen Diane, encountering kindness, eccentricity, lunch and music along the way. Delightful.
“The Man In The Hat sustains a whimsical tone beautifully throughout its brief running time, perhaps because directors John-Paul Davidson and Stephen Warbeck add a touch of melancholy to prevent it from becoming too cloying or cutsy. Somewhere between a dream and a fable, this is the kind of film viewers could debate for hours ….” RogerEbert.com
