One of the more interesting entries to the ‘Thrill’ category of the BFI LFF is Westmoreland’s Netflix funded Earthquake Bird which premiered yesterday. Starring Alicia Vikander as the enigmatic Lucy who is a translator in Tokyo where she has lived for 5 years. As part of her backstory we learn she is Swedish but her accent is neutral and her Japanese impeccable.
EARTHQUAKE BIRD (2019)
She is single and rather detached from life around her. A street encounter with a tall attractive local photographer leads her into a passionate affair with Teiji with a very slow build up to their first love-making session. Once they have reached intimacy Lucy forms a deep attachment with Teeji which renders her vulnerable. The arrival into her social set of Lily (Riley Keogh) a provocative and sexually forward American nurse throws a shadow across her relationship with Teeji and leads eventually to a rather daring threesome that sets the fuse for an explosive series of events. People seem to die around Lucy, whether by accident or intent and this leads to her being under suspicion when the American nurse Lily vanishes, believed dead. This is a nuanced film and a worthy contribution to the festival. See it a BFI LFF.