In the Nosebleeds reports from the London Film Festival!

Well now I’ve made it to the big leagues of semi-professional reviewing (well, medium leagues), it seems it’s been a while since I’ve written an old-fashioned ITN freebie. But never let it be said I’ve forgotten my fans! (Fan singular? 👋) I had the pleasure of being a plus one at not one but two (count ‘em) gala screenings for the 2025 London Film Festival this week. So a perfect opportunity to dip my toe back into cinematic reviewing with a couple of pint-sized pieces. 

Roofman (2 hrs 6 mins, in cinemas)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Roofman’s unusual premise certainly offers evidence for the phrase ‘truth is stranger than fiction’, being as it is inspired by a completely bizarre chain of real events. Channing Tatum shows off both his comedic and dramatic prowess as Jeffrey ‘Roofman’ Manchester, the world’s politest armed robber. Given his nickname thanks to his slippery way of getting into the McDonaldses* he burgled*, this escape artist sneaks his way out of prison and evades capture by hiding out behind a display inside a Toys R Us. For six months. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any weirder, Jeffrey begins to fall for a woman working at the store (Leigh, played by Kirsten Dunst), and manages to carry on an increasingly serious relationship with her and her family over several months. 

Director Derek Cianfrance does a pretty effective job of toeing the line between comedy and drama, resulting in quite a compelling and very human story. Tatum’s sympathetic performance allows us to understand Manchester’s choices – how good intentions drove him to increasingly bad decisions – and it’s hard not to be moved by the redemptive (if inevitably doomed) path he sets on when he gets involved with Leigh.

I did struggle sometimes with just how much Roofman lionises Manchester, as Cianfrance and fellow screenwriter Kirt Gunn continually remind us just what a nice guy he is (he constantly carries a picture of his kids and the opening scene shows him offering his coat to one of the McDonalds staffers before locking them in the freezer). I felt the film too readily overlooked the darker side of his behaviour – the trauma he caused to those he stole from, and the brazen deceit that underpinned his relationship with Leigh. 

On the whole though, I think Roofman mostly gets away with this because it is willing to engage with the murkiness and complexity of humans and human relationships. Interviews with the real Leigh at the end of the movie support the filmmakers’ perspective that despite the truly bizarre circumstances, the love Leigh and Jeffrey had for one another was real and transformative. And without giving too much away, there isn’t a happily ever after at the end of this fairy tale, making it feel more grounded and meaningful than weaker rom-com fare. 

Christy (2 hrs 15 mins, in UK cinemas in November)

⭐⭐⭐

If Roofman is a completely unprecedented sort of story, David Michod’s Christy sits at the other end of the spectrum, neatly slotting into the well-worn template of the underdog sports biopic. Christy Salters (known for most of her career as Christy Martin) was one of the first great female boxers, bringing the sport to popularity and dominating the competition. But, like many protagonists of sports biopics before her, she was also fighting battles at home: her internal struggles with her closeted homosexuality, and the fact that her husband and long-term trainer, Jim Martin, was an abusive prick. (Excuse my French, but he just was. Watch the film, you won’t think that language is too harsh.) 25 years her senior, Martin first met Salters when she was just 18, and the film charts how this controlling abuser shaped both her personal and professional life. 

If you go into Christy not knowing this backstory (and I didn’t), the film’s depiction of this relationship is all the more shocking (though to be fair, it’s pretty shocking on its own terms). One of the major problems with Christy is that it’s deeply, deeply unpleasant to watch. Long before Martin’s behaviour becomes literally violent, it’s obvious he’s controlling and emotionally manipulative and Ben Foster is completely repulsive in the role. It’s like watching a horror movie: at every turn you want to scream at Christy to get out of there for god’s sake. 

But can that be a valid criticism of a film that is depicting the true life story of a woman who really had to suffer that? It’s hard to say. I do think (and other reviewers have agreed) that the film’s unflinching depiction of some of the worst abuse leans towards the voyeuristic and gratuitous. But perhaps when someone has actually endured that level of violence, it would dishonour them to shy away from presenting it on film. 

Aside from the squeamishness of it all, Christy is a middling sports biopic, hitting all the beats without ever exploring any deeper truths. I will say I think Sweeney does a perfectly fine job, despite the criticism I’ve seen of her in this (though she isn’t helped by the fact that as a 28-year-old she’s asked to play 18 through 39, with nothing but wig changes to help her age). There’s definitely excitement to be had in watching Christy succeed in the big fights (which are pretty well staged), and she’s a likeable enough character that you want to see her succeed. But it’s all a bit by-the-numbers; though there are nods of the head to classism and sexism in the early days of women’s boxing, we don’t ever see that have a real impact on Christy’s skyrocketing career. Really the main narrative drama comes from her relationship with Martin, and though Christy does eventually free herself of those shackles, I will agree with fellow reviewers that the relief of her finally overcoming her biggest obstacle comes too late in the piece. 

There isn’t anything actively bad about the crafting of Christy to give it fewer than three stars. But there also isn’t anything brilliant in it to warrant giving it any more, and this certainly isn’t a film you’ll want to head back to in a hurry. 

*What is the plural of McDonalds anyway, McDonaldsi? McDonaldices?

*burger-led, hehe