6. Behind the Candelabra
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival last week and also airing on HBO last night, there was much hype surrounding what is apparently to be Steven Soderbergh's final film (though many will remain skeptical as to that claim), his long-gestating Liberace biopic, Behind the Candelabra. The film was received rapturously at the Cannes press screening I attended, and seems to have scooped similarly agreeable reviews across the board, praising both Michael Douglas and Matt Damon's exceptional performances as Liberace and his young lover Scott Thorson respectively. Soderbergh, meanwhile, has managed to avoid the stereotype ascribed to TV biopics, crafting a beautifully-lensed, literate, uproariously funny film about the last decade of the man's life that is unexpectedly explicit, honest, warm and also a little sad. If it really is the end for Soderbergh, then it's a doozy to go out on. Read Simon Gallagher's review
here.
Release Info: Aired on HBO in the US last night, UK theatrical release June 7th.