It was a bright sunny day at the BFI Southbank area. All along the walkway outside the BFI there were festival banners, market stalls, fast food trailers and huge crowds of theatre and movie fans. My close filmgoing companion and I made our way to the Riverfront Bar, in happy anticipation of being two of the very first people ever to watch Dimensions movie.
The BFI Southbank is directly opposite the National Theatre, near Waterloo Bridge. It's a very exciting place to be if you love independent film; there is always something interesting on, and never more so than at film festival time.
The NFT1 screen room is quite large, with high ceiling, red walls and comfortable seats with plenty of leg room. It soon became very full as Sloane & Ant's friends arrived, along with cast and crew of Dimensions movie.
Sloane U'Ren and Ant Neeley famously sold their house to finance Dimensions. Before the screening began, they stood at the front and gave a speech mentioning this fact; and thanking everyone for their support. Huge cheers went up as soon as they began to speak. After their brief speech, the lights went down and the magic of Dimensions began.
Dimensions grips you from the very first few minutes into the story; as in the movie's tagline, it's a line, a loop, a tangle of threads. It draws you in with a tangled web of mystery and intrigue; following the main protagonists from childhood to adulthood, with plenty of plot twists along the way. It's also a breathtakingly beautiful movie; elegant and romantic with visually-stunning cinematography, set in the glorious county of Cambridgeshire, with all its weeping willows, lush greenery and glittering canals.
All through the film I felt utterly transported back to the 1920's; a magical illusion helped partly by the amazing photography and partly by the very authentic costumes. The women's dresses in particular had gorgeous flowing lines, with fairylike pointed hems fluttering in the breeze in the outdoor scenes.
All in all, the acting was superb, the storyline enchanting and the cinematography simply stunning. Highly recommended viewing for sci fi and period drama fans alike, everywhere.
Further reading on Dimensions: My interview with Producer/Production Designer Sloane U'Ren
Watch Dimensions Movie Teaser Trailer (YouTube)...
