Cottontail review – beautifully understated Japanese-English bereavement road trip drama
The bereavement road trip is a niche sub-genre but a rewarding one. Patrick Dickinson's pensive, beautifully acted Japanese and English-language drama Cottontail has much in common with 2019's John Hawkes-starring End of Sentence: both feature an estranged father and son forced together by the death of the woman who was the only thing they had in common.
In this case, the cantankerous, recklessly independent widower is Kenzaburo, played by the remarkable Japanese actor Lily Franky (Shoplifters) in a performance that's a masterclass in understated anguish. Kenzaburo lost his wife to dementia before she lost her life, but, a lifelong fan of Beatrix Potter, she made him promise to take her ashes from Tokyo to the shores of Windermere in Cumbria. A delicate gem of a film, with a powerhouse turn from Franky.
In UK and Irish cinemas
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Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'Princess Diana asked when I'd play for England - I knew racists didn't want it'
The legendary former cricketer looks back at some of his most remarkable meetings during his heyday, dealing with racism and the words of Viv Richards which still resonate Rocking and rumbling, as David 'Syd' Lawrence used to describe his bustling persona, the promising fast bowler greeted visiting royalty with his customary genial warmth. Voted Young Cricketer of the Year by a jury of learned scribes, Lawrence collected his gong at the most memorable net practice of his life. 'What made that award extra special was that it was presented to me by the patron of Gloucestershire Cricket Club… the Princess of Wales,' said Lawrence. ' Princess Diana visited the club and had a tour of all the facilities, including watching us have a net. I was only jogging in off a few paces but she still thought I bowled extremely fast. 'Naturally I was shocked by her sudden death in 1997 and thought back many times to that day she spent with us at Gloucestershire. As a result of her patronage, three people from the club were invited to her funeral at Westminster Abbey, and I was one of those asked to attend. Jack Russell and Andy Stovold were the other two. 'We were sat directly behind a couple of Americans. One was Dr Henry Kissinger, a former US secretary of state and brilliant political thinker, the other was Ruby Wax, a comedian, actress and writer who often appeared on television throughout the 1980s and 90s. 'She would not shut up! I don't think I've ever heard someone talk as incessantly as she did that day. At one point Jack leaned forward and gently motioned for her to be quiet. She smiled and agreed to do just that, and promptly started talking again. "When I spoke with Diana back in 1986, she did ask me about playing for England and whether it might happen soon. I told her I hoped so, and that if I played at Lord's then I might meet her mother-in-law too. She had a chuckle at that, which I dined out on for a little while.' The prospect of Lawrence going on to play for England was not universally approved among the country's redneck fringes. One heinous scrap of anonymous correspondence through the post advised him 'to go back to the f*****g jungle.' For the first British-born Black player to win Test caps, it was a dark reminder of a nation's swivel-eyed tendency. 'English cricket has long been littered with racists and apologists for racism,' wrote Lawrence in his searing new book, after his shattering diagnosis of motor neurone disease. 'Back in 1980 I was playing my first game for the Gloucestershire second team and one evening I was in my hotel room when I got a knock at the door. I opened it to find that one of my team-mates had left a banana skin there for me to find. It was a classic racist trope that was used to compare Black people to monkeys. 'I was the butt of the 'joke'. And it hurt. I wish I could tell you that I confronted the person who put it there and had it out with them, but I didn't. I wish I could tell you that I laughed it off, but I didn't. I sat down on my bed and I cried. If this is the way that my own team-mates see me, then what about those I'm playing against? 'I promised myself that would never happen again and that winter I went to the local gym in Bristol, The Empire, where the Commonwealth gold medal weightlifter Precious McKenzie used to train, and worked so hard on transforming my body into one that was not only fit for purpose on the field but one that wouldn't be messed with off it.' When racist fans bombarded him with Klansman vitriol and bananas in a Sunday League game against Yorkshire at Scarborough 41 years ago, the pond life were lucky 'Syd' didn't wade into the crowd to educate them. Seven years later, at the same venue, it happened again. 'As the bananas started to appear, Yorkshire physio Wayne Morton dived into the crowd to confront the racists and was hauled out by the police who were trying to keep things calm,' recalled Lawrence. 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Scottish Sun
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M&S shoppers race to buy £3.50 margarita in a can that's has a new and improved feature that fans are going wild for
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Metro
14 hours ago
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Day of the Jackal author and former MI6 agent Frederick Forsyth dies aged 86
Author Frederick Forsyth, best known for writing thrillers including The Day of the Jackal, has died aged 86. Throughout his career, the English novelist and journalist sold more than 70 million books in more than 30 languages. Some of them included The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan, The Cobra and The Kill List. More than a dozen of his titles have been adapted for screen, including 1971's The Day of the Jackal, which was made into a movie in 1973. Last year Sky released a TV version, which starred Eddie Redmayne as the titular character. It's now been announced the novelist died earlier today after a brief illness. His literary agents Curtis Brown said that the best-selling author was surrounded by his family as he died at home on Monday morning. Born in Ashford, Kent, in 1938, Forsyth completed his National Service in the Royal Air Force as a pilot. He then went on to pursue a career in journalism, joining Reuters in 1961 before moving to the BBC four years later. Working as an assistant diplomatic correspondent, Forsyth began by covering French affairs and the attempted assassination of Charles de Gaulle and then reporting on the Nigerian Civil War. After quitting his job and working as a freelance reporter, he released his first book, The Biafra Story, in 1969. Although he went on to write a string of hugely successful novels, he once said he only turned to writing fiction due to needing to make money rathe than any desire to become a novelist. Reflecting on writing The Day of the Jackal – his first full-length novel – Forsyth said he wrote it because he was 'skint, stony broke'. That book debuted to glowing reviews and won the 1972 Best Novel Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. More Trending Decades later – in 2015 – he revealed that he'd been an informant for MI6 for over 20 years. Forsyth also narrated several documentaries, including Jesus Christ Airlines, Soldiers: A History of Men in Battle and I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal. His last book – 2018's The Fox – was released in 2018. Forsyth was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1997 New Year Honours list for services to literature. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: The Twilight Zone actress Pippa Scott dies aged 90 MORE: Jonathan Joss' murder investigation takes turn as police backtrack on statement MORE: Jonathan Joss' husband says he 'held his face together' in his final moments
