Alchemy

A distinguished and original indie debut that describes scenes from the life of an artist (Kihlstedt, excellent) who makes small boxes filled with meticulously arranged found objects, and also transcribes Russian fairy tales. Organised in three loose sections - titled charity, faith and hope - it's a delicate, meditative, 'mood' piece, which takes its heroine on a painful journey from loss to restoration of 'her pure heart'. Consciously feminist in tone, the film is filled with scenes of highly composed, occasionally magical, always sensitive, and often humorous appeal. Shot with Terence Davies-like attention to detail in brown or blue duotones by Tami Reiker.