The Christophers follows Lori (Michaela Coel) as she is hired by a famous painter’s children to finish his last mysterious set of paintings. Lori then goes to the painter, Julian Sklar (Ian Mckellan) on the lead of her wanting to be his new assistant. Julian is long past his prime, having given up his paintings for very little money and his children Salli (Jessica Gunning) and Barnaby (James Corden) are desperate to have his last set be worth something. Julian himself is resigned to the end of his life, simply getting by and only banking on his fame through cameo videos for clients who are still willing to buy his dinner. What develops though between Lori and Julian is a battle of wits and artistic sophistication as Lori’s goal clashes against Julian’s ways, leading to a interesting discussion around the art world, authenticity, legacy and the artist’s purpose.
Sir Ian McKellen proves why he is one of our finest thespians. He absolutely commands the screen in a co-lead role with Michaela Coel delivering wit and humour in his lack of care for the world around him. He plays Julian with abandon, bringing entertainment and interest in the smallest of movements or glances. Michaela Coel, in the more subtle role, brings us right into Julian’s world. A lot of the film takes place in his home, informing us of his character even more with great details like his artwork, a pride flag and photographs of himself clearly not caring about how people judge him. These two are the centre of the film and the centre of their relationship is their conversations.
Luckily, the script in the majority of scenes lives up to the abilities of these actors delivering interesting and often hilarious dialogue. The filmmaking is more subtle. Soderbergh wanted to leave a lot of space to let the actors and their lines shine, although it still feels like more could have been done. There are different angles. The film never feels stale due to a lack of coverage but it also never demands to be talked about as a cinematic experience.
The Christophers is playing at TIFF ’25. For more information, click here.
