Steven Soderbergh has once again surprised audiences with his latest London-set film, The Christophers, a fast, literate, and funny exploration of contemporary art and attribution. The film, written by Ed Solomon, presents a vision of haughty Englishness that rivals classics like Gosford Park and Phantom Thread, despite both director and screenwriter being American.
Ian McKellen stars as Julian Sklar, a dyspeptic, once-dominant painter of the School of London variety, now living in squalor in a Bloomsbury townhouse. His character delivers toweringly witty rants against modern life, while his grasping children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), hire former art student Lori Butler (Michaela Coel) to find a series of hidden paintings called The Christophers, which they hope to sell after his death.
Coel delivers a standout performance as Lori, a charismatically self-controlled woman who contains anger and passion within an opaque, polite manner. Her chemistry with McKellen is electric, as she jiujitsus his arrogant insults and articulates his decline with clarity. The double act is hailed as one of the year's best onscreen pairings.
The film's plot progresses elliptically and unsentimentally, with Lori tasked with locating or forging the valuable paintings. Radiating mystery, she may be Julian's worst enemy, his worst assistant, biggest fan, or closest ally. The Christophers puts new life into the subject of value and attribution in art, making it a must-see for cinephiles.
