Steven Soderbergh's latest film, The Christophers, offers a sharp and witty exploration of the art world, set in London. The director, known for his ability to surprise, teams up with screenwriter Ed Solomon to create a vision of haughty Englishness that rivals Gosford Park and Phantom Thread. The film is fast, literate, and funny, with a plot that deftly handles questions of attribution and value in contemporary art.
Ian McKellen delivers a tour-de-force performance as Julian Sklar, a cantankerous old painter from the School of London tradition. Once dominant, Sklar is now outmoded and disliked, living in squalor in a Bloomsbury townhouse. His rants against modern life are both witty and pathetic, as he records Cameo videos for cash and has sold off his inferior work. McKellen captures the vulnerability and arrogance of a man past his prime.
Opposite McKellen, Michaela Coel is equally compelling as Lori Butler, a former art student hired as Julian's assistant by his grasping children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning). Coel's performance is calm and withholding, her character containing anger and passion within a polite, unreadable exterior. She is tasked with finding a series of paintings called The Christophers, which Julian hid in the 1990s, and possibly forging them for profit.
The chemistry between McKellen and Coel is electric, making them the double act of the year. Their scenes together are a masterclass in tension and subtlety, as Lori jiujitsus Julian's insults and intuits his decline. The film, shot on digital with intimate locations, showcases Soderbergh's ability to get the best from his cast. The Christophers is a bracing, exhilarating addition to the genre of art-world dramas.
