DVD: Leap Year (18)

Leap Year is a study in solitude and isolation. Laura is struggling to put her past in Oaxaca, Mexico behind her and finds it hard to connect with people in her new home. She spends most of her time in her flat working, talking with her mother on the phone and marking time until 29 February. The long hours are broken by a string of sexual encounters which become ever more shocking in their brutality. The film won the Caméra d'Or award at Cannes and it is possible to see how this studied introspection could appeal to an awards panel. It may appeal less to audiences. The pacing is slow; the writing feels self-important and will leave many just feeling empty.