NEW DVDS

Donald Clarkeand Michael Dwyerreview the latest DVD releases

THE EDGE OF LOVE ***

Directed by John Maybury. Starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys, Camilla Rutherford 15 cert

Luscious, empty treatment of the relationship between the two women who mopped up the young Dylan Thomas's copious effusions. Thomas is shuffled into the wings, while Miller (playing Dylan's wife, Caitlin) and Knightley (as his first love) are bland to the point of invisibility. But director Maybury composes so many fascinating images that the picture somehow takes unsteady flight. DC

A SECRET ****

Directed by Claude Miller. Starring Cécile de France, Patrick Bruel, Ludivine Sagnier, Julie Depardieu, Mathieu Amalric 15 cert

Miller effectively employs a fragmented time-shifting structure spanning 50 years from 1936 onwards in this thoughtful, compelling drama marked by fine performances. The dark secret the film eventually reveals is quietly devastating. MD

IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS  ***

Directed by Alex Holdridge. Starring Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds, Brian Matthew McGuire 16 cert

Holdridge's no-budget picture concerns itself with Wilson (McNairy), a budding screenwriter, as he embarks on a blind date with an eccentric young woman (Simmonds). The monochrome picture suffers from a tendency to fall back on familiar indie quirks. But it drips with sincerity and makes superb use of its LA locations. DC

HEARTBEAT DETECTOR/ LA QUESTION HUMAINE ***

Directed by Nicolas Klotz. Starring Mathieu Amalric, Michael Lonsdale, Edith Scob, Lou Castel, Arie Neumann, Jean-Pierre Kalfon 12 cert

If ever a film creaked beneath the weight of its ambition, it would be this French corporate thriller. Amalric stars as a psychologist at a petrochemical firm, who uncovers terrible truths - some concerning the Holocaust - when investigating the unusual behaviour of the company's CEO. Despite its occasional dull moments, this singular film does have an undeniable cumulative power. DC