Dave_Jennings

It may be about a stolen corpse, but ‘Grand Theft Parsons' is anything but morbid. It's a charming, heartwarming tale in which the central living character's integrity and loyalty goes beyond the grave – or rather, beyond the desert bonfire.

The film is loosely based on the true story of country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons and his road manager Phil Kaufman. When Parsons dies of a drug overdose, Kaufman is grimly determined to fulfil his late friend's wish to be cremated in the desert - even if that means stealing his coffin and evading a diverse posse of pursuers in a bright yellow hearse driven by an addled hippy.

Some have complained about the liberties taken with the true story of Parsons' incineration in the wilderness by Kaufman – but as the real Kaufman makes a cameo appearance in the film, one may assume that he didn't mind. In any case, the truth-bending is clearly acknowledged in captions at the start of the movie.

There are some truly superb performances. Johnny Knoxville proves that he can be much more than an annoying prankster with a thoroughly convincing portrayal of Kaufman, Christina Applegate is magnificently repellent as Parsons' avaricious ex-girlfriend, and Robert Forster lends a warm, weary dignity to the character of Parsons' father. Best of all, though, is Michael Shannon's hysterically funny turn as the hapless hippy hearse driver, gradually realising the terrible truth about the situation he's stumbled into.

It all adds up to a frequently hilarious and delightful film, hugely enhanced by a glorious soundtrack featuring plenty of the real Parsons.

Have I just been unlucky in the films I've chosen to see, or does 'magic realism' always mean 'silly, stylised stuff involving angels'? Admittedly, the 'angels' in 'Northfork' are meant to be the products of a sick child's fevered imagination, so the absurdity of their characters and their dialogue is excusable; but what's the excuse for the rest of the surreal yet sickly script?

Connoisseurs of camp and David Lynch devotees may love this movie, as may true believers who like their religious passion to look pretty. 'Northfork' is visually striking, and has some very memorable, nicely composed images in it. Several very talented actors heroically deliver deeply ludicrous lines with straight faces. But I found 'Northfork' sentimental rather than moving, and too baroque and bizarre to be emotionally engaging.

'Touch Me' is a thoughtful film about a diverse group of characters searching for love, but it is by no means the gentle, sentimental tale that summary might suggest. At the beginning, we see a pair of comically clumsy actors struggling to shoot a commercial, and most of the words on the subtitles seem to begin with 'f'. After that the language gets more varied, but the overall tone of the film darkens.

Several of the intertwined stories are linked to the apparent shortage of paid employment in the impoverished-looking setting of Lodz, Poland. A well-meaning young man is reduced to taking a job as hired help in a brothel. Touched by the plight of one of the prostitutes, he tries to show her some real warmth - but can she accept it? Meanwhile, a lonely older woman is improbably courted by a good-looking younger man - but what does he really want?

The makers of 'Touch Me', Anna Jadowska and Ewa Stankiewicz, have said of it: 'We wanted to invite you to a reality which is funny, pathetic, not understandable, sometimes destructive and sometimes innocent - in short, to our small reality.' I think they've succeeded admirably; this is a film that feels all too real. 'Touch Me' is often uncomfortable viewing: people trust and are betrayed, and reach out only to find abuse. But there are glimmers of hope here, along with some sharp shocks. A painfully truthful, poignant film.