This film is part of Rentals
The Book of Gabrielle
Lisa Gornick's funny and frank drama sketches the relationship between a sex-obsessed lesbian illustrator and a randy hetero author, who bond over their favourite subject.
Director: Lisa Gornick
Overview
Lisa Gornick's funny and frank drama sketches a most unexpected meeting of minds. Gabrielle (Gornick herself) is a London-based illustrator hoping to publish her book of risqué sex drawings. She gets an unlikely boost from an encounter with an established author, Saul Bernard (Allan Corduner), who is similarly sex-obsessed. Despite their opposing sexual orientations, the pair strike up a platonic yet mildly flirtatious friendship, in which they reveal innermost sexual secrets and muse on their shared Jewish heritage.
The last film from the multi-talented one-woman production outfit Lisa Gornick is a marvel of modestly budgeted craftsmanship, which revels in its quirky characters and insightful dialogue in a manner more familiar from US independent cinema. Gornick envisaged the film as a multiplatform event which variously encompassed a live show and the production of Gabrielle's book itself; but the film stands alone as a sexy and provocative delight that veers away from predictability at every turn, anchored around Gornick's mature performance and an impish turn from veteran character actor Corduner (Defiance, Topsy-Turvy).
Related
The Peasants The Peasants
Drama 2023 115 mins Director: Hugh Welchman and Dorota Kobiela
Using an advanced oil painting animation technique, The Peasants is a visually thrilling rendering of Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning tale.
The Iron Claw The Iron Claw
Biopic 2023 132 mins Director: Sean Durkin
Compelling sports drama about the real-life Von Erich brothers and their tragic journey to the top of professional 1980s wrestling.
Samsara Samsara
Drama 2023 114 mins Director: Lois Patiño
Berlin Film Festival award winner Lois Patiño’s assured third feature transports us to magical places in Laos and Zanzibar, where the visible and the invisible merge.
Gassed Up Gassed Up
Drama 2023 102 mins Director: George Amponsah
A group of London teenage boys turn to motorbike crime for survival in George Amponsah’s high-octane follow-up to The Hard Stop.
The End We Start From The End We Start From
Drama 2023 102 mins Director: Mahalia Belo
A stunning post-apocalyptic British drama navigating the anxieties of parenthood and the future of the world.
Mami Wata Mami Wata
Drama 2022 107 mins Director: C.J. 'Fiery' Obasi
Filmed in vivid black-and-white, C.J. Obasi’s bold Sundance winning film navigates the conflict between tradition and modernity in a Nigerian coastal village, featuring an incredible oceanic soundscape and hypnotic score.
God's Own Country God's Own Country
Drama 2017 105 mins Director: Francis Lee
A troubled young sheep farmer falls for a hired hand in this stunning debut from Francis Lee.
Freak Show Freak Show
Comedy 2018 91 mins Director: Trudie Styler
Alex Lawther is outstanding as a teenage rebel in this tale of an unrepentant high-school outsider, directed by Trudie Styler.
Mario Mario
Drama 2018 119 mins Director: Marcel Gisler
On the pitch Mario and Leon are teammates; off the pitch they are becoming so much more.
The Happy Prince The Happy Prince
Biopic 2018 105 mins Director: Rupert Everett
Rupert Everett astounds as Oscar Wilde, depicting the fallen star in the final years of his life, in this heartfelt and captivating passion project.
McQueen McQueen
Biopic 2018 111 mins Director: Ian Bonhôte
In scintillating fashion, this compelling documentary explores the dark dreams that drove the brilliant, lamented designer, Alexander McQueen.
Anchor and Hope Anchor and Hope
Comedy 2018 113 mins Director: Carlos Marques-Marcet
Sweetly swaying houseboat comedy about a couple whose river-bound existence is upended by the arrival of an old friend.
Out of Darkness Out of Darkness
Horror 2024 87 mins Director: Andrew Cumming
Bringing a whole new meaning to the term ‘period film’, Andrew Cumming’s Palaeolithic horror movie is a true original.
The Peasants The Peasants
Drama 2023 115 mins Director: Hugh Welchman and Dorota Kobiela
Using an advanced oil painting animation technique, The Peasants is a visually thrilling rendering of Władysław Reymont’s Nobel Prize-winning tale.
The Iron Claw The Iron Claw
Biopic 2023 132 mins Director: Sean Durkin
Compelling sports drama about the real-life Von Erich brothers and their tragic journey to the top of professional 1980s wrestling.
Samsara Samsara
Drama 2023 114 mins Director: Lois Patiño
Berlin Film Festival award winner Lois Patiño’s assured third feature transports us to magical places in Laos and Zanzibar, where the visible and the invisible merge.
Gassed Up Gassed Up
Drama 2023 102 mins Director: George Amponsah
A group of London teenage boys turn to motorbike crime for survival in George Amponsah’s high-octane follow-up to The Hard Stop.
Occupied City Occupied City
Documentary 2023 251 mins Director: Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen’s cinematic commemoration of the Holocaust offers a multidimensional experience full of gravity and sublimity.