Rania Richardson
Tomatometer-approved critic
My favorite film is Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" and my mission is to champion the best in American indies and international cinema. I also enjoy supporting female filmmakers from around the globe (Agnes Varda, Jane Campion, Haifaa al-Mansour, Lucrecia Martel, Sophia Coppola, Gurinder Chadha, etc.) After working in marketing and sales for two small independent distributors, I turned to film journalism. From there, my film criticism practice has grown. To a certain extent, I assert my (Eastern Orthodox) Christian point of view in my writing.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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BlackBerry (2023) |
BLACKBERRY is a humorous tale of the men behind the world’s first smartphone-- and its trajectory from breathtaking to cataclysmic. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted May 12, 2023
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One Fine Morning (2022) |
Understated and deceptively breezy, Mia Hansen-Løve’s ONE FINE MORNING, starring Léa Seydoux, accumulates nuanced moments that add up to a subtly powerful, satisfying work. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 09, 2022
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EO (2022) |
Jerzy Skolimowski's EO depicts the turbulent life of a spirited equine. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Nov 18, 2022
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All That Breathes (2022) |
ALL THAT BREATHES is a nature documentary that finds beauty within the debris of New Delhi, India, as two brothers rescue injured black kites and ponder the interconnectedness of existence. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Oct 21, 2022
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Showing Up (2022) |
Michelle Williams gives an emotionally rich performance in her 4th collaboration with director Kelly Reichardt, in a comedy-drama set at the Oregon College of Art and Craft. Students, faculty, and alumni mark their days in a creative milieu in SHOWING UP. - ARTnews
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| Posted Oct 07, 2022
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Apples (2020) |
A dystopian drama of amnesia and new identities, Christos Nikou’s directorial debut, APPLES, is the latest selection in the Greek Weird Wave. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Jun 23, 2022
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Fire of Love (2022) |
The love story of married volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft and their shared passion for up-close and personal investigation of volcanoes informs Sara Dosa's FIRE OF LOVE, narrated by Miranda July. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Apr 28, 2022
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The Worst Person in the World (2021) |
The worst person label is a misdirection that belies the richly observed characters in Joachim Trier's smart and playful film, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Feb 20, 2022
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Come Back Anytime (2021) |
COME BACK ANYTIME is an uplifting film that follows a local elder with a passion, Masamoto Ueda, and his ramen noodle bar in Tokyo. There is no lack of mouthwatering close-ups that will have audiences anticipating their next meal. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Nov 30, 2021
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Passing (2021) |
The elegant directorial debut of British-American actress Rebecca Hall, PASSING revolves around two light-skinned Black women following different paths. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Oct 26, 2021
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The Souvenir Part II (2021) |
In this captivating sequel to THE SOUVENIR, we are treated again to actress Honor Swinton Byrne as British film student Julie and her mother, Tilda Swinton, playing her onscreen mother. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Oct 08, 2021
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Bergman Island (2021) |
A creative couple explores artistry and love in BERGMAN ISLAND, a whimsical adventure and beguiling fantasy. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Oct 01, 2021
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Annette (2021) |
Leo Carax's new film, ANNETTE, is its own genre-defying work. Dreams, nightmares, and fantasies propel the audacious fable of star-crossed lovers. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Aug 25, 2021
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Ailey (2021) |
AILEY is a wonderful introduction into the world of the legendary choreographer, but it's more of an appetizer than a full meal. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Jun 29, 2021
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Roaring 20's (2022) |
ROARING 20S is film ripe for this moment in 2021. It exemplifies the freedom of emerging from Covid-19 lockdown. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Jun 25, 2021
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No Future (2020) |
NO FUTURE is a penetrating drama that wears its emotions on its sleeve to highlight the damaging effects of addiction. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Jun 25, 2021
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The Truffle Hunters (2020) |
Aging men and their bounty-sniffing dogs pursue an increasingly antiquated way of life in this amusing and life-affirming gem, THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 23, 2020
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Cunningham (2019) |
The 3-D documentary highlights the career peak of the legendary choreographer in CUNNINGHAM. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 14, 2019
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Marriage Story (2019) |
Noah Baumbach digs deep to explore the facets of modern uncoupling in MARRIAGE STORY. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Nov 08, 2019
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Varda by Agnès (2019) |
A master class that brings valuable insights to a filmmaker's significant career, more than six decades after it began: VARDA BY AGNES. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Oct 26, 2019
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Driveways (2019) |
Natural, moving performances are the hallmark of this low-key, heartfelt film: DRIVEWAYS. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted May 06, 2019
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The Square (2017) |
Swedish writer-director Ruben Ostlund creates an ingenious high-wire act putting bourgeois beliefs and interpersonal trust to the test in THE SQUARE. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Jan 26, 2019
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Side by Side (2012) |
Celluloid or digital film - which is the better format? Directors, cinematographers, editors and other film professionals weigh in on the question in Chris Kenneally's densely packed doc, SIDE BY SIDE. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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La suerte en tus manos (2012) |
ALL IN (LA SUERTE EN TUS MANOS) is an intimate relationship drama from Argentine director Daniel Burman that goes straight to the heart. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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Downeast (2012) |
At a time when manufacturing jobs are moving out of the U.S. or disappearing altogether, the entrepreneur who attempts to open a local plant is a hero, as seen in DOWNEAST. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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The Genius of Marian (2013) |
The decline is devastating as a filmmaker observes her mother falling prey prey to Alzheimer's disease in THE GENIUS OF MARIAN. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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Vara: A Blessing (2013) |
Spiritual devotion ripens into carnal passion for a young temple dancer in VARA: A BLESSING. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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Brides (2014) |
A young Georgian woman struggles to hold her life together in BRIDES, a fine addition to an ever-expanding body of international incarceration stories. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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Contemporary Color (2016) |
While spinning batons, rifles, sabers or flags in the air, the color guard performs a joyous dance to celebrate school spirit during a football halftime show, to the tune of the high school marching band in CONTEMPORARY COLOR. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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Far From Men (2014) |
FAR FROM MEN is a spare tale that considers the futility of neutrality during wartime, against the backdrop of the French-Algerian War in the 1950s. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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The Wolfpack (2015) |
THE WOLFPACK is as intriguing as it is unbelievable. A paranoid immigrant, his pliant wife and their seven children live in self-imposed confinement, in the middle of New York City. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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King of Peking (2017) |
In KING OF PEKING, a crowd-pleaser, we travel back to China for one summer in the 1990s and meet a father and son who drive a mobile cinema, screening Hollywood blockbusters for the locals. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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One Percent More Humid (2017) |
Juno Temple and Julia Garner star in the atmospheric feature, ONE PERCENT MORE HUMID, a compelling look at the complexities of female friendship over the course of a hot New England summer. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 07, 2018
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The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) |
THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN is a heart-wrenching tale and the cinematic equivalent of a twangy country song. - The Villager
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| Posted Dec 06, 2018
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Félicité (2017) |
FELICITE is an enlightening tale that details life in central Africa, set in a milieu of a cabaret singer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Ismael's Ghosts (2017) |
Despite being an enjoyable ride-- with fine acting all around-- ISMAEL'S GHOSTS is too overstuffed to cohere, and its shifting time line gets tiresome. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Thelma (2017) |
THELMA is an odd and disturbing film, visceral but ultimately unsatisfying. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017) |
THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES is Noah Baumbach's most accomplished work to date. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Spoor (2017) |
SPOOR is an environmental thriller that brings justice to animal abusers, by veteran Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland (Europa, Europa; Darkness) and her daughter, Kasia Adamik. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Let the Sunshine In (2017) |
LET THE SUNSHINE IN will be satisfying for fans of Juliette Binoche, as well as those who enjoy offbeat romantic comedies. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Western (2017) |
Manhood is the theme of German director Valeska Grisebach's WESTERN, which takes place in the Bulgarian countryside, where German workers are constructing a hydroelectric power plant. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Zama (2017) |
In a sunbaked seaside town in 18th century Argentina, an official of the Spanish crown finds himself in an absurd scenario as he waits in vain for a long-promised transfer, in ZAMA. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Julieta (2016) |
Is JULIETA a new direction for Pedro Almodvar, who has made excess the hallmark of his long career? - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Certain Women (2016) |
CERTAIN WOMEN is a quiet, female-focused triptych of tales that keeps its scope quite modest. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Gimme Danger (2016) |
GIMME DANGER is a rockumentary on the seminal band the Stooges, "the greatest rock 'n' roll band ever," at least according to filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Neruda (2016) |
Chilean director Pablo Larran turns a standard biopic inside out in NERUDA, a stylish thriller with a literary bent. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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13TH (2016) |
With clarity and focus, Ava DuVernay traces a history of inequality that has resulted in the United States having the highest incarceration rate in the world, in her documentary, 13TH. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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The Other Side of Hope (2017) |
Accessible and droll-- and with his signature retro look and sensibility-- THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE is a good introduction to Aki Kaurismki's work. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Last Flag Flying (2017) |
Infused with nostalgia and melancholy, Richard Linklater's film is a sober look at how the battle scars of three military buddies have shaped the trajectory of their lives. Still, it's a lightly humorous film that stars a trio of stellar actors. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 04, 2018
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Aquarius (2016) |
A glorious Sonia Braga plays a widow up against developers trying to oust her from her cherished apartment, in AQUARIUS. - Film-Forward.com
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| Posted Dec 02, 2018
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