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Three
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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Something of a tonal misfire: a supernatural thriller that is almost completely lacking in scares and an examination of cultural differences that does not seem to be entirely certain of what it is trying to say.
Posted Dec 08, 2023
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Norah
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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Shot entirely in the striking AlUla region of Saudi Arabia, and making full use of the area’s spectacular backdrop and rich heritage, this is a confident and accomplished feature debut from Tawfik Alzaidi.
Posted Dec 08, 2023
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Plan 75
(2022)
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Tim Grierson
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This is a muted, resigned story about the way that countries and corporations follow their own self-interests rather than helping those most in need. Plan 75 may seem like it’s about ageing, but more accurately it is about the importance of community.
Posted Dec 08, 2023
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Dalma
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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Gradually builds into a tense mix of noirish melodrama and righteous anger.
Posted Dec 08, 2023
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Sunday
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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An elderly Uzbek couple resist the forward march of modernity in Sunday, Shokir Kholikov’s impressive first feature which mines deadpan mirth from the couple’s conflicts with the next generation and each other.
Posted Dec 08, 2023
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2018
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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2018 wears its heart on its sleeve and succeeds as tense, well-paced popular entertainment.
Posted Dec 07, 2023
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Somewhere in Queens
(2022)
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Tim Grierson
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The film takes commendable tonal chances, but too easily succumbs to easy jokes and unconvincing plot twists.
Posted Dec 07, 2023
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Backstage
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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The film weaves a spell from its opening frames, growing more lovely and thought-provoking as its characters drift into a nocturnal netherworld in which their deep-seated fears and desires start rising to the surface.
Posted Dec 04, 2023
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Thunder
(2022)
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Allan Hunter
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Exploring complex themes around desire, faith and female sexuality, Thunder is an assured feature debut from writer/director Carmen Jaquier.
Posted Dec 04, 2023
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Wonka
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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Like any sweet treat, the film provides significant satisfaction, even if too much of its whimsy could give you a bit of a tummy ache. But it sure is tasty.
Posted Dec 04, 2023
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NAGA
(2023)
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Nikki Baughan
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The one constant is Bader, who imbues Sarah with enough personality, grit and hard-edged charisma that it is impossible not to root for her, even if the snowballing maelstrom begins to stretch the limits of credibility.
Posted Dec 04, 2023
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Damage
(2020)
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Sarah Ward
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Each line feels genuine, as does each loaded silence, even when the chatter is at its most lyrical, discussion unspooling almost as a freeform spoken-word duet.
Posted Dec 02, 2023
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HWJN
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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An entertaining, swashbuckling fantasy epic complete with dashing young hero, diabolical villains and a sweet romance that bridges the gap between two worlds.
Posted Dec 02, 2023
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Hajjan
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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The camel-racing backdrop and picturesque Saudi Arabian locations add some fresh touches to a familiar formula, creating a wholesome coming-of-age drama with modest popular appeal.
Posted Dec 02, 2023
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Across the Furious Sea
(2023)
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John Berra
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One of the most relentless Chinese thrillers in recent memory.
Posted Dec 02, 2023
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She Is Conann
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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Those not already on Mandico’s wavelength may find their patience tested, his provocations yielding diminishing returns along the way.
Posted Nov 30, 2023
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Silent Night
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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This tale of bloody vengeance is not the most satisfying delivery device for Woo’s unique brand of melodramatic, slow-mo carnage.
Posted Nov 30, 2023
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What We Did on Our Holiday
(2014)
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Mark Adams
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Can’t quite sustain the balancing act between comedy and drama. There are, however, certainly comedy moments to cherish and it succeeds at being ultimately uplifting.
Posted Nov 28, 2023
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Familiar
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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The picture relies on the quality of the performances, which are strong throughout and bravely unconcerned with winning the audience’s approval.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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The Moon Is Upside Down
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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A wry and sharply-written examination of the gap between hopeful expectations and the cold, hard realities of life...
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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1489
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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Vardanyan’s focus is on the intimate details, the personal suffering and the testimony that allows us to understand that Soghomon is more than a number and how his loss is unbearable.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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Life Is Beautiful
(2023)
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Nikki Baughan
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A compelling, often shocking and timely account of the deeply personal impact of global destabilisation.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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Invisible Nation
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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Although the film is not an especially illuminating portrait of Tsai, Hope makes a convincing case for why Taiwan’s fears should concern the world.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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Once Again (For the Very First Time)
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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It is a perplexing and disorientating piece of storytelling, but throw yourself into the visceral energy that pulses from the screen, and it can be a thrilling experience.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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Bad Actor
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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Bad Actor is an ever-tightening chokehold of a film, both an uncomfortable exploration of consent and sexual misconduct and an indictment of mob justice in the face of social media.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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Hiding Saddam Hussein
(2023)
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Nikki Baughan
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Combining a straight-to-camera confessional of sorts with dramatisations and archive footage, Hiding Saddam Hussein is a compelling and sobering film.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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The Other Son
(2023)
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Jonathan Holland
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A forceful, low-key study of the reaction of a middle-class Colombian family to the tragic death of a teenager, The Other Son is a quiet triumph.
Posted Nov 21, 2023
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Tehachapi
(2023)
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Nikki Baughan
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While a project like Tehachapi may not be enough to change the world — or even come close to solving America’s huge crime problem — it does shed valuable light on the individual stories behind the statistics.
Posted Nov 20, 2023
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The World Is Family
(2023)
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Namrata Joshi
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More than anything else, it is about joie de vivre as well as a stoic acceptance of aging, illness and death.
Posted Nov 18, 2023
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Selling a Colonial War
(2023)
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Nikki Baughan
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A fascinating deep-dive into the war, and exactly how — and why — the Dutch government attempted to package its intervention as a humanitarian mission.
Posted Nov 18, 2023
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The Last
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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The Last is an engaging, informative documentary that never allows itself to succumb to the despair that would seem the most appropriate response to what is revealed during their trip.
Posted Nov 18, 2023
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The Clinic
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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It is a film that offers little in the way of explanation or commentary, but invites the viewer to observe, absorb and contemplate the anguish of a country in turmoil.
Posted Nov 18, 2023
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The Quiet Maid
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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Combines a distinctive tone and striking visual sense with a knock-out performance from Grimaldo, fully inhabiting a role that deliciously defies our expectations.
Posted Nov 18, 2023
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Wish
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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Wish is a strained animated musical which overtly references the company’s most beloved films, a strategy that mostly exposes how singular the studio’s productions used to be.
Posted Nov 17, 2023
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Patient #1
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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A mirthless farce, a striking and all-too-pertinent tragicomic study of decaying power structures and the desperate, behind-the-scenes wrangling of a failing state.
Posted Nov 17, 2023
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A Picture to Remember
(2023)
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Nikki Baughan
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An intimate, introspective film infused with effective creative touches, A Picture To Remember brings a surprisingly dreamlike quality to its exploration of the generational impact of conflict.
Posted Nov 17, 2023
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Napoleon
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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A lavish, thoughtful drama that remains entranced and bemused by France’s most notorious emperor — a brilliant strategic mind who could not have been more insecure.
Posted Nov 15, 2023
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As the Tide Comes In
(2023)
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Nikki Baughan
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Johannesen is a visual anthropologist and spent time with the island’s inhabitants, listening to stories and earning their trust, before any cameras arrived; this results in a palpable intimacy between filmmakers and subjects.
Posted Nov 14, 2023
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The G
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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Dickey is remarkable.
Posted Nov 13, 2023
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Godzilla Minus One
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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Godzilla Minus One returns the titular beast to its roots as a metaphor for Japan’s postwar anxiety and grief, in the process delivering a stirring spectacle that also contains a palpable emotional undercurrent.
Posted Nov 11, 2023
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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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A muddled but grimly compelling prequel to the hit franchise.
Posted Nov 09, 2023
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Snow In Midsummer
(2023)
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John Berra
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Chong’s refusal to address history in didactic terms means there is much to admire in this meticulously crafted cinematic remembrance.
Posted Nov 09, 2023
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The Marvels
(2023)
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Tim Grierson
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After 33 chapters, the MCU seems to lack fresh ideas or the ability to wow, mostly repeating old strengths with diminishing returns.
Posted Nov 08, 2023
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Cottontail
(2023)
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Allan Hunter
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[A] sensitive family drama, which is delicately composed and elevated by a touching performance from Lily Franky...
Posted Nov 08, 2023
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Flo
(2023)
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Lisa Nesselson
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She has a lust for life, craves sensation, takes risks, loves hard and plays hard, and the film revisits these already established factors far too often over its 131-minute running time.
Posted Nov 08, 2023
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Stolen
(2023)
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Jonathan Romney
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Running the gamut from faintly flustered loftiness to all-out desperation, tempered by new empathy, Banerjee’s performance helps shift Stolen into an altogether more compelling gear than it might otherwise have reached.
Posted Nov 04, 2023
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Joram
(2023)
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Namrata Joshi
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The scene stealer is, however, Smita Tambe as hardened local politician Phulo Karma...
Posted Nov 03, 2023
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SCALA!!! Or, the Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World's Wildest Cinema and How it Influenced a Mixed-Up Generation of Weirdos and Misfits
(2023)
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Nikki Baughan
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A film fuelled by stories, memories, experiences.
Posted Nov 01, 2023
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Air
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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An accomplished but far more conventional work than we might expect from German Jr, who has hitherto established himself as a master of unapologetically philosophical themes and densely detailed mise en scene.
Posted Nov 01, 2023
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Lumberjack the Monster
(2023)
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Wendy Ide
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Ultimately, it’s a bit of a mess, but it has luridly entertaining moments nonetheless.
Posted Oct 31, 2023
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