Reviews Archives

I, the Song

Dechen Roder

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 24-11-2024

Extraordinary doppelgänger drama from Bhutan blends devices from Hitchcock's Vertigo, Psycho and (possibly fake?) revenge porn - from the Critics’ Picks Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Dreaming of Lions (Sonhar com Leões)

Paolo Marinou-Blanco

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 23-11-2024

Terminal cancer patient fails in her repeated attempts at taking her own life, in this dark and yet profound comedy about euthanasia - from the 4th Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Hani

Hou Dasheng

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 23-11-2024

Fourteen-year-old in a remote Chinese mountain village needs the money for the dowry of his beloved 12-year-old wife-to-be – from the Critics’ Picks Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

The Brothers Kitaura

Masaki Tsujino

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 22-11-2024

A 40-year-old accidentally kills his father, then enlists his brother to dispose of the body, in this greasy Japanese thriller of sorts - won Best Film in the Critics’ Picks Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Moor (Mavr)

Adilkhan Yerzhanov

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 22-11-2024

Kazakh mercenary returns from war to the big city to in order to rescue his in-laws, in Adilkhan Yerzhanov's new action movie (with a very peculiar genre approach) - from the Critics’ Picks Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

The Watchman (Le Veilleur)

Lou Du Pontavice, Victoire Bonin

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 22-11-2024

Chinese parents brace themselves for the next stage of their lives as their only child packs up for a solitary adventure - from the brand new Doc@PÖFF section of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Johatsu

Lina Lužytė, Nerijus Milerius

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 21-11-2024

A woman checking bodies in the morgue is convinced that one corpse has been registered under a false name - Lithuanian crime thriller is in the Critics’ Picks Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Trains

Maciej J. Drygas

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 21-11-2024

Sifting through an archive of past images, Maciej J. Drygas pieces together a work bolstered by scenes of locomotives in action - from the brand new Doc@PÖFF section of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

With My Open Lungs

Yana Sad

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 21-11-2024

A war survivor and a cancer patient battle their demons together, as they gradually open their lungs and their hearts to the outside world - from the brand new Doc@PÖFF section of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Nobody Likes Me (Nikdo Mne Nemá Rád)

Petr Kazda, Tomáš Weinreb

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 20-11-2024

Military woman develops full-blown physical relationship with an outsider, in a deeply provocative European drama with a touch of Nicolas Roeg - from the Critics’ Picks Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

The Body (Il Corpo)

Vincenzo Alfieri

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 18-11-2024

The body of a rich industrialist’s wife vanishes from the morgue after her death – filthy genius giallo premieres in the Critics’ Picks Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Streets of Glória (Ruas da Glória)

Felipe Sholl

2024

Jeremy Clarke - 17-11-2024

Brazllian man mourning his grandmother embarks on a wild relationship with an escort - dirty gem premieres in the Critics' Picks Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Full Support

Michal Cohen

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 15-11-2024

In this mostly clean documentary, Israeli women reveal their breasts and their truths to an unsuspecting viewership - from the Doc@PÖFF Competition at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Rhino Man

John Jurko II, Matt Lindenberg, Daniel Roberts

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 07-10-2024

In this documentary about rhino poaching, viewers get to see a committed gang of rangers who want to stop the killings - from the Boulder International Film Festival [Read More...]

We Live in Time

John Crowley

2024

Victor Fraga - 28-09-2024

Despite the gloomy cancer topic, John Crowley's new creation (featuring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh) remains a very traditional romcom - from the 4th Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

One Hand Clapping

David Litchfield

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 27-09-2024

Footage from 1974 shows Paul McCartney and Wings caught in the midst of their creative spontaneity, and loving it - in cinemas on Friday, September 26th [Read More...]

Last Breath (Le Dernier Souffle)

Costa-Gavras

2024

Victor Fraga - 25-09-2024

A philosopher faced with his own mortality immerses himself into a palliative care unit in search of comfort and inspiration - Costa-Gavras's new cinematic tour-the-force is in the Official Competition of the 72nd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Glimmers (Los Destellos)

Pilar Palomero

2024

Victor Fraga - 22-09-2024

Kindness and compassion prevail in Pilar Palomaro's brutally honest portrayal of terminal disease - from the 24th REC Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

Dirty Laundry

Rocky Walls

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 19-09-2024

Two inseparable best friends dream of setting up a business together, until a mysterious woman casts a spell and the unvarnished truth spills out... from the Heartland Film Festival [Read More...]

Light Up

Ryan Ashley Lowery

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 09-09-2024

Five characters give their impressions of life as queer people of colour, in a world divided by religion and righteousness - from the Bronzelens Film Festival [Read More...]

The Landscape and the Fury

Nicole Vögele

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 19-08-2024

Swiss director follows a band of refugees as they travel across remnants of the Bosnian War, the stunning backdrop offering some strange healing - from the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

New Dawn Fades (Yeni Safak Solarken)

Gürcan Keltek

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 18-08-2024

Big city pushes young man battling severe mental health issues further into the abysm, in this tremendous Turkish drama - in the Official Competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

Toxic (Akiplėša)

Saule Bliuvaite

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 16-08-2024

Two girls aching for a world beyond their town take to modelling, in this Lithuanian feature about adolescence - from the 28th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Green Line

Sylvie Ballyot

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 15-08-2024

Fida Bizri explores the battles that devastated Lebanon, deciding that no ideology is worth the bloodshed that comes with it - in the Official Competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

Cent Mille Milliards

Virgil Vernier

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 13-08-2024

Three disparate figures congregate at a stunning Monaco house for Christmas; they discuss lifestyle choices, prostitution, 17th century kittens, and much more - from the Official Competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

Weightless (Sulla Terra Leggeri)

Sara Fgaier

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 13-08-2024

Amnesiac man experiences rebirth by reading his own musings from decades earlier, in a film with some peculiar similarities to Cinema Paradiso - from the 68th BFI London Film Festival [Read More...]

Drowning Dry (Seses)

Laurynas Bareiša

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 12-08-2024

In this non-linear exploration of grief, two sisters stay true to their bond through good times and bad - Lithuanian drama is in the Baltic Competition of the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Transamazonia

Pia Marais

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 12-08-2024

The adopted child of a missionary is tasked with healing a sick woman, in a region divided by Indigenous tradition and illegal logging - from the Official Competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

The Sparrow in the Chimney

Ramon Zürcher

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 11-08-2024

A woman haunted by her father's death and husband's adultery readies herself for the arrival of her daughter and sister - from the Official Competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

Bogancloch

Ben Rivers

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 11-08-2024

Director Ben Rivers returns to Scotland to produce a followup to Two Years at Sea, complete with his favourite hermit - from the Official Competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

Death Will Come (La Mort Viendra)

Christoph Hochhäusler

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 10-08-2024

A contract killer finds herself in a world of sleaze and violence, in a movie that fails to hit viewers - from the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Luce

Silvia Luzi, Luca Bellino

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 10-08-2024

A lonely Italian is excited by a stranger's voice on the other end of the telephone, in this thoughtful but fragmented feature - from the main Competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

Salve Maria

Mar Coll

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 09-08-2024

The news report of an infanticidal matriarch bewitches a Spanish mother and writer, in this impressive tale of maternal horror (with many a twist) - from the Official Competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival [Read More...]

At Capacity

Spencer Jamison

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 08-08-2024

A bold and brash, older sibling is tasked with breaking up with her sister's beau, only to find a prospective lover for herself - from the LA Shorts International Film Festival [Read More...]

Deadpool & Wolverine

Shawn Levy

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 26-07-2024

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprise their iconic roles in this expletive-loaded but lightweight comic book bonanza - on VoD on Tuesday, October 3rd [Read More...]

Ama Gloria

Maria Amachoukeli

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 11-06-2024

Six-year-old Cléo isn't ready to give up her nanny Gloria, so they spend their last summer together on an island haunted by colonialism - on VoD on Monday, July 22nd [Read More...]

The Stranger’s Case

Brandt Andersen

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 06-06-2024

Cutting between seven central characters in Syria and Greece, director Brandt Andersen paints a jarring fable about survival, sincerity and family - refugee drama premieres at the 32nd edition of Raindance/ also in the Official Competition of the 2nd Mediterrane Film Festival, in Malta [Read More...]

From My Cold Dead Hands

Javier Horcajada

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 05-06-2024

Colourful documentary reveals Americans desperate to show off their hidden weaponry, but ultimately fails to challenge the gun ownership epidemic - from the 32nd edition of Raindance [Read More...]

Kathleen Is Here

Eva Birthistle

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 05-06-2024

A wayward teen leaves foster care behind, only to bump into a potential "mother" - in cinemas on Friday, October 18th [Read More...]

Nasty: More Than Just Tennis

Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 26-05-2024

Biography of bullish Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase looks back at his sport achievements as well as at his less praiseworthy - from the Tallinn Black Nights [Read More...]

Flow

Gints Zolbalodis

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 25-05-2024

A boat full of cats, dogs and birds struggle to survive, in a world drowning under floods - Latvian animation shows in the 24th REC Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

Niki

Céline Sallette

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 25-05-2024

From period blood to incest, Charlotte Le Bon packs a lot into her magnificent portrait of iconic French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle - live from the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival [Read More...]

September Says

Ariane Labed

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 24-05-2024

In this stylistic but underwhelming adaptation of Daisy Johnson's Sisters, the truth comes flooding in after a family moves back to Ireland - from the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Story of Souleymane (L’Histoire de Souleymane)

Boris Lojkine

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 24-05-2024

Asylum seeker does some deep soul-searching as he prepares for an immigration interview, in a gritty French drama dotted with little gestures of kindness - from the 58th edition of Karlovy Vary [Read More...]

Viet and Nam

Truong Minh Quý

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 23-05-2024

In this spectral piece of slow cinema, two gay men reconcile their dirty and underground job with love - LGBT+ drama infused with positivity premieres at the 68th BFI London Film Festival [Read More...]

Norah

Tawfik Alzaidi

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 23-05-2024

Saudi woman risks her reputation and engagement in order to save an art piece, at at time female nationals operated at whim of their husbands and creative expression was seriously frowned upon - from the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Village Next to Paradise

Mo Harawe

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 22-05-2024

A gravedigger, a seamstress and a child fight for their survival inside a ruthless society, in this achingly sorrowful and spellbinding drama from Somalia - from the 68th BFI London Film Festival. [Read More...]

Dog on Trial (Le Proces du Chien)

Laetitia Dosch

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 22-05-2024

PAWplexing in its resolve, Laetitia Dosch's biting new comedy about a woman fighting for the pooch's right to live stems from true events - from the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Kingdom (Le Royaume)

Julien Colonna

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 21-05-2024

A teenager bonds with her father, but his criminal past catches up with them - uneven mobster flick from France shows premieres at the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival [Read More...]

Santosh

Sandhya Suri

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 21-05-2024

Widow takes up her husband's job in the Indian police, becoming one of the few female faces in this hardened, testosterone-fuelled environment - from the 4th Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

My Sunshine

Hiroshi Okuyama

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 20-05-2024

Hiroshi Okuyama fills audiences with joy, in a film about people skating, dancing and enjoying the little moments of life alongside like-minded strangers - live from the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival [Read More...]

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Boku No Ohisama)

Rungano Nyoni

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 19-05-2024

In this dazzlingly inventive African drama, three women are reunited under grief and love - in cinemas on Friday, December 6th [Read More...]

The Damned

Roberto Minervini

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 19-05-2024

Curious and unexperienced soldiers traverse the Old West, in this slow American Civil War drama - from the Official Competition of the 2nd Mediterrane Film Festival, in Malta [Read More...]

Armand

Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 18-05-2024

A deeply scarred Renate Reinsve delivers an impressive performance, in this ambitious classroom drama - from the 24th REC Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Shameless

Konstantin Bojanov

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 18-05-2024

In this bold queer drama from India, two sex workers must reconcile their love for one another with their personal faiths and circumstances - from the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival [Read More...]

Holy Cow (Vingt Dieux)

Louise Couvoisier

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 17-05-2024

A bereaved son must make some hard-earned cash, and sees cheese as his answer - from Tallinn [Read More...]

Megalopolis

Francis Ford Coppola

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 17-05-2024

Legendary American director Francis Ford Coppola has compiled a story that works as well onscreen as it would as a literary text - in cinemas on Friday, September 27th [Read More...]

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

George Miller

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 16-05-2024

Pivoting the focus away from Max to Furiosa, George Miller presents a colourful, kaleidoscopic action spectacle - live from the 77th edition of Cannes; in cinemas on Friday, May 24th [Read More...]

Red Road

Andrea Arnold

2006

Eoghan Lyng - 15-05-2024

Andrea Arnold's debut holds up due to its depiction of intrusive surveillance, complete with a randy and vengeful woman behind the controls - live from Cannes [Read More...]

This Life of Mine (Ma Vie Ma Gueule)

Sophie Filliéres

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 15-05-2024

A middle-aged woman questions her life through poetry and interactions with hospital inmates - French drama opens the Directors' Fortnight section of the 77th Festival de Cannes [Read More...]

Napoleon (Napoléon vu par Abel Gance)

Abel Gance

1927

Eoghan Lyng - 14-05-2024

A triumph of 1920s silent cinema, this newly restored cut of the dirty classic benefits from an orchestral score, but the strength lies in the complexity and ambition of the script - live from Cannes [Read More...]

Steppenwolf

Adilkhan Yerzhanov

2024

Joshua Polanski - 31-01-2024

Adilkhan Yerzhanov's quirky child organ theft drama is highly stylised, violent and visually arresting; it's almost a samurai film - from the 58th edition of Karlovy Vary [Read More...]

Praia Formosa

Julia de Simone

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 31-01-2024

Audiences experience the dirty side of Brazilian history as a 19th century slave wakes up in present-day Rio - from the 68th BFI London Film Festival [Read More...]

Portrait of a Certain Orient (Retrato de um Certo Oriente)

Marcelo Gomes

2024

Victor Fraga - 30-01-2024

Three Arabs migrate from Lebanon to the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, in this tale of passion, religion, cultural barriers and male competition - from the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

Swimming Home

Justin Anderson

2024

Victor Fraga - 29-01-2024

Psychosexual thriller about naked stranger gatecrashing into a family villa in Greece ruminates on philosophy, psychoanalysis, dance, overgrown pubes and mysterious holes - from the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

Yohanna

Razka Robby Ertanto

2024

Joshua Polanski - 29-01-2024

Challenged by thieves, police raids and child exploitation, Catholic nun forsakes her own religious and moral principles - Indonesian drama premieres at the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

The Rim (La Parra)

Alberto Gracia

2024

Victor Fraga - 29-01-2024

Spanish drama about mistaken identity and death in an ugly and decadent port city is beautifully dissonant and strangely elegant, with a distinctive auteurial voice - from the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

Schneewittchen

Stanley Schtinter

2024

Victor Fraga - 29-01-2024

Anti-fairytale movie without images sets out to subvert the essence of the film experience, but instead just poisons and kills it - from the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

Terrestrial Verses

Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami

2023

Victor Fraga - 28-01-2024

Faceless oppressors mortify ordinary Iranians of both sexes and all walks of life - cunning tribute to individual and artistic freedom shows at the 53rd International Fillm Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

Avant-Drag

Fil Ieropoulos

2024

Victor Fraga - 28-01-2024

Hyperpolitical drag queens decolonise the streets of the Greek capital; their message will resonate with transgressive artists elsewhere - from the 32nd edition of Raindance [Read More...]

My Hair Hurts (Mi Fanno Male i Capelli)

Roberta Torre

024

Victor Fraga - 27-01-2024

A woman losing her memory reclaims her connection to reality after seeing Monica Vitti on film, in this highly intertextual drama - a beautifully deluded Alba Rohrwacher dazzles the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

How to Have Sex

Molly Manning Walker

2023

Victor Fraga - 27-01-2024

Party turns into soul-searching drama, in this authentic British tale of abrupt and crude teenage coming-of-age rituals - live from the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

Blue Imagine

Matsubayashi Urara

2024

Victor Fraga - 27-01-2024

Three Japanese victims of sexual violence join forces in order to denounce the filmmaker who abused them and countless others - live from the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

Under a Blue Sun

Daniel Mann

2024

Victor Fraga - 27-01-2024

Israel's war machine becomes a literal proxy for Sylvester Stallone's Rambo, in this contemplative and broody art documentary - from the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam [Read More...]

Reinas

Klaudia Reynicke-Candeloro

2024

John McDonald - 23-01-2024

Swiss-Peruvian filmmaker uses the conflict between the Government of Peru and the Maoist guerilla group Shining Path as a chilling reminder of the perils afflicting everyday life - from the 24th REC Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

Desire Lines

Jules Rosskam

2024

Isy Santini - 23-01-2024

American documentary celebrates the diversity of transmasculine sexuality by exploring the lives of gay trans men, in a refreshing addition to LGBT+ representation - from the 40th edition of Sundance [Read More...]

In the Land of Brothers

Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Ghasemi

2024

Daniel Theophanous - 23-01-2024

Three members of an Afghan family start afresh as refugees in neighbouring Iran, only to find out that international fraternity is an elusive concept - from the 58th edition of Karlovy Vary [Read More...]

Evil Does Not Exist

Ryusuke Hamaguchi

2023

Victor Fraga - 20-01-2024

Ryusuke Hamaguchi's reflection on Manichaeism is ambiguous, contemplative and gently gripping - on VoD on September 8th [Read More...]

Pure Unknown (Sconosciuti Puri)

Valentina Cocogna, Mattia Colombo

2024

Isy Santini - 20-01-2024

A forensic scientist works hard in order to identify migrant corpses and offer the dead people and their families some closure and dignity - from the the Italian Doc Season at Bertha DocHouse on January 27th and 28th [Read More...]

The Civil Dead

Clay Tatum

2022

Paul Risker - 18-01-2024

Indie charm and comedy are not enough to elevate this grind of a buddy movie - in cinemas and on VOD, on Friday, January 19th. [Read More...]

Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer

Thomas von Steinaecker

2024

Victor Fraga - 17-01-2024

The six-decade career of the daredevil German director becomes the topic of this comprehensive however conventional documentary, a film far less radical and controversial than the subject portrayed - in cinemas on Friday, January 19th; on VoD on Monday, February 19th [Read More...]

Saltburn

Emerald Fennell

2023

Victor Fraga - 16-01-2024

Emerald Fennell's psychosexual fantasy thriller adds some distinctive British upper-class flavours to some well-known Pasolini masterpieces, but ultimately fails to excite our editor - in cinemas on Friday, November 17th [Read More...]

Scala!!!

Ali Catterall, Jane Giles

2024

Victor Fraga - 03-01-2024

The wildest and filthiest cinema in the history of the United Kingdom becomes the subject of a documentary largely voiced by the artists that it provoked and inspired - in cinemas on Friday, January 5th; on VoD on Monday, January 22nd [Read More...]

Dream Scenario

Kristoffer Borgli

2023

Steve Naish - 14-12-2023

Under the fun and easygoing direction of Norwegian filmmaker and screenwriter Kristoffer Borgli, Nicolas Cage plays a role that mirrors his very own journey - in cinemas on Friday, December 8th [Read More...]

Blank

Natalie Kennedy

2024

Eoghan Lyng - 12-12-2023

In an attempt to escape from her reality, a troubled woman comes face to face with a nefarious android, in this duel between woman and AI - British sci-fi drama is available for digital download on Monday, January 8th [Read More...]

Back to Alexandria

Tamer Ruggli

2023

Joshua Bogatin - 10-12-2023

Fanny Ardant and Nadine Labaki excel in this African-European co-production about growing up and returning home - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Three

Nayla Al Khaja

2023

Victor Fraga - 10-12-2023

Terrifying exorcist drama adapts Christian horror tropes into Muslim culture to exceptional results; this Emirati film will keep you on the edge of your seat - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Roxana

Parviz Shahbazi

2023

Victor Fraga - 09-12-2023

Quirky Iranian dramedy interrogates the nation's peculiar traditions and taboos - from the Official Competition of the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Omen

Balohi

2023

Duda Leite - 08-12-2023

Congo born and Belgium-based Baloji’s debut feature is packed with original ideas and robust visual concepts, in an dazzling ode to the struggles of the African diaspora - international co-production of six African and European nations shows at from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

In the Shadow of Beirut

Garry Keane, Stephen Gerard Kelly

2023

Victor Fraga - 07-12-2023

Two marginalised communities of Lebanon see no hope and no light, in gloomy doc about the country’s refusal and inability to integrate its most vulnerable people - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

24 Hours with Gaspar (24 Bersama Gaspar)

Yosep Anggi Noen

2023

Joshua Bogatin - 07-12-2023

High-octane Indonesian drama about a man prescribed with 24 hours to live due to cardiac problems will not get your heart beating fast - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Mother of All Lies (Kadib Abyad)

Asmae ElMoudir

2023

Victor Fraga - 07-12-2023

Moroccan filmmaker puts the finger in her own family wounds... and twists it (!!!) - eerie, sobering and inventive documentary shows at the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Teacher

Farah Nabulsi

2023

Victor Fraga - 07-12-2023

Palestinian teacher grapples with his own secrets and emotions as he desperately fights to protect one of his students - fiery activist drama shows in the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Miles to Nowhere

Ghazaleh Golbakhsh

2023

Victor Fraga - 06-12-2023

Comedy portrays the trials and tribulations of Muslims in New Zealand with a very light-hearted touch, while exposing some very dark and insidious prejudices - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Hopeless

Kim Chang-hoon

2023

Victor Fraga - 06-12-2023

A young man suffering horrific domestic abuse slips into a life of crime in order to make ends meet - ultra-violent Korean drama shows at the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Universal Theory (Die Theorie von Allem)

Timm Kröger

2023

Victor Fraga - 06-12-2023

A Swiss scientist desperately seeks his elusive lover as reality breaks down into small pieces, in this overambitious metaphysical thriller - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Thiiird

Karim Kassem

2023

Duda Leite - 05-12-2023

A car mechanic [Read More...]

In Flames

Zarrar Kahn

2023

Victor Fraga - 05-12-2023

Mother and daughter unite against the dark and oppressive forces of the patriarchy, in this feminist ghost story from Pakistan - in cinemas on Friday, May 24th [Read More...]

Dalma

Humaid Alsuwaidi

2023

Victor Fraga - 05-12-2023

A hardened woman moves to a remote island in the Emirates in search of a new start, and develops a fraught relationship with the locals - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Naga

Meshal Al Jaser

2023

Joshua Bogatin - 04-12-2023

A Saudi woman struggles to get out from her overbearing father's control, in this batty, psychedelically fractured Saudi adventure drama - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Copa 71

Rachel Ramsay, James Erskine

2023

Victor Fraga - 04-12-2023

The incredible story of the biggest Women's World Cup of all time that nobody ever heard of is both sobering and devastating - on various VoD platforms on Thursday, August 1st [Read More...]

Sunday (Yakshanba)

Shokir Kholikov

2023

Victor Fraga - 03-12-2023

An elderly couple of rural Uzbekistan are entirely satisfied with their humble existence, and struggle to accept the little signs of modern life imposed upon them - very slow and intimate drama premieres at the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Inshallah A Boy

Amjad Al Rasheed

2023

Victor Fraga - 03-12-2023

Jordanian widow feigns pregnancy in order to prevent her greedy brother-in-law from seizing her inheritance - spectacular social realist drama shows at the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Wakhri (One of a Kind)

Iram Parveen Bilal

2023

Victor Fraga - 03-12-2023

A school teacher becomes an instant social media celebrity after a fiery political video goes viral, with terrifying consequences - audacious Pakistani movie premieres at the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Last Snow

Amirhossein Asgari

2023

Victor Fraga - 02-12-2023

A rural veterinary doctor has to reconcile his love for animals with the cruel and deranged behaviour of human beings, in this luminescent Iranian drama - from the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Animalia

Sofia Alaoui

2023

Victor Fraga - 02-12-2023

Young muslim mother-to-be questions her religious faith and doctrine after reconnecting with her Berber roots - otherworldly French-Moroccan drama shows at the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Hiding Saddam Hussein

Halkawt Mustafa

2023

Victor Fraga - 02-12-2023

Saddam Hussein develops a paternal bond with the the young farmer who sheltered him for nearly eight months, in this unusual tribute to loyalty and endurance - fascinating doc shows at the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

Victor Fraga - 30-11-2023

Barely decipherable allegorical detective drama from Ukraine sets out to comment on the nation fast-changing soul and identity - showing at the London ICA on August 28th only [Read More...]

Night Courier (Mandoob)

Ali Kalthami

2023

Victor Fraga - 30-11-2023

Crime thriller about call-centre-worker-turned-drug-dealer inserts some grit into the squeaky clean capital of Saudi Arabia - in cinemas on Friday, August 30th [Read More...]

Femme

Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping

2023

Daniel Theophanous - 30-11-2023

Drag queen revenge thriller portrays the consequences of extreme toxic masculinity, in this flawed yet endearingly dark British debut feature - on VoD on Monday, January 22nd [Read More...]

Birth

Yoo Ji-young

12023

Victor Fraga - 29-11-2023

Brutally honest Korean drama mercilessly deromanticises and demystifies the experience of pregnancy and motherhood - in the Official Selection of the 41st Turin International Film Festival [Read More...]

Camping du Lac

Éléonore Saintagnan

2023

Victor Fraga - 28-11-2023

After her vehicle breaks down, Belgian holidaymaker settles on a camping site next to a lake inhabited by a mythical creature - strange parable shows at the 41st Turin International Film Festival [Read More...]

Marianne

Michael Rozek

2023

Victor Fraga - 28-11-2023

Isabelle Huppert challenges and looks audiences right in the eye for nearly an hour and a half, in this epistemological and reflexive study of cinema - live from the 41st Turin International Film Festival [Read More...]

Don’t Hang Up (Non Riattaccare)

Manfredi Lucibello

2023

Victor Fraga - 28-11-2023

Suicidal control freak ex-boyfriend manipulates Italian woman over the telephone, in this suspense thriller from Italy - from the 32nd edition of Raindance [Read More...]

Grace

Ilya Povolotsky

2023

Victor Fraga - 28-11-2023

Moody, inscrutable road movie provides a fascinating peak into the ice-cold and barren landscape of Northern Russia, by the Barents Sea - from the 41s Turin International Film Festival [Read More...]

Here

Bas Devos

2023

Victor Fraga - 27-11-2023

Slow and exquisite drama elegantly portrays the fleeting connection between two very different strangers in Brussels - from the 41st Turin International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Rapture (Le Ravissement)

Iris Kaltenbäck

2023

Victor Fraga - 27-11-2023

First-time French director crafts a nail-biting, suspenseful tale of unrequited love, stolen motherhood and female invidiousness - from the 41st Turin International Film Festival [Read More...]

Day of the Tiger (Tigru)

Andrei Tanase

2023

Victor Fraga - 27-11-2023

A tiger escapes from the zoo, forcing her vet to hunt her down while also scrambling over a major loss inside her own family - robust Romanian debut shows at the 41st Turin International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Limits of Consent (Läheduse Raamid)

Michael Keerdo-Dawson

2022

Victor Fraga - 26-11-2023

Psychosexual thriller about a high-tech wing woman helping randy lonely men to seduce and to f**k women offers viewers nine different endings - from REC Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

Love is a Gun

Lee Hong-chi

2023

Victor Fraga - 25-11-2023

A young, shy and diffident man just released from prison faces an existential crisis as he hesitantly relapses into a life of crime - from REC Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

Me Captain (Io capitano)

Matteo Garrone

2023

Victor Fraga - 25-11-2023

Matteo Garrone forces the nation that elected rabidly racist, anti-immigration Georgia Meloni into the shoes of those whom she despises the most - harrowing refugee drama is on all major VoD platforms on Monday, June 3rd [Read More...]

Mami Wata

C.J. Fiery Obasi

2023

Victor Fraga - 25-11-2023

Traditional Nigerian village asks the goddess of the sea for a little helping in the battle against the forces of [Read More...]

The Sweet East

Sean Price Williams

2023

Victor Fraga - 24-11-2023

Teen embarks on a journey along the American Northeast, in this highly experimental, trippy and barely coherent movie about US stereotypes - from REC Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

Goodbye Julia

Mohamed Kordofani

2023

Victor Fraga - 24-11-2023

The fraught relationship between two women becomes a proxy for Sudan in the beginning of the century, a country on the verge of a break-up - clever, finely scripted drama shows at the REC, Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

Heroic (Heroico)

David Zonana

2023

Victor Fraga - 24-11-2023

Indigenous Mexican teen joins the military in the hope to help his ailing mother, where he encounters a world of violence and degradation - from REC, Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]

Napoleon

Ridley Scott

2023

Eoghan Lyng - 23-11-2023

An ambitious Frenchman rises through the tracks, but his military victories are undermined by his marriage - Ridley Scott's underwhelming historical drama is in cinemas on Wednesday, November 22nd [Read More...]

Daaaaaali!

Quentin Dupieux

2023

Jeremy Clarke - 20-11-2023

Played by five actors, a very unpleasant Salvador Dali repeatedly stalls a journalist's attempts to interview him - Quentin Dupieux's filthy genius nee comedy in in the Critics' Picks Section of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Twittering Soul 3D (Čiulbanti Siela 3D)

Deimantas Narkevičius

2023

Victor Fraga - 20-11-2023

Snakes, spells, growing rocks and a flying corpse come together in this esoteric blend of fantasy drama and visual arts experiment from Lithuania - from the 53rd edition of Rotterdam [Read More...]

Amal

Jawad Rhalib

2023

Victor Fraga - 19-11-2023

Spectacular Belgian drama exposes the ugly face and the devastating consequences of religious radicalisation in schools - live from Official Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Observing (Opazovanje)

Janez Burger

2023

Jeremy Clarke - 19-11-2023

A paramedic must deal with the aftermath of a man being kicked unconscious, while the incident is streamed live on social media - deeply harrowing drama is in the Critics' Picks Section of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Everything Will Be Alright (Viss Būs Labi!)

Stanislavs Tokalovs

2023

Paul Risker - 19-11-2023

Observational documentary from Latvia discovers its heart in a son’s empathy for his mother - from the Baltic Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

The Last Relic (Viimane Reliikvia)

Marianna Kaat

2023

Paul Risker - 19-11-2023

Insightful and compelling documentary about Russia’s future interrogates the politics far beyond her borders - from the Baltic Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

The Land Where Winds Stood Still (Zhel Toqtaghan Zher)

Ardak Amirkulov

2023

Jeremy Clarke - 18-11-2023

A Kazakh mother made homeless by Soviet policy must protect her two sons in the harsh environment of the steppes – from the Critics’ Picks Competition at the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Skunk

Koen Mortier

2023

Eoghan Lyng - 18-11-2023

A teenager from a broken home has to confront their demons, in this compelling adaptation of a Geert Taghon novel - from the International Youth Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

The Old Man and the Land

Nicholas Parish

2023

Jeremy Clarke - 18-11-2023

As he works on the land, an ageing farmer hears his two adult children talk on the phone about the future of the family farm - wondrous British drama premieres in the Critics' Picks Section of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

All, Or Nothing at All

2023

Eoghan Lyng - 18-11-2023

In this bold Chinese commentary on mass consumerism, audiences are forced to ask difficult questions about their lives - from the First Feature Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

I Trust You (En Vos Confio)

Agustín Toscano

2023

Paul Risker - 18-11-2023

Argentinean director recounts the mysterious disappearance and the murder of a woman that shook his native Argentina, in a real-life crime drama that subverts audience's expectations - from the Rebels with a Cause section of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Stairway to Heaven (Taevatrepp)

Mart Kivastik

2023

Eoghan Lyng - 18-11-2023

Time travel is possible! This peculiar Estonian film demonstrates that we can communicate with ourselves in two disparate timelines - from the the Baltic Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Taurins Senior

Alexander Hahn

2023

Chris Simpson - 18-11-2023

Bickering father and son must contend with one another inside a crammed little flat, in this Latvian drama - live from the Baltic Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Ten Months

Idan Hubel

2023

Victor Fraga - 17-11-2023

An Israeli woman refuses to terminate her false pregnancy, despite her knowledge that the gestation is entirely psychological - from the Official Selection of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

White Flag

Batbayar Chogsom

2023

Victor Fraga - 17-11-2023

Lesbian couple contends with dark forces in order to forge a living in the remote Mongolian steppe - poignant queer survival drama is in the Official Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Good Savage

Santiago Mohar Volkow

2023

John McDonald - 17-11-2023

Two American artists seek solace and inspiration in neighbouring Mexico, in this quirky comedy mocking the obsessions of liberals (and with Wes Anderson's trademarks all over) - from the Rebels With a Cause Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Mrs.

Arati Kadav

2023

Jeremy Clarke - 17-11-2023

After getting married, a woman is expected to work cheerfully from dawn to dusk waiting on the menfolk of the house hand and foot - live from the Critics' Picks Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Fez Summer ’55

Abdelhaï Laraki

2023

Jeremy Clarke - 17-11-2023

An 11-year-old boy navigates the rooftops of a Moroccan city while insurgents plot the overthrow of French colonialists - dirty gem premieres in the Critics' Picks Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Giant’s Kettle (Hiidenkirnu)

Markku Hakala, Mari Käki

2023

Eoghan Lyng - 17-11-2023

A man and a woman go on about their daily lives in a series of static shots, in a superlative achievement of modern-day silent cinema - from the First Feature Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Teresa

Paula Ortiz

2023

Victor Fraga - 17-11-2023

Loose biopic of Spanish saint Teresa of Avila is dogged by a contrived script and cliches, and misses the opportunity to provide real insight into the life of a subversive reformer - from the Official Selection of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Eastern Front (Idarinne)

Vitaliy Mansky, Yevhen Titarenko

2023

Eoghan Lyng - 17-11-2023

Mostly handheld, guerrilla-style documentary takes audiences to the heart of the Ukraine War; the outcome is haunting - live from the Rebels With A Cause Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Tentigo

Ilango Ram

2023

Eoghan Lyng - 17-11-2023

In this batty Sri Lankan film, a family have to deal with daddy's dead body and... ermmm... his throbbing boner - from the First Feature Competition of the 27th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

The Quiet Maid (Calladita)

Miguel Faus

2023

Paul Risker - 17-11-2023

Playfully quiet critique of class and prejudicial power dynamics becomes an interpersonal war story, in this entertaining film from Spain - from the 24th REC Tarragona International Film Festival [Read More...]