Hoard
HOARD has some elements which could be tidied up. Still, the sum of this precarious pile of performances, imagery, and characters is a film of deep-rooted emotion and a beautiful mess by design.
All posts by Jim Ross
Penal Cordillera
PENAL CORDILLERA delivers on its intriguing premise with a close examination of the characters of arrogant, formerly powerful men.
Fair Play
FAIR PLAY may not be as smart and original as it initially seems, but the momentum, central performances, and cranked-up drama deliver an engrossing takedown of fragile male entitlement and the roles many inhabit to advance despite it.
Fremont
FREMONT rarely puts a foot wrong, even if the walking speed is meandering to the point of dallying.
Passages
The character of Tomas, whose emotional and sexual openness reflects commitment to art and new experiences, embodies Ira Sachs’s PASSAGES – uncomfortable and challenging but exhilarating and captivating.
Oppenheimer
There are no more significant potential ramifications than the end of the world, and that awful looming mushroom cloud haunts every frame of OPPENHEIMER’s tense and emotionally violent portrait.
Master Gardener
As frustratingly stilted as MASTER GARDENER can be, Paul Schrader has still planted the seeds of something curiously mesmerising to watch grow.
Unclenching the Fists
UNCLENCHING THE FISTS explores the struggles of a young woman named Ada, and is a powerful portrayal of the impact of patriarchal structures – societal and familial – on the women within.
Cinema Will Live Forever or Die Trying
Reports of cinema’s death are greatly exaggerated, but the attack on the ‘big screen experience’ is coming from inside the building. As the focus on films continues to dwindle, and more and more desperate attempts are made to augment a diminished core experience, cinemagoing increasingly resembles an embodiment of a famous Groucho Marx quote: “I intend to live forever, or die trying.”
Girl
Adura Onashile’s GIRL is a gentle and sometimes hypnotic view of a life laced with the after-effects of trauma. The film is an elegantly slow-burning drama, and its willingness to let the visuals and understated performances establish an atmosphere allows the audience to feel Grace and Ama’s emotions all the more keenly.