Apples
Christos Nikou’s APPLES takes a setting adrift from the contemporary world to reflect on modern identity and memory. Jim Ross reviews at TIFF 2020.
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Nomadland
Chloe Zhao’s NOMADLAND is a beautiful and melancholic story embodied with heart and strength by Frances McDormand. Zhao’s film scatters the shattered remains of the American Dream amongst the breathtaking vistas of the ‘land of the free’; a romantic sonnet dedicated to a broken place. Jim Ross reviews.
Les Misérables
Ladj Ly’s film has a simmering tone that will later come to a rolling boil as the film reaches its crescendo, and an underlying attitude of ‘plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’. Jim Ross reviews.
Pinocchio
PINOCCHIO very much stands apart from previous adaptations, and most definitely from versions of the story familiar to English-language audiences. Jim Ross reviews.
Clemency
Chinonye Chukwu’s CLEMENCY is engaging and thoughtfully constructed, with a stifling atmosphere underscored by Alfre Woodard’s lead performance.
Interview: Human Rights Watch Fest
Managing Editor Jim Ross interviewed Leah Sapin of Human Rights Watch Film Festival about moving the 2020 London edition online and the challenges and objectives of the festival’s lineup. The interview was broadcast as part of the May 19th edition of Cinetopia.
The Assistant
THE ASSISTANT lingers, and not because it generates an incandescent rage. Instead, it simmers with a sense of quiet injustice and insidious malfeasance, which is communicated powerfully by Kitty Green, Julia Garner, and the creative team.
Vivarium
For those worried about disappearing into an anonymous suburban hellscape, VIVARIUM will be the descent into fear and confusion it is clearly intended to be. Jim Ross reviews.
Proxima
The production design and visual style of PROXIMA are refreshingly earth-bound and create a tangible emotional connection to the characters, even if Alice Winocour’s symbolic moments lack the subtlety that would elevate the film itself to the stars. Jim Ross reviews at Glasgow Film Festival.
True History of The Kelly Gang
TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG has some striking imagery and engaging performances but seems to lack coherent storytelling to drive home their impact. Jim Ross reviews.