Stranger Eyes
STRANGER EYES is a film that is both deeply cynical and resoundingly humane in portraying the hyper-surveilled Singapore. Everyone is under scrutiny, but their humanity remains beyond the camera’s gaze.
Category Archives: Festival Coverage
Woken
WOKEN is a sci-fi thriller that packs a punch disproportionate to its small scale and short length. Despite some unfortunately clumsy tropes deployed in the third act, WOKEN still has enough twists and turns and enough contemporary relevance to be a thriller worth checking out.
Arze: Mira Shaib interview
Mira Shaib’s feature film debut, ARZE, chronicles the story of Lebanese mother Arzé (Diamand Abou Abboud) as she searches for a stolen motorcycle on the streets of sectarian Beirut.
The Beast
Audacious in the extreme, THE BEAST delivers nothing new on each of its premises, but its combination is bold and stylish. The film does not rise above its shock value in commenting on society, but Seydoux and Mackay are in magnificent form.
La Chimera
Its odd tempo and mythic resonances make LA CHIMERA feel like a half-remembered story that you first heard years ago. The film’s surprising richness will bury itself in your mind in a way that finds you stumbling across it afterwards.
Love Lies Bleeding
In Rose Glass’s new feature, LOVE LIES BLEEDING, bodies are vessels that can barely contain what they feel inside. Something is always trying to burst out. Put simply, LOVE LIES BLEEDING rips.
The Teacher’s Lounge
A frog-in-a-kettle study of a societal microcosm under pressure, THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE leaves audiences turning over possible truths and futures for its characters long after the credits roll.
Yannick
YANNICK playfully imagines a complete breakdown of the relationship between artist and paying punter. It offers no solutions and barely contains an ending, but maybe in all of its madness, there is a quiet plea for any critical displeasure to be saved for our social media feeds.
Elaha
When ELAHA channels anger into something pensive, the film’s power is amplified, evolving from didactic frustration to something evocative and immensely powerful.
The Vourdalak
While THE VOURDALAK may not entirely succeed as a film, there is something fascinating about how this early vampire story emphasises the queerness that has always been part and parcel of vampire stories in folklore.