Rumours
Despite a messy and unfocused narrative trajectory, the depth of absurdity Guy Maddin (and co-directors Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson) offers in RUMOURS skewers the modern geopolitical scene better than most.
Category Archives: Reviews
Bird
Andrea Arnold’s latest film, BIRD, is a beguiling blend of British social realism and magical realism, exposing the deep yearning towards nature in a dying England left adrift at the end of the world.
Emilia Pérez
EMILIA PÉREZ is heavily inspired by the shocking twists and family secrets of telenovelas. Unfortunately, the film is aurally and visually ugly, and the way in which it uses Mexican drug violence and cartels as scenery without engaging with the social reality leaves a bad taste.
The Assessment
THE ASSESSMENT has enough interesting ideas to bolster the excellent central performances and basic premise. It never quite rises to meet its loftier concerns, but intelligent writing and captivating performances result in something well above a passing grade.
Santosh
SANTOSH is a patient film, that illustrates how a dysfunctional environment can pervert the meagre empowerment it offers marginalised people.
Hostile Dimensions
Seasoned found-footage director Graham Hughes puts in the effort with a meagre budget, but a bit of inspired cinematography isn’t enough to detract from unconvincing acting and wooden dialogue.
2073
Over the past decade, there has been an inescapable feeling that the world is on fire. Not just in a literal sense, regarding climate change, but also the sense that society and the social contract are burning down around us. Opposition has become polarisation that has not just merely moved the Overton window but smashed … Continue reading 2073
Red Rooms
The sociopathic protagonist at the core of RED ROOMS builds alienation with a probing camera that constantly looks but never fully reveals the mysteries in its gaze.
Conclave
CONCLAVE is an intelligently constructed film, where embellishments to its surface-level thriller mystery allow for its transubstantiation into an altar for broader themes.
Since Yesterday
SINCE YESTERDAY joyously celebrates the work of groups that, by all rights, should be better known today, and paints a vibrant picture of their artistry but also a damning picture of sexism, classism, and London-centrism that still plagues the UK’s arts scene today.