Saint Omer
It takes a deft hand to communicate empathy in the story of a mother who has killed her 15-month-old baby, but director Alice Diop handles this courtroom drama with grace, even if the genre tag feels reductive here.
Category Archives: Reviews
Blue Jean and media-reinforced heteronormativity
There is a central idea between the dramatic unfoldings of BLUE JEAN: internalised homophobia triggers a fight or flight response. Walter Bradford Cannon’s famous ‘fight or flight’ theory, otherwise known as Acute Stress Response, is referenced early in Georgia Oakley’s outstanding feature debut. In BLUE JEAN, the stress Oakley’s Geordie protagonist Jean responds to is that of Margaret Thatcher’s homophobic amendment to British Law: Section 28.
Aftersun
Charlotte Wells’ feature debut showcases the assured hand she had already demonstrated in her short film work and enhances it further to balance tone and pace throughout a touching story of a daughter and her troubled father on holiday. Calum (Paul Mescal) takes his 11-year-old daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio) on a package holiday to Turkey, … Continue reading Aftersun
My Small Land
MY SMALL LAND should launch two stellar careers with its astute portrait – told in three languages – of a specific situation that feels transferable in this age of global anxiety and xenophobia.
Off the Rails
OFF THE RAILS is a breathless narrative that may have benefited from reflection and structure, but the spark and spirit are captivating throughout.
After Yang
AFTER YANG is a film steeped in humanity despite its gently dystopian subject: an android sibling of an adopted child. Koganada’s feature includes many thought-provoking strands focused on family privacy, technological dependence, and what makes someone – or something – belong to a family unit. Still, its imagination and sincerity when dealing with memory and … Continue reading After Yang
Wildhood
April McIntyre reviews WILDHOOD: even in the heavily explored road movie trope, Bretten Hannam is able to breathe fresh life into it, offering it up as a story of queerness, nature and homecoming.
The Novice
April McIntyre reviews THE NOVICE: the evocative cinematography and Isabelle Fuhrman’s masterful capture of the character makes Hadaway’s sensory and visceral debut a success, even if at times it’s challenging to watch.
Camila Comes Out Tonight
April McIntyre reviews CAMILA COMES OUT TONIGHT: through Camila’s eyes we discover the ways in which queerness can cross boundaries, and how a new generation are standing up for their rights and working to squash misogyny and outdated traditionalism.
Family Affairs Shorts Programme
April McIntyre reviews the Family Affairs short films programme at BFI Flare. Whether it’s creating a new family, reconnecting with estranged relatives or joining families together, this programme sees the many forms in which families can take and the ways in which they evolve throughout our lives.