Berlinale 2020 Review: Hong Sang-soo’s ‘The Woman Who Ran’
“Hong Sang-soo’s cinematic apparatus might seem limited to some, but it’s in the endless repetition of the same movements that perfection is achieved.”
Berlinale 2020 Review: Christian Petzold’s ‘Undine’
“Petzold’s use of fairytale is rote, but – as a piece of Sirkian high melodrama – ‘Undine’ is eminently satisfying.”
Berlinale 2020 Review: Bassam Tariq’s ‘Mogul Mowgli’
“Similarly to its lead, ‘Mogul Mowgli’ indicates its awareness of the big themes tied to the experiences of young British-Pakistani men, but doesn’t quite do all the legwork required to properly manifest a thesis.”
Berlinale 2020 Review: Camilo Restrepo’s ‘Los conductos’
“‘Los conductos’ announces Camilo Restrepo as a visceral talent with the substance to back up his sublime imagery.”
Review: Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s ‘The Lodge’
“Franz and Fiala scale down Kubrick’s more expansive vision, and the result offers its own kind of skin-crawling satisfaction.”
Pictures of You: Stella Meghie’s ‘The Photograph’
“The appealing leads spark with genuine onscreen chemistry, and Meghie capitalizes on a terrific supporting cast to vividly render past and present in complementary balance.”
Review: Joe Begos’ ‘VFW’
“A thrilling, gloriously gory and gleefully simple exercise in cyberpunk nastiness, led by a crew of done-with-this-shit action movie icons, ‘VFW’ is a relentlessly entertaining riot.”
‘The Wave’: A Promising Fiction Debut from Gille Klabin
“‘The Wave’ spotlights the proverbial writing on the wall for its most flawed characters, but also makes sure to settle on the base-level humanity of others. The result is an affecting and forward-thinking film that pinpoints what it means to be self-aware.”
Review: Cathy Yan’s ‘Birds of Prey’
“The giddy mayhem might be enough to satisfy a certain segment of the public, but ‘Birds of Prey’ relies too much on its short-burst episodic structure…”
IFFR 2020 Review: Zheng Lu Xinyuan’s ‘The Cloud in Her Room’
“‘The Cloud in Her Room’ is an indie revelation for the dreamers. It invites collected reflections and quiet reminiscences; the eclectic images are a roaring statement.”
IFFR 2020 Review: Wissam Tanios’ ‘We Are from There’
“As a first feature, ‘We Are from There’ is an assured piece of work. Tanios paces the documentary well, and maintains a consistent and observant tone when it would be easier to lean on the sentimentality or urgency of the assembled footage.”
IFFR 2020 Review: Isamu Hirabayashi’s ‘Shell and Joint’
“‘Shell and Joint’ thrives in being carefully discovered by peeling away one layer after the other.”
Sundance Film Festival Review: ‘Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia’
“The film may seem purposeless at first, but eventually it reveals itself to be a portrait of the proud insanity of Florida, one that feels eminently authentic.”
Sundance Film Festival Review: Josephine Decker’s ‘Shirley’
“‘Shirley’ is not just a film about the pain and struggle of creativity for all artists, but about women particularly.”
IFFR 2020 Review: Oda Kaori’s ‘Cenote’
“By seemingly stripping the sacredness from the cenotes, and forcing the sinkholes to be penetrated by the eye of the camera, Oda appears to deconstruct the documentary’s premise: there’s no mystery to unearth…”
Sundance Film Festival Review: Josh Ruben’s ‘Scare Me’
“‘Scare Me’ takes a while to get going, awkwardly finding its footing through its opening scenes, but when it settles into the long night of storytelling in the cabin, Ruben’s debut feature becomes a total delight.”
Sundance Film Festival Review: Eliza Hittman’s ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’
“‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ is an abortion drama that is so grounded in reality, so meticulous in its details, that it becomes one of the most moving and insightful movies made on the subject.”
Review: Chinonye Chukwu’s ‘Clemency’
“Chukwu avoids any overt didacticism in her storytelling, even if the mounting pressure on the beleaguered protagonist is delivered with quiet resolve and suffocating dread.”
IFFR 2020 Review: Roy Andersson’s ‘About Endlessness’
“Andersson depicts fragments of humanity, stitched together with humour and relatability, and without a hint of loftiness or condescension.”
Review: Richard Stanley’s ‘Color Out of Space’
“‘Color Out of Space’ is one of the weirdest, most disgusting, thought-provoking and provocative releases of the year…”