“Within the context of a cinema that is high-strung and often defined by its over-the-top, spectacle-driven family dramas, ‘Ribbon’ and its smallness (and everydayness) is not just a refreshing break but an extremely well-timed breaking of the mold.”
“Renzu’s film gives a face to the thousands of women featured in the papers, disturbingly called ‘half widows’ — not just defined by the lack of a husband, but also by this ‘half,’ not full, not a complete status of being.”
“If Murphy’s Law were to be made into a film, it’d look a lot like Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s ‘Long Live Brij Mohan!’ His production, in more ways than one, is also a metaphor for the city of Delhi.”
“The Hollywood dream lives on proudly in ‘The Disaster Artist.’”
“‘Village Rockstars’ represents a cultural category that is largely ignored by mainstream cinema and heralds a new chapter in the contemporary practice of serious filmmaking in India.”
“McDonagh’s film is as much of a message movie as summiting Mount Kilimanjaro is a relaxing family-friendly vacation.”
“Achieving a vibrant mix of swooning sincerity and bitter irony, Feng Xiaogang’s ‘Youth’ walks the tightrope of Chinese history with a showman’s flair and a subversive wit, channelling its conflicting perceptions of the past into a single cohesive, ultimately jaded vision.”
“It’s an odd little film, more melancholy and plaintive than outright scary or troubling, that slowly crawls under your skin.”
“The DC Extended Universe is not doomed, but it needs its own clear identity and purpose. Rebranding ‘The Avengers’ is not the answer.”
“‘Call Me by Your Name’ skips through time like a dream, or a calcified, powerful memory.”
“In its thorough research and extensive reconstructing of the artist’s life, ‘Sonar Baran Pakhi’ is a document of celebration. Of the artist, the daughter, the mother. And the effortless rebel.”
“‘Porto’ aims for atmosphere but merely achieves it with convention.”
“‘Bar Bahar’ is an unmissable dramedy that puts women at the heart of a hypocritical world in flux.”
“Horror fans may need to adjust their expectations if they’re looking for more frights than laughs.”
“The multi-hyphenate filmmaker’s latest seems to anticipate dissection: its formal austerity belies a haphazard, literary-minded indulgence.”
“‘Four Hands’ is sublime and arresting in its imagery.”
“‘Mon Mon Mon Monsters’ actually inspires and entertains while pointedly dealing with a subject that hits close to home for many.”
“Out of a fractured, tentative world, Kazik Radwanski created a strong and whole short film.”
“Dare I say it, but ‘Jeune Femme’ is as ripe for an American remake as any film I’ve seen on this year’s festival circuit.”
“Shot beautifully, with an imposing yet wholly appropriate classical soundtrack to match, ‘I Am Not a Witch’ is worth the watch.”