There have been films in which I’ve cried harder and longer than this one, but The Blue Caftan is more tender and heartbreaking than any of them. The first act told me this was a beautifully shot, well-acted, tender film. The second act started leading me in a different direction to my initial thought, and … Continue reading The Blue Caftan (Maryam Touzani, 2022) – ‘do not be afraid to love’.
Close (Lukas Dhont, 2022) – the complexities of boyhood, friendship, and grief.
Soft hues and lucid camerawork charm you into becoming a kid again, playing alongside Léo and Rémi amongst the flowers that are just as tall as they are. Things don’t stay all carefree and merry, though, when summer ends and the growing up forcibly begins. Léo (Eden Dambrine) and Rémi’s (Gustav De Waele) untainted bond … Continue reading Close (Lukas Dhont, 2022) – the complexities of boyhood, friendship, and grief.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey – oh, bother.
I don’t agree with other critics that complain about Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey having barely anything to do with the source material. It doesn’t matter that in this new horror reimagining of the tale they’re animal-human hybrids that turn to cannibalism and eat their friend Eeyore. It doesn’t matter that Christopher Robin abandons them to … Continue reading Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey – oh, bother.
Incantation (Kevin Ko, 2022) – religious taboos and broken rules.
East Asian horror cinema has made its presence known in the West for a long time now, with Japanese and South Korean films trailblazing our screens and leaving a welcomed impression. Whilst we’ve only had a mere peak behind the curtain of good – and bad – horror films from that part of the world, … Continue reading Incantation (Kevin Ko, 2022) – religious taboos and broken rules.
Òran na h-Eala (Steve Exeter, 2022) – the pressure of creativity.
The soft glow cast over the opening shot that continues to illuminate Shannon Davidson’s Moira Shearer throughout this short is as much a nod to old film as it is to the dreamy ballerina’s personality. This ambiance beautifully contrasts against other sequences that delve into the pressure that Shearer faced when Michael Powell and Emeric … Continue reading Òran na h-Eala (Steve Exeter, 2022) – the pressure of creativity.
The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal, 2021) – narcissistic mothers and neglected narrative.
Actor Maggie Gyllenhaal’s (The Dark Knight) directorial debut brings Elena Ferrante’s novel The Lost Daughter to the big screen. Colman’s character Leda, a divorced professor of nearly-50, holidays in a remote Greece island as her adult daughters visit their father in Canada. Her idyllic peace is shaken when a large New York family, loud and … Continue reading The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal, 2021) – narcissistic mothers and neglected narrative.
Birthday Boy (Leo LeBeau, 2021) – a compelling tale of a crucial perspective.
Teenager Alex (Sebastian Emmerson) seeks refuge in an online game on his birthday when the bullying at the all-girls school he attends becomes too much. This short film was created by an entirely LGBTQ+ crew and features a transgender actor as the also transgender lead character Alex, making for an authentic tale about gender issues … Continue reading Birthday Boy (Leo LeBeau, 2021) – a compelling tale of a crucial perspective.
Other People (Chris Kelly, 2016)
David, an almost-30 mostly-failed comedy writer, moves back to his Sacramento hometown to live with his parents after possibly the worst year of his life. Just broken up with his boyfriend of 5 years, David (Jesse Plemons) now resides in his old childhood bedroom in the house of his homophobic father (Bradley Whitford) and cancer-ridden … Continue reading Other People (Chris Kelly, 2016)
Goodnight Mommy (Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz, 2014) – an empty narrative in a beautiful landscape.
An Austrian psychological thriller, reminiscent of other European works such as The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodóvar, 2011) and Eyes Without a Face (Georges Franju, 1960), Goodnight Mommy is a recognisable narrative that seems to draw influence from well-known Korean horror A Tale of Two Sisters (Jee-woon Kim, 2003). The film is elevated through … Continue reading Goodnight Mommy (Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz, 2014) – an empty narrative in a beautiful landscape.
Adaption. (Spike Jonze, 2002) – convolution masked as clever self-reference.
Jonze and Kaufman’s second collaboration after the well-received Being John Malkovich (1999), the duo take another dive into the mind of real person in Adaption.. This time, the focus is on the film’s own writer Charlie Kaufman, played by Nicolas Cage, and his attempt to adapt a non-fiction book about orchids into a successful screenplay. … Continue reading Adaption. (Spike Jonze, 2002) – convolution masked as clever self-reference.
one small screen 