Omen is a visually inventive, often fascinating exploration of Congelese mores, but lacks incisiveness. Now playing in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2023.
Omen Can Create But it Cannot Destroy
Redmond Bacon
Redmond is the editor-in-chief of Journey Into Cinema.
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry. Pure Cinema Poetry.
With their third film, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, Georgian director Elene Naveriani re-asserts themselves as a major voice in world cinema.
The (Ex)perience of Love Has Music in It
The (Ex)perience of Love, playing in Critics’ Week, is a silly movie. But its fantasy premise is treated with smarts and sensitivity, making for a fun watch.
The Rapture Isn’t Arriving Today, Sorry.
An enigmatic first half is undone by a mid backend in mysterious French noir The Rapture, playing in Critics’ Week at Cannes.
Uncomfortable. Upsetting. Brilliant. Creatura.
The perils of burgeoning female sexuality are excellently turned inside-out in Elena Martín’s impressive second film, playing in Directors’ Fornight.
ACID Cannes 2023 — Searching For Happiness
The Cannes ACID section focusses on normal lives in independent films, celebrating perspectives often overlooked in bigger programmes.
Gonna Burst into Flames, It’s Raining in the House
The coming-of-age genre, told over a scorching summer, is imbued with cinematic flair in Paloma Sermon-Daï’s fiction debut.
Inshallah A Boy. Easy to Enjoy.
A social drama with smart dramaturgy and effective mise-en-scène, Inshallah A Boy piercingly critiques Jordan’s male-first inheritance culture.
Master Gardener. Master(ful) Filmmaking.
Paul Schrader finds a more tender angle on his tried-and-tested formula in the touching Master Gardener, completing his most recent trilogy.
The Kids are Not Alright in Russian Found-Footage Doc Manifesto
Found-footage documentary Manifesto is both a startling, necessary film but also a disturbing one, calling into question filmmaking ethics in a fascist state.