Festivals | Journey Into Cinema | Reviews and Dispatches

The Luminous LIfe director João Rosas discusses using cinema as cartography and charting the life of the same child through different films.

Films by Gena Rowlands and John Garfield at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival show us the deep emotional power of the method acting approach.

Don’t Call Me Mama is Scandinavia’s answer to Babygirl that unfortunately gives off a truly icky Blame It On Rio vibe.

Two men try and find love amidst the horror and bruality of a German slaughterhouse in Simon Schneckenburger’s excellent short Skin on Skin.

Despite its preponderance of gorgeous images, The Visitor provides an emotionally-detached experience that can’t match the magic of its visuals.

Mark Jenkin’s loopy tour of the Celtic regions of the world (and Los Angeles) is British cinema and its most pure and eccentric. Essential viewing.

Ondřej Provazník’s sophomore film is a slow-burn look at abuse featuring a brilliant performance from Juraj Loj as a manipulative choirmaster.

Two balding men travel to Instanbul for a transplant in Manoël Dupont’s uneven yet fascinating hybrid film Before/After.

With careful drone footage and plenty of nature shots, Dmytro Hreshko creates a powerful portrait of how Russia has commited ecocide in Ukraine.

At once an abstract exploration of mental health and a potent political piece, Action Item is a fine mid-length essay doc from Paula Ďurinová.