Small yet powerful, Five Years, Four Months takes an almost structuralist approach to grief, showing one mother’s unending journey to find her missing son.
Martha’s Folly
Crystal Globe
The Kids Are Not Alright
Miroslav Terzić’s follow up to Stitches (2019) is a devastating exploration of the infinity cruelty of children that makes Adolescence look like Bluey.
The Guest Is More Than Welcome
With echoes of classic Dogme 95, The Guest gets great mileage out of Trine Dyrholm as a chaotic mother upsetting a Danish christening.
“Men have a lot to learn from women” — João Rosas on The Luminous Life
The Luminous LIfe director João Rosas discusses using cinema as cartography and charting the life of the same child through different films.
Don’t Call Me Mama’s Scandalous Scandinavians
Don’t Call Me Mama is Scandinavia’s answer to Babygirl that unfortunately gives off a truly icky Blame It On Rio vibe.
The Visitor’s Beautiful Baltic Banality
Despite its preponderance of gorgeous images, The Visitor provides an emotionally-detached experience that can’t match the magic of its visuals.
Broken Voices Makes The Right Choices
Ondřej Provazník’s sophomore film is a slow-burn look at abuse featuring a brilliant performance from Juraj Loj as a manipulative choirmaster.
Divia Bears Witness to Ecocide
With careful drone footage and plenty of nature shots, Dmytro Hreshko creates a powerful portrait of how Russia has commited ecocide in Ukraine.
Out Of Love. Elevated Social Realism.
While the story of Out of Love is nothing new, Nathan Ambriosioni’s carefully-measured style shows him off as a director of great techincal talent.
The Luminous Life. Love Under Capitalism.
The spirit of Éric Rohmer lives on in João Rosas excellent Crystal Globe entry The Luminuous Life, capturing the perils of love under capitalism.