Two films at Locarno display how often the practice of Christianity contradicts the principles of kindness and empathy found in the New Testament.
Christianity Clash
Concorso Internazionale
Coming of Age, Sicilian-Style
Coming-of-age movies in recent years are usually snoozy; Giovanni Tortorici’s whipsmart funny Ketticè is the wonderful exceptional to that rule.
Mosquitoes Is Big, Bold and More Than a Little Messy
Not everything in Mosquitoes lands, but its big, and bold swings show off the ambition of Nicole and Valentina Bertani’s off-kilter coming-of-age vision.
Two Seasons, Two Strangers. Wistful and Intimate Compassion.
Two distinct, writerly stories emerge from Sho Miyake’s pen in his wistful adaptation of Yoshiharu Tsuge’s manga Mr. Ben and His Igloo, A View of the Seaside.
Dry Leaf. A Bold Grasscutter.
Dry Leaf, Alexandre Koberidze’s much anticipated follow up to What Do We See When We Look At The Sky?, is another meandering exploration of family and football.
Sorella di Clausura. Refreshingly Unserious.
Ivana Mladenović’s mordantly funny Romanian film Sorella di Clausura offers a welcome comic contrast to Locarno’s usual so-so-serious fare.
With Hasan in Gaza. Palestinian (Non-)Existence
Kamal Aljafari’s urgent With Hasan in Gaza might be shot in the autumn of 2001, but its images speak firmly to the present onslaught by the Israeli regime.
Mare’s Nest Belongs in a Museum
Ben Rivers’ latest feature is a long and meandering slog through the apocalypse that might work in a museum, but is deadening on the big screen.
White Snail. Love Covered in Slime.
Space Dogs directors Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter’s first fully fiction feature is a dark and disturbing love story set in Belarus.
Locarno 2024: Something Fun
From Radu Jude’s latest essay experiments to Wang Bing’s second Youth film to Hong Sangsoo’s newest metafiction, Locarno 2024 brings the cinematic goods.