With hints of Zodiac and Seven, Fabrice du Welz’s new thriller Maldoror — charting the real-life murders of Belgian serial killer Marc Dutroux — aims for that nasty, slow burn.
Maldoror Brings Fincher Energy to a Horrific Moment in Belgian History
Tag: Film
Familia Provides a Nuanced Portrayal of Cyclical Bonehead Violence
Fascist bonehead study Familia refreshingly avoids clichéd redemption arcs in favour of a more nuanced take on the cyclical nature of toxic masculinity.
Mond Offers a Nuanced Cross-Cultural Tale of Female Solidarity
A washed-up Austrian MMA fighter finds herself immersed in a strange Jordanian family in Kurdwin Ayub’s Mond, her much-anticipated follow-up to Sonne.
Weightless Goes in Search of Love Past
A man’s grief-induced amnesia provides excellent inspiration for a journey through the past in Sara Fgaier’s powerful debut Weightless.
Tezeta Puts a Spotlight on the Little-Known History of Armenians in Ethiopia
The ten-years-in-the-making Tezeta is a lively and fascinating portrait of Armenia’s contribution to Ethiopian musical history.
Distant Voices, Windless Lives
With a tight 1:1 ratio and an eye for arresting visuals, Windless sure looks great, but its grief-laden tale fails to hit with the viewer emotionally.
The Fate of Life Under the Grey Sky
With a stripped-back aesthetic, Mara Tamkovich’s debut Under the Grey Sky carefully surveys the cost of practicing independent journalism in modern-day Belarus.
Plastic Guns. A Perfect Shitpost.
Jean-Christophe Meurisse’s Plastic Guns doubles down on the provocations of Bloody Oranges in an off-kilter, hilarious and deeply nasty farce.
Baby Works His Way Out of a Corner
Marcelo Caetano’s Baby might combine reliable and clichéd tropes, but Caetano’s sex work study succeeds thanks to its keen observation of queer communities.
Sean Baker Does It Again with Anora
Sean Baker continues his deeply humanist exploration of sex workers’ complex inner lives with the touching and charming Russian-American fairytale Anora.