The pitfalls of always providing entertainment are perfectly probed in Animal, Sofia Exarchou’s excellent sophomore film.
Animal Oozes with Summertime Sadness
Tag: Film
A Song Sung Blue Is Not The Warmest Colour
A Song Sung Blue has every shade of blue you can hope for. But perhaps gorgeous aesthetics can only get you so far. Playing at Directors’ Fortnight.
Marguerite’s Theorem Cracks Under Its Own Formula
Marguerite’s Theorem is proof that making movies about maths only works when you’re willing to forego generic filmmaking formulas.
ACID Cannes 2023 — Searching For Happiness
The Cannes ACID section focusses on normal lives in independent films, celebrating perspectives often overlooked in bigger programmes.
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.
Visions du Réel Burning Lights: Cinema, Now More Than Ever
History, nostalgia and shame collide in three documentaries exploring contrasting cinematic memories in this year’s Visions du Réel Burning lights Competition.
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.
goEast Film Festival Day One: The Rise of the Hybrids
An Armenian animated documentary and a shape-shifting Ukrainian 90s-set film noir characterise a strong start to goEast Film Festival.
Suzume Soars, Shines, then Sinks.
While the 2D observational moments of Suzume are keenly felt, the overall message is lost in a morass of muddled storytelling and messy CGI.
Christian Petzold Changes Pace with the Breezy Relationship Drama Afire
A perfect cast and a breezy tone, intermingling with moments of horror and danger, characterise Afire, a more low-key effort from Christian Petzold.