The Vanishing Soldier uses its picarasque, free-wheeling form to investigate the complexities and paradoxes of modern Isreal — to mixed results.
The Vanishing Soldier. Israel Smoulders.
Tag: Film
Animal Oozes with Summertime Sadness
The pitfalls of always providing entertainment are perfectly probed in Animal, Sofia Exarchou’s excellent sophomore 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.