A not-quite musical filled with loveliness and laughs, Chuck Chuck Baby is the operatic soap opera I never knew I needed — live from Edinburgh Film Festival.
Tag: Film
Stepne Ploddingly Trudges Through Ukraine’s Tragic Past
Dull visuals and an unengaging plot make Ukrainian village tale Stepne, playing in competition, an enervating watch — live from Locarno Film Festival.
The Vanishing Soldier. Israel Smoulders.
The Vanishing Soldier uses its picarasque, free-wheeling form to investigate the complexities and paradoxes of modern Isreal — to mixed results.
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.