Dull visuals and an unengaging plot make Ukrainian village tale Stepne, playing in competition, an enervating watch — live from Locarno Film Festival.
Stepne Ploddingly Trudges Through Ukraine’s Tragic Past

Exploring the Outer Edge of Film
Dull visuals and an unengaging plot make Ukrainian village tale Stepne, playing in competition, an enervating watch — live from Locarno Film Festival.
Mexican LGBTQI+ coming-of-age drama All The Fires is well-meaning and well-acted, yet fails to leave much of a lasting impression — live from Locarno.
The Young Adult vampire tale is imbued with possibility and tenderness in breakout French debut Bitten from Romain de Saint-Blanquat – live from Locarno!
The Vanishing Soldier uses its picarasque, free-wheeling form to investigate the complexities and paradoxes of modern Isreal — to mixed results.
Promising a new look at female nudity in art and on-screen, Italian drama Beautiful Summer slowly gives into a panoply of clichés — live from Locarno.
The difficulties of ever seeing the full picture are acutely observed in Lucy Kerr’s arthouse debut Family Portrait, debuting at the Locarno Film Festival.
The pitfalls of always providing entertainment are perfectly probed in Animal, Sofia Exarchou’s excellent sophomore film.