Even Nemec's darkest works contain a certain mordant humour and here he plays up the absurdity.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Ian Anderson's script relies heavily on those words that can't be written down without ***s and the acting would enhance a timber yard.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Cutting Loose has a certain style and flair that brings out the artistry of hair dressing.

~ Donald Munro -

A work as oft-filmed as Alice asks for something new, but it is not here.

~ Andrew Robertson -

This is a film with a heartfelt message behind the adventure shots.

~ Val Kermode -

Brilliantly funny, rather bizarre.

~ Nicola Osborne -

Inquisitive and bright children of all ages will surely love the lusciously produced and imaginative animation.

~ Scott Macdonald -

Cobley's style is well-suited to mythical subjects, with her flowing lines feeling old and new simultaneously.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Short, lyric, a minor epic.

~ Andrew Robertson -

An effective short film anchored by a strong central performance.

~ Jennie Kermode -

An amusing little oddity, with well-sketched characters

~ Scott Macdonald -

The Cremaster films are works of art in the sense that the critical faculties you use whilst watching them are ones you might more normally use in, say, the Tate Modern, than in an art house cinema.

~ Chris -

As Tunnock's teacake tomfoolery turns to something more adult, more anxiety inducing, those involved demonstrate their craft and skill.

~ Andrew Robertson -

A welcome piece of righteous fury with a distinctly Firthian twist.

~ Luke Shaw -

Seems too formulaic, not quite loony enough.

~ Jennie Kermode -

In an increasingly cynical political climate with many people expecting it to be little more than a talking shop, it's interesting to hear these optimistic voices.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There is no dialogue - a clever trick which adds to the atmosphere - and sound and music are used to good effect.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Done with enough with humour, panache and clever editing to justify a watch.

~ James Benefield -

An amusing confection, though it doesn't quite catch.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Oliveri is confident enough in his material to keep his camera mostly at a distance, to eschew any kind of emotion-cueing score.

~ Anton Bitel -

A good wee film.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Colour is fast, eye-catching, brilliant.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Zam Salim breaks the rules with such bare-fisted confidence that you start wondering whether the rules were right in the first place.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Beautifully shot, with some excellent tracking work, it's visually impressive.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Having created such an important historical record, Lanzmann himself has become a historical subject, and there are distinct parallels between the interview techniques he describes using and he gentle way he is prompted to push his own boundaries.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A simple idea delivered with a punchy electronic soundtrack, this is a surprisingly effective form of comment on the horrors of war.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There is both strong control of craft and a simple but effective idea at work.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A stunning little film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is the random relaxation of people who normally ‘perform’ if a camera is in the vicinity.

~ Chris -

This could have been a hatchet job... but McCormack’s film digs a lot deeper than that.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Beyoncé is one of several out-of-place symbols within the film and although her juxtaposition with Hitler is undoubtedly amusing, she retains her original 'meaning' (empowerment).

~ Rebecca Naughten -

Confident not only in establishing its rules but also in exploring them with economy and verve.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Nandy lets drama unfold but it is emotion that drives this story, which achieves more resonance than you expect a 10-minute runtime to allow.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Totally charming.

~ James Benefield -

Pleasant, if slight

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Despite some lovely, moody camerawork and nice acting, it is simply hard for the audience to care.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Cheat has the consistency of a poem, an idea with broad societal reach compressed into as small a space as possible.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Director Courtney Marsh has a way of putting her subjects at ease, presenting us with moments that make us feel like insiders.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Even if you find it had to relate to Markus' desires, there's a lot here that's interesting.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is a subtly scary film, menacing.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Seosamh Ó Neachtain's enquiries, both verbally and with his dancing feet, are intelligent and illuminating.

~ Chris -

The cast are not professional actors but that, if anything, adds to the realism.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Andrew Walker's script is short on words but has plenty of depth, and Jonathan Harris' direction is assured.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Director Max Disgrace uses erotic imagery to draw viewers into a story with a deeper subtext.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Club scenes can often feel forced and inauthentic but additional atmospheric sound design, strong production design and kinetic camerawork from cinematographer Gordon Campbell generate a believable ambience as Ayo's experience slides from exploration into

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Sam Rudykoff's film adds to a canon of telephone terrors.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Oesch wastes no time in trapping us between the twin tensions of the kitchen - the need for almost surgeon-like skill when it comes to plating each dish and the flurry of energy required to get the food to that point.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There's a deep irony in Amir being constantly told what to do by the quasi-authority figure of the sat nav while offering up a means of escape to the city's youth that doesn't rely on roads to take them there.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The simple style of the animation contrasts with the complexity of the themes, but is highly effective for conveying expression.

~ Jennie Kermode -

An affecting but slight story to begin with, this transforms in its second half.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It's an almost entirely true story, apart from the lies. It's great.

~ Andrew Robertson -

What Robinson does well is to build up atmosphere.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The character design seems off somehow, as if they've managed to find three separate uncanny valleys to pull new species out of.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The real strength of the film is in the way it points up gender role differences that go unnoticed because people are so used to them.

~ Jennie Kermode -

In a short space of time, Confirmation does a powerful job of exploring the competing needs of mother and son.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Working as his own cinematographer, Gkanatsios turns up the atmosphere with the inky blues, aquamarine greens and high neons of night.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Beyond the immediate relationship between Kris and Horace, this is also a love letter to the importance of familial support and grandparents everywhere.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Federico Di Corato's film is, as is often the case with documentary, self-reflexive.

~ Andrew Robertson -

A sensory treat for the eyes.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Giacchino makes all the right choices. He gives the women room physical and emotional space, pulling the camera back rather than crowding in.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Mysterious in a manner that is thought-provoking rather than ostentatious

~ Amber Wilkinson -

At every interaction the possibility of gleam is replaced with the certainty of grime.

~ Andrew Robertson -

This is not just a story of suffering, but one of resistance.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The film finds a sly humour in its observations of Mrs Kelly’s dilemma, of the quietly frantic way in which she wrestles with a conscience at odds with the rigid system she has chosen to live by.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Gently paced with likeable leads and sharply observant camerawork, Chuchotage is the sort of comedy that works because it's so easy to identify with.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There is much to admire here beyond the immediate perceptions, sensibilities too.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The heart of the film is Abdallah El Akal as Suleiman.

~ Andrew Robertson -

This film, like its longer predecessor, brings home the alarming rate at which this is happening.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Gorgeously shot by Oren Soffer, Ben Tricklebank's Oscar-qualifying short is rich in atmosphere and features an impressively controlled performance from its young star.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There are intersections of scale and scope - a chair in the greenhouse, what lies hidden beneath the leaves - moments of delight as simple as heterochromatic twins and complex geographies of houses sold and unsold.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Catcalls is billed as horror but will be, for many viewers, more of an antidote to a horror that's part of day to day life.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The scenes of violence are beautifully choreographed and edited.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There's something bittersweet about it, differently so than Up.

~ Andrew Robertson -

A kind of narrative pareidola.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Can You Hear Me? manages not just to tell a satisfying story but in continuing action over its credits to create a coda that grants a different depth.

~ Andrew Robertson -

One might be tempted to ask it to describe in single words only the good things that come into its mind about its mother.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Moral questions hang heavy in the air about whether ends can justify means and Loushy and Sivan ensure the soldiers' experience is kept front and centre.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The pace of life on a farm is slow, and despite the urgency of this particular situation, O’Rourke recognises that in his direction, allowing viewers time to take in the landscape that dominates the routines of the characters.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Good intentions abound, consequences too.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The narration by Nick Cave lends this film a creepiness that goes way beyond the scope of its central poem.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Talk about furry vengeance.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Technically this is excellent.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Visceral stuff this, back-woods and isolated, gory and horrifying.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Cargo is impressive in developing a picture of the wider world that surrounds this very personal story.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Viewer expectations, like that of the immigrants, are confounded as the hard-hitting consequences of this bleak act of humanity play out.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

With excellent sound work, a keen eye and a good subject, this is a lovely piece of documentary.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Capturing Space simply doesn't do what its title suggests.

~ Scott Macdonald -

The film makes thoughtful use of visual imagery to draw comparisons.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A striking little tale.

~ Andrew Robertson -

This is a slight film, but that's not problematic because of its greatest feature; it is suffused with colour, saturated, possessed of a tremendous sense of place.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Lydia Adetunji's script is neatly structured, not only managing to imply that answers we're given aren't entirely the truth in both directions, but also creating an air of creeping fear.

~ Andrew Robertson -

It's competently made, genuinely funny in places, but not consistently funny enough to make it a must see.

~ Andrew Robertson -

It's compelling, haunting, meaningless - it's all projection, these juxtapositions, it's a kaleidoscope of noise and image, and yet, within it, pattern.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Beautifully shot, aided by beautiful country, there's mist and rain, birds on a wire, and real humour too.

~ Andrew Robertson -

All involved can hold their heads up high.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Writer and director Kevin Meul's humour has an edge so barbed it sinks in like a shoe spike and sticks.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The delight of the drama stems from the well crafted characters, while its heft hinges on toxicity that may not be immediately obvious.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A very effective piece of low budget storytelling.

~ Jennie Kermode -

An extraordinarily thorough film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Writer/director Sandhya Suri - who has a documentary background - is keen to show that everyone plays their part in the prejudices and corruption of the legal system.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Once again, Guiraudie proves himself the master of setting up a mystery by the means of perfect script economy that functions strictly on “need to know” basis.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

The director shows how it’s not just Julie’s tennis skills that have been groomed by the coach but large aspects of her life.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Cat’s viewpoint predominates, and Zilbalodis has an acute understanding of how the world looks from its point of view, of what catches its attention and how its body follows instinctively.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s ironic that a film about a family who have built a perfect facsimile of a life for themselves should feel so overly constructed itself

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Lin and Sun studiously maintain the enigma around Shuo so that we are left guessing as to whether he’s just a disadvantaged teen trying to make his way in the world or a cuckoo in the nest.

~ Amber Wilkinson -