There are no shortcuts in this film, no conventions and nothing careless.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

There are no shortcuts in this film, no conventions and nothing careless.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

The film is informationally dense; it must have been exhausting to put together, and watching it all at once highlights just what a roller-coaster ride life with YouTube has been.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The film is informationally dense; it must have been exhausting to put together, and watching it all at once highlights just what a roller-coaster ride life with YouTube has been.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There's a gentle soulfulness underlying Romas Zabarauskas' tale of reconnection.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There's a gentle soulfulness underlying Romas Zabarauskas' tale of reconnection.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Cinematographer Lukas Graf finds contrast between the nights spent in the yurt, filled with textured fabric and candlelight, and the daytime wide open, dusty landscapes of the steppe.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Cinematographer Lukas Graf finds contrast between the nights spent in the yurt, filled with textured fabric and candlelight, and the daytime wide open, dusty landscapes of the steppe.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Its slow, observational style allows us to get much closer to the key figures and explore aspects of motive which are commonly lost.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Its slow, observational style allows us to get much closer to the key figures and explore aspects of motive which are commonly lost.

~ Jennie Kermode -

What is clear is the genuine affection held for its subjects, but that makes some elements of it all the more galling.

~ Andrew Robertson -

What is clear is the genuine affection held for its subjects, but that makes some elements of it all the more galling.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Multiverses have become a box office staple lately, courtesy of Marvel and the like, but they are rarely as elegantly mounted as this retro and twisty little mystery from Timm Kröger.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Multiverses have become a box office staple lately, courtesy of Marvel and the like, but they are rarely as elegantly mounted as this retro and twisty little mystery from Timm Kröger.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

As we wander through the labyrinth we are drawn further and further into its trap, made ever more keenly aware of our own hunger for knowledge, for understanding.

~ Jennie Kermode -

As we wander through the labyrinth we are drawn further and further into its trap, made ever more keenly aware of our own hunger for knowledge, for understanding.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The script is funny and knowing but it wavers between a straight out kids' movie and horror aimed at an older teenage audience.

~ Donald Munro -

The script is funny and knowing but it wavers between a straight out kids' movie and horror aimed at an older teenage audience.

~ Donald Munro -

For a first movie, Tesis has an astounding confidence. The performances of Torrent and Martinez are focused and electric.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

For a first movie, Tesis has an astounding confidence. The performances of Torrent and Martinez are focused and electric.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Handheld camerawork helps to generate an intimacy that works especially well in the relationship between Marev and her mother.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Handheld camerawork helps to generate an intimacy that works especially well in the relationship between Marev and her mother.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The characters are not unrealistically attached to their well-intentioned lies, and get into trouble in part because of the ease with which they give way to awkward compromises. As a result, they feel very human.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The characters are not unrealistically attached to their well-intentioned lies, and get into trouble in part because of the ease with which they give way to awkward compromises. As a result, they feel very human.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Thrums from start to almost finish with the sweaty tension of a looming maths test.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Thrums from start to almost finish with the sweaty tension of a looming maths test.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While the end result is important, Hùng’s film is all about savouring the moment, something that becomes more urgent as it progresses - although talk of speed has little place in a film that unfolds with the pace and beauty of a flower.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While the end result is important, Hùng’s film is all about savouring the moment, something that becomes more urgent as it progresses - although talk of speed has little place in a film that unfolds with the pace and beauty of a flower.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film deviates from more caricatured tales of domestic brutality.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film deviates from more caricatured tales of domestic brutality.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is a place of cleansing, not just of the body but so much more as this non-intrusive but immersive film gradually reveals.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is a place of cleansing, not just of the body but so much more as this non-intrusive but immersive film gradually reveals.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There is a redemption arc here, but it’s not the whole of the story, and Arcel uses it to highlight the deep inequities so normalised at the time as to be almost invisible, even the most desperate characters tending to take them for granted.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There is a redemption arc here, but it’s not the whole of the story, and Arcel uses it to highlight the deep inequities so normalised at the time as to be almost invisible, even the most desperate characters tending to take them for granted.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Lanthimos skillfully transforms this lustful carnival into a coming-of-age drama, emphasising the protagonist's mastery of sexuality as a connotation of her mental evolution.

~ Levan Tskhovrebadze -

Lanthimos skillfully transforms this lustful carnival into a coming-of-age drama, emphasising the protagonist's mastery of sexuality as a connotation of her mental evolution.

~ Levan Tskhovrebadze -

The 4:3 format, preferred by Yasujirō Ozu, is the perfect frame for paying attention to the small mysteries that are often overlooked.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

The 4:3 format, preferred by Yasujirō Ozu, is the perfect frame for paying attention to the small mysteries that are often overlooked.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

Just as Reymont’s book immersed itself in the metaphorical colour of Polish peasant life, so the Welchmans’ film delivers a flood of literal colour.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Just as Reymont’s book immersed itself in the metaphorical colour of Polish peasant life, so the Welchmans’ film delivers a flood of literal colour.

~ Jennie Kermode -

To say too much about what happens in each episode would be to spoil the joy of encountering Song’s finely worked screenplay, which lets its characters' emotions glitter in the light.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

To say too much about what happens in each episode would be to spoil the joy of encountering Song’s finely worked screenplay, which lets its characters' emotions glitter in the light.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The powerful forces of family and fable, old and new, intertwine and vie for supremacy in Belgian-Congolese director Baloji’s visually striking debut.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The powerful forces of family and fable, old and new, intertwine and vie for supremacy in Belgian-Congolese director Baloji’s visually striking debut.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Will anyone see this who wouldn't anyway?

~ Andrew Robertson -

Will anyone see this who wouldn't anyway?

~ Andrew Robertson -

Viewers … must be patient and wait for their rewards – but like the old man, we are sometimes caught be surprise, confronted with sudden moments of exquisite beauty.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Viewers … must be patient and wait for their rewards – but like the old man, we are sometimes caught be surprise, confronted with sudden moments of exquisite beauty.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Next Goal Wins will hit the back of the net with even footie-phobic viewers.

~ David Graham -

Next Goal Wins will hit the back of the net with even footie-phobic viewers.

~ David Graham -

Although its central perspective is rather simplistic, there’s so much packed in around the edges that quite different narratives emerge there, making for a complex and satisfying whole.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Although its central perspective is rather simplistic, there’s so much packed in around the edges that quite different narratives emerge there, making for a complex and satisfying whole.

~ Jennie Kermode -

If one bears in mind that parts of it may be more fiction than fact, it’s an interesting character study, as well as one of the more unusual cinematic portraits of a marriage under stress.

~ Jennie Kermode -

If one bears in mind that parts of it may be more fiction than fact, it’s an interesting character study, as well as one of the more unusual cinematic portraits of a marriage under stress.

~ Jennie Kermode -

In the motherland of Belarus, it’s the “grandfathers” who are the problem.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

In the motherland of Belarus, it’s the “grandfathers” who are the problem.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

As indicative as John's story is, there's barely room in nearly two hours to cover much beyond the basics.

~ Andrew Robertson -

As indicative as John's story is, there's barely room in nearly two hours to cover much beyond the basics.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The balance held between creepiness and fascination, sheer fun and lingering disturbance is held throughout.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

The balance held between creepiness and fascination, sheer fun and lingering disturbance is held throughout.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

While the narrative is straightforward, it's the textures encountered along the way which make it sing - from the make-up and performance of the Jan Bijvoet as pure-hearted Pierrot to a perfectly framed shot of a violin hanging from a tree and the often mournful brass scoring.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While the narrative is straightforward, it's the textures encountered along the way which make it sing - from the make-up and performance of the Jan Bijvoet as pure-hearted Pierrot to a perfectly framed shot of a violin hanging from a tree and the often mournful brass scoring.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It’s a story which invites trust and faith in humanity even as it acknowledges that life involves risks.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s a story which invites trust and faith in humanity even as it acknowledges that life involves risks.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Takes a team approach to her material, using a group of documentary participants as a collective.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Takes a team approach to her material, using a group of documentary participants as a collective.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The structure of the documentary itself is formulaic but well executed.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The structure of the documentary itself is formulaic but well executed.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It’s thrilling to watch a filmmaker like Smith throw a wrench in the gears and deliver an unapologetic ode to outcasts that’s every bit as punk rock as its subjects.

~ Jeremy Mathews -

It’s thrilling to watch a filmmaker like Smith throw a wrench in the gears and deliver an unapologetic ode to outcasts that’s every bit as punk rock as its subjects.

~ Jeremy Mathews -

Marantz obviously shares Shalev's viewpoint on the subject but even if you don't, the personal nature of this pacy film is a large part of what makes it so enjoyable.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Marantz obviously shares Shalev's viewpoint on the subject but even if you don't, the personal nature of this pacy film is a large part of what makes it so enjoyable.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This cinematic exploration, a manifestation of Christian bigotry, speculates with cinematic icons and religious imagery, laying bare the power-hungry clergy.

~ Levan Tskhovrebadze -

This cinematic exploration, a manifestation of Christian bigotry, speculates with cinematic icons and religious imagery, laying bare the power-hungry clergy.

~ Levan Tskhovrebadze -

Sometimes the rumblings are of the Shaw Brothers, at others the Marx Brothers.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Sometimes the rumblings are of the Shaw Brothers, at others the Marx Brothers.

~ Andrew Robertson -

There’s a freshness to this world, as if one had just stepped out of one’s own door and arrived in an unexpected place.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There’s a freshness to this world, as if one had just stepped out of one’s own door and arrived in an unexpected place.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A fresh spin on territory that has been frequently explored.

~ Richard Mowe -

A fresh spin on territory that has been frequently explored.

~ Richard Mowe -

For all the apparent chaos, this is a tightly controlled piece of work which fully delivers on the promise of Stolevski’s earlier films.

~ Jennie Kermode -

For all the apparent chaos, this is a tightly controlled piece of work which fully delivers on the promise of Stolevski’s earlier films.

~ Jennie Kermode -

An old school slice of comfort and joy for the cold season.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An old school slice of comfort and joy for the cold season.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Hesitation Wound is a melancholy piece of cinema but such an accomplished one that it is a delight to watch.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Hesitation Wound is a melancholy piece of cinema but such an accomplished one that it is a delight to watch.

~ Jennie Kermode -

While Ann can handle a knife, there’s a sense that her look might just as easily strike others dead.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While Ann can handle a knife, there’s a sense that her look might just as easily strike others dead.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The car racing scenes are the best in the history of cinema.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The car racing scenes are the best in the history of cinema.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Netzer's exploration of his past is ambitious and well-acted but has a turbulent temperament that hinders the viewer's rapport with its characters.

~ Sergiu Inizian -

Netzer's exploration of his past is ambitious and well-acted but has a turbulent temperament that hinders the viewer's rapport with its characters.

~ Sergiu Inizian -

As might be expected from an actress-turned-director, the performances are important to Tezel but she also shows an aptitude for visual storytelling.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

As might be expected from an actress-turned-director, the performances are important to Tezel but she also shows an aptitude for visual storytelling.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An amuse-bouche of a film, Aki Kaurismäki’s latest comedy romance may leave you wanting more but it’s also a fully rounded, good looking experience packed with all the flavours we’ve come to expect from the master of deadpan down the years.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An amuse-bouche of a film, Aki Kaurismäki’s latest comedy romance may leave you wanting more but it’s also a fully rounded, good looking experience packed with all the flavours we’ve come to expect from the master of deadpan down the years.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It’s a gem of a role for Raimi, who delivers the smooth talk and captures the high flying businessman look perfectly but shows us the human being behind them.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s a gem of a role for Raimi, who delivers the smooth talk and captures the high flying businessman look perfectly but shows us the human being behind them.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Instead of flooring the pedal and being a wild ride, the film stays within the speed limit.

~ Nikola Jovic -

Instead of flooring the pedal and being a wild ride, the film stays within the speed limit.

~ Nikola Jovic -

Perez manages the set-piece confrontations with precision and a nail-biting suspense.

~ Richard Mowe -

Perez manages the set-piece confrontations with precision and a nail-biting suspense.

~ Richard Mowe -

Despite its scale this is a small story, and at that level it's classic science fiction.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Despite its scale this is a small story, and at that level it's classic science fiction.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Jude masterfully keeps the audience attached to the screen for almost three hours without relying on heightened tensions or conventional plot twists.

~ Liza Alpaidze -

Jude masterfully keeps the audience attached to the screen for almost three hours without relying on heightened tensions or conventional plot twists.

~ Liza Alpaidze -

Das Roy has a way with words, and when the dialogue gets going it has plenty of zip.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Das Roy has a way with words, and when the dialogue gets going it has plenty of zip.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Moreno isn’t shy about his use of symbolism...What this effects to disguise, however, is the degree to which [the men's] own thinking has been shaped by symbols and by the belief system which surrounds them.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Moreno isn’t shy about his use of symbolism...What this effects to disguise, however, is the degree to which [the men's] own thinking has been shaped by symbols and by the belief system which surrounds them.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Rather than focusing on [the deep sea's] obvious wonders – those who fit the conventional beauty standards of humans – Rytz finds beauty in the strangeness of deep water creatures, inviting us to appreciate them on their own terms.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Rather than focusing on [the deep sea's] obvious wonders – those who fit the conventional beauty standards of humans – Rytz finds beauty in the strangeness of deep water creatures, inviting us to appreciate them on their own terms.

~ Jennie Kermode -

If it loses something in terms of definitive events, it gains a more poetic fluidity from the approach.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If it loses something in terms of definitive events, it gains a more poetic fluidity from the approach.

~ 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 -

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 -

A meditation on both memory and movies as well as ageing and a hankering for the past that is informed by the melancholic knowledge that nostalgia is inevitably rose-tinted.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A meditation on both memory and movies as well as ageing and a hankering for the past that is informed by the melancholic knowledge that nostalgia is inevitably rose-tinted.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Janis Pugh’s ability to blend crowdpleasing comedy and emotional poignancy should not be underestimated.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Janis Pugh’s ability to blend crowdpleasing comedy and emotional poignancy should not be underestimated.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Rohrwacher’s visually eclectic style is well suited to exploring the contrasts between present and past, natural and artificial, poverty and wealth.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Rohrwacher’s visually eclectic style is well suited to exploring the contrasts between present and past, natural and artificial, poverty and wealth.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s a film full of small acts of kindness, a film in which it’s possible to make mistakes and keep on going, and in which the audience is therefore at liberty to be entertained by a series of scrapes which might otherwise be mortifying.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s a film full of small acts of kindness, a film in which it’s possible to make mistakes and keep on going, and in which the audience is therefore at liberty to be entertained by a series of scrapes which might otherwise be mortifying.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The writers start from a place where the screw is already turned and, just when you think they can't get it any tighter, find new ways to increase the tension - matching their torque with action.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The writers start from a place where the screw is already turned and, just when you think they can't get it any tighter, find new ways to increase the tension - matching their torque with action.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There’s a lack of depth in general.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There’s a lack of depth in general.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Most of the film has been assembled out of Zoom chats, but it’s so well done, and the story is so compelling, that it might take you a while to notice.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Most of the film has been assembled out of Zoom chats, but it’s so well done, and the story is so compelling, that it might take you a while to notice.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Hüller has always been an unfussy actress, who allows a character's flaws to shine out in interesting ways.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Hüller has always been an unfussy actress, who allows a character's flaws to shine out in interesting ways.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Protagonist Adam (Andrew Scott) lives in a neatly furnished home, no longer feels the need to hide his sexuality, and tells himself he’s fine, but the music says otherwise.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Protagonist Adam (Andrew Scott) lives in a neatly furnished home, no longer feels the need to hide his sexuality, and tells himself he’s fine, but the music says otherwise.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There is a lot going on here, but Gandini offers a breezy and thought-provoking ride

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There is a lot going on here, but Gandini offers a breezy and thought-provoking ride

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Petzold’s most literary film to date.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

Petzold’s most literary film to date.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

Oscar shortlisted for Best International Feature and Best Documentary, this is an intense film with little respite even when no bullets are being fired.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Oscar shortlisted for Best International Feature and Best Documentary, this is an intense film with little respite even when no bullets are being fired.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Otero, who is in almost every scene, carries the film with her fresh and naturalistic performance, which is perfectly complemented by Solaguren’s impressionistic style.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Otero, who is in almost every scene, carries the film with her fresh and naturalistic performance, which is perfectly complemented by Solaguren’s impressionistic style.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A surprisingly droll deconstruction of crime reconstruction.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The circumstances of women are central to the film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Kurosawa's masterful synthesis doesn't stop with the script. He weaves a late Edo period samurai film, in its painstaking historic detail, into modernity.

~ Donald Munro -

The film is at its most effective when we feel the urgency of their boredom – the athletic one pacing in circles like a trapped animal – juxtaposed with the languid charm of their environment.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It doesn’t quite hit the mark, but that’s not to say that it isn’t a pleasant way to while away an hour and a half.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The difference here from more familiar selections allows us to appreciate different qualities in the art.

~ Jennie Kermode -

In what is probably Côté's most straightforwardly observational film to date, the fictions come baked in.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While Verseau talks about how crucial the surgery was to her mental health, the complexity of the emotions experienced afterwards is also made clear.

~ 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 -

The script is lean, the sword edges keen and the characters mean.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An extraordinarily thorough film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s the acting that carries it, and naturally Farahani, one of the finest talents of her generation, does not disappoint.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Subtle observations about the racism that underpins this superficially idyllic society pepper a film which repeatedly forces its hero to question his assumptions.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The film concludes with what is probably the most influential special effect in the history of cinema.

~ Donald Munro -

Bethmann understands the situation well, but her closeness to the teenager and the personal character that the film takes on as a result is something else.

~ Jennie Kermode -

So carefully balanced is this that the film could almost have emerged as a romcom, and it’s that possibility, that clash between the absurdity that cinema has taught us to expect and the bitterness of real life, that makes it so effective.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Through the lens of the men’s romance, Onir takes in a good deal more, exploring the complex realities behind assumptions of prejudice and the myriad factors that go into making each of us who we are.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Throughout the film there is a sense of play, and even as the story evolves to take on darker material, something of that lightness, that happy-go-lucky quality remains.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The film hinges on amazing vocal work by Lalama.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There’s a genuine unpredictability to Honey Bunch, both structurally and thematically.

~ Jennie Kermode -

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 -

Every frame feels like the product of conscious decision-making, with nothing merely carrying us from one point to another.

~ 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 -

Ashcroft’s interpretation steers the story away from simple tragedy as we see Mortensen making gains as well as losses.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Comic invention rides shotgun on a screenplay that runs wild.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

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 -

The difference here from more familiar selections allows us to appreciate different qualities in the art.

~ Jennie Kermode -

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 -

A sophisticated palate will discern any number of flavours running through Black Bag, but these are glosses on a traditional recipe.

~ Andrew Robertson -

It doesn’t quite hit the mark, but that’s not to say that it isn’t a pleasant way to while away an hour and a half.

~ Jennie Kermode -