Pourfaraj is superb in the lead, his Massoud stiff-backed, primly moustached, yet achingly human.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Pourfaraj is superb in the lead, his Massoud stiff-backed, primly moustached, yet achingly human.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Both girls deliver exceptional performances in the powerful opening section, and if the film struggles to make the same impact afterwards, that serves to bring Hasna’s loss into sharp relief.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Both girls deliver exceptional performances in the powerful opening section, and if the film struggles to make the same impact afterwards, that serves to bring Hasna’s loss into sharp relief.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Profoundly unsettling, richly atmospheric, a milestone in the development of cinematic ‘grammar’ as well as an edge-of-the-seat horror movie to rival the best.

~ Jeff Robson -

Profoundly unsettling, richly atmospheric, a milestone in the development of cinematic ‘grammar’ as well as an edge-of-the-seat horror movie to rival the best.

~ Jeff Robson -

When Martin demonstrates his talent he is celebrated, but what Sandahl is interested in is the weight of all this other experience which fans don’t normally see.

~ Jennie Kermode -

When Martin demonstrates his talent he is celebrated, but what Sandahl is interested in is the weight of all this other experience which fans don’t normally see.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The air is heavy with irony, light with laughter and alive with love.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The air is heavy with irony, light with laughter and alive with love.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

What Sentsov does really well here is to show us the humanity which lies within even the most monstrous of these men.

~ Jennie Kermode -

What Sentsov does really well here is to show us the humanity which lies within even the most monstrous of these men.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A potent rejoinder to the hypermasculine, explicitly transphobic values of the Bolsonaro regime.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A potent rejoinder to the hypermasculine, explicitly transphobic values of the Bolsonaro regime.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The first-time director shows an adept grip when it comes to the rhythms of her craft, letting silence or specific sounds break out at unexpected moments, including a gripping scene when all we can hear is the spring and creak of the uneven bars.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The first-time director shows an adept grip when it comes to the rhythms of her craft, letting silence or specific sounds break out at unexpected moments, including a gripping scene when all we can hear is the spring and creak of the uneven bars.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Eyre’s direction is flawless and Patrick Marber’s screenplay perfectly pitched.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Eyre’s direction is flawless and Patrick Marber’s screenplay perfectly pitched.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The movie's two main strengths are Max Schreck's compelling performance, as the eerily inhuman vampire, and Murnau's unparallelled ability to blend naturalistic and expressionistic elements.

~ Keith Hennessey Brown -

The movie's two main strengths are Max Schreck's compelling performance, as the eerily inhuman vampire, and Murnau's unparallelled ability to blend naturalistic and expressionistic elements.

~ Keith Hennessey Brown -

Jones has been turning in consistently good work for years now and it’s high time he had a role like this. The art of it lies in how he keeps us alert to his character’s dangerous potential without ever letting us lose sight of his humanity.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Jones has been turning in consistently good work for years now and it’s high time he had a role like this. The art of it lies in how he keeps us alert to his character’s dangerous potential without ever letting us lose sight of his humanity.

~ Jennie Kermode -

With impressive cinematography at every stage, the film hinges on two magnificent slow, circular sequences, one in the middle and one at the end, each of which resets the narrative.

~ Jennie Kermode -

With impressive cinematography at every stage, the film hinges on two magnificent slow, circular sequences, one in the middle and one at the end, each of which resets the narrative.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Writer/director Hany Abu-Assad emphasises the menace in the mundane.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Writer/director Hany Abu-Assad emphasises the menace in the mundane.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Panahi and his actors shift through emotions so smoothly, you barely notice them until they have immersed you.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Panahi and his actors shift through emotions so smoothly, you barely notice them until they have immersed you.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The balance of Javier Bardem's central performance as the CEO of the title is what elevates this from being another run-of-the-mill satire.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The balance of Javier Bardem's central performance as the CEO of the title is what elevates this from being another run-of-the-mill satire.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A crisp, downbeat, clever exploration of the issues, combined with a whodunnit.

~ Jane Fae -

A crisp, downbeat, clever exploration of the issues, combined with a whodunnit.

~ Jane Fae -

The performances are all first class, with any one of the three leads capable of carrying a film on her own.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The performances are all first class, with any one of the three leads capable of carrying a film on her own.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Jordan's film stands out as a beacon of humanity.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Jordan's film stands out as a beacon of humanity.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Although this film has no body count, it carries with it all the danger of an erotic thriller.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Although this film has no body count, it carries with it all the danger of an erotic thriller.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Binoche gives her all, stripping away any vestiges of actressy pretence to assimilate herself in the community while at the same time investing her performance with an authentic conviction.

~ Richard Mowe -

Binoche gives her all, stripping away any vestiges of actressy pretence to assimilate herself in the community while at the same time investing her performance with an authentic conviction.

~ Richard Mowe -

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 -

Where the episodes work is when they have a driving, kinetic energy about them. When they don't it's repetitious loop.

~ Donald Munro -

The film, directed by feature debutant Shaun Dozier, retains the density of dialogue you might expect from a stage play but, by leaning into the theatrical nature of the proceedings, Dozier is in some ways able to make this into a virtue.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A very effective piece of low budget storytelling.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Coogan is well cast in this tricky role, moving easily from humour to heartbreak..

~ Jennie Kermode -

Manizha Bakhtari may not be a household name but after watching Natalie Halla’s documentary you’re likely to think she ought to be.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Sung’s own camera plays tricks, placing objects too close in the foreground so that parts of an image are out of focus, like an incomplete memory.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The concept, narrative, dialogue, cinematography and action sequences are elements of Scanners that can't be faulted.

~ Donald Munro -

The film hangs on Pemberton’s performance, and he imbues Doug with a sweetness that makes us feel for him despite his deeply misguided actions.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The screenplay written by the filmmaker and Andrea Piva is a proper masterwork, from the basic plotting to the intelligent, insightful dialogue.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

From the start, there is something different about this film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Despite the anger at the unfairness of what has gone before, this is ultimately a warm-hearted, life-affirming film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It is a ride, okay, and it is a bit nauseating and therefore not sterile.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

It’s also striking to think that when Leila is looking forward into the future, she is already, in some senses, looking at our recent past, which only reinforces the sense of the cyclical and ongoing nature of her themes.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Thorne still comes across as being at the stage where many aspects of her work are experimental. She’s yet to settle into her style.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A very effective piece of low budget storytelling.

~ Jennie Kermode -

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 -

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 -