The first thing that stands out about the film is the ease with which we can recognise Vai despite her being played by a different actress each time.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The first thing that stands out about the film is the ease with which we can recognise Vai despite her being played by a different actress each time.

~ Jennie Kermode -

In one remarkably intimate scene we watch a woman saying goodbye to a sleeping child so tiny that he won’t really understand what has happened when he wakes up and Mummy isn’t there.

~ Jennie Kermode -

In one remarkably intimate scene we watch a woman saying goodbye to a sleeping child so tiny that he won’t really understand what has happened when he wakes up and Mummy isn’t there.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Hubbard makes a strong case for a political view being appropriate.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Hubbard makes a strong case for a political view being appropriate.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The great thing about it is the sense and maturity that they bring to difficult debates.

~ Jane Fae -

The great thing about it is the sense and maturity that they bring to difficult debates.

~ Jane Fae -

There is a level on which the educational aspect of this film becomes very direct, as, for instance, participants discuss the best ways to handle arrest and techniques for throwing interrogators off the scent.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There is a level on which the educational aspect of this film becomes very direct, as, for instance, participants discuss the best ways to handle arrest and techniques for throwing interrogators off the scent.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is a sweet little film about the dangers of caring too much.

~ Jane Fae -

This is a sweet little film about the dangers of caring too much.

~ Jane Fae -

This is very much fly-on-the-wall documentary, with explanations and expiation left up to those involved.

~ Jane Fae -

This is very much fly-on-the-wall documentary, with explanations and expiation left up to those involved.

~ Jane Fae -

The frankness of these stories means that many viewers will find something they can relate to.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The frankness of these stories means that many viewers will find something they can relate to.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The very intimate, personal nature of this film imbues with authority and sensitivity.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The very intimate, personal nature of this film imbues with authority and sensitivity.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Uses sharp observation and economy of dialogue to set a scene.

~ Jane Fae -

Uses sharp observation and economy of dialogue to set a scene.

~ Jane Fae -

This is a community that, one suspects, director Alison Piper understands well.

~ Jane Fae -

This is a community that, one suspects, director Alison Piper understands well.

~ Jane Fae -

Itself an important contribution to lesbian history, the film uses photographs and snippets of archive material to bring viewers closer to the human stories that came close to being lost.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Itself an important contribution to lesbian history, the film uses photographs and snippets of archive material to bring viewers closer to the human stories that came close to being lost.

~ Jennie Kermode -

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 -