At nearly three hours long, The Yacoubian Building often comes across more like a soap opera than a movie, but its richly drawn characters and the confident way it handles situations which could easily disintegrate into melodrama place it in a class of it

~ Jennie Kermode -

At nearly three hours long, The Yacoubian Building often comes across more like a soap opera than a movie, but its richly drawn characters and the confident way it handles situations which could easily disintegrate into melodrama place it in a class of it

~ Jennie Kermode -

Rather too rarefied to begin with, Archer’s profound story soon shapes up into a reasonably gripping potboiler, beautifully shot and acutely tense.

~ Richard Mellor -

Rather too rarefied to begin with, Archer’s profound story soon shapes up into a reasonably gripping potboiler, beautifully shot and acutely tense.

~ Richard Mellor -

O'Toole is simply remarkable. He reinvents himself once again, stealing the breath away with his learned quicksilver wit and charisma.

~ Scott Macdonald -

O'Toole is simply remarkable. He reinvents himself once again, stealing the breath away with his learned quicksilver wit and charisma.

~ Scott Macdonald -

An impressive array of commentators, peaceniks, politicians and writers... without exception, make valuable contributions.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

An impressive array of commentators, peaceniks, politicians and writers... without exception, make valuable contributions.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

This is England is, quite simply, the best British film for years. If you're underage, sneak into this film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is England is, quite simply, the best British film for years. If you're underage, sneak into this film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is storytelling in its truest sense and the cast rise to the occasion.

~ Jeff Robson -

This is storytelling in its truest sense and the cast rise to the occasion.

~ Jeff Robson -

With painterly mise-en-scène and the subtlest of CG effects to aid the camera's fluid movements... Taxidermia always compels us to stare wide-eyed at the screen in awe as much as disgust.

~ Anton Bitel -

With painterly mise-en-scène and the subtlest of CG effects to aid the camera's fluid movements... Taxidermia always compels us to stare wide-eyed at the screen in awe as much as disgust.

~ Anton Bitel -

Like a beautiful piece of filigree it is the detail that makes this short so beautiful, both in terms of its look and its narrative.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Like a beautiful piece of filigree it is the detail that makes this short so beautiful, both in terms of its look and its narrative.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A superb testament to inventiveness.

~ Chris -

A superb testament to inventiveness.

~ Chris -

There is a menacing undercurrent.

~ Susanna Krawczyk -

There is a menacing undercurrent.

~ Susanna Krawczyk -

There are issues here and there are positive messages if you care to look, but the darkness before dawn lingers like a late mist and subplots tend to remain unresolved.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

There are issues here and there are positive messages if you care to look, but the darkness before dawn lingers like a late mist and subplots tend to remain unresolved.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The real power lies in his singularly creative script.

~ Paul Griffiths -

The real power lies in his singularly creative script.

~ Paul Griffiths -

The Singer is a healthy reminder of the unequivocal natural force that Depardieu can summon when he's in focus and on target.

~ Paul Griffiths -

The Singer is a healthy reminder of the unequivocal natural force that Depardieu can summon when he's in focus and on target.

~ Paul Griffiths -

If you only see one short film this year - make it this one.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If you only see one short film this year - make it this one.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Funny, sensitive, engaging, and full of real characters whom you can really care about.

~ Chris -

Funny, sensitive, engaging, and full of real characters whom you can really care about.

~ Chris -

An affectionate, thoroughly enjoyable biography and tribute.

~ Leanne McGrath -

An affectionate, thoroughly enjoyable biography and tribute.

~ Leanne McGrath -

These are the sort of people we usually look at from a distance, appearing briefly to be manipulated, laughed at and dismissed on TV talk shows. Here they get to speak on their own terms.

~ Jennie Kermode -

These are the sort of people we usually look at from a distance, appearing briefly to be manipulated, laughed at and dismissed on TV talk shows. Here they get to speak on their own terms.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Schmid's unsensational approach pays off, as Michaela's 'possession' reaches its climax.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Schmid's unsensational approach pays off, as Michaela's 'possession' reaches its climax.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Reprise is difficult to watch. It demonstrates an originality and energy which requires control to make sense of itself.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Reprise is difficult to watch. It demonstrates an originality and energy which requires control to make sense of itself.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The film makes no compromises to its audience.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The film makes no compromises to its audience.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

At nearly two and half hours long Placido has gone for an epic Italian sweep of friendship, violence and political corruption.

~ Paul Griffiths -

At nearly two and half hours long Placido has gone for an epic Italian sweep of friendship, violence and political corruption.

~ Paul Griffiths -

An emotional, thrilling, disturbing and beautiful film.

~ Susanna Krawczyk -

An emotional, thrilling, disturbing and beautiful film.

~ Susanna Krawczyk -

The minor characters are beautifully realised, intriguing and often sympathetic despite their sometime unpleasantness.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The minor characters are beautifully realised, intriguing and often sympathetic despite their sometime unpleasantness.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Prepare to be absorbed, fascinated, disturbed.

~ Val Kermode -

Prepare to be absorbed, fascinated, disturbed.

~ Val Kermode -

Kurt does all the talking, which can be annoying, because he’s a boring guy. Mark is boring, too, but in a passive way.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Kurt does all the talking, which can be annoying, because he’s a boring guy. Mark is boring, too, but in a passive way.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

A deft and intelligent film which uses its central romance as the key to a much more in-depth study of the way two lonely people fit into the world around them.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A deft and intelligent film which uses its central romance as the key to a much more in-depth study of the way two lonely people fit into the world around them.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Henry Selick directs with clever staging and infinite patience. The musical numbers are catchy, boisterous and hugely entertaining.

~ Scott Macdonald -

Henry Selick directs with clever staging and infinite patience. The musical numbers are catchy, boisterous and hugely entertaining.

~ Scott Macdonald -

Finds humour in pushing the envelope of reality.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Finds humour in pushing the envelope of reality.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Gaying by numbers.

~ Martin Gray -

Gaying by numbers.

~ Martin Gray -

Svankmajer makes the whole world a madhouse and all humanity its patients.

~ Anton Bitel -

Svankmajer makes the whole world a madhouse and all humanity its patients.

~ Anton Bitel -

Longing is an interesting film in that it doesn't concern itself so much with the morality of its protagonist's actions as with their practical consequences. It provides a far more effective demonstration of the destructiveness of those actions.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Longing is an interesting film in that it doesn't concern itself so much with the morality of its protagonist's actions as with their practical consequences. It provides a far more effective demonstration of the destructiveness of those actions.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It is a brave film that portrays Idi Amin not simply as a monster, but as a complex individual.

~ Steve Harwood -

It is a brave film that portrays Idi Amin not simply as a monster, but as a complex individual.

~ Steve Harwood -

A breath of fresh air for the British film industry.

~ Darren Amner -

A breath of fresh air for the British film industry.

~ Darren Amner -

Brimming with superb performances.

~ Steve Harwood -

Brimming with superb performances.

~ Steve Harwood -

Though most of the story is unrelentingly grim, it's always watchable, absorbing despite its depressing atmosphere.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Though most of the story is unrelentingly grim, it's always watchable, absorbing despite its depressing atmosphere.

~ Jennie Kermode -

How refreshing to see a film made there with care and attention to authenticity.

~ Chris -

How refreshing to see a film made there with care and attention to authenticity.

~ Chris -

Tsai has erected a somnolent reverie on alienation, desire and restlessness.

~ Anton Bitel -

Tsai has erected a somnolent reverie on alienation, desire and restlessness.

~ Anton Bitel -

On paper, Invisible Waves may sound like just another Asian action policier or revenge thriller, but in reality it is altogether more abstract and elusive than that.

~ Anton Bitel -

On paper, Invisible Waves may sound like just another Asian action policier or revenge thriller, but in reality it is altogether more abstract and elusive than that.

~ Anton Bitel -

A film of exquisite beauty, shocking power, delirious intellect and wicked humour.

~ Anton Bitel -

A film of exquisite beauty, shocking power, delirious intellect and wicked humour.

~ Anton Bitel -

Half Nelson is a believeable film, depressing at times but smart and moving.

~ Darren Amner -

Half Nelson is a believeable film, depressing at times but smart and moving.

~ Darren Amner -

One of the finest book to film adaptations of all time.

~ Scott Macdonald -

One of the finest book to film adaptations of all time.

~ Scott Macdonald -

The film is as introspective as the man, while explanation is as minimalist as the screenplay.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The film is as introspective as the man, while explanation is as minimalist as the screenplay.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Finely balanced and well-argued, this is a work, which like its protagonist Ai Qin, has a quiet strength.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Finely balanced and well-argued, this is a work, which like its protagonist Ai Qin, has a quiet strength.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Its depictions of the callousness and paranoia which can develop in war are intelligently handled, yet they make it difficult for the viewer to feel much real concern for the fate of these people.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Its depictions of the callousness and paranoia which can develop in war are intelligently handled, yet they make it difficult for the viewer to feel much real concern for the fate of these people.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Despite all the blood on screen, Fast Food Nation is a strangely anaemic movie.

~ The Exile -

Despite all the blood on screen, Fast Food Nation is a strangely anaemic movie.

~ The Exile -

A rich tapestry, which delves into how our reminiscences work.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A rich tapestry, which delves into how our reminiscences work.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The plotline’s complexity is matched by the depth of the issues explored, with the cast uniformly coming up trumps.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The plotline’s complexity is matched by the depth of the issues explored, with the cast uniformly coming up trumps.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Dans Paris is about love – between brothers, father, girlfriends – and suicide... adding dollops of languor and a good deal of sex.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Dans Paris is about love – between brothers, father, girlfriends – and suicide... adding dollops of languor and a good deal of sex.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Days of Glory is a great film, thoroughly deserving of the award attention that it has received.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Days of Glory is a great film, thoroughly deserving of the award attention that it has received.

~ Andrew Robertson -

As a character study, this feels as real as a knife cut, slicing to the heart of shattered dreams, long-forgotten hopes and aspirations which may go unfulfilled.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

As a character study, this feels as real as a knife cut, slicing to the heart of shattered dreams, long-forgotten hopes and aspirations which may go unfulfilled.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A polished, satisfyingly involving whole that avoids any mainstream trappings and credits the audience with intelligence and maturity.

~ Paul Griffiths -

A polished, satisfyingly involving whole that avoids any mainstream trappings and credits the audience with intelligence and maturity.

~ Paul Griffiths -

The script is well layered and clearly is designed to secure repeat viewings.

~ Darren Amner -

The script is well layered and clearly is designed to secure repeat viewings.

~ Darren Amner -

Buenos Aires, 1977 is harrowing at times, terrifying at others.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Buenos Aires, 1977 is harrowing at times, terrifying at others.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Director Eric Steel has made a wise decision to avoid the use of narrative voiceover, in favour of a well considered soundtrack.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Director Eric Steel has made a wise decision to avoid the use of narrative voiceover, in favour of a well considered soundtrack.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Breaking And Entering feels genuinely homegrown, with an intelligent script, beautifully handled by actors and director.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Breaking And Entering feels genuinely homegrown, with an intelligent script, beautifully handled by actors and director.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Just as the constantly falling snow leaches the colour from the backdrop, so the emotion bleeds out of the film.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Just as the constantly falling snow leaches the colour from the backdrop, so the emotion bleeds out of the film.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A tender, temperately dramatic look at a young person exploring his burgeoning feelings and adolescent sexuality.

~ Paul Griffiths -

A tender, temperately dramatic look at a young person exploring his burgeoning feelings and adolescent sexuality.

~ Paul Griffiths -

Black Gold presents a richly detailed portrait of the coffee industry, all the way from Ethiopia to the barista competitions and fashionable coffee houses of the West.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Black Gold presents a richly detailed portrait of the coffee industry, all the way from Ethiopia to the barista competitions and fashionable coffee houses of the West.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A hilarious screwball comedy

~ Chris -

A hilarious screwball comedy

~ Chris -

The unconscious is never suppressed and the id runs riot

~ Anton Bitel -

The unconscious is never suppressed and the id runs riot

~ Anton Bitel -

Estevez uses Bobby’s words too much, but you can’t blame him, because Kennedy’s compassion and sympathy for the underprivileged shines.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Estevez uses Bobby’s words too much, but you can’t blame him, because Kennedy’s compassion and sympathy for the underprivileged shines.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Uniformly brilliant.

~ Caro Ness -

Uniformly brilliant.

~ Caro Ness -

Issue-driven drama has rarely been so polemic as it is in this fierce attack on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s role in African poverty.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Issue-driven drama has rarely been so polemic as it is in this fierce attack on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s role in African poverty.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Assisted by the remarkable cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, Iñárritu moves seamlessly from the arid isolation of a Moroccan village to the gleaming modernity of Tokyo to the colorful chaos of Tijuana, his camera alternately capturing scenes of hope and des

~ The Exile -

Assisted by the remarkable cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, Iñárritu moves seamlessly from the arid isolation of a Moroccan village to the gleaming modernity of Tokyo to the colorful chaos of Tijuana, his camera alternately capturing scenes of hope and des

~ The Exile -

An astonishingly powerful story.

~ Jennie Kermode -

An astonishingly powerful story.

~ Jennie Kermode -

What comes through this epic tale of migration and hardship is the Pamir's sense of humour.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

What comes through this epic tale of migration and hardship is the Pamir's sense of humour.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

This is a delightful, multi-layered film which has much more to say than is apparent on the surface.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is a delightful, multi-layered film which has much more to say than is apparent on the surface.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Ahmed doesn’t need to include war footage for us to feel its weight and understand its shadow.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The colour elements prove all the more striking when in contrast to black and white.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The beautiful cinematography, the bluesy jazz score and the gentle pace of the film are beguiling, but Masciari makes sure that we don’t lose sight of the ridiculous.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Shot over 17 years, it mingles intimate personal moments with visceral concert footage, its musical sequences knitted together with some of the best editing you’re likely to see this year.

~ Jennie Kermode -

History comes alive in the voices of those who remember it.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The choice of hand-drawn animation and its ability to demonstrate a magical realism allows the film to find the right distance from what is being depicted.

~ Richard Mowe -

Successfully finds insight and social commentary

~ Jeremy Mathews -

The pace of the action helps Handal to pack a lot in and his framing is inventive.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A Teacher is not the most finely crafted film, but it is a cri de cœur.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The filmmaker and her crew deserve a lot of credit for even managing to capture this lifestyle – not to mention following it for five years.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Breslin, as so often, is the standout.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The observational approach works against the director, slowing down proceedings and making it hard to see the wood for the trees

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Lotus may love pretty things, but he doesn’t hold back on the gore.

~ Jennie Kermode -

With so much going on the only shame is that at this length the pirouettes in various directions are so brief, giving us a taste for ideas that are begging to be dug into further.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While the film is generally a delight, the increasingly surreal third act can be hard to track.

~ Antoni Konieczny -

A patient, affecting study of human connection in unusual circumstances

~ Antoni Konieczny -

The irreverent score, the gothic art direction, and Mario Tosi’s kaleidoscopic, slithering cinematography coalesce into something mesmeric.

~ Antoni Konieczny -

Like its subject, the film is a fusion of styles.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Fiennes is lean in look and in performance, bringing an intensity that proves compelling.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An overflowing life is presented to us through archival interviews and film clips, and most revealingly through on-camera insights from O’Brien herself.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

Fiennes is lean in look and in performance, bringing an intensity that proves compelling.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

I Am Love is social melodrama in the best traditions of Italian cinema.

~ Chris -

Anime at its very finest - lightning paced, visually stunning, feverishly creative and overrun by a logic all its own.

~ Anton Bitel -

The action is pacy but that doesn’t mean Courvoisier skims the surface.

~ Amber Wilkinson -