An ostensibly rousing speech is aiming for Braveheart but has all the grip one would expect from an address to an adhesive sales conference.

~ Andrew Robertson -

An ostensibly rousing speech is aiming for Braveheart but has all the grip one would expect from an address to an adhesive sales conference.

~ Andrew Robertson -

For fans of the musical, this will give them more of what they already like, perhaps even too much. For those not yet fans I'm not sure this will give them enough.

~ Andrew Robertson -

For fans of the musical, this will give them more of what they already like, perhaps even too much. For those not yet fans I'm not sure this will give them enough.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Maura Delpero’s multi-layered drama sees its heroine growing up and coming to understand the world in new ways at the same time as the village itself shifts, not altogether willingly, into the modern era.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Maura Delpero’s multi-layered drama sees its heroine growing up and coming to understand the world in new ways at the same time as the village itself shifts, not altogether willingly, into the modern era.

~ Jennie Kermode -

What emerges is a carefully calibrated, bleak but elegiac picture of an environment where people are being forced to perform rather than allowed to live on their own terms.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

What emerges is a carefully calibrated, bleak but elegiac picture of an environment where people are being forced to perform rather than allowed to live on their own terms.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Becerra’s film is a measured affair that takes pleasure in its surroundings, whether it’s the mountain lakeside where the alpacas graze or the warm intimacy of Felciano’s home.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Becerra’s film is a measured affair that takes pleasure in its surroundings, whether it’s the mountain lakeside where the alpacas graze or the warm intimacy of Felciano’s home.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film is absorbing rather than depressing, uplifting rather than sad.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The film is absorbing rather than depressing, uplifting rather than sad.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Reaches touching heights as it follows the marked son of a dead sicario from childhood to young adulthood.

~ Jeremy Mathews -

Reaches touching heights as it follows the marked son of a dead sicario from childhood to young adulthood.

~ Jeremy Mathews -

A fascinating portrait of a woman ahead of her time.

~ Richard Mowe -

A fascinating portrait of a woman ahead of her time.

~ Richard Mowe -

There is a feeling of being in a constant movement, with cars and buildings whizzing by as Souleymane is rushing through the city, either riding his bike, or running from one type of public transport to the next.

~ Nikola Jovic -

There is a feeling of being in a constant movement, with cars and buildings whizzing by as Souleymane is rushing through the city, either riding his bike, or running from one type of public transport to the next.

~ Nikola Jovic -

The intensity between her and the angry young man drives the action in Sons, capturing a relentless cycle of aggression reverberating throughout the sullen halls.

~ Sergiu Inizian -

The intensity between her and the angry young man drives the action in Sons, capturing a relentless cycle of aggression reverberating throughout the sullen halls.

~ Sergiu Inizian -

Using a mix of both professional and amateur actors the film reveals the intimate details and attitudes of these incarcerated individuals

~ Richard Mowe -

Using a mix of both professional and amateur actors the film reveals the intimate details and attitudes of these incarcerated individuals

~ Richard Mowe -

Bojanov draws not only a sensitive portrait of the bond between the two women but also exposes the dyn.amics of a deeply conservative and religious society

~ Richard Mowe -

Bojanov draws not only a sensitive portrait of the bond between the two women but also exposes the dyn.amics of a deeply conservative and religious society

~ Richard Mowe -

September 5 might not be a masterpiece but it is a tense, nail-biting thriller.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

September 5 might not be a masterpiece but it is a tense, nail-biting thriller.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

Grittily compelling

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Grittily compelling

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Takuro Takeuchi’s cinematography, with its frequent close-ups, use of blurring, beguiling shadows and blow-out blasts of light, plunges us into the heart of the action.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Takuro Takeuchi’s cinematography, with its frequent close-ups, use of blurring, beguiling shadows and blow-out blasts of light, plunges us into the heart of the action.

~ 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 -

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 -

Almodóvar goes all out with the delights fashion has to offer, bright colours, the joy of transformation - because it is never too late for sartorial metamorphosis.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

Almodóvar goes all out with the delights fashion has to offer, bright colours, the joy of transformation - because it is never too late for sartorial metamorphosis.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

There’s also an emperor’s new clothes feeling to the general style, look closely and there's very little there.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There’s also an emperor’s new clothes feeling to the general style, look closely and there's very little there.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It’s the hopefulness at the heart of their tragedy that really kills you.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It’s the hopefulness at the heart of their tragedy that really kills you.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Nyoni expertly controls her narrative so that it glides effortlessly between the reality of the funeral preparations to the more surreal psychological trauma Shula is working through.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Nyoni expertly controls her narrative so that it glides effortlessly between the reality of the funeral preparations to the more surreal psychological trauma Shula is working through.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

No Other Land brings humanity and particularity to a topic that is too often discussed in the abstract.

~ Jennie Kermode -

No Other Land brings humanity and particularity to a topic that is too often discussed in the abstract.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Nickel Boys is a tremendously daring film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Nickel Boys is a tremendously daring film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Hairabedian patiently captures all this with an intimacy that stems from trust, with Vrej viewing her and the camera increasingly as a confidante as time passes.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Hairabedian patiently captures all this with an intimacy that stems from trust, with Vrej viewing her and the camera increasingly as a confidante as time passes.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While many other films feel as though they are really staking out a deliberate political stance against the Iranian regime or coming at it from deep within metaphor, My Favourite Cake is casually, but almost constantly, rebellious in small ways.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While many other films feel as though they are really staking out a deliberate political stance against the Iranian regime or coming at it from deep within metaphor, My Favourite Cake is casually, but almost constantly, rebellious in small ways.

~ 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 -

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 -

It is gorgeous, both to look at and to listen to. It's perhaps Larrain's most accessible film, though that's as much to do with its star as its subject.

~ Andrew Robertson -

It is gorgeous, both to look at and to listen to. It's perhaps Larrain's most accessible film, though that's as much to do with its star as its subject.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Although this is set in the Nineties, the gritty feel makes it redolent of Seventies-set thrillers, a mood reinforced by the way that du Welz embeds us in Paul’s life from the start.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Although this is set in the Nineties, the gritty feel makes it redolent of Seventies-set thrillers, a mood reinforced by the way that du Welz embeds us in Paul’s life from the start.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Coppola has style, but sometimes employs too much of it.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Coppola has style, but sometimes employs too much of it.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It's got the musicality that proper swearing should.

~ Andrew Robertson -

It's got the musicality that proper swearing should.

~ Andrew Robertson -

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 -

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 -

This is a tactile retelling, inviting us to imagine the sticky feel of Coca-Cola on hot skin in the sun or the heat of a sheepskin coat and the love that goes with it being passed from mum to daughter ahead of a trip abroad.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is a tactile retelling, inviting us to imagine the sticky feel of Coca-Cola on hot skin in the sun or the heat of a sheepskin coat and the love that goes with it being passed from mum to daughter ahead of a trip abroad.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This kind of layered story construction is a difficult thing to pull off and it makes the film shine.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This kind of layered story construction is a difficult thing to pull off and it makes the film shine.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There is a sense of living in the moment but for the future, a deep connection with nature and a willingness to face whatever happens together.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There is a sense of living in the moment but for the future, a deep connection with nature and a willingness to face whatever happens together.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Illusions are everywhere in this film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Illusions are everywhere in this film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The stories are highly personal and individual. It is the background observations, as much as anything, that makes the experience of viewing them sequentially crushing, and leaves one in awe of the fortitude of people still surviving there.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The stories are highly personal and individual. It is the background observations, as much as anything, that makes the experience of viewing them sequentially crushing, and leaves one in awe of the fortitude of people still surviving there.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A very New York film.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

A very New York film.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

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 -

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 -

Audiard has assembled a remarkable team of actors

~ Richard Mowe -

Audiard has assembled a remarkable team of actors

~ Richard Mowe -

By withholding information from us, Bareisa puts us in a similar headspace to the main characters.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

By withholding information from us, Bareisa puts us in a similar headspace to the main characters.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Vigorously covering all bases, Diop cuts elegantly to give each position ample space.

~ Sunil Chauhan -

Vigorously covering all bases, Diop cuts elegantly to give each position ample space.

~ Sunil Chauhan -

Director Edward Berger and his director of photography Stephane Fontaine have made every frame art.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Director Edward Berger and his director of photography Stephane Fontaine have made every frame art.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Visually, Guan never puts a frame wrong, whether he’s setting up a physical comedy set-piece, idly incorporating a solar eclipse or letting the dogs steal a scene.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Visually, Guan never puts a frame wrong, whether he’s setting up a physical comedy set-piece, idly incorporating a solar eclipse or letting the dogs steal a scene.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Film's ability to change scale and scope turns Better Man from a jukebox musical into something at once more and less personal.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Film's ability to change scale and scope turns Better Man from a jukebox musical into something at once more and less personal.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Less concerned with scrutinising the playground than the dangerous games adults can play with one another.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Less concerned with scrutinising the playground than the dangerous games adults can play with one another.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Far from dull, not as camp as you might expect, emotionally at a high pitch, expertly directed and nudgingly naughty.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Far from dull, not as camp as you might expect, emotionally at a high pitch, expertly directed and nudgingly naughty.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

As the surveys continue, different ideas of happiness emerge along with moments of shared humanity.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

As the surveys continue, different ideas of happiness emerge along with moments of shared humanity.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The effect is sometimes comical, but true intimacy often looks absurd from the outside.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The effect is sometimes comical, but true intimacy often looks absurd from the outside.

~ 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 -