There's no doubt that by presenting several characters as pure id is quite a dangerous gambit for a filmmaker but Glass keeps things interesting by having them driven by different things.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There's no doubt that by presenting several characters as pure id is quite a dangerous gambit for a filmmaker but Glass keeps things interesting by having them driven by different things.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Even Kafkaesque ideas are subject to chaos.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Even Kafkaesque ideas are subject to chaos.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film works as well as it does because of the central pairing of Goussens and De Saeger, whose shared glances and stray touches work on an emotional level.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film works as well as it does because of the central pairing of Goussens and De Saeger, whose shared glances and stray touches work on an emotional level.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It’s quickly apparent that entering prison means becoming part of the collective body that is the prisoner population, with the choreographed movements that accompany the songs reinforcing the sense of synchronicity.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It’s quickly apparent that entering prison means becoming part of the collective body that is the prisoner population, with the choreographed movements that accompany the songs reinforcing the sense of synchronicity.

~ 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 -

Distances of time and space are collapsible in Fingscheidt’s hands.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Distances of time and space are collapsible in Fingscheidt’s hands.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Slippery in terms of genre and form, the writer/director’s satire puts all his characters and, by extension, us under close scrutiny.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Slippery in terms of genre and form, the writer/director’s satire puts all his characters and, by extension, us under close scrutiny.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A curious case of real-life poison pen letters is given an oddly cosy retelling in this well-polished if tonally uneven drama.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A curious case of real-life poison pen letters is given an oddly cosy retelling in this well-polished if tonally uneven drama.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While the lo-fi production design on the spaceship - with its man-made webbing and items from food tins to tools strapped down left right and centre - is absorbing in its detail, there's only so long it can distract you from the film's bloated running time.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

While the lo-fi production design on the spaceship - with its man-made webbing and items from food tins to tools strapped down left right and centre - is absorbing in its detail, there's only so long it can distract you from the film's bloated running time.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Dying is full of glorious contradictions, many of which occur within the same conversation

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Dying is full of glorious contradictions, many of which occur within the same conversation

~ Amber Wilkinson -

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 -

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 -

If you've ever wondered what a Star Wars pastiche by Monty Python might look like if barely any of the jokes landed then the latest film from Bruno Dumont is for you.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If you've ever wondered what a Star Wars pastiche by Monty Python might look like if barely any of the jokes landed then the latest film from Bruno Dumont is for you.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Patriarchal and paternalistic structures at both a family and country level are put in the spotlight.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Patriarchal and paternalistic structures at both a family and country level are put in the spotlight.

~ 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 -

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 -

First-timer Sarr - who is a musician - is a remarkable lead and matched by the support from fellow novice Fall.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

First-timer Sarr - who is a musician - is a remarkable lead and matched by the support from fellow novice Fall.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Essential, urgent and damning.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Essential, urgent and damning.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Whatever structuring the directors are doing is achieved with the lightest of touches, so that we feel as though we’re just along for the ride with these guys.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Whatever structuring the directors are doing is achieved with the lightest of touches, so that we feel as though we’re just along for the ride with these guys.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An assured feature debut that’s confident enough to explore the sometimes complex dynamics at work while celebrating the community at its heart.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An assured feature debut that’s confident enough to explore the sometimes complex dynamics at work while celebrating the community at its heart.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Even non-football fans are likely to find themselves won over almost immediately by this tale of one team’s determination against the odds.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Even non-football fans are likely to find themselves won over almost immediately by this tale of one team’s determination against the odds.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The star quality of Bow seems to shine brighter than ever here given that her male co-stars are no heartthrobs.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The star quality of Bow seems to shine brighter than ever here given that her male co-stars are no heartthrobs.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Wörle avoids taking any sort of overt political viewpoint, instead keeping an intimate focus on how Valeria is affected.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Wörle avoids taking any sort of overt political viewpoint, instead keeping an intimate focus on how Valeria is affected.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Anthony Chen's slow-burn character study is essentially a showcase for its star Cynthia Erivo

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Anthony Chen's slow-burn character study is essentially a showcase for its star Cynthia Erivo

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If there’s vacillation in general at work, the slippery nature of the film, greased with the sweat of physical and metaphorical dance, remains beguiling.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If there’s vacillation in general at work, the slippery nature of the film, greased with the sweat of physical and metaphorical dance, remains beguiling.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The silence between the calls serves as a space for the horror of them to fully take shape in the viewers’ mind.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The silence between the calls serves as a space for the horror of them to fully take shape in the viewers’ mind.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Hamaguchi isn’t scared to completely change the rhythm of his film on a dime, something that is likely to frustrate as many people as it delights.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Hamaguchi isn’t scared to completely change the rhythm of his film on a dime, something that is likely to frustrate as many people as it delights.

~ 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 -

The camera is close when it needs to be but often focused on a detail, such as hands on a rosary or capturing the detail of surroundings, including religious iconography or the texture of a horse’s coat that help us to feel Mother Vera’s place within these spaces.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The camera is close when it needs to be but often focused on a detail, such as hands on a rosary or capturing the detail of surroundings, including religious iconography or the texture of a horse’s coat that help us to feel Mother Vera’s place within these spaces.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An elegant tribute to lives that would otherwise have been forgotten.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An elegant tribute to lives that would otherwise have been forgotten.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Beyond the stories that unfold within the vehicle, the tension of these journeys, often on dirt tracks in rural areas, is brought home.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Beyond the stories that unfold within the vehicle, the tension of these journeys, often on dirt tracks in rural areas, is brought home.

~ 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 -

There’s nothing like a niche subject or place to provide the backdrop for a quirky documentary - and Panellinion has both.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There’s nothing like a niche subject or place to provide the backdrop for a quirky documentary - and Panellinion has both.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A film built on intimacy with its subject, it is strongly edited

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A film built on intimacy with its subject, it is strongly edited

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is a love letter to Nystabakk’s family and good animal husbandry.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is a love letter to Nystabakk’s family and good animal husbandry.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This film, like its longer predecessor, brings home the alarming rate at which this is happening.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This film, like its longer predecessor, brings home the alarming rate at which this is happening.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Some films take time to gather momentum, but there’s a sense of movement right from the off in Kamal Lazraq’s debut feature.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Some films take time to gather momentum, but there’s a sense of movement right from the off in Kamal Lazraq’s debut feature.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If Kaadan doesn't quite get the dramatic weight to land solidly, she nevertheless has a fine eye for a poetic image.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If Kaadan doesn't quite get the dramatic weight to land solidly, she nevertheless has a fine eye for a poetic image.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Jane Campion’s debut short thrives on unpredictable rhythms.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Jane Campion’s debut short thrives on unpredictable rhythms.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A film built on the repeated turn of the seasons and the idea of leaving and returning.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A film built on the repeated turn of the seasons and the idea of leaving and returning.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Arnold has never been one to shy away from the realities of poverty and that clear-sighted view is in evidence here.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Arnold has never been one to shy away from the realities of poverty and that clear-sighted view is in evidence here.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Lysetskyi’s approach is direct yet also artistic.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Lysetskyi’s approach is direct yet also artistic.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The shorts are all by emerging filmmakers who are all working on their first or second features

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The shorts are all by emerging filmmakers who are all working on their first or second features

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Mysterious in a manner that is thought-provoking rather than ostentatious

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Mysterious in a manner that is thought-provoking rather than ostentatious

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Paiso and Vish take a playful approach to the material

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Paiso and Vish take a playful approach to the material

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The filmmakers also draw on the natural environment of the sea and the wind in order to create a sense of movement that contrasts with the women's stillness.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The filmmakers also draw on the natural environment of the sea and the wind in order to create a sense of movement that contrasts with the women's stillness.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Although there’s plenty of drama, especially considering the length, Belarmino and Rithy wisely also find time to develop the characters so that the focus falls on Silig’s vibrant emotional core

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Although there’s plenty of drama, especially considering the length, Belarmino and Rithy wisely also find time to develop the characters so that the focus falls on Silig’s vibrant emotional core

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Loznitsa’s approach is quietly observational, capturing the quotidian goings on as they continue beneath the shadow of war.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Loznitsa’s approach is quietly observational, capturing the quotidian goings on as they continue beneath the shadow of war.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Beyond the dark loneliness of grief, is the soft light of a shared mourning.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Beyond the dark loneliness of grief, is the soft light of a shared mourning.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The plotting takes precedence over characterisation, which saps the film of tension, while its melodramatic developments feel out of keeping with the cooler noir vibe.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The plotting takes precedence over characterisation, which saps the film of tension, while its melodramatic developments feel out of keeping with the cooler noir vibe.

~ 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 -

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 -

Through it all is a common thread of authenticity and of women opening up about things and feelings they are rarely asked to scrutinise.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Through it all is a common thread of authenticity and of women opening up about things and feelings they are rarely asked to scrutinise.

~ Amber Wilkinson -