There is a lingering, half blossomed melancholy that lies underneath the often very funny, fast-paced moments of quotidian chaos.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

There is a lingering, half blossomed melancholy that lies underneath the often very funny, fast-paced moments of quotidian chaos.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

Corbine gets caught up trying to cover the narrative ground, to set up both characters in twin time periods and explore their motivations and relationship.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Corbine gets caught up trying to cover the narrative ground, to set up both characters in twin time periods and explore their motivations and relationship.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The Japanese filmmaker guides his actors as if they were just learning emotions, creating an impression of awkwardness.

~ Mateusz Tarwacki -

The Japanese filmmaker guides his actors as if they were just learning emotions, creating an impression of awkwardness.

~ Mateusz Tarwacki -

Digression builds upon detour, which piles charmingly onto excursion, sometimes lifted, sometimes pushed and always shaped by a score that also roams freely in its influences.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Digression builds upon detour, which piles charmingly onto excursion, sometimes lifted, sometimes pushed and always shaped by a score that also roams freely in its influences.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

With characters coming and going continually, the film is wildly uneven in tone, sometimes broadly comic, sometimes painfully dark. In many ways this suits its efforts to address the chaotic nature of life.

~ Jennie Kermode -

With characters coming and going continually, the film is wildly uneven in tone, sometimes broadly comic, sometimes painfully dark. In many ways this suits its efforts to address the chaotic nature of life.

~ Jennie Kermode -

As Jackson Browne’s My Opening Farewell delivers a lyric about standing before a window, we get a shot of the boy standing before a window. Did Clooney make this in his sleep?

~ Jennie Kermode -

As Jackson Browne’s My Opening Farewell delivers a lyric about standing before a window, we get a shot of the boy standing before a window. Did Clooney make this in his sleep?

~ Jennie Kermode -

A film that celebrates the joy and fears associated with youthful lust, while exploring ideas of internal cultural conflict, without making it feel tacky or like a diatribe.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A film that celebrates the joy and fears associated with youthful lust, while exploring ideas of internal cultural conflict, without making it feel tacky or like a diatribe.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Philippe’s incisive, forthright approach leaves no room for apologism.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Philippe’s incisive, forthright approach leaves no room for apologism.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Cousins' observations are, by their very nature, particular and personal - but that is part of the joy of this sort of essay film.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Cousins' observations are, by their very nature, particular and personal - but that is part of the joy of this sort of essay film.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There are strong supporting performances from a relatively small cast, but they pale in comparison to Stewart.

~ Andrew Robertson -

There are strong supporting performances from a relatively small cast, but they pale in comparison to Stewart.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Hogg has always had an eye for architectural as well as emotional spaces and we see it here, as she floods the large rooms of Julie's parents' home with light, so that she almost seems to be paling out of them, which, coupled with her often silent reactions as others babble around her makes it seem as though she is the one who might be the ghost.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Hogg has always had an eye for architectural as well as emotional spaces and we see it here, as she floods the large rooms of Julie's parents' home with light, so that she almost seems to be paling out of them, which, coupled with her often silent reactions as others babble around her makes it seem as though she is the one who might be the ghost.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It is impossible to deny the director's poetic and aesthetic talent, as well as her ability to offer a critical deconstruction of social relations through a seemingly simple story.

~ Mateusz Tarwacki -

It is impossible to deny the director's poetic and aesthetic talent, as well as her ability to offer a critical deconstruction of social relations through a seemingly simple story.

~ Mateusz Tarwacki -

There are different kinds of horror at work here and Owen keeps us waiting to see which will come to the fore.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There are different kinds of horror at work here and Owen keeps us waiting to see which will come to the fore.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A beautifully self-contained, self-sufficient little film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A beautifully self-contained, self-sufficient little film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

In its quiet, observational way, Sediments gets closer to the experience of what it means to be trans than any number of more direct interrogations.

~ Jennie Kermode -

In its quiet, observational way, Sediments gets closer to the experience of what it means to be trans than any number of more direct interrogations.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is an animated kids' movie in a furrow well ploughed.

~ Andrew Robertson -

This is an animated kids' movie in a furrow well ploughed.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The action also feels under-powered in places, with set pieces mainly reminding you of other, more accomplished Wallace &Gromit outings, while you long for a bit more of the Gruffalo's heart.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The action also feels under-powered in places, with set pieces mainly reminding you of other, more accomplished Wallace &Gromit outings, while you long for a bit more of the Gruffalo's heart.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Shengze Zhu mixes the past, present and vision of the future in a new, strange, anti-social, empty world.

~ Mateusz Tarwacki -

Shengze Zhu mixes the past, present and vision of the future in a new, strange, anti-social, empty world.

~ Mateusz Tarwacki -

It’s beautiful, compelling, helping us to grasp how people become addicted to this.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s beautiful, compelling, helping us to grasp how people become addicted to this.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The grooming of Strawberry may have some moments of levity but that, in many ways, makes it all the more uncomfortable.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The grooming of Strawberry may have some moments of levity but that, in many ways, makes it all the more uncomfortable.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

By delving into fiction, Huezo is able to focus on the impact of this crisis on individual human lives.

~ Jennie Kermode -

By delving into fiction, Huezo is able to focus on the impact of this crisis on individual human lives.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Campion treats the material with such well-mannered reverence that you begin to wish that not just the characters, but she too, would loosen up a bit.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Campion treats the material with such well-mannered reverence that you begin to wish that not just the characters, but she too, would loosen up a bit.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is the playground as a warzone, where the sandpit might, indeed, be as deep as the sea and hold dead bodies and where adult authority might only make things worse.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is the playground as a warzone, where the sandpit might, indeed, be as deep as the sea and hold dead bodies and where adult authority might only make things worse.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The autumn setting fits it perfectly, because although this is the change of the year as things die back for winter, it is also blazing with colour and hopefulness.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The autumn setting fits it perfectly, because although this is the change of the year as things die back for winter, it is also blazing with colour and hopefulness.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The role is a gift for Negga, who has always evinced considerable talent but has not previously had the chance to demonstrate her abilities to this extent.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The role is a gift for Negga, who has always evinced considerable talent but has not previously had the chance to demonstrate her abilities to this extent.

~ Jennie Kermode -

As is almost always the case with this sort of casting, the essential 'truth' of these non-professionals is visible beneath the constructed story.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

As is almost always the case with this sort of casting, the essential 'truth' of these non-professionals is visible beneath the constructed story.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Though some aspects of the film will mean more to you if you have a New Orleans connection, Hunt strives to ensure that it's accessible to everyone.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Though some aspects of the film will mean more to you if you have a New Orleans connection, Hunt strives to ensure that it's accessible to everyone.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Unlike many first-time directors who have the urge to cram more and more in, Nagy and his co-writer Pál Závada instead strip things back, letting the trudge of the men tell its own tale.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Unlike many first-time directors who have the urge to cram more and more in, Nagy and his co-writer Pál Závada instead strip things back, letting the trudge of the men tell its own tale.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The façade of a happy picnic shows all the cracks, despite the lovely geese flying overhead.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

The façade of a happy picnic shows all the cracks, despite the lovely geese flying overhead.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

The memories have the vibrant immediacy of teenage energy and are treated by Hadjithomas and her co-director Khalil Joreige in the same spirited fashion.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The memories have the vibrant immediacy of teenage energy and are treated by Hadjithomas and her co-director Khalil Joreige in the same spirited fashion.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Kranz, best known for his acting career, certainly didn’t pick an easy project for his debut behind the camera, but his work proves exceptional.

~ Jeremy Mathews -

Kranz, best known for his acting career, certainly didn’t pick an easy project for his debut behind the camera, but his work proves exceptional.

~ Jeremy Mathews -

The family portrait is devastating.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

The family portrait is devastating.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

This is a clear-eyed view of the choices Jesmark and those like him are facing, showing just how complex the situation is, cutting beyond work to community and culture.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is a clear-eyed view of the choices Jesmark and those like him are facing, showing just how complex the situation is, cutting beyond work to community and culture.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film comes into its own because of Gyllenhaal's non-judgemental perspective, even sympathy, for the small suffocations of motherhood.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film comes into its own because of Gyllenhaal's non-judgemental perspective, even sympathy, for the small suffocations of motherhood.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Despite its bleakness, Al-Khatib also captures the spirit of the older Palestinians - already exiled once and refusing to simply move on again - and the resourcefulness of the children.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Despite its bleakness, Al-Khatib also captures the spirit of the older Palestinians - already exiled once and refusing to simply move on again - and the resourcefulness of the children.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If Matuszyński’s film tends towards soap opera in places and could definitely do with a trim here and there, its long running time does allow the grind of what happens to play out in ways that emphasise the sheer slog of it.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If Matuszyński’s film tends towards soap opera in places and could definitely do with a trim here and there, its long running time does allow the grind of what happens to play out in ways that emphasise the sheer slog of it.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It’s a film which some viewers will find exhausting to watch, hammering home its emotive points rather than letting us explore on our own. Within this, however, there are some surprisingly delicate performances.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s a film which some viewers will find exhausting to watch, hammering home its emotive points rather than letting us explore on our own. Within this, however, there are some surprisingly delicate performances.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This unexpected emphasis on the entire clan and, particularly, its eccentric patriarch offers an interesting change from more straightforward biopics.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This unexpected emphasis on the entire clan and, particularly, its eccentric patriarch offers an interesting change from more straightforward biopics.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Invincible Demons is a film that understands the aesthetic appeal of environmental abuse, but it doesn’t titillate with images of eco-collapse or sensationalise interviews with long-suffering Delhi citizens.

~ Sunil Chauhan -

Invincible Demons is a film that understands the aesthetic appeal of environmental abuse, but it doesn’t titillate with images of eco-collapse or sensationalise interviews with long-suffering Delhi citizens.

~ Sunil Chauhan -

It's not the cliches that are its main problem, although the setting and set-up are straight down the line.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It's not the cliches that are its main problem, although the setting and set-up are straight down the line.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Despite being rather on the nose in terms of his plot beats, del Paso has an eye for a strong image and a psychological feel for the insidious viewpoint of the adults, washing over the children like a bad benediction.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Despite being rather on the nose in terms of his plot beats, del Paso has an eye for a strong image and a psychological feel for the insidious viewpoint of the adults, washing over the children like a bad benediction.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

With backdrops which hark back to early German expressionism, looking for all the world like a Robert Wiene or FW Murnau set, Hinterland is a visual treat.

~ Jennie Kermode -

With backdrops which hark back to early German expressionism, looking for all the world like a Robert Wiene or FW Murnau set, Hinterland is a visual treat.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Beautifully photographed as always, with a colour palette whose soft, shifting hues reflect its moral and narrative ambiguity, A Hero is one of Farhadi’s finest works.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Beautifully photographed as always, with a colour palette whose soft, shifting hues reflect its moral and narrative ambiguity, A Hero is one of Farhadi’s finest works.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Everything is elevated to an almost cartoonish level, but the performances are big enough to carry it, with Elba maintaining a calm presence at the centre.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Everything is elevated to an almost cartoonish level, but the performances are big enough to carry it, with Elba maintaining a calm presence at the centre.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There's a straightforwardness to the telling of this tale that adds to its accessibility.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There's a straightforwardness to the telling of this tale that adds to its accessibility.

~ 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 -

It all has a very particular flavour. Even a new one.

~ Andrew Robertson -

It all has a very particular flavour. Even a new one.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Heineman is careful not to bludgeon viewers with the horror of it all.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Heineman is careful not to bludgeon viewers with the horror of it all.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The way that director Lee Haven Jones frames male and female characters is intriguing, with classic gendered shots reversed.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The way that director Lee Haven Jones frames male and female characters is intriguing, with classic gendered shots reversed.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The beat and rhythm are often deliberately relentless, pushing onwards even when sometimes going around in circles - as circular as arguments that the characters find themselves having to make over and over again.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The beat and rhythm are often deliberately relentless, pushing onwards even when sometimes going around in circles - as circular as arguments that the characters find themselves having to make over and over again.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Earwig invites you to listen, to put out feelers, to scurry.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Earwig invites you to listen, to put out feelers, to scurry.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Corsini agilely combines elements of cinéma verité and farce.

~ Richard Mowe -

Corsini agilely combines elements of cinéma verité and farce.

~ Richard Mowe -

This film is nothing if not derivative. Except, therein lies its beauty.

~ Jane Fae -

This film is nothing if not derivative. Except, therein lies its beauty.

~ Jane Fae -

The everyday feel is acute – you can virtually smell the pickle jar vinegar and raw spirit and imagine a slight stickiness on the seats as Jani-Petteri Passi’s camera captures the scene with a looseness that rocks along with the rhythm of the train.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The everyday feel is acute – you can virtually smell the pickle jar vinegar and raw spirit and imagine a slight stickiness on the seats as Jani-Petteri Passi’s camera captures the scene with a looseness that rocks along with the rhythm of the train.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The director shows the warmth of the children against the cool aloofness of teachers who feel little connection to their wards, even as we know even Yusuf's herculean efforts are likely to prove ineffectual.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The director shows the warmth of the children against the cool aloofness of teachers who feel little connection to their wards, even as we know even Yusuf's herculean efforts are likely to prove ineffectual.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Given the state of the things, it's fair to say that some of the situations that will arise are telegraphed ahead of time, but that adds rather than detracts from the tension - after all, aren't all satisfying meals in some ways connected to anticipation?

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Given the state of the things, it's fair to say that some of the situations that will arise are telegraphed ahead of time, but that adds rather than detracts from the tension - after all, aren't all satisfying meals in some ways connected to anticipation?

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The focus on bright colours and sparkles makes it easily accessible to young viewers.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The focus on bright colours and sparkles makes it easily accessible to young viewers.

~ Jennie Kermode -

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 -

The film unfolds at an easy pace, Hansen-Løve making everything matter of fact and yet beguiling, thereby softening viewers up to accept the fantastic or surreal aspects of the narrative as normal.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The film unfolds at an easy pace, Hansen-Løve making everything matter of fact and yet beguiling, thereby softening viewers up to accept the fantastic or surreal aspects of the narrative as normal.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The interplay of the spiritual and the sensual is vital here.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The interplay of the spiritual and the sensual is vital here.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Branagh has an easy way with a camera and isn't afraid of sentiment, but he offsets this with a good line in comedy that cuts through the softer stuff like an astringent.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Branagh has an easy way with a camera and isn't afraid of sentiment, but he offsets this with a good line in comedy that cuts through the softer stuff like an astringent.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Directing with confidence and misdirecting with grace, Paxton draws us into a world where the absence of apparent solutions becomes compelling in itself.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Directing with confidence and misdirecting with grace, Paxton draws us into a world where the absence of apparent solutions becomes compelling in itself.

~ Jennie Kermode -

At times, the dialogue is well done, scores points. At other times, it felt like we had wandered into a Socratic symposium.

~ Jane Fae -

At times, the dialogue is well done, scores points. At other times, it felt like we had wandered into a Socratic symposium.

~ Jane Fae -

Many doors are not very open, they give us merely a little glimpse into a strange world.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

Many doors are not very open, they give us merely a little glimpse into a strange world.

~ Anne-Katrin Titze -

The problems with gun violence in Chicago are well documented, so the directors don't have to do much to set the scene here, which means they can immediately shift the focus to the men at the projects' heart.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The problems with gun violence in Chicago are well documented, so the directors don't have to do much to set the scene here, which means they can immediately shift the focus to the men at the projects' heart.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

As a whole, it appears way too kinetically ostentatious for its own sake, sadly making it less than the sum of its parts, but there are things to appreciate here.

~ Nikola Jovic -

As a whole, it appears way too kinetically ostentatious for its own sake, sadly making it less than the sum of its parts, but there are things to appreciate here.

~ Nikola Jovic -

8 Bar makes light work of sketching the conditions that shaped the music, betraying a canny understanding of the music industry’s politics, as well as the changing shape of music sales in the 00s.

~ Sunil Chauhan -

8 Bar makes light work of sketching the conditions that shaped the music, betraying a canny understanding of the music industry’s politics, as well as the changing shape of music sales in the 00s.

~ Sunil Chauhan -

Opting for the single-take scenes, usually in wider shots from a distance, signals artistic formal rigour.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

In line with his economic storytelling, Russell has a gift for conveying little details through subtle performance notes where other filmmakers might telegraph intent.

~ Jeremy Mathews -

A thoughtful consideration of not just physical prowess but the emotional agility and resilience demonstrated by those growing up in Gaza.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Along with Vladimir Gojun’s progressively rhythmic editing and Julij Zornik’s subjective sound design, the filmmaker takes us right into the protagonist’s, and therefore any and every teenager’s head.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

We Believe You works to perfection thanks to the dedication and stellar directing, acting and technical work.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

When you get old, hope you find someone who looks at you the way Mascaro looks at Tereza and Roberta.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There’s an anarchic silliness about it which suits the science fiction setting, an openness to having fun and delivering a story unselfconsciously, on its own terms.

~ Jennie Kermode -

As Blue Moon progresses it becomes clear that the one thing Hart really wants is to be wanted.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Ridley may not be in the top league of current action stars but she can handle herself, and she is at any rate more convincing as a former soldier than she is as a member of the working class.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Sandbag Dam is powered by stellar, deeply lived-in performances by the young and budding actors.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

The viewer has to be keyed into Akerman's cinematic language, how she portrays boredom, claustrophobia, isolation.

~ Donald Munro -

Fund encourages us to tune in to the energies of the trio, the subtle shifts of mood, shared moments of understanding or joy.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Without Blanche Gardin, who carries the whole film, The Incredible Snow Woman would be a mix of generic dramedy and equally generic comedy that simply tries too hard to send quirky and “subversive” vibes.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

An atmospheric, beguiling piece of work.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A pretty empty and tiresome experience.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

A collection of early films by Chantal Akerman.

~ Donald Munro -

Øverbye makes a compelling lead, taking on the chunks of voiceover without any problem but also excelling in terms of conveying her character’s moods via body languag

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A moody, unsettling piece.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A sometimes compelling, often baffling work that doesn’t really solve the inherent problem of its subject matter, but swings for the fences trying.

~ Jeremy Mathews -

With a lesser canine star, the film would not have worked, but Nala is sensational.

~ Jennie Kermode -

With a lesser canine star, the film would not have worked, but Nala is sensational.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is a film that seems somehow subtly different every time you watch it, full of tantalising possibilities.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s an anarchic mess – the sort of film the Joker himself might have made, and that’s part of its triumph.

~ Jennie Kermode -

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

~ 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 -

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 -

Hodierne handles the blend of styles within the film with a laid back confidence that makes it easy to lower one’s guard at the wrong moments.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Ridley may not be in the top league of current action stars but she can handle herself, and she is at any rate more convincing as a former soldier than she is as a member of the working class.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Nobody plays lazy like Jeff Bridges. You could say he was born to it. Or rather, he's such a good actor he makes it look as natural as an unmade bed.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -