Riza is an interesting character study in which badness takes on a worryingly ambiguous mantle. Its merit is the ambiguous questions and awkward character study it presents.
A selfish man undertakes a complicated journey which might teach him the value of doing the right thing.
It’s hard to say which is worse: the plot additions that amount to self-parody or the stilted pacing.
A re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet, taking place through their cell phones, in a mash-up of Shakespearean dialogue with current social media communication.
The language of scents is used effectively to remind viewers that even at a more primitive level, there are choices, different ways of experiencing and reacting to the world.
A Middle Eastern militant wakes up in the Syrian desert, the lone survivor of a IED explosion. Badly concussed and out of supplies, he must reach an outpost soon -- but he can't remember which faction of the war he was fighting for.
I'm trying hard not to spoil a film which has plot beats that are so obvious and familiar it might as well be blasting them out on bagpipes.
With the world on the brink of war a young woman dreams of a world and a life away from the harsh land and strict religion of her Hebridean island home.
Elizabeth Grullon does so much heavy lifting in these scenes that she goes up a weight class, and frankly she deserves better.
Three friends take a road trip to the Mojave desert where their complicated relationships are pushed to their breaking point as the group encounters a reclusive, murderous cult.
The film is a charmer, full of wonder at the world.
A documentary following a young man who decides to leave his office job behind and travel down the west coast of the Americas in search of a better way of living.
The film is at its strongest in the scenes between Crowe and Blanchett, as Marion - both no-nonsense in attitude - as they spar verbally and bring some much-needed humour to the discourse.
This is low budget medieval grunge. The outlaw camp consists of half a dozen sheets hung from trees in the middle of a wood: the Sheriff's castle is an obvious ruin.
With his true love captured by the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, the legendary Robin Hood and his crew of outlaws execute a daring rescue to save her.
Ditching the satirical elements for a more straightforward sci-fi 'issues' approach, Padhila goes for a more serious minded investigation of the man-machine control conundrum.
When a police officer is critically injured he is brought back to life as a cyborg and celebrated as the future of law enforcement.
Jake Schreier and scriptwriter Christopher Ford go well beyond the initial fun of the robot conceit to craft a thoughtful film musing on both the ageing process and our relationship with technology.
A curmudgeonly OAP's kids install a robot as his caretaker.
There's a subtlety to all this that speaks well of Meyer's thoughtfulness - she never goes for easy options such as having one character be prejudiced against the other, instead simply allowing a respectful attitude to grow into an increasingly strengthening bond.
An actor forges and unlikely friendship with the woman assigned to provide him with security.
Fletcher and his star Taron Egerton fling themselves flamboyantly into John’s life, riffing on events, giving them a surreal spin but always keeping how John is feeling about each moment front and centre.
A musical fantasy reimagining of Elton John's early success, addiction and rehab.
The camera is, literally, down with the kids, at their eye level, drinking in their mayhem, their laughter and their viewpoint.
A young girl is determined to keep the fact that there mother has left her and her younger brother alone from the authorities, through fear of being separated from him.
Most interesting for its nicely balanced performances.
Jesus and Maria José live together in the grand house that belonged to their recently deceased father. Their playful routine is disrupted when Magdalena, their half-sister on their dad’s side, returns from Spain asking for her part of the inheritance which they have no intention of sharing.
A very personal film that takes on big themes almost incidentally, Rock The Casbah is remarkable for the balance it strikes between Israeli and Arab perspectives, often deriving sly humour from the otherwise tragic culture clash.
A young Israeli soldier is killed in a guerilla attack in Gaza, with a profound effect on those left behind.
There’s no denying that the film’s polemical message is still relevant today, but it’s an old argument, didactically constructed.
Portmanteau film in which four directors “limit themselves to recounting the joyous beginning of the end of the world”. Out to own as part of Pier Pasolini Volume One box set.
The writer/director casts his net wide, taking inspiration from auteurs like John Boorman and Sam Peckinpah through to freeze-frame moments that could slot straight into TV detective dramas of the time.
Violence is sparked on the eve of Argentina's dictatorship.
For most of its length, RokuRoku feels like an anthology film, a series of bizarre incidents in which puny humans come up against supernatural foes, but if you pay attention you'll begin to notice that all these tales are linked.
Two recently reunited former schoolmates try to find out what's behind a bizarre and deadly series of supernatural events.
Combining slick digital look with the look of various antique formats, from DV to super-8, Simón creates her very own smooth blend.
Marina, 18, orphaned at a young age, must travel to Spain’s Atlantic coast to obtain a signature for a scholarship application from the paternal grandparents she has never met.
The plot here is simple, with room for just a few snappy twists, but what makes the film work is the combination of its very deliberate style and the supreme confidence of its delivery.
A invitation to cross sexual boundaries leads a troubled young man into a dangerous world.
This performance element - full of smoke and sweat as well as all the notes - gives the film life and rhythm that takes it beyond the realm of simple Wikipedia history.
A chronicle of the life of saxophonist Ronnie Scott, from poor, Jewish kid growing up in 1940s East End, London to the owner of the legendary night club, Ronnie’s.
News and features
News & Features
Going ape
Antonin Niclass on character creation, empathy and animated short Into The Forest
Freeform
Will Niava on grief, new immigrant experiences and Jazz Infernal
In silence
Emir Kumova on child marriage in Türkiye, moral challenges and making The Witness
