Short film review archive

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I — 79 results

• The Ice Plant (2007)

  Review preview for The Ice Plant

  This is a touching little film.

  A new employee adjusts to an unusual job.
• Ian (2018)

  Review preview for Ian

  The restrained approach taken to the bullying serves as a reminder that for lonely children laughter can hurt as much as a beating.

  The animated story of a disabled boy who longs to play with other children.
• Ice Merchants (2022)

  Review preview for Ice Merchants

  Hand drawn using just four colours of ink, the film’s simple lines convey a great deal of movement and expression.

  Every day, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house, attached to a cliff, to go to the village on the ground, far away where they sell the ice they produce daily.
• The Ice Tower (2025)

  Review preview for The Ice Tower

  Cotillard is at her very best as a character we see only from the sidelines – earthy and opinionated in flashes, yet frozen by her art.

  Colder than ice, her kiss pierces the heart ... The 1970s. Jeanne, a young runaway, falls under the spell of Cristina, the enigmatic star of The Snow Queen, a film which is being shot in the studio where Jeanne has taken refuge.
• Ida (2019)

  Review preview for Ida

  Gjesing is exceptional.

  An 8-year-old girl tries to cope in the shadow of her mother's alcoholism.
• Idrish (2021)

  Review preview for Idrish

  An act of scholarship, contrast.

  Found footage and archival sound come together as an urgent and potent piece of anti-deportation activism.
• If Anything Happens I Love You (2020)

  Review preview for If Anything Happens I Love You

  There's a nice idea here and it's sustained well.

  In the aftermath of tragedy, two grieving parents journey through an emotional void as they mourn the loss of a child.
• If Only I Was Simone De Beauvoir (2010)

  Review preview for If Only I Was Simone De Beauvoir

  There's something interesting here, but it's an arch construct without foundation.

  Experimental short.
• If We Dead Awaken (2012)

  Review preview for If We Dead Awaken

  This is a strong film, an indicator of the talent of both writer and director.

  A former KGB agent seeks out the ballerina he loved, but he cannot escape the past.
• Impossible Figures And Other Stories I (2021)

  Review preview for Impossible Figures And Other Stories I

  Pajek's animation is striking, pencilled lines and negative spaces creating something distinctive and delightful.

  Following an explosion, a mysterious and elegant elderly woman wanders deserted city streets, recalling what was and what could have been.
• I'm Not A Robot (2023)

  Review preview for I'm Not A Robot

  I’m Not A Robot displays sharp comic timing and is highly effective in balancing the horror and the humour inherent in Lara’s situation.

  After repeatedly failing captcha tests, a music producer becomes obsessed with a disturbing question: could she be a robot?
• I'm Not Neo (2025)

  Review preview for I'm Not Neo

  The framing doesn't represent the protest so much as puts you inside its optics.

  Drama student Temo is among the occupiers of the Theater and Film University in Tbilisi, becoming a prominent face of the anti-government protests in Georgia.
• Incident By A Bank (2009)

  Review preview for Incident By A Bank

  As a feat it's impressive and as a film it's entertaining.

  A failed bank heist comedy, which takes place in one meticulously choreographed scene.
• Infectious Nihilism And Small Metallic Pieces Of Hope (2021)

  Review preview for Infectious Nihilism And Small Metallic Pieces Of Hope

  There's a whole set of semiotics, tracksuits and jackets, Berghaus and Buckfast.

  An impressionable youngster is thrust into a dangerous and adult world when he is initiated into a gang made up of older locals.
• Inhale (2024)

  Review preview for Inhale

  A key merit is the accurate portrayal of young girls’ shame over womanhood in a male-centered society.

  Shortly before her most important swimming competition, 13-year-old Nino discovers something new about herself.
• Inheritance (2021)

  Review preview for Inheritance

  An evocative, atmospheric film which packs a lot into its short runtime.

  When she comes of age, a young woman discovers that the place where she lives is haunted.
• Instead Of Abracadabra (2008)

  Review preview for Instead Of Abracadabra

  At once poignant, disturbing and at times, hilarious.

  A magician's big break beckons.
• Interference (2005)

  Review preview for Interference

  As a historic artefact of past creativity it stands up well.

  When a late-night DJ receives a call, may not be quite all it initially seems.
• Interview With The Earth (2008)

  Review preview for Interview With The Earth

  Doesn't quite pull it off.

  Documenting how people in a Mexican Indian village cope with death.
• Into The Night (2020)

  Review preview for Into The Night

  . Tarabura matches Krysia's energy step for step, with an unexpected lengthy twirl on a kids' roundabout shoved by Majka pushing the film into its more kinetic second half as Patrik Kin's cinematography propels us along with it.

  A teenage girl with little interest in life follows another girl on impulse and has an adventure.
• The Invaders (2017)

  Review preview for The Invaders

  Elsalihie is good in the central role, conveying not just terror but the sense of despair that comes from knowing there's nowhere to run.

  A young Muslim woman is followed on her way home.
• Invincible (2022)

  Review preview for Invincible

  In the span of 30 minutes, René-Lortie shows us Marc’s intelligence, his creativity, his passion – shows us how much he has to contribute to the world.

  The last 48 hours in the life of Marc-Antoine Bernier, a 14-year-old boy on a desperate quest for freedom. Based on a true story.
• In A Pig's Eye (2010)

  Review preview for In A Pig's Eye

  There is a beauty to it, a sort of quasi-legendary feel, a tickling, yawning surrealism.

  A quiet little Japanese farm is dominated by an enormous pig.
• In A Whisper (2025)

  Review preview for In A Whisper

  Gonçalves’ film is one that lives in the moment.

  Portrait of Belgian figure skater Nina Pinzarrone
• In Girum (2008)

  Review preview for In Girum

  A clever and interesting fusion of sound and image.

  Fourth in a series of short film collaborations between electroacoustic composer Dr Tim Howle and the filmmaker.
• In My Network (2021)

  Review preview for In My Network

  The recursively unreal spaces are an environment produced by external constraints.

  Recalling the endless scrolling of social networks, a camera shifts from space to space, settling on the profiles of various young people.
• In Paris Parks (1954)

  Review preview for In Paris Parks

  Like a loving home video.

  An exploration of children's experiences in the park.
• In Passing (2023)

  Review preview for In Passing

  A masterpiece of cinematic efficiency.

  A burnt-out chef struggles to navigate her growing resentment towards her romantic partner, a fledgling painter.
• In The Absence (2019)

  Review preview for In The Absence

  As the story progresses it becomes increasingly absurd, but it's all well evidenced.

  A documentary about the sinking of the MV Sewol off the coast of South Korea in 2015.
• In The Fall (2018)

  Review preview for In The Fall

  A stunning film.

  Faced with the ageing of his faithful workhorse, a man is forced to confront his own mortality and consider a sacrifice to ensure his family's survival.
• In The Meadow (2010)

  Review preview for In The Meadow

  From a gentle start In The Meadow gets very dark, very quickly.

  A middle-aged man and his young mistress head for a birthday picnic in the countryside. At least, that's the plan.
• In The Shadow Of The Cypress (2023)

  Review preview for In The Shadow Of The Cypress

  A mixed methods approach using mostly hand drawn animation with traditional Persian motifs keeps the focus on the narrative, and visual layering reflects the layers in the story.

  Living in a house by the sea with his daughter, a former captain who has post-traumatic stress disorder leads a tough and secluded life.
• In The Soil (2021)

  Review preview for In The Soil

  It is not just in vision that there is quality.

  Karoline’s life is turned upside down when her father, Kjeld, manically starts digging a pit in their backyard.
• Iranian Yellow Pages (2024)

  Review preview for Iranian Yellow Pages

  Snowball adds movement and colour to her film with kaleidoscopic animation, and makes good use of framing to ensure we really look at Reza directly and consider his life.

  An Iranian migrant to London dreams of creating a soup business.
• Éiru (2025)

  Review preview for Éiru

  A handsomely presented Irish fable whose visual structure is bound together by traditional Celtic designs.

  When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan's village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it.
• Island In Between (2023)

  Review preview for Island In Between

  What really makes this film appealing...is the way in which Liang weaves together the personal and the political.

  A personal perspective on the recent history of Kinmen, which lies between Taiwan and China.
• Isle Of Us (2020)

  Review preview for Isle Of Us

  An emotionally intelligent film that captures the contours of a life transplanted.

  Portrait of a Syrian barber and his family who now live on the Isle of Bute.
• It's Nice In Here (2022)

  Review preview for It's Nice In Here

  Koeyers lets ideas flow over one another, like raindrops joining each other as they roll down glass.

  A young girl and a cop recall the same fateful night.
• Ivalu (2022)

  Review preview for Ivalu

  It’s the specificity of these vignettes which gives the film its intensity, as much as the shadow hanging over the search.

  Ivalu is gone. Her little sister is desperate to find her. Her father does not care. The vast Greenlandic landscape holds secrets.
• Ivan's Land (2021)

  Review preview for Ivan's Land

  Lysetskyi’s approach is direct yet also artistic.

  Documentary about folk artist Ivan Prykhodko.
• I Am (2021)

  Review preview for I Am

  Wakivuamina skillfully strips out emotion from her performance whilst Hagen lets us see the depth of Noé’s pain, the extent of her need.

  A woman finds a damaged android in the forest and takes it home. They form an uneasy relationship.
• I Gotta Look Good For The Apocalypse (2021)

  Review preview for I Gotta Look Good For The Apocalypse

  At under six minutes Kartal's piece can only gloss over what amount to highlights.

  Our world is being drained of its substance and digital life forms are multiplying, like these couples who meet in a virtual universe.
• I Love Paris (2026)

  Review preview for I Love Paris

  This incorporates a great deal more petulance and whining than the average mockumentary, but is sufficiently astute in its observations to remain entertaining.

  After being transformed into a vampire, a Parisian singer pursues stardom at the cost of her soul.
• I Love Sarah Jane (2008)

  Review preview for I Love Sarah Jane

  Breathing life and spirit into the undead.

  A 13-year-old will stop at nothing to win the heart of the girl of his dreams.
• I Own A Carousel (2011)

  Review preview for I Own A Carousel

  A jealous castle in time, falsity piled upon artifice, circular and fleeting.

  A meditation on hidden, unused treasure.
• I Saw The Face Of God In The Jet Wash (2025)

  Review preview for I Saw The Face Of God In The Jet Wash

  As a ramble through ephemera, it won’t be for everyone but there’s a beguiling quality to many of the moments.

  An experimental collage of ephemera and memory from the filmmaker's travels.
• I See A Darkness (2023)

  Review preview for I See A Darkness

  There is a willful experimentalism at the core of the film, an invitation to look and look again until the familiar becomes strange, until one notices something different.

  Shot in Paris, Death Valley, and the Nevada nuclear test site, this film essay examines the complex historical relationship between photography, cinema and science.
• I Told My Mum I Was On An R.E. Trip (2018)

  Review preview for I Told My Mum I Was On An R.E. Trip

  The frankness of these stories means that many viewers will find something they can relate to.

  An exploration of issues around abortion, based on real-life interview recordings.
• I Wake Up Screaming (2019)

  Review preview for I Wake Up Screaming

  The experience is a reminder of the comparative naivety of audiences past and the way that cinema has been forced to keep evolving in order to keep viewers on their toes.

  Found footage from a little-seen horror film is reconstructed and given a new score.
• I Wanted To Hear Your Voice (2025)

  Review preview for I Wanted To Hear Your Voice

  The film’s greatest strength lies in its refusal to separate caregiving from the emotional contradictions it entails.

  A man cares for his mother as dementia gradually takes away her independence, preserving their bond through the small rituals of everyday life.