Karlovy Vary International Film Festival — A–Z of films

Herriman is perfect in the lead.

Immensely satisfying and riveting.

This photographic formula may sound as restrictive as it is perscriptive but Thamrongrattanarit has a light approach to his ideas of memory and recollection, weaving moments of comedy and poignancy into his sweet if slight drama.

Lowery's nostalgia works because it is so sincere and does not question America's fascination with Bonnie and Clyde as an excuse for bad deeds.

As a partnership of writer and actor, it is as close to perfection as is possible to witness.

'An effective and realistic examination of a world where intelligent and privileged characters have reached near-adulthood without having any real understanding of basic morality.'

Drawing from real life events, Tanic's docudrama gains its power from the emotionally stirring scenario and all-round naturalistic performances, which feel infused with greater honesty given that a version of this nightmare has been played out in real lif

It is quite something to witness Douglas and Damon embrace the characters quite so authentically.

Zaman is not looking to rush to judgement of his characters but to explore what makes them tick and give a feel for how traditions get passed down the generations.

The story-telling is low key and muted, as befits the characters, but the unremitting sense of melancholia weighs heavily on the film and the viewer.

Buy It Now is rare in being a film about teenagers which portrays them realistically and manages to do so without being offensive to a young audience.

An inward, austere examination of ideas of madness, empathy and the creative impulse.

All of it is so beautifully observed it is as waking from a childhood fever to demolish half a volume of Grimm before hallucinatory somnambulance washes once more over.

In some ways she may be a monster, but Netzer and co-writer Radulescu find a path for Cornelia that steers clear of outright condemnation. Her tragic devotion to her son is so absolute that she retains our pity.

The more problematic aspects of the film stem from a narrative that cannot sustain the inventiveness of the central conceit and which peters out before the end.

The real comedic heart of the film is with the still-kicking Brit-veteran oldies.

As usual, Haneke never lets us forget the artifice of what we are watching.

Will best reward those who are prepared to pay attention and stick with its twirls and pirouettes until the complex pay-off.

A brilliant central performance from Robin Weigert.

With such a fascinating subject, it's hard for a documentary to go wrong.

Pete Travis works hard to bring John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's apocalyptic vision to life.

Rebollo, reinvents the Road Movie, just as Leos Carax does in Holy Motors.

With astute social commentary interwoven in these personal dramas, this is a film whose cruellest joke is on its title character.

This invigorating tone poem is far more difficult to describe than it is to sit through.

A kaleidoscopic sequence explores questions of identity through some of the trippiest black and white imagery you'll have seen on the big screen for a long time.

Falls just shy of a state of perfection.

You can enter through the objects, like an Eames chair or three pairs of Ray Bans, bought online. Or through the religious conflict inherent in a bacon bagel.

Raaphorst and scriptwriter Chris W Mitchell seem so proud of the look that they completely forget that a film also needs to have a decent plot and characters lying beneath the costumes.

The film takes an even-handed view of its main protagonist, illustrating faults on both sides of the divide.

Gloria has the instincts of an eagle and the courage to fly.

A flowing, lyrical film, at times startlingly beautiful, The Golden Dream hypnotises the viewer with its constant movement, its unceasing rhythm.

Wong Kar Wai knows how to frame faces like no other, with embroidered collars, white straw fedoras, a rowdy monkey, cotton flowers and words escaping lips that are like song.

Sorrentino dares to tread where the great have gone before and leaves his own distinctive mark.

The nature of Harry Dean Stanton means that no documentary is ever going to get underneath his skin, yet director Sophie Huber does manage to crack his defensive wall on occasion.

Its sure-footed direction, its invention and its heart are all infatuating.

Stark, beautifully observed, genuinely captivating, A Hijacking grabs its audience and does not let go.

Although other films have dealt with the subject of euthanasia none so far has looked at the emotional difficulties of the perpetrator.

Hřebejk's pacing is perfect with each revelation timed to intrigue and pull you further into the mystery.

The film shows how easily an individual can be domestically, emotionally, politically and legally marginalised.

A movie that lets you be the judge of inappropriate behaviors and risks worth taking.

The photography is stunning and many of the set pieces are visually exciting.

The nagging thought during the 90 minutes is how far two these one-time Hollywood’s A-listers have fallen.

Shuttling back and forth between the families, Like Father, Like Son scrutinises words, deeds, allegiances.

Part farce, part political commentary, part soul-searching device.

The comedy shifts and jumps with ease from the wintry beach to the pool and into our hearts due to the acute timing of the performances.

Sheer unadulterated pleasure often comes from the most unexpected quarters.

As a moody, atmospheric study of paranoia, it is hard to beat.

The overkill threatens to bludgeon the much-loved book into an over-wrought exercise in style.

The film doesn’t seem to have much to say about racism, and even less about its potential links to family, class and gender – all of which hang in the background, threatening to force the filmmakers to make a more serious and challenging film.

Each of the performances adds to the whole but it's Won-sang Park who carries the film on his increasingly damaged shoulders.

This apparently meandering, unfocused story conceals an acutely observed portrait of a society in flux.

A well-shot and occasionally sweaty run around the same old block.

Pandas is gleeful, brutal, mischievous and funny.

Managing for the most part to avoid the clichés of portraying the gypsy milieu, it has the stamp of authenticity.

From Coca Cola as the perfect commodity, full of metaphysical reality ("The real thing!"), to the Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs with the toy inside... Fiennes and Zizek do their best to make theoretical concepts understandable.

The end result is a kind of funny/kind of sad character study that asks questions about our relationships with others and our environment.

Extremely engaging and frequently side-splittingly funny

Reprise is difficult to watch. It demonstrates an originality and energy which requires control to make sense of itself.

Given the limitations placed on directors by silent movies, Hitchcock achieves an enviable amount of nuance.

his film ingeniously lays a horror tale over what are, for the most part, perfectly normal events often experienced by pregnant women and it is its subtlety which is its strength.

Apart from Mike Eley's lustrous, lyrical cinematography, The Selfish Giant is also elevated by the central performances of Chapman and Thomas.

The performances of Kora Karvouni as Anna and Maria Skoula as Sophia are captivating.

There’s no reassurance to be found in this cold world but Campos’s talent for getting mood whistling abominably through your ears is worthy of admiration.

Roehler casts a distinctly critical and jaundiced eye over his compatriots across three generations but he leaves room for compassion and even a touch of sentimentality.

Overrated and extremely dated.

Few portrayals of autism spectrum disorders in film have ever had the authenticity of this.

The selection of songs shows an insider’s fervour.

What is not in doubt is the raw emotion in this work - from Polley quivering with nervous energy as she watches her father read some of the more revelatory pieces of script - to the visible impact airing the family's dirty linen in public has on her sibli

We're transported into a world of cinema; some of it is known, much of it unknown, which surely fires the imagination of any viewing cinephile.

The film doesn't really go anywhere but is nonetheless effective as a piece of contemplative art.

This Is Martin Bonner is undoubtedly a small film but it is finely crafted and has a big heart.

The pacing is slow and deliberate while this eccentric individual with a strong moral streak makes for a less than engaging lead character.

This is a showcase for ideas about new ways to approach the genre. In that regard, it is both entertaining and inventive.

Côté has always had a skill for subverting expectations and here he manages to slide his film from black comedy to outright horror with the smoothness of a snake.

A cracking film by a born filmmaker and I can’t wait to see what all involved in it do next.

The absurdly marvellous timing Haden Church has with Labrèche when they discuss glass eyes or the future, makes Whitewash also wonderfully, desperately funny.

Doubtless the director thought the style would serve its narrative but it only alienates.

Keeps holding out a promise of insight into its young protagonist's mentality and makeup, but ends up merely observing her from a cool distance, as if through the binoculars from the opening scene.