Edinburgh International Film Festival — A–Z of films

The cinematography is quite beautiful and makes great use of the African scenery and landscapes.

A short and interesting novelty.

If this is a true representation of what Russian reform schools can achieve, it is remarkable.

In essence, the story of the indomitable nature of the human spirit, the resilience and commitment of a few to help the many and a triumph of hope in adversity.

The film is made with commitment, even passion, and the terror tactics are effective until the plot loses itself in a miasmic mist of incomprehension.

Not long into this documentary, you begin to think in double punctuation marks, namely ?!

Everything about this film is rough and ready...but fans of Gorillaz will doubtless enjoy its edge.

Hopkins marks himself out as a man of unique vision who isn't afraid to try something different to encourage an audience to think.

A great story, however flawed.

Clarke uses lyrical camera panning and superimposition to create a non-linear sense of movement.

Clarke at her most experimental, making a ‘dance’ without the use of dancers.

The dancer lacks the passion necessary to mirror the intensity of the bullfight.

Roache acquits himself well, but the rest of the cast clearly struggle with the awful dialogue.

Although the original story must have had room for being a major hit, Sacha Baron Cohen it isn’t.

Fearlessly reaches outside the box.

The unknown gap between a given input and output.

For the first hour, I was spellbound by its audacity, the thumbing at convention, and never knowing where it was going next.

Never quite hits the mark.

Sawalha excels as the mouse who at least contemplates a roar as he tries to make a difference in the lives of his young audience.

Though this is a funny, engaging film, I found myself asking how much of it is in good faith and how much is deliberate hyperbole for the camera.

You really believe that you are there with these people, living in their world.

Completely incoherent.

Inquisitive and bright children of all ages will surely love the lusciously produced and imaginative animation.

Dance In The Sun has a single-pointedness of intention, perfectly executed.

The didactic attitudes to pleasure of the day are one of the reasons that Vadim’s original Dangerous Liaisons works better than in more modern interpretations.

Much of the story is smoke and mirrors in terms of fact, but this is pitched more at romance fans than Houdini addicts.

It is Buñuel's acerbic vision of all that is wrong, in all layers of society, that is so chilling.

As paper-thin friendships tear apart and allegiances ebb and flow, the body count climbs in a spirited and inventive fashion.

While the movie has some interesting ideas, the acting from the leads really lets it down.

It's the bare faced pretension of the exercise that overwhelms.

This film is adapted from a stage play by Eugene O'Brien and has made the transition to screen very smoothly.

Possibly the best British film of the year.

What he’s talking about and looking for is oddity masquerading as normality.

The trouble is that the action never quite gels as it should.

It was a bore, and, thankfully, it was short.

Every time you try stir up the mental agility to try get from A to B of this metaphysical conundrum, you reach: Why?

This is director Vito Rocco’s feature film debut and he passes with flying colours.

That Chianin has the courage to chase 'the story' rather than take the easier and expected route is to be commended

Fear(s) of the Dark is a collection of great animations, but while each of its chapters are great, the overall film doesn't gel brilliantly.

To see it on any screen other than the biggest you can is to do yourself a disservice, and to miss it is to miss a masterpiece.

Initiation is one of the most creative dance pieces I have ever witnessed.

The film is as refined as toasted frog's spawn, only spicier. It is genuinely funny, which is a rarity these days, and for that be giggleful.

Maurice Ronet gives a towering performance.

This is not a film seeking resolution, but a snapshot of life, inviting scrutiny.

It made me shudder every time it eked out a chuckle.

A charming and worthwhile festival film.

Despite dealing with some very heavy issues Palka has a surprisingly light touch, levening the more bleak moments with some rich, dark comedy.

Director Timor Britva has done his best to tell this story with documentary impartiality, but the situation makes that almost impossible.

The film resembles a portrait in stillness, as the fate of the alleged victim is replaced in the mind of the audience by the reality of this other girl’s life.

A thoughtful and contemplative film.

Like a loving home video.

Restricted by budget, and talky and cumbersome in places but bears flashes of brilliance that remind you just who is in control of the action.

A solid set of programming featuring a couple of gems.

You feel your will to live give a whimper, make its excuses and start heading for the bar.

Jesus Christ Saviour is more a challenging and interesting curio for fans of Kinski and Herzog's collaborations than a movie in its own right.

A beautifully shot fun romp that isn't afraid to question received ideals of morality and find them wanting.

Jim Finn’s awkwardly placed film is unsettling by its approach as well as its subject matter.

What begins as an amusingly dysfunctional take on the coming-of-age drama... founders when the tone switches to something much darker.

The animation is exquisitely timed for terrific comic impact.

As the film progresses the voice-over - and, indeed, the music - begin to compete far too much with the action.

Utterly bonkers but brimming with ingenuity.

The filmmakers keep you wondering about the characters and their motives throughout.

Riklis has made a wise choice in turning real life political drama into a simple human interest story.

The freak show element is never far from the surface of the plot, if, indeed, there is one.

In this very impressive debut from Louis Malle, the small budget proves no impediment to delivering a taut thriller.

It is frequently not what you see but what you hear which holds the horror.

Arsenijevic succeeds for the most part, by keeping the more whimsical moments tramelled in by a brassy soundtrack and careful editing, and use of colour that accentuates the bleak as well as the blossom.

The film is as fresh as it was in 1958. As challenging as it was then. And as beautiful.

The art direction is simultaneously gorgeous (beautiful lighting and well-crafted sets), yet lumpen, curved and ugly, as though exorcised from an exaggerated Expressionistic dream.

Apart from the femme-fatale-in-overdrive aspect of this film, it is also visually satisfying in every possible way.

This little gem has a narrative structure that Hollywood movies seem to have forgotten how to employ - all the ingredients for a classic thriller are here.

The feel of this film is sumptuous - convincingly recreated mid-century sets, an evocative soundtrack, gorgeous gowns for the women and smart suits for the guys.

Taken in its own terms Mechanical Love is a success, though I found myself drifting into avenues that are left unexplored at times whilst watching it.

Its sense of humour and verve are enough to commend it to any viewer.

Guinevere is the only well-developed character and the whole thing has an air of prettiness and predictability.

Problems that only seem like problems to folk under the age of 25 and the hint of forbidden sexual fruit are not enough to hold the interest.

More contrived than Clarke's ‘pure dance’ shorts.

A savage deconstruction of Thatcherite beliefs in family.

Certainly an honest portrait, but it only looks so closely.

When Davies says “The world was young and oh, how we laughed,” he sounds like Death waiting to take it all away.

The Order of Myths is more than a look at the celebration of Mardi Gras, it's a deep gaze into the history and the people of Mobile.

The scripting and performances are well-judged and Ian Clark keeps things running like clockwork.

Pageant is a little more mainstream than might have been hoped, but it's still an entertaining portrait of some wonderfully larger than life characters, a mind blowing amount of effort and an incredible desire to win.

It would be hard not to enjoy the company of these two. They give marriage a good name.

Some sections of the film feel like a soapbox for her to stand on, to proselytize her personal politics; to bolster her image as a radical poet.

A film you'll never forget.

There are films that stick with you. Ones that make an impression even if it wasn’t a pleasant one. This is maybe one of those.

Cineastes should delight in the opportunity to behold the work of a pioneer.

Cox delivers the best onscreen monologue seen outside of a Shakespeare adaptation for years.

Clarke’s portrayal of Frost is loving and respectful, while also seeming to bring out the essence of the man.

After a slow and largely laugh-free start, this does build up a reasonable head of steam, with enough smart lines and well-timed physical comedy to keep its head above water.

Essential viewing for anyone seriously interested in Clarke's movies.

Probably one of the most disturbing ‘issues’ films you could watch.

Proving that Scotland can hold it's own when it comes to documentary making.

An uninspired, disappointing quartet.

A strong selection.

Even when the attacker is revealed, momentum keeps going and we can enjoy a mix of terror with fairly down-to-earth explanations.

The unlikely phrase, 'a thermos full of warm oysters,' used to describe the supposedly attractive qualities of a feverish vagina, may just give rise to a whole new sexual fetish.

Skyscraper shows a master filmmaker taking a seemingly random subject and re-creating it with a depth and sense of awe that enriches the world around us.

Made on a minuscule budget the feature took eight years to get from script to screen, one wonders how much more innovative it might have seemed back those eight years.

The farmers are not in good condition. They look tired and their equipment looks exhausted.

The technical expertise and fast turnaround in this movie is stunning.

Well made, given the circumstances, and well produced, given the inexperience of those involved.

It is hard to imagine three minutes that could leave you gripped so hard with so little.

There is nothing wrong with shoestring budgets and ordinary effects, but without imagination they look ridiculous.

I was reminded of Steve Reich’s work.

Interesting to a point, but feels as though deeper digging is needed to really get to the heart of the attraction.

Meadows' film oozes quality. The scripting feels natural and, thanks to long takes, Meadows is able to get the best performances from his young leads.

As usual, Majidi’s characters speak much more through the environments they inhabit than through dialogue, allowing his films to be easily understood worldwide.

Morris has certainly achieved a gloss that Kennedy's previous work lacked but at a cost to the factual content.

A brief trip into shortbread-tin Scotland.

Summer is sublime.

Superficially Summer Hours is an examination of the emotional fallout from the death of a loved mother, but digging deeper reveals insightful comment on nostalgia, mortality, property and family.

While the lighter sections are wonderful to watch, the film doesn't fare as well when dealing with more serious portions of the story.

The directors have an enviable lightness of touch and a serious eye for the cinematic.

Theatre groupies will adore the incestuous ambience, while those in outer darkness won’t be changing their prejudices about arts and farts in a hurry.

We likewise learn little directly about the women's lives after they have finished their service, other than what they wish to tell us. And it is here that the genius of the film is most in evidence.

An awful lot of fun if you like that sort of thing.

One increasingly unlikely incident follows another, saddling the characters with exceptionally dumb behaviour and silly dialogue until the whole thing goes off the rails.

Welles – who felt this was the best movie he ever made – evokes the feeling of menacing, disorientating bureaucracy, of the senselessness of our existence, of inexplicable and inescapable threat.

A bit like watching geniuses goofing around on acid. Or sewing the seeds of the future.

It may not be flashy but there are flashes of cleverness sparkling throughout.

Time To Leave is at times laboured, but it is an intelligent film.

Like a precursor to the Performance Art of Laurie Anderson.

The Upsetter is must see film for fans of Dub and Reggae who want to learn about the roots of the music as told by one of its forefathers.

Perhaps the most horrifying aspect of the film is what it reveals about US culture and society more broadly.

McCarthy’s script is spot-on, enchanting us with its characters and giving us food for thought with its wry comment on our world of immigrants and neighbour-strangers.

Unlike many lightweight mainstream films, its dominant ideologies are refreshingly subversive.

The problem is one of shifting tone - and one alarming change of character - which mean that despite the central tenet you can't help feeling that you are watching films about different men.

What really hold the attention in this playful comedy are the central perfomances.

A charming pastiche of the whole SF genre.

The bad guys act like good guys acting like bad guys, which means you don’t know who is good and who is bad and quite soon it doesn’t matter.

The message is clear and the message is strong: How To Build A Fascist Movement works.

Despicable things have always made good musicals.

Drawing pathos from an audience for what is an inescapable plight for the family, there is little to do but feel for the young girl whose precociousness and indomitable spirit keep things watchable

The content and the editing of this documentary are sharp... Poignant and a call to action.