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Fantasia International Film Festival · 2023

Fantasia International Film Festival 2023

General Features

Programme

52 films · 32 reviews

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The Abandoned

A suicidal police officer discovers the body of a young Thai woman whose missing finger and heart point to murder. Then more bodies are found.

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2022; Director: Tseng Ying-Ting; Writer: Lin Pin Chun, Tseng Ying-Ting, Yang Yi-Chien; Stars: Ethan Juan, Chang Janine Chun-Ning, Chan Wei-min)

Apocalypse Clown

Review preview for Apocalypse Clown

Ireland is consistently knocking it out of the park with this sort of work, and other countries must be looking on in clownish envy.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
The tale of a troupe of failed clowns and an ambitious reporter who embark on a chaotic adventure of self-discovery after a mysterious solar event plunges the world into anarchy.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2023; Director: George Kane; Writer: Shane O’Brien, James Walmsley, Demian Fox; Stars: David Earl, Natalie Palamides, Amy De Bhrún, Fionn Foley, Tadhg Murphy, ivan Kaye)

Full review

Aporia

Review preview for Aporia

The performances are impressive all round.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Since losing her husband, Sophie has struggled to manage grief, a full-time job, and parenting her devastated daughter, but when a former physicist reveals a secret time-bending machine, Sophie will be faced with an impossible choice.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Jared Moshe; Writer: Jared Moshe; Stars: Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi, Payman Maadi, Faithe Herman)

Full review See: Interview with Jared Moshé about Aporia

As Long As We Both Shall Live (My Happy Marriage)

An unhappy young woman from an abusive family is married off to a fearsome and chilly army commander. But as the two learn more about each other, love may have a chance.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Ayuko Tsukahara; Writer: Akumi Agitogi, Tomoe Kanno, Tsukiho Tsukioka; Stars: Manabu Hamada, Shôhei Hino, Yusuke Hirayama, Mio Imada, Renji Ishibashi)

The Becomers

A romantic tale of two body-swapping aliens trying to find their place.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Zach Clark)

Blackout

Review preview for Blackout

What emerges is thoughtful and deeply humane, whilst retaining that sense of otherness essential to folkloric tales.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A fine arts painter becomes convinced that he is a werewolf, wreaking havoc on a small American town under the full moon.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Larry Fessenden; Writer: Larry Fessenden; Stars: Addison Timlin, Kevin Corrigan, James Le Gros, Barbara Crampton, Marshall Bell, Joe Swanberg, Ella Rae Peck)

Full review See: Interview with Larry Fessenden about Blackout

Booger

Review preview for Booger

A poignant study of the grieving process, Booger uses horror elements to explore disorientation and the acute insecurities that emerge from being suddenly alone.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
After she's she's bitten by her dead friend's cat, Booger, a woman's life starts to get stranger every day: she's hungry for canned fish, she keeps swallowing her hair, and her predator instincts are out of control.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Mary Dauterman; Writer: Mary Dauterman; Stars: Grace Glowici, Sofia Dobrushin, Marcia DeBonis, Garrick Bernard)

Full review See: Interview with Mary Dauterman about Booger

Daughter Of The Sun

A man with Tourette syndrome and his daughter join a community of friendly nomadic strangers whose kindness conceals a darker intention

(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Ryan Ward; Stars: Nyah Perkin, Lennox Leacock)

A Disturbance In The Force

Review preview for A Disturbance In The Force

The special itself may exert a certain fascination but this documentary reveals that there was much more going on behind the scenes.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
The story behind the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, which was watched by 13 million people but never re-aired and is considered one of the worst shows to ever air on TV.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak; Stars: Seth Green, Kevin Smith, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Bonnie Burton, Weird Al Yankovic, Bruce Vilanch, Gilbert Gottfried, Donny Osmond, Miki Herman)

Full review

Divinity

Review preview for Divinity

For all its faults, the film is pretty, and that will probably be enough for some viewers.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
Two mysterious brothers abduct a mogul during his quest for immortality. Meanwhile, a seductive woman helps them launch a journey of self-discovery.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Eddie Alcazar; Writer: Eddie Alcazar; Stars: Stephen Dorff, Moises Arias, Jason Genao, Karrueche Tran, Bella Thorne, Scott Bakula)

Full review

Eight Eyes

Review preview for Eight Eyes

Austin Jennings builds up his story from little details whilst viewers are gripped by the tension between the three leads.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
At the breaking point of their dysfunctional marriage, a couple take a trip through Serbia. After meeting a mysterious local who eagerly offers to be their guide, they embark on an impromptu sightseeing expedition that soon takes a series of sinister turns.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Austin Jennings; Writer: Austin Jennings; Stars: Emily Sweet, Brad Thomas, Bruno Veljanovski)

Full review

Empire V (Ampir V)

Review preview for Empire V

The satire isn’t subtle but has to balance the fact that much of what we see is essentially propaganda created by the vampire elite.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A film which chronicles how loader Roman Shtorkin becomes a vampire and receives the title of Rama II.

(Country: US, Russia; Year: 2023; Director: Victor Ginzburg; Writer: Victor Ginzburg, Viktor Pelevin; Stars: Igor Zhizhikin, Vladimir Epifantsev, Fedor Bondarchuk, Maxim Drozd, Marina Zudina)

Full review See: Interview with Victor Ginzburg about Viktor Pelevin and Empire V

Emptiness

Review preview for Emptiness

Cinematographer Thomas McNamara uses high ceilings and long shadows to give the subtle impression that the house is getting bigger and Suzanne smaller by comparison.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A lonely woman is looked after in a house where she is haunted by the shadows of her past.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Onur Karaman; Writer: Onur Karaman; Stars: Stephanie Breton, Anana Rydvald, Julie Trépanier, Marc Thibaudeau, Alexandre Dubois, Rebecca Rowley)

Full review

Fantastic Golem Affairs (El Fantástico Caso Del Golem)

Two friends find themselves on a rooftop terrace after an intense party in Madrid. Juan witnesses David falling to the void, and his body disintegrating into ceramic pieces after hitting a car.

(Country: Spain, Estonia; Year: 2023; Director: Juan González, Nando Martínez; Writer: Juan González, Nando Martínez; Stars: Brays Efe, David Menéndez, Luis Tosar, Bruna Cusí, Aimar Vega, Clara Sans)

Flaming Cloud (San Qui Qing Shi)

Cursed by mischievous deities with a sleep-inducing kiss, Sangui sets out on a journey to find a cure and his long-lost love in Liu Siyi’s début feature, a distinctive, whimsical and romantic fantasy.

(Country: China; Year: 2023; Director: Liu Siyi; Writer: Liu Siyi; Stars: Zhouu Ye, Chen Yao, Zhou Yiran, Hu Xianxu)

Insomniacs After School (Kimi Wa Hokago Insomnia)

Two insomniac students meet and start to spend their nights in an observatory together.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Chihiro Ikeda; Writer: Chihiro Ikeda, Makoto Ojiro, Izumi Takahashi; Stars: Nana Mori, Denden, Yuki Sakurai, Megumi, Masato Hagiwara, Minori Hagiwara)

In My Mother's Skin

Stranded in the Philippines during World War II, a young girl finds that her duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy.

(Country: Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan; Year: 2023; Director: Kenneth Dagatan; Writer: Kenneth Dagatan; Stars: Angeli Bayani, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, James Mavie Estrella, Beauty Gonzalez, Felicity Kyle Napuli)

It Lives Inside

Review preview for It Lives Inside

A superior quality horror film which amply justifies the hype it has attracted on the festival circuit, It Lives Inside is not to be missed.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Sam, an Indian-American teen, lives in an idyllic suburb with her conservative mother and her assimilated father. Sam’s cultural insecurities grow due to her estranged friend, Tamira, who mysteriously carries around an empty mason jar all the time. In a moment of anger, Sam breaks Tamira’s jar and unleashes an ancient Indian demonic force that kidnaps Tamira.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Bishal Dutta; Writer: Bishal Dutta, Ashish Mehta; Stars: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, Vik Sahay)

Full review See: Interview with Bishal Dutta about It Lives Inside

Killing Romance

A retired actress, who marries an island chaebol and meets a three-time-test-taker who lives next door, decides to do away with her boring husband.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2023; Director: Lee Won-suk; Stars: Lee Hanee, Lee Sun-kyun, Yoo-ram Bae)

Late Night With The Devil

Review preview for Late Night With The Devil

It’s Dastmalchian’s light touch which really makes it work.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
October 31, 1977. Jack Delroy’s syndicated talk show Night Owls has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country, but a year on from the tragic death of Jack’s wife, ratings have plummeted. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other, unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America.

(Country: Australia, UAE; Year: 2023; Director: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes; Writer: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes; Stars: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Fayssal Bazzi, Ian Bliss, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Josh Quong Tart, Georgina Haig)

Full review

Lovely, Dark, And Deep

Review preview for Lovely, Dark, And Deep

Campbell is perfectly cast. She has sufficient physicality to make one believe that she could cope with this demanding job, yet there’s a nerviness about her whole body reminiscent of prey animals.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A new back-country ranger travels alone through the dangerous wilderness, hoping to uncover the origins of a tragedy which has haunted her since she was a child.

(Country: Portugal; Year: 2023; Director: Teresa Sutherland; Writer: Teresa Sutherland; Stars: Georgina Campbell, Nick Blood, Wai Ching Ho, Edgar Morais, Ana Sofia Martins, Paul S Tracey, Soren Hellerup)

Full review See: Interview with Teresa Sutherland about Lovely, Dark, And Deep

Mad Fate (Ming On)

A woman seeks the help of a fortune teller to solve a murder.

(Country: Hong Kong, China; Year: 2022; Director: Cheang Soi; Stars: Lam Ka Tung, Lokman Yeung, Berg Ng, Ng Wing Sze, Chan Charm Man Peter)

#Manhole

Review preview for #Manhole

In the end, the film succeeds not so much because of its thriller elements as because it’s an interesting character piece.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A real estate worker who is about to marry his boss' daughter falls down a deep manhole and can't work out how to escape.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri; Writer: Michitaka Okada; Stars: Nakajima Yûto, Nao, Nagayama Kento)

Full review

Marry My Dead Body (Guan Yu Wo Han Gui Bian Cheng Jia Ren De Na Jian Shi)

One day a police officer finds a red wedding envelope, only to find out that the owner is in fact a ghost asking for the officer's hand in marriage before reincarnation. What will happen when a human and a ghost form a special bond?

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2022; Director: Cheng Wei-hao; Stars: Greg Han Hsu, Lin Po-hung, Wang Gingle, Tsai Chen-nan, Wang Man-chiao)

Mayhem! (Farang)

Review preview for Mayhem!

Despite the speed of the action and the variety of locations across which the film takes place, not a single shot feels rushed or incidental.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A professional boxer, recently released from prison, is forced to break probation and flee to a faraway island in Thailand. He starts a family there, only to have to deal with blackmail.

(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Xavier Gens; Writer: Xavier Gens, Guillaume Lemans, Magali Rossitto; Stars: Nassim Lyes, Kenneth Won, Vithaya Pansringarm, Olivier Gourmet)

Full review See: Interview with Xavier Gens about Farang

Miss Shampoo (Qing Wen Hai You Na Li Xu Yao Jia Qiang)

When a mafia member is chased by a gang into a hair salon, a young apprentice saves his life. He returns the favour by making all his gang members have their hair done by her, but she is put in danger when they try to find a traitor.

(Country: Taiwan; Year: 2023; Director: Giddens Ko; Stars: Yu-hong Hong, Vivian Sung, Kai Ko, Tsai Emerson, Ying Wei-min)

Molli And Max In The Future

Review preview for Molli And Max In The Future

It’s a slight thing but nicely delivered.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
The story of a man and woman whose orbits repeatedly collide over the course of 12 years, four planets, three dimensions and one space cult.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Michael Lukk Litwak; Writer: Michael Lukk Litwak; Stars: Zosia Mamet, Aristotle Athari, Danny Burstein, Arturo Castro, Okieriete Onaodowan, Erin Darke, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Michael Chernus, Aparna Nancherla, Matteo Lane)

Full review

New Life

Review preview for New Life

The use of sparse but spacious landscapes enhances both story and themes, with small farms and towns clinging to the earth in defiance of the elements, humble before distant mountains.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A fixer is sent out to find a mysterious woman on the run, and the stakes of the pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: John Rosman; Writer: John Rosman; Stars: Sonya Walger, Tony Amendola, Hayley Erin, Ayanna Berkshire, Nick George, Jeb Berrier, Blaine Palmer)

Full review See: Interview with John Rosman about New Life

Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls

Review preview for Onyx The Fortuitous And The Talisman Of Souls

Crucially, there is enough here that doesn’t depend on in-jokes to give it some broader entertainment value.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Onyx joins a group of fellow occultists to attend a dark ritual at the mansion of their idol, Bartok. Suspecting Bartok's nefarious intentions, Onyx is suddenly immersed in a world of monsters, mystery, and mayhem.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Andrew Bowser; Writer: Andrew Bowser; Stars: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jeffrey Combs, Ralph Ineson, Rivkah Reyes, TC Carson)

Full review

Pandemonium

A confused traveller refuses to abandon all hope as he enters the gates of Hell.

(Country: France; Year: 2023; Director: Quarxx; Writer: Quarxx; Stars: Arben Bajraktaraj, Ophélia Kolb, Manon Maindivide, Hugo Dillon, Sidwell Weber, Carl Laforêt, Jérôme Paquatte)

People Who Talk To Plushies Are Kind

When a young student joins the Plushies Club, he is encouraged to share his feelings with stuffed animals. You could call it an introvert’s paradise, or better yet, a safe space - but while for some it’s a natural fit, for others it’s an insular distraction.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Yurina Kaneko)

Perpetrator

Review preview for Perpetrator

Perpetrator heralds the joyous rising up of a regiment of monstrous women.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
On her 18th birthday, tough-girl Jonny eats a cake baked by her aunt according to a magical family recipe and undergoes a radical metamorphosis.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Jennifer Reeder; Writer: Jennifer Reeder; Stars: iah McKirnan, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Lowell, Melanie Liburd, Ireon Roach)

Full review See: Interview with Jennifer Reeder about Perpetrator

Pett Kata Shaw

An anthology inspired by oral legends from Bangladesh.

(Country: Bangladesh; Year: 2022; Director: Nuhash Humayun; Stars: Chanchal Chowdhury, Shohel Mondol, Shirin Akter Shela)

The Primevals

Review preview for The Primevals

It harks back to the matinee series which used to run in cinemas in pre-television days, and to the excitement of living in a world which still held undiscovered lands.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A civilisation lost in time invaded one million years ago.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: David Allen; Writer: David Allen, Randall William Cook; Stars: Juliet Mills, Robert Cornthwaite, Leon Russom, Walker Brandt, Richard Joseph Paul, Tai Thai)

Full review See: Interview with Charles Band about The Primevals

Raging Grace

Review preview for Raging Grace

Raging Grace is a Gothic thriller with the potential to appeal to a wide audience. It’s also a fierce critique of the racism embedded in a culture which still treats it as normal for some perfectly capable people to be waited on by others, and to treat them as less than human in the process.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
An undocumented Filipina immigrant is struggling to do the best she can for her daughter when she secures the perfect job, taking care of an extremely wealthy but terminal old man. The new position pays well and guarantees a roof over their heads but very soon, she realise that something is amiss.

(Country: UK; Year: 2023; Director: Paris Zarcilla; Writer: Paris Zarcilla; Stars: Max Eigenman, Leanne Best, David Hayman)

Full review See: Interview with Paris Zarcilla and Chi Thai about Raging Grace

Les Rascals

A portrait of a generation caught up in rising fascism, set during the rise of the skinhead movement that swept through Paris in the 1980s.

(Country: France; Year: 2022; Director: Jimmy Laporal-Trésor; Writer: Sébastien Birchler, Jimmy Laporal-Trésor, Virak Thun; Stars: Jonathan Feltre, Angelina Woreth, Missoum Slimani, Victor Meutelet, Jonathan Eap, Emerick Mamilonne)

Restore Point (Bod Obnovy)

Review preview for Restore Point

It’s nice to see a film which problematises familiar, overly comfortable assumptions about the sociological response to new technologies, and which doesn’t insist that babies need to be thrown out with bathwater.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
It’s the year 2041, and humanity has reached the point where it can cheat death. Anyone who dies an unnatural death has the right to be brought back to life. All you have to do is to create a backup of your personality – a restore point – at least every 48 hours. But a movement of people try to sabotage this concept.

(Country: Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, Serbia; Year: 2023; Director: Robert Hloz; Writer: Tomislav Čečka, Robert Hloz, Zdeněk Jecelín; Stars: Andrea Mohylová, Matěj Hádek, Václav Neužil, Milan Ondrík, Karel Dobrý, Agáta Kryštůfková, Katarzyna Zawadzka, Jan Vlasák, Iveta Dušková, Richard Stanke)

Full review

Richelieu

After a bad breakup, Ariane moves home and gets a job as an interpreter for seasonal migrant workers. Witnessing workplace abuses, Ariane must decide how far she is willing to go to speak out against injustice.

(Country: Canada, France, Guatemala; Year: 2023; Director: Pier-Philippe Chevigny; Writer: Pier-Philippe Chevigny; Stars: Ariane Castellanos, Marc-André Grondin, Nelson Coronado, Marvin Coroy, Maria Mercedes Coroy)

River

Review preview for River

Yamaguchi and his regular writer, Makoto Ueda, have such a deep understanding of their characters that it’s the emotional timeline, rather than the physical one, that becomes the subject of real concern.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
One winter in Kibune, Kyoto, people find themselves stuck in a two minute time loop. As others try to work together to find out what's going on, one woman finds herself increasingly isolated.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2023; Director: Junta Yamaguchi; Writer: Makoto Ueda; Stars: Saori, Riko Fujitani, Shiori Kubo, Kazunari Tosa, Yoshimasa Kondô)

Full review

The Sacrifice Game

Review preview for The Sacrifice Game

Wexler makes a number of interesting directorial choices.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
The story of Samantha and Clara, two students who are staying behind for the holidays at their boarding school, who must survive the night against uninvited visitors.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Jenn Wexler; Writer: Sean Redlitz, Jenn Wexler; Stars: Olivia Scott Welch, Mena Massoud, Chloë Levine, Gus Kenworthy, Madison Baines)

Full review See: Interview with Jenn Wexler about The Ranger, The Sacrifice Game and her career , Interview with Jenn Wexler about The Sacrifice Game

Skin Deep (Aus Meiner Haut)

Review preview for Skin Deep

There’s a vast amount going on in Alex Schaad’s ambitious film.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
At first glance, Leyla and Tristan seem like a happy young couple. But when they travel to a mysterious, remote island, a game of identities begins.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2022; Director: Alex Schaad; Writer: Alex Schaad, Dimitrij Schaad; Stars: Mala Emde, Jonas Dassler, Dimitrij Schaad, Maryam Zaree, Thomas Wodianka, Edgar Selge)

Full review

The Sparring Partner

Based on a shocking case in real life. A young man partners with his friend to murder and dismember his parents. Pleading not guilty to the crime, defence attorneys face each other as nine jurors grapple with the truth.

(Country: Hong Kong; Year: 2022; Director: Ho Cheuk-Tin; Writer: Frankie Tam, Oliver Yip; Stars: Yeung Wai-lun, Pui Tung Mak, David Siu, Nicky Wong)

Stay Online

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a small boy calls the laptop of his missing dad, but it happens to be at a volunteer girl's house. The boy asks her to find his parents, but to save the boy's family, she has to risk the lives of her loved ones.

(Country: Ukraine; Year: 2023; Director: Eva Strelnikova; Writer: Anton Skrypets, Eva Strelnikova; Stars: Oleksandr Rudynskyy, Ekaterina Kisten, Olesya Zhurakivska, Anton Skrypets, Elizaveta Zaitseva)

Suitable Flesh

Review preview for Suitable Flesh

It feels like a natural successor to Gordon’s work, and a film of which he would have been proud.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A psychiatrist becomes obsessed by a young patient who seems to have multiple personalities.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Joe Lynch; Writer: Dennis Paoli, based on a book by HP Lovecraft; Stars: Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech)

Full review See: Interview with Joe Lynch about Suitable Flesh

Sympathy For The Devil

Review preview for Sympathy For The Devil

Brilliantly paced and uncomfortable in all the right ways, Sympathy For The Devil is a triumph.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
After being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint, a man finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Yuval Adler; Writer: Luke Paradise; Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman, Kaiwi Lyman, Nancy Good, Cameron Lee Price, Burns Burns, Rich Hopkins, Alexis Zollicoffer)

Full review

Talk to Me

Review preview for Talk to Me

The reason the film works so well is in its well-established teenage relationships - with the Philippous showing the attraction of being in with the cool kids and that the dangers this presents are particularly acute for those, like Mia, who are already emotionally vulnerable or, like Riley, desperate to be included in an older peer group.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an ancient embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill. Until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2023; Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou; Writer: Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman; Stars: Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Zoe Terakes, Otis Dhanji)

Full review

T Blockers (T-Blockers)

Review preview for T Blockers

A deceptively smart, layered piece of work.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Ancient parasites rise from a small town, taking the most fearful and susceptible hosts. A young filmmaker finds herself as the only one who can sense the possessed resistance before the horror escapes and spreads.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2023; Director: Alice Maio Mackay; Writer: Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson; Stars: Joni Ayton-Kent, Lisa Fanto, Chris Asimos, Joe Romeo, Cassie Workman, Patty Glavieux, Stanley Browning, Etcetera Etcetera)

Full review

Vincent Must Die (Vincent Doit Mourir)

Review preview for Vincent Must Die

The writer-director team of Mathieu Neart and Stéphan Castang shows a repeated willingness to take risks which really elevate the film.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Vincent finds himself under attack for no apparent reason overnight. When the phenomenon intensifies, he must run and change his way of life completely.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2023; Director: Stéphan Castang; Writer: Mathieu Naert; Stars: Karim Leklou, Vimala Pons, François Chattot, Karoline Rose Sun, Emmanuel Vérité)

Full review

What You Wish For

Review preview for What You Wish For

Elegantly styled and smoothly delivered, the film takes a hard look at corporate culture.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A chef with gambling problems flees to a Latin American villa where he assumes another man's identity.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Nicholas Tomnay; Writer: Nicholas Tomnay; Stars: Nick Stahl, Tamsin Topolski, Randy Vasquez, Penelope Mitchell, Juan Carlos Messier, Brian Groh, Ariel Sierra)

Full review See: Interview with Nicholas Tomnay about What You Wish For

Where The Devil Roams

Review preview for Where The Devil Roams

A beautifully crafted piece of period Gothic.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A family of murderous sideshow performers travels around the world on the dying carnival circuit.

(Year: 2023; Director: John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser; Writer: John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser; Stars: Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, John Adams)

Full review See: Interview with Zelda Adams, John Adams, Lulu Adams and Toby Poser about Where The Devil Roams

White Storm 3: Heaven Or Hell

An undercover cop invades a drug cartel led by a notorious Thai drug lord, and the two develop a bond of brotherhood.

(Country: China; Year: 2023; Director: Herman Yau; Writer: Herman Yau; Stars: Alex Fong, Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok, Suet Lam, Ching Wan Lau, Cullen Lo)

Y'A Une Étoile

Review preview for Y'A Une Étoile

The film provides a beacon of hope to those who are struggling elsewhere.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Young transgender musician Samuel Leblanc embarks on a journey across Acadia, on a quest for identity that is as personal as it is cultural.

(Year: 2023; Director: Julien Cadieux; Stars: Samuel Leblanc)

Full review