Fantasia International Film Festival — A–Z of films

Unutterably beautiful.

Setting two sets of narrative expectations against each other is an interesting way of presenting disordered thinking, and puts the viewer in a pleasingly uncomfortable position.

The film provides an opportunity for frank conversations about mortality which are rare elsewhere in Western society.

The fights are well staged even when there are a dozen or so people involved, striking the right balance between dazzling the eye and making it possible to follow the action.

If they sometimes have trouble moving seamlessly between the smaller dramas of childhood and the bigger picture of the protests, each element of the film carries resonance in its own right.

A marvellous piece of storytelling.

Just like those familiar experiences of watching late night ads, Buffet Infinity casts a spell over the viewer.

Burning is not just a film about getting to the truth – it’s a film about the construction of truth.

A stunningly realised piece of magical realism quite different from anything that writer/director Alberto Sciamma has created before.

Laperrière's focus is on creating a sensorial experience, allowing the narrative to become somewhat murky.

Like Milton's, Zebrunias’ devil is cast in semi-heroic mode, a comic character against whom events continually seem to conspire.

Sin, heresy and sexual ecstasy intertwine in a story which lacks theological depth but probably approximates fairly well the understanding of most peasants and low status clergy at the time.

The truly admirable aspect of Eddington is the way Aster constantly pulls the rug from under expectations.

With no recourse made to generative AI, this is the real deal, full of detail and personality.

Most of Reece’s works are first and foremost character studies, so it’s not surprising that his adherence to plot doesn’t last; the film is better for it.

Set almost entirely within a single toilet stall, this is low budget filmmaking par excellence.

An astute portrait of an experience still underexplored onscreen.

Kim directs with confidence and skill, managing the tension well and able to shift easily between downbeat drama and fast-paced action.

Any number of films try to sell themselves on inviting us to ogle outsiders like these. The difference with Fucktoys is that it’s made by people who actually get it.

In Good Boy, Indy the dog delivers not only a great animal performance, but one of the best performances by anyone this year.

Once the film starts to get brutal, it’s easy to become so focused on the horror that one loses sight of the mystery, and this seems to be a conscious trick on Tsai’s part.

Hellcat is an unforgettable ride.

It’s a bit of lightweight fluff, but it has no pretensions, and its heroes are easy to like.

The freshness of Deguchi’s performance makes the notion of her ignorance believable, at least for a time.

A gripping murder mystery.

The puppets are wonderfully expressive, and alongside the drama you can enjoy battle sequences and even musical numbers with wild choreography.

It’s clear from the start where most of this is going but that doesn’t make it any less of a joy to watch.

While the film's ambition should be saluted it falls short in ways that frustrate.

Lucid is surprisingly coherent once the pieces start to come together, and it’s among the more successful experiments in this sort of portraiture.

In line with his economic storytelling, Russell has a gift for conveying little details through subtle performance notes where other filmmakers might telegraph intent.

If there were any justice in the world, Toby Poser would be in the running for major awards for her performance.

Henry Selick directs with clever staging and infinite patience. The musical numbers are catchy, boisterous and hugely entertaining.

The way the sound designer creates a landscape of silence is particularly impressive.

If you’re looking for a witty and heartfelt story with characters you can care about, you may find yourself falling head over heels.

Cannes glitters, but the celebrated parts of it are always just out of reach – a red carpet stretched out on the other side of a busy road, celebrities ascending famous steps behind a horde of undead.

The sense of the temporary nature of things is everywhere.

It draws on old Cornish stories about merfolk but is an original work, with well developed characters and actors who bring them to life superbly in the brief time they have.

Tina Romero is in her element.

It’s refreshing to encounter a multiverse film that doesn’t mess about.

For something so lovely, it is hard-edged, and it sparkles with visual wit.

Not just a clever puzzle, Rewrite challenges the cosy nostalgia of much popular Japanese romantic fiction.

Wiseman Jr plays most of it very straight, without sentiment, easing viewers into a place where they can take all this for granted.

Alice Maio Mackay’s...most accessible film to date.

The amount of effort put into some images that we glimpse for mere seconds puts Hollywood blockbusters to shame.

What if a lost alien were found not by a sweet little boy but by an ageing alcoholic drifter?

It has its moments, and for the most part it’s warm-hearted and likeable enough to make up for the odd mis-step.

There is a scene involving a jelly bean which has provoked visceral reactions in audience members.

So carefully balanced is this that the film could almost have emerged as a romcom, and it’s that possibility, that clash between the absurdity that cinema has taught us to expect and the bitterness of real life, that makes it so effective.

Concerned with exploring what ordinary people might do in extremis, Terrestrial is one of those films that turns on a single line.

It’s the situation that delivers the strangeness – and charm – mediated by Dudley’s performance as a woman who is self-deprecating and messy but lively enough to root for.

Elliot Farinaro’s brilliant editing knits together animated and live action scenes with archive footage, sometimes all in the same shot.

Viewers will find themselves questioning whether there is supernatural element or we’re just watching Evy come apart under pressure.

The heat of summer pulses beneath the action and we can virtually smell the sweat and decay as the sound of flies or a gathering storm punctuate the soundtrack.

There might be room for an interesting story here but sadly the film is very one-sided.

Fairly pedestrian stuff, with nothing that will come as a surprise to fans of post-apocalyptic fiction.