Fantaspoa

Latest reviews

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  Seire

  Review preview for Seire

  A slow burn of a film which disturbs and unsettles, recalling insomniac night and too-bright mornings, a familiar world where everything seems slightly askew.

  A new father strives to protect his baby for the 21 days during which it is vulnerable to spiritual attack.
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  Two Witches

  Review preview for Two Witches

  The first half is familiar in its outlines, following an established pattern which, in its own way, reassures. The second is anarchic, meandering, suggesting the expression of a very different set of instincts.

  A matriarchal witch passes on her sinister inheritance to her grand-daughter, triggering horrific curses.
• 
  Revealer

  Review preview for Revealer

  It may have a mid-Eighties BBC TV series vibe to it, but it passes the time amiably enough.

  Tensions rise when a stripper and religious protester are trapped together in a peep show booth and must come together to survive the apocalypse in 1980's Chicago.
• 
  Legions

  Review preview for Legions

  Fans of fantastic stories – especially those of the gruesome variety – are in for a treat.

  Antonio is a sorcerer from a powerful bloodline, trapped in an asylum against his will. After an omen informs him that his daughter will be sacrificed by an evil entity, he must use his magical skills to escape and save her.
• 
  Phantom Summer

  Review preview for Phantom Summer

  A film which keeps upping the ante as the story progresses, never letting its obvious budgetary limitations get in the way.

  Somewhere on the Brazilian coast, teenagers Lucas and Martin fall in love while investigating the disappearance of a local kid, but their blossoming romance is threatened by sinister forces lurking beneath that idyllic summery landscape.
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  Subject

  Review preview for Subject

  There’s a serious core to this film which explores questions around objectification, exploitation and who gets to direct a narrative, but it’s wrapped up in quirky humour and the characters are full of warmth.

  To escape writer's block, a famous novelist moves into a house near an isolated and strange village, where pages apparently written by the former resident of the house begin to appear on his desk, prompting him to question his sanity.
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  A Pure Place

  Review preview for A Pure Place

  Sumptuous costuming and production design, together with Yoshi Heimrath’s lucid cinematography, make this a feast for the eyes.

  A tale of dirt, soap, and magic set in a cult on a remote Greek island.
• 
  God's Petting You

  Review preview for God's Petting You

  Whilst the dark comedy here generally hits the spot and the characters are quirky yet believable, God’s Petting You doesn’t really have enough substance to justify its running time

  A dark and twisted comedy which explores the depths and depravity of the Brighton underworld.
• 
  Alpha Male

  Review preview for Alpha Male

  There have been a number of grim films on subjects closely related to this in recent years, so it’s nice to see it approached with humour and some measure of sympathy for all the characters.

  A young man enters into a mysterious masculinity therapy, whose objective is to re-balance their relationship. He soon discovers that the leader of this therapy has radical, terrifying views on women and his dangerous methods are highly controversial.
• 
  The Eyes Below

  Review preview for The Eyes Below

  The dreamlike narrative gives Bruchon free rein to experiment with the constituent parts of the room, not just moving his camera around but creating a corridor from sheets and entangling his actors within them.

  Eugene's home is quiet and peaceful as he goes to sleep, but when he feels something travelling up his body, he realises that it's not going to stay that way.

A–Z of Fantaspoa 2022 reviews →

Features

• Mysteries and mazes
  Alexis Bruchon on the complexity of keeping it simple in The Eyes Below
• Unhappy in their own way
  Sebastian Godwin on Homebound and what he's afraid of
• Getting to the root of it
  Lynne Davison on making magic in Mandrake
• Primal time
  Ugis Olte on forests and feelings in his debut fiction feature Upurga