Fantastic Fest — A–Z of films

Unutterably beautiful.

The characters are larger than life, each with a distinctive look, to make it easier to keep track. The effect is rather like being at a drunken fancy dress party.

This isn’t quite as wild and startling an experience as its creators seem to think, but for the most part it’s entertaining.

Roache-turner achieves a good balance of interpersonal drama and sudden, lurching scares, adding a dash of squaddie-style humour to ease the tension.

Immersive and intense, the more so because of its roots in a brutal history of gaybashing by Sydney cops.

It's not a map, it's a blueprint, a means of telling fortunes and a handsome puzzle to boot.

There is plenty of imminent danger to provide a gripping narrative.

A thoughtful, subtly dangerous film which denies viewers the reassurance of a conventional ending.

The sense that the characters have accidentally wandered into the wrong film is exacerbated by the fact that we see very little direct interaction.

The film’s general campiness does not diminish the points it’s making.

What is interesting here is that Olivia is never objectified.

Bright, white-painted spaces give way to slowly deepening blues as the story progresses, so that when we see the colour red, it leaps out at us.

The fight choreography is awesome. Having such a lithe young pupil in the person of Yanin only adds to the visual excitement.

The original film was derided by critics for being crude, exploitative and immature. Fans will be pleased to know that this one delivers more of the same.

Cinema in its most metal form.

It’s hard to describe the plot without it sounding laughable, but as a viewing experience it is, at times, riveting.

Somewhere between the low brow cock jokes and the high stakes – by which, I mean the sharp wooden pointy ones – Radu Jude serves up a sharp edged critique of populism, capitalism and the modern world.

Kowalski's story of black magic and isolation takes command of its audience through a ghastly soundscape.

Likely to put a smile on the faces of horror fans who favour the dissection of ideas over dismemberment.

There’s a genuine unpredictability to Honey Bunch, both structurally and thematically.

Cotillard is at her very best as a character we see only from the sidelines – earthy and opinionated in flashes, yet frozen by her art.

Rose Byrne anchors the whole damn thing with a performance that gives the sense of wobbling for eternity on a tightrope without ever quite falling off.

There is some excellent work here of the sort that gets under your skin without you noticing, so that when the film abruptly shifts gears in the final scene, it hits you all at once.

One of the most impressive films of the year to date.

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

The film is shot in gorgeous shades of noir by Luciana Baseggio, and has a deliciously dark, sultry score.

Obsession is not just a real indicator of talent but an absolute treat.

Borrowing tropes from horror, the film adds an uncanny undercurrent to its drama.

I didn't go in with high expectations but I was thrilled.

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

Director/co-writer Glenn McQuaid uses larger than life cinematic tropes as a means of getting at his subject effectively.

Stuckmann and co-writer Sam Liz keep it all under tight control, even when the imagery suggests chaos or excess.

The film looks amazing, but it sounds even more incredible.

I was entertained, in much the same way but not to the same extent as the first outing.

The first half is packed with clues and double entendres. The second becomes more about action.

The Tree Of Knowledge is handsomely shot, intelligent, self-conscious and unabashedly peculiar.

Not only ambitious – a term often used to damn films with faint praise – but successfully so.

With a wrap-around story by Scotland’s own short film maestro Bryan M Ferguson, we are guaranteed at least some high quality entertainment.

Heavy layered with meaning, the film shifts uncertainly underfoot, deliberately discomfiting viewers.