London Film Festival — A–Z of films

A warm romantic drama with a real emotional punch.

Burke is interested in people not politics, keeping the focus on the sudden outbreaks of inhumanity and humanity in the madness, expertly crafting his thriller from the swirling fog of war.

Through an intimate story of a close-knit community, Mascaro takes on wider themes of global warming in a subtle way.

A solid, grounded piece of work that approaches its subject with a maturity remarkable for a first feature from a young director.

The depiction of The Battle of Coronel is truly gripping.

A painstakingly deliberate neo-noir, heavy on atmosphere and taking its time to build.

What Black Souls does very well is to recapture the essential primitivism of conflicts based upon honour, fear of insult and the desire for revenge.

François Gédigier's inspired editing trusts that mismatched sounds and images form an emotional whole.

Both of Decker's feature films are characterised by intensity, for good and ill.

Hopkins has an eye for a telling image and coaxes powerful, committed performances from his cast.

An authentic, no-holds barred roller coaster ride, which gives fresh hope for a new wave of British cinema.

It may be staggeringly beautiful and inventive, but it’s posturing nonsense all the same.

This is the first essential film about the post-Snowden era, made by one of the key figures who helped usher that era into being.

Ovashvili tells the story with spare dialogue and absorbing attention to detail.

Arguably, the film feels the absence of the broader context of Garrell's life.

There is no safety net for characters here.

The narrative, based on a novel by co-screenwriter Sayed Kashua, veers off course only in the final scenes and an implausible resolution.

A corking action film.

Hard to forget.

Bob may have the beefed up body of a bouncer but Hardy continually emphasises his softer, hesitant side, his body language screaming flight even though he is built to fight.

The Duke Of Burgundy is delicate, constructed, poised; a piece of naturalistic beauty with all the authentic artificiality of wings pinioned while drying by small pieces of paper, a needle through the heart that wrenches.

Hansen-Løve's momentary excursions into animation, split screen, and possibly re-writing of world history are the most effective parts.

A breezy, captivating and balanced tale of a studio whose rise and fall is perhaps the only story actually more bizarre than the plots of the films that came out of it.

With Chen brilliantly controlled in the central role, there is much that is fascinating simply in observing Ling as a character.

The atmosphere of the drab Czechoslovakia at the time has been captured with uncompromising realism.

For me, and I suspect an entire generation, this is the definitive, almost faultless, take on one of English literature’s most powerful and evocative works.

A difficult film, and a film about difficult women.

Bennett Miller has secured his place at the forefront of directors who excel at character studies.

Production designer Olivier Radot and costume designer Pascaline Chavanne revel in the colors and textures of Seventies casino ambiance.

Ayer’s film doesn’t really have the script or plot to back up all the hardware.

This film includes a lot of material that will make viewers uncomfortable, but never gratuitously.

A bit long and doesn't have the polish of classic musicals.

Transformation is coming, although as with Sciamma's previous films this is not a simple, one-way manoeuvre, completed in double-quick time

An astonishing début that marks out Ana Lily Amirpour as an extraordinary directorial talent.

There is a skittishness to Guy Myhill's debut that initially feels impressionistic but ultimately seems like carelessness as his narrative weaves unsteadily through its central character's coming of age, unsure where to place its emphasis.

Arguably, the story would benefit from the inclusion of other voices, to verify or expand upon what we're told, but despite this there is no shortage of excitement in the tale.

A thriller, a deep hard stare into the nature of escape, a comedy of metaphors and an alluringly photographed glimpse into the abyss.

Despite the hill of the title, Sang-soo's latest falls flat.

A simple but compelling dynamic... the execution is superb.

The kind of period drama that screams “festival launch” but doesn’t trust its audience enough to tell its story subtly or with any surprises.

A fast paced, witty comedy that sweetens its bitter social comment with an optimistic outlook.

Stunningly shot by cinematographer Timo Salminen, who illuminated landscapes as if they were Eckersberg paintings, the film is framed in 4:3 aspect ratio, creating the sense that there's always something just out of sight.

An artfully constructed and effective thriller with a feminist spine.

The contrast between the characters and the actors sparky chemistry means the laughs have a head start, but there is also a considerable amount of psychological terrain being covered.

This is a film based upon letter carrying as an act of politics, a text where Mcluhan's "medium is the message" becomes circular.

The performances are powerful, unforgettable, like ice in the wind

Dumont - for all the outlandishness of the film in other aspects - prioritises a messy realism over straightforward likeability in relation to his protagonists.

The moments of distinctly sub-Woody Allenesque humour make you dream of what might have been.

Too niche to reach

Courageous and uncompromising

Purely observational though it is, this is a film that becomes devastating in its intensity.

This is prime Ford, a perfect example of his understated humanity.

The energy and sheer visual bravura carry it along.

Very much a film of two halves.

The hand-coloured drawings are exquisite, and who could fail to warm to the charms of these loveable nutters who want all the right things for the world?

What is truly amazing about the film is the way cinematographer Dick Pope evokes Turner’s colour palette.

Honoré is not afraid of magic and he has fun with grand gestures. Metamorphoses at heart is a defense of myths in all their offensive allure.

Only in France can a film of such delicate sensibility be made

What comes through is a sense of the vast number of tasks the museum must carry out to cover its remit as a public service.

Sexuality, Francois Ozon's latest film declares, can be as complex as desiring another person can be simple.

Ben-Shlush is riveting in the central role.

A brilliant exercise in plotting, drama, comedy and action with a fitting denouement.

Amachoukeli-Barsacq, Burger and Theis direct with one voice, staying close to their characters and finding rhythm in the details of dance or a walk.

Pasolini's unfinished life remains painfully unresolved, as it should be.

Petzold depicts a country in shock, where everyone is trying to rediscover a sense of self and where survival may be viewed less a miracle than something unbearable in the face of so many losses.

It only lasts an economical 70 minutes but seems considerably longer

Anchoring the audience with a perennial fence-sitter allows more room for the inevitable impact of the characters' stories, without the weight of an absolute ideological argument.

A towering performance from veteran actor Richard Johnson dominates the film.

A solid, and certainly heartfelt effort.

War by any other name

Everything feels contrived, overblown and - perhaps the worst sin you can lay at the door of a psychological thriller - utterly predictable.

Nadine Marshall delivers a performance of quiet intensity.

The film spirals towards the inevitable like a Greek tragedy written in crayon.

The Smuggler blends scatological humour, brutal violence and a few scenes that will put you right off your popcorn into something that is actually rather good.

Siri Klug's cinematography perfectly captures the lush complexity of the forest.

The flowing feel of the sea runs through Moore's animation, just as illuminated manuscript ran through Kells.

It's a pity the plot doesn't offer more in the way of surprises

Although there will no doubt be some cultural references that go over the heads of non-Spanish audiences, the stereotypes and prejudices played with are broad enough for us to get most of the jokes.

A film about the importance of asking for unreasonable things from other people.

Stray Dog is really a very ordinary guy, but there's one thing that's extraordinary about him... he truly believes in America.

I’ll stick my neck out, Brian, and predict that this young lad’s got a bright future as a director.

The passage of time - and a beautiful 4k restoration - have been kind to this reimagining of Jacques Offenbach's opera, with its deliberately operatic gestures and colours and stylised production design feeling sharply avant garde even today.

Uncovering extraordinary spirit in an ordinary community.

The plot may be clear and the tonal shifts from comedy to erotica and horror impressively handled but the character motivations are frustratingly fuzzy.

The way Sissako exposes the double standard makes the Jihadists' behavior no less threatening, on the contrary.

It elegantly shows a clear path between the jazz riffs that were Nas's father's bread and butter through to the inventive beats that back his son's hip hop.

Like rap without rhythm, Tokyo Tribes is missing something vital: plot and characters.

A frequently impressive but occasionally problematic experience.

Slaboshpytskiy goes to show, first through Anna and then the actions of Sergey that some transactions can hold a lot more - and worse - than we have bargained for.

Hooper infects characters and viewers alike with the thrill of a madness from which there can be no real escape.

By sporadically renouncing traditional reverse shots, Ribeiro gives us an impression of what it is like to be denied a certain gaze - but the director uses this effect with caution.

Araki never digs deep enough, wasting the opportunity to expose her resentments.

Witherspoon completely inhabits the role.

If you think you can come to an easy judgement, the film seems to say, think again.

Ferociously funny.

Ceylan explores such themes as moral responsibility, class and altruism with rigour.

Wisdom is quiet and the future a mystery

Despite some stylishly staged action sequences, a throat-grabbing powerhouse of a performance from the lead actor, and arresting editing and visuals, director Nakashima overcooks the pudding.

The film takes on a masterful intesity as mental health as well as music begins to be at stake.

A strong film with an impressive central performance by up and coming star Asa Butterfield.