London Film Festival — A–Z of films

Although the shift in the film's gears isn't exactly smooth, it's an ambitious idea for a first-time filmmaker and Nayfeh brings home the sharp reality of the smuggling business.

The good work in Ammonite is so good that one longs for it to pick up the pace, to function more successfully overall.

Shot with a loose but observant style that captures energy and thoughtfulness in all the right places.

The D'Innocenzos let the mood do the heavy lifting, stewing us along with the families.

While the roaming handheld cameras bring to mind observational documentaries, the aesthetic also evokes Robert Altman through its observational style and rich tapestry of characters.

There's some intelligent drama here structured around intersectional issues, which manages to show, at least to an extent, where lesser films only tell.

Lee is inventive in his shooting - particularly in his use of an aerial camera above the stage and another that lurks at the back at barefoot level, both capturing elements of the performance that an audience on the night would not be able to see.

We are given time, which is wonderful, to count and study the painted ceiling fans and observe the hand-movements of the attentive music listeners.

Jah is superb.

It is hard not to admire a film that manages, for all the shoestring meagreness of its budget, to be so broad in its ambitions.

Yes, Herself is first and foremost a film about a woman's journey. It is also, in a smaller way, about another journey, from selfishness to community spirit.

Although the thrust of the film focuses on the couple's foibles and relationship, there is also some sly skewering of wider Israeli society.

When Almodóvar has the protagonist talk about kitchen knives and their temptation, all I could think of was the brand of knife he might choose to showcase.

Although the film has a heartfelt sweep, it is so tightly focused that questions go unanswered.

Kajillionaire is strong, disturbing stuff.

A film brimming with freshness in its ideas and their execution.

The choreography by Coral Messam showcases the garments and limbs in movement.

The ease with which McQueen shifts the tone from very serious argument to light-hearted banter is sterling.

Rap is a rapid-fire art form, washing you in a torrent of thoughts, the beat carrying you through, and Tariq's film has a similar approach, but there are so many ideas being fired out that it's no wonder it sometimes struggles to retain its rhythm.

While each of these little worlds holds intrigue - as do the dreamlike cutaways to forests of the mind that Zhenia induces through hypnotism in his clients, lit and shot with care by Englert - the film never quite settles into a groove.

What worked so well in The Rider, namely that people were playing versions of themselves, falls flat because of the casting of McDormand in the lead.

Rosi’s camera lets the light and the landscapes, the shattered houses and the fractured humanity speak for themselves.

Filled with humanism and raw emotion, the film builds as the double portrait that its title suggests, with Ree and his editor Robert Stengård employing a flexible structure that sometimes shifts backwards in time so that our perspective is also being cons

Cronenberg is most certainly David’s son, and while he’d probably prefers to avoid comparisons, his proclivity towards jarring imagery and shocking material instantly calls to mind his father's work.

This is a film that is all about connection, not just between parent and child but aiming to bridge the gap between the way those with nonspeaking autism perceive the world and the way that they, in turn, are perceived by the neurotypical.

Director Natalie Erika James, still only in her twenties, draws viewers into her astonishing debut feature by externalising the horrors of a disease that will be all too familiar to many.

Divis Marek's flowing camerawork, masterfully pulls the film together, as the action is allowed to flow across its large ensemble cast.

Before, it often felt as though Decker was drifting off onto self-indulgent tangents but her latest feels much more under control, with those tangents are a fully fledged part of the portrait.

A film that is entirely built on moments and glimpses.

With its fragmented narrative, it feels almost like a shorts collection jazz riff on the theme of existence and metaphysics.

Although her focus is on the strays that roam the streets of Istanbul.. the wider human world is reflected through the prism of the dog's domain.

With eloquent, understated performances from both leads and a willingness to take its time, Supernova explores not merely the issues they face but the life they share.

Bradley’s direction emphasises the beauty of the Rich family’s resilience and humanity, with shots that carry the panoramic vistas of French New Wave and the hypnotic tones of underground cinema.

When Petzold shows the broken mending again, the magic of cinema becomes the subject

The seamless, flowing quality of the animation is what will capture older viewers' attention first - and hold it.

The barest hooks of a narrative are here but stitched together with a lot of energy and stylish flourishes from cinematographer Benjamin Rufi.