New Directors/New Films — A–Z of films

Trobisch lets the normality bite.

Bait looks, sounds, feels amazing.

This is a quiet movie, which never loses its focus on its central character study, while allowing points about economic and social inequalities to sound out loud and clear.

Despite the raw power of its performances, the film suffers from an impulse to spell out some of its points.

The directors let the humanism shine out without resorting to sentimentality, capturing moments of joy, such as the pleasure of shared, sticky honey with the same lack of artifice as moments of pain or grief.

Glavonic, who has a background in documentary, has crafted a moody and broody piece, built less on onscreen incident than the oppressive atmosphere and offscreen imaginings.

The film remains mysterious without being confusing - you don't need to grasp every detail to understand its metaphors and message and its enigmatic aura invites repeat viewings.

By keeping the camera in the back of the ambulance largely at a level above that of the various patients, Lorentzen ensures the film never becomes voyeuristic.

Landes' film has the queasy, uneasy feel of a nightmare - and that's before magic mushrooms are involved.

The film is unashamedly intellectual and yet amuses itself with its characters' overly enthusiastic attempts to understand everything around them as deeply as possible, often missing what's going on on the surface.

Rather than an expose of the dark side of live streaming, or focusing on its superstars, Zhu gravitates towards marginalized voices: those in rural areas, the disabled, single mothers.

Showing a keen understanding of the nature of sex work and of life on the streets, Vidal-Naquet carries us through several days in Léo's life in a observational, non-judgemental way.

Moody images don't make for high drama and even at a trim 87 minutes, the story feels stretched.