Outfest Los Angeles — A–Z of films

This isn’t a plea for people to swap one source of authority for another. The focus is on encouraging us to think for ourselves.

There’s a knowing humour to it which will resonate with disabled viewers … but other people should see the funny side too, and will, one hopes, not be too nervous to laugh along.

A semi-autobiographical film with a potent sense of place, Almamula alternates between realism and fantasy, its camerawork reflecting the conflicting ways of thinking at its core.

The film immerses us in the life of the city.

There may be other movies this year that'll give you the wisdom of "gay Yoda" or that reflect the slippery "hobbies to terrorism" pipeline. There won't be many with public address announcements that blur the lines between unreliable narration and inner ear disorders

A multi-layered journey into the filmmaking process.

Jeffrey Schwarz, one of the most prolific documentarians working today and a man who has dedicated his life to redressing the balance in regard to LGBTQ+ narratives, is careful not to deliver only those stories which we have all heard before.

On the surface, this is a comedy of manners taken to extremes. Underneath is a layer of questions about intimacy and why some people feel the need to seek out strangers so that they can be themselves.

The bond they have feels real and lived-in, their conversations full of the shorthand which develops over time between people who share almost everything.

An emotionally engaging portrait of the struggles of life on a Native American reservation in Oklahoma

A thorough, well-told tale intertwined with many of the key social and artistic movements of that century – and dotted with its luminaries – Hidden Master brings Lynes back out into the light.

It’s thrilling to watch a filmmaker like Smith throw a wrench in the gears and deliver an unapologetic ode to outcasts that’s every bit as punk rock as its subjects.

This is one of those very Californian tales in which the problems that most people in the world have to deal with simply don’t exist.

Confident enough in its characters to tell its story without sensationalism or stylistic overcompensation.

It’s a tremendously challenging role, in which Maadi excels.

One of the most subtle films of the ongoing year.

There’s a lot of interesting work here and it’s startling to realise that it’s director Byun Sung-bin’s first venture into features.

Perpetrator heralds the joyous rising up of a regiment of monstrous women.

De Filippis understands the value of the small stuff.

A deceptively smart, layered piece of work.