Skip to main content

Overlook Film Festival · 2023

Overlook Film Festival 2023

Features

Programme

28 films · 19 reviews

Jump to a film

Aberrance

When city dwellers Erkhmee and Selenge arrive at an old cabin deep in the Mongolian wilds, a foreboding settles over the couple. Erkhmee's seemingly keen desire to provide a safe and nurturing space for his artistic wife is at odds with the violent actions and mannerisms their quizzical neighbour observes.

(Country: Mongolia; Year: 2022; Director: Baatar Batsukh; Writer: Baatar Batsukh, Byambasuren Ganbat; Stars: Erkhembayar Ganbat, Selenge Chadraabal, Yalalt Namsrai, Oyundary Jamsranjav, Sukhee Ariunbyamba, Bayarsanaa Batchuluun, Badamtsetseg Batmunkh)

Accused

Review preview for Accused

Director Philip Barantini was responsible for 2020’s kitchen-set drama Boiling Point, and here he demonstrates the same mastery of tension.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Alone at a remote country house, a young man watches helplessly as a social media frenzy wrongly identifies him as a wanted terrorist. When online threats lead to an IRL home invasion, he must fight for his life in this tense thriller of virtual witch-hunts and false accusations.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Philip Barantini; Writer: Barnaby Boulton, James Cummings; Stars: Chaneil Kukar, Lauryn Ajufo)

Full review

The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster

Review preview for The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster

In the end it’s the boldness of its choices which really makes the difference.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Bomani J Story; Writer: Bomani J Story; Stars: Laya DeLeon Hayes, Denzel Whitaker, Chad Coleman, Reilly Brooke Stith, Keith Sean Holliday, Amani Summer Boyles, Edem Atsu-Swanzy)

Full review

Appendage

A young fashion designer, who seems fine on the surface, secretly struggles with debilitating self-doubt. Soon these buried feelings begin to make Hannah physically sick and sprout into a ferocious growth on her body:

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Anna Zlokovic; Writer: Anna Zlokovic; Stars: Hadley Robinson, Emily Hampshire, Brandon Mychal Smith, Kausar Mohammed)

The Artifice Girl

Review preview for The Artifice Girl

Smarter than most films of its ilk and refreshingly free of misplaced sentiment.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
When an internet vigilante develops a revolutionary new computer program to combat online predators, its rapid advancement leads to serious questions about autonomy, oppression, and what it really means to be human.

(Year: 2022; Director: Franklin Ritch; Writer: Franklin Ritch; Stars: Tatum Mathews, Sinda Nichols, David Girard, Lance Henriksen, Franklin Ritch)

Full review See: Interview with Franklin Ritch about The Artifice Girl

Birth/Rebirth

Review preview for Birth/Rebirth

Young Lister is a marvel, showing a remarkably sophisticated understanding of what her role requires as Lila, having suffered significant brain damage, gradually begins to require verbal and motor skills.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A single mother and a childless morgue technician are bound together by their relationship to a little girl they have reanimated from the dead.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Laura Moss; Writer: Laura Moss; Stars: Marin Ireland, Judy Reyes, AJ Lister)

Full review See: Interview with Laura Moss about Birth/Rebirth

Brooklyn 45

Review preview for Brooklyn 45

Viewers can expect to find their sympathies shifting over time, and to disagree as to who deserves sympathy in any given moment.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Friday, December 27, 1945. Five military veterans gather in the ornate parlour of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they’ve reunited to support their troubled host – but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance, the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all-too-literal.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Ted Geoghegan; Writer: Ted Geoghegan; Stars: Anne Ramsay, Ron E. Rains, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden, Ezra Buzzington, Kristina Klebe)

Full review See: Interview with Ted Geoghegan about Brooklyn 45

Clock

On the eve of her 39th birthday, a woman desperately attempts to fix her broken biological clock, but at what cost?

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Alexis Jacknow; Stars: Dianna Agron, Jay Ali, Melora Hardin)

The Dead Zone

A schoolteacher wakes up from a five-year coma with psychic powers. Wary of his newfound abilities, he retreats from the world, but when he has a horrifying vision of things to come, he fights to find out if he can only see the future or if he can change it.

(Country: US; Year: 1983; Director: David Cronenberg; Stars: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lorn, Anthony Zerbe, Colleen Dewhurst, Martin Sheen)

The Elderly (Viejos)

Review preview for The Elderly

Cerezo and Gómez remind us that we are living through some of the strangest days our world has known right now.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
An octogenarian, who enters into a state of dementia after the sudden suicide of his wife, sparks a series of paranormal events that will put his family's lives at risk.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2022; Director: Raúl Cerezo, Fernando González Gómez; Writer: Raúl Cerezo, Rubén Sánchez Trigos, Javier Trigales; Stars: Irene Anula, Zorion Eguileor, Josele Román, Gustavo Salmerón, Paula Gallego)

Full review

Evil Dead Rise

Review preview for Evil Dead Rise

Evil Dead Rise doesn’t add much that’s new to the franchise, but it does deliver on entertainment.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
The reunion of two estranged sisters is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Lee Cronin; Writer: Lee Cronin; Stars: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher)

Full review See: Interview with Lee Cronin about Evil Dead Rise

The Five Devils

Review preview for The Five Devils

While it's a road well-travelled, here it's a road travelled well.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
Eight-year-old Vicky possesses a special power: a hyperacute sense of smell. She spends her days exploring this gift, and lives happily with her mother Joanne, a swimming teacher whom she adores exclusively - to the despair of her firefighter father. When her mysterious aunt Julia suddenly reappears in their lives, secrets from their past resurface both violently and magically.

(Country: France; Year: 2022; Director: Léa Mysius; Writer: Paul Guilhaume, Léa Mysius; Stars: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Daphne Patakia, Noée Abita, Patrick Bouchitey, Moustapha Mbengue, Sally Dramé, Swala Emati)

Full review See: Five Devils director blown away by 'amazing' Adèle Exarchopoulos

Give Me An A

Review preview for Give Me An A

Give Me An A is a vital piece of filmmaking.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
16 women filmmakers make their voices heard with this anthology of genre-themed short films, all made in direct response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Natasha Halevi, Meg Swertlow, Bonnie Discepolo, Danin Jacquay, Erica Mary Wright, Monica Moore-Suriyage, Sarah Kopkin, Caitlin Hargraves, Megan Rosati, Hannah Alline, Avital Ash, Mary C. Russell, Valerie Finkel, Kelly Nygaard, Loren Escandón, Francesca Maldonado; Writer: Each segment is written by the corresponding director; Stars: Alyssa Milano, Virginia Madsen, Gina Torres, Milana Vayntrub, Jennifer Holland, Sean Gunn, Molly C. Quinn, Jason George, Jackie Tohn)

Full review

Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism

Review preview for Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism

Alongside the extreme and dramatic aspects of this story are all sorts of insidious little details which show the harm done by this kind of thinking in day to day life.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Convinced that his wife is possessed by dark forces, a desperate husband puts his faith in the power of a pitiless self-proclaimed exorcist, who is convinced that salvation can be found only through his hands.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2023; Director: Nick Kozakis; Writer: Alexander Angliss-Wilson; Stars: Georgia Eyers, Dan Ewing, Tim Pocock, Eliza Matengu, John Wood, Rosie Traynor)

Full review

It Lives Inside

Review preview for It Lives Inside

A superior quality horror film which amply justifies the hype it has attracted on the festival circuit, It Lives Inside is not to be missed.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Sam, an Indian-American teen, lives in an idyllic suburb with her conservative mother and her assimilated father. Sam’s cultural insecurities grow due to her estranged friend, Tamira, who mysteriously carries around an empty mason jar all the time. In a moment of anger, Sam breaks Tamira’s jar and unleashes an ancient Indian demonic force that kidnaps Tamira.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Bishal Dutta; Writer: Bishal Dutta, Ashish Mehta; Stars: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, Vik Sahay)

Full review See: Interview with Bishal Dutta about It Lives Inside

Late Night With The Devil

Review preview for Late Night With The Devil

It’s Dastmalchian’s light touch which really makes it work.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
October 31, 1977. Jack Delroy’s syndicated talk show Night Owls has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country, but a year on from the tragic death of Jack’s wife, ratings have plummeted. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other, unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America.

(Country: Australia, UAE; Year: 2023; Director: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes; Writer: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes; Stars: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Fayssal Bazzi, Ian Bliss, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Josh Quong Tart, Georgina Haig)

Full review

The Lodger

The streets of London are being stalked by a Jack the Ripper-like killer, and a young blonde showgirl is torn between her policeman sweetheart and a mysterious stranger.

(Country: UK; Year: 1927; Director: Alfred Hitchcock; Stars: June Tripp, Ivor Novello, Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, Malcolm Keen)

Matinee

In 1962, a Hollywood showman preps the Key West premiere of his latest B-movie masterpiece, Mant!, but for local teens, the atomic terror onscreen is no match to the Cuban Missile Crisis happening just offshore.

(Country: US; Year: 1993; Director: Joe Dante; Stars: John Goodman, Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Lisa Jakub, Kellie Martin, Jesse Le Soffer, Dick Miller, John Sayles)

Mister Organ

Review preview for Mister Organ

If you haven’t knowingly observed a narcissist before, this may well make for fascinating and, indeed, cautionary viewing.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A documentary about car clamping, an antique shop, an extortion scandal and a mystery man who might be a prince.

(Country: New Zealand; Year: 2022; Director: David Farrier)

Full review

Monolith

Review preview for Monolith

Vesely’s camera directs our attention very effectively and makes use of every aspect of the small set.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Recently disgraced and desperate for a story, a young journalist holes herself up in her parents’ luxurious home and gets to work on the only job she can get - hosting a clickbait investigative podcast. Then she discovers a strange artefact and begins to convince herself it is evidence of an alien conspiracy.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2022; Director: Matt Vesely; Writer: Lucy Campbell; Stars: Lily Sullivan)

Full review

My Animal

Heather, an outcast teenage goalie in a small northern town, falls for newcomer Jonny, an alluring but tormented figure skater. As their relationship deepens, Heather’s growing desires clash with her darkest secret, forcing her to control the animal within.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2023; Director: Jacqueline Castel; Writer: Jae Matthews; Stars: Bobbi Salvör Menuez, Amandla Stenberg, Stephen McHattie, Heidi von Palleske, Cory Lipman, Joe Apollonio)

Only Lovers Left Alive

Review preview for Only Lovers Left Alive

What is so disarming about Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive is a scarce sense of appreciation - of the vampire couple for each other and the appreciation by both of them for what is great in the world.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4.5 out of 5
A vampire couple contemplate a changing world.

(Country: Germany, US, UK, France, Cyprus; Year: 2013; Director: Jim Jarmusch; Writer: Jim Jarmusch; Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, Anton Yelchin, Slimane Dazi, Wayne Brinston, Aurelie Thepaut)

Full review See: New York Film Festival diary one: Captain Phillips, The Invisible Woman, Only Lovers Left Alive

Renfield

Review preview for Renfield

Though Hoult is as oddly charming as his abilities allow, Nicholas goes as close to the Full Cage as I've seen in a while.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
Renfield is forced to procure Dracula's prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debasing - but now, after centuries of servitude, he's ready for a life outside the shadow of the Prince of Darkness.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Chris McKay; Writer: Ryan Ridley, Robert Kirkman, Ava Tramer; Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, Shohreh Aghdashloo)

Full review

Smoking Causes Coughing (Fumer Fait Tousser, Smoking Makes You Cough)

Review preview for Smoking Causes Coughing

There is a complete disregard for any kind of consequence or continuity in this film, and you know that the rug could be pulled from under you at any second.

Nikola Jovic · 3.5 out of 5
Tobacco Force are superhero avengers, preparing for their clash with the mighty Lezardin. But what if the real horrors are the stories they tell to each other along the way?

(Country: France; Year: 2022; Director: Quentin Dupieux; Writer: Quentin Dupieux; Stars: Oulaya Amamra, Alain Chabat, Anaïs Demoustier, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Julia Faure, Jules Dhios Francisco, Blanche Gardin, Vincent Lacoste, Gilles Lellouche, Grégoire Ludig, David Marsais, Jérôme Niel, Benoît Poelvoorde, Raphaël Quenard, Anthony Sonigo)

Full review See: Quentin Dupieux on Smoking Makes You Cough

The Tingler

Review preview for The Tingler

The Tingler is a film that doesn't have much story and that takes so many narrative short cuts it is impossible to treat it with any seriousness, but it retains the potential to be serious fun.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A pathologist discovers a dangerous parasite that feeds on fear and can only be killed by screaming, but when a mute woman becomes infected, all Hell breaks loose. Famous for the pranks played on audiences at its original screenings.

(Country: US; Year: 1959; Director: William Castle; Writer: Robb White; Stars: Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman)

Full review

Trim Season

Completely cut off from the outside world, a small crew of trimmers working on a remote marijuana farm discover the stalks there have disturbingly deep roots in ancient blood-soaked traditions.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Ariel Vida; Stars: Bethlehem Million, Alex Essoe, Ally Ioannides, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Jane Badler, Juliette Kenn De Balinthazy, Marc Senter, Paris Warner, Ryan Donowho, Chelsea Jurkiewicz, Lorenzo Antonucci, Cory Hart, Austin R Grant, Arianna Scott, Corynn Treadwell)

We Kill For Love

Review preview for We Kill For Love

Thorough and insightful, Penta’s film benefits from fantastic editing (his own) and from a self-consciousness about the viewer’s gaze which aptly reflects the genre it’s exploring.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A documentary about the sultry, shadowy world of direct-to-video erotic thrillers — films of mysterious strangers, sexual obsessions and crimes of passion that once dominated video store shelves and late night cable.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Anthony Penta; Stars: Kira Reed Lorsch, Andrew Stevens, Monique Parent, Amy Lindsay, Linda Ruth Williams, Jim Wynorski, Fred Olen Ray)

Full review

The Wrath Of Becky

After living off the grid for two years, Becky finds herself going toe to toe against Darryl, the leader of a fascist organisation, on the eve of an organised attack.

(Country: US; Year: 2023; Director: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote; Writer: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote; Stars: Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Matt Angel, Courtney Gains, Aaron Dalla Villa, Michael Sirow, Denise Burse, Jill Larson, Kate Siegel)