Palm Springs International Film Festival — A–Z of films

The very nature of Tsemel's passion for her projects makes this a compelling watch

A passionate energy courses beneath the surface of Levan Akin's tale of love and repression

The difficult reality of life in Senegal dances with something much more otherworldly in Mati Diop's debut film.

Creates a unique and eerily grounded suspense that transcends genre.

The evocation of 1945 Leningrad is brilliantly captured with crumbling buildings and over-crowed trams but too often the dramatic set pieces fail to register

Bombshell is a finely crafted film which benefits from one of the best acting ensembles of the year.

Sure, the familiar kids are here - the athlete bro, the gay guys, the class clown - but the film holds up assumptions to the light, highlighting why it's dangerous to make them and showing empathy for all concerned.

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.

Barnett excels at capturing nuances of expression and action.

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

There are themes around punishment and forgiveness running throughout this film but they're rarely simple.

Sometimes a film is interesting despite its director.

Ideas take precedence over completed works both the for the artist himself and for those viewers who choose to engage, to make an emotional connection with those subtleties of colour.

The performance Erivo delivers is the film's greatest asset and makes her a serious contender this awards season, but though she dominates the film, she's not all there is to appreciate here.

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.

There's an avoidance of the cheap voyeurism that usually goes with this sort of territory.

As Jojo, Davis delivers one of the finest performances of the year.

Greenfield keeps tight control, allowing Marcos to say what she wants, while busily illustrating the opposing perspective.

Only really comes alive in the last ten minutes.

Set against a perpetually snowy background the film paces itself perfectly with a gathering sense of an impending implosion.

The film is at its best when it is portraying conflicted emotions - as old love underlies fresh acrimony.

Luca Marinelli is excellent in the lead, balancing intensity with intelligence, convincing at every stage of Martin's journey.

Ly wanted the people who have lived in these schemes to have the chance to tell their own stories, which gives Les Misérables an unerring sense of authenticity.

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

Edward Norton has taken risks all down the line and proves himself capable of unquestionable courage in storytelling.

Ogrodnik - so impressive in 2017's Silent Night - is magnetic.

This documentary is a treasure trove full of interesting bits and pieces many of which could easily provide enough material for a film in their own right.

Smutný gives us faces that will stories even when they're still, the weight of long experience etched into every line.

The tone is both bitter and sweet.

Engages with an energetic and angry vitality as well as authenticity.

Bong Joon Ho's tale of two families explores the wealth gap in South Korean society with wit, insight and a pitch black sense of humour.

Tim Mielants's quirky comedy is shot through with melancholy and holds a deep affection for its earnest hero even when he seems to be the butt of everybody's jokes.

The film generates a feel-good vibe even if beneath the pleasant froth lies a rather predictable polemic against the patriarchy.

What could have been a traditionally lavish costume drama has been pared down to highlight the erotic tension and sensuality

The narrative manages to balance the personal with the wider world of space exploration while dealing with the issues of domesticity and family demands and the conflicts of pursuing a demanding work arc.

There's little actual sport here, with more extensive focus on the half time entertainment, but that won't stop ice hockey fans from enjoying this ripping yarn.

It's difficult to express just what a bold piece of work this film is.

Varón brings depth to a character who could easily have been annoying.

Sequin in A Blue Room is a reminder of Nineties angst media and queer celebration, within the dark corners of adolescence.

This small, heartbreaking story illuminates much bigger issues.

Visually arresting and emotionally engaging.

Synchronic is science fiction thinking about itself.

This isn't an easy watch but it's a compelling one.

Zoabi uses farcical comedy as his warm-hearted messenger, presenting his argument with a disarming hug and a surprising dash of romance.

In less sensitive hands than Kore-eda's, it could have come across as cloyingly introverted but instead there is wit and warmth in the observed relationship between the two women.

Rodrigo Bellott, who adapted the film from his own play, employs multiple layers of fiction to explore themes around loss, rejection, redemption and that deep human longing to understand what's going on inside the minds of those we love.

Two of Us jolts the senses - you can smell when the hot pan stays on the stove too long and want to interfere.

A charming and playful consideration of her career.

Patterson handles the acceleration and deceleration throughout with aplomb, notching things up or down at just the right moments and using inventive camerawork and sound design that encourages you to lean in and listen during the film's quieter moments.

This is one of the most beautiful animated films of the year.

The whistling language is fun - and, if anything, disappointingly underused - but it's the language of cinema that Porumboiu is really interested in.

A White, White Day mingles some very dark dramatic moments with the comedy of the absurd.

Western documentary regulars may feel as though they are in familiar territory at the start of the film, which begins by focusing on Syria - but soon the violence considered will come a lot closer to home.