San Sebastian Film Festival — A–Z of films

This is great stuff - a fantastic musical documentary.

You can do nothing but sit in a haze of expectation, waiting for the fun to ferment, which it does

This is complete hand-waving trash - he's an ignorant, privileged cocky arsehole and good things happen to him. Pass the sick bucket.

Worth seeing to remind ourselves how far Spanish women have come (and what they risk losing once more in Spain's current political climate).

Worth seeing for its gripping central performances and Cuenca's impressive camerawork - signposting better films from him to come - even though the story lacks killer instinct.

The animation is highly stylised, with more emphasis on shadow and light and the movement and rhythm of the characters than on intimate detailing. However, this impressionistic style suits the ever-present, free-wheeling jazz soundtrack.

In some ways she may be a monster, but Netzer and co-writer Radulescu find a path for Cornelia that steers clear of outright condemnation. Her tragic devotion to her son is so absolute that she retains our pity.

As Hector, Lucio Gimenez Cacho embodies the three primary desires of any teenage boy: getting one's way, getting one's end away, and potato chips.

With such a fascinating subject, it's hard for a documentary to go wrong.

McConaughey's performance is a tour de force.

An involving mystery which, alongside its immediate concerns, asks questions about human nature and the inherent mystery of mortality.

It is fascinating to watch the development of ideas in the kitchen via the symbiotic interactions of the three brothers.

The performances are captivating, especially from Yoshiyuki, who is bewitching and keeps her essentially unlikeable charater, sympathetic.

Villeneuve knows how to stoke the tension so that benign moments become first unsettling and then downright creepy.

Fear(s) of the Dark is a collection of great animations, but while each of its chapters are great, the overall film doesn't gel brilliantly.

A fantastic adaptation that manages to surpass its source material while staying entirely true to its spirit.

While there is no doubting the admirable intentions of Vercoe's idea, the end result feels far too focused on her response to what happened than on the more universal impact of the events themselves.

The film takes an even-handed view of its main protagonist, illustrating faults on both sides of the divide.

Gloria has the instincts of an eagle and the courage to fly.

Alfonso Cuaron's film comes with a powerful force of its own - one which drags you towards the edge of your seat, forces your nails down into the cinema arm rests and sucks the breath out of you.

Neither scandalous, nor inspiring.

A flowing, lyrical film, at times startlingly beautiful, The Golden Dream hypnotises the viewer with its constant movement, its unceasing rhythm.

The sexual and gender politics that course through Almodovar's best work are in evidence here but there's a distinct lack of focus, leaving the film a somewhat forced flight of fancy.

Despite all the outrageous and mostly un-simulated activity, there is a real sensuality to the couple's contact, as well as a sad undertow to their sadistic influence upon each other.

This film efficiently uses animation to produce genuine moments of horror.

Shuttling back and forth between the families, Like Father, Like Son scrutinises words, deeds, allegiances.

There are moments when it feels like a five hour movie squeezed into two and others when it drags.

The bleached-to-monochrome palette and rich textures are stunningly beautiful to behold, if also deeply unnerving.

Opens your eyes to fresh fields of possibility

Exquisite attention to detail that creates not only a complex portrait of each of the main characters but also a vivid sense of place.

Bowie and Sakamoto acquit themselves well, their otherworldly appearance and rougher edges in acting ability feel quite appropriate for the characters they are playing - outsiders.

The joy is in the detail of Dosunmu's film, the nuance of a relationship as richly complex as the African print dresses that Adenike favours.

Achieving a delicate balance between the intersecting worlds of police, criminals and corporations, New World is a breath of fresh air.

Cinematographer Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson captures Iceland at its wildest and yet this is also a tale of intimacy without romanticism.

Every scene is a rich, visual treat.

Like Jan Svankmajer, the Quays blend live action and animation to create a surreal hermetic vision that is as beautifully seductive as it is chillingly inaccessible. T

The characters may be variously plagued by debt, illness and emotional strain but they also prove there is conoslation in friendship and that a single shared chocolate can be more important and touching than a thousand words.

Prisoners, surprisingly for a film that lasts 153 minutes, holds you captive for the entire runtime.

An emotional, thrilling, disturbing and beautiful film.

It is a story of courage, redemption and forgiveness. And it's true

The film becomes a road trip, avoiding many of the usual booby traps, although not all.

A sad, mournful and bittersweet air pervades the entire film both in the shorts and the biographical segments, as if Tatsumi's success and clear artistic ability never allowed him to outrun certain doubts and worries.

As the story ball is passed from one set of characters to the next, you sense the dexterity without being distracted by it, while the messages about being a team player and winning by fair means not foul underpins the action without getting in the way.

There are moments when it treads dangerously close to pretension and self-importance, but the dream-like feel of the whole thing brings it down to earth.

Silver may succeed in pushing emotional buttons but its people's heads that need to be engaged in tackling this complex issue, not just their hearts.

Miyazaki's films linger for a long time, they can't be pinned down, their meaning won't dissolve on the horizon.

A messy but highly enjoyable romp that takes a sideswipe at modern Spanish attitudes and the country's economic turmoil.

It's a great credit to actor Marwan Kenzari that he is able to keep the audience rooting for him.

Valle’s deadpan comedy demonstrates a master image-maker at work.

A thought-provoking consideration of ageing from the perspective of the elderly that is, perhaps ironically, hard to forget.

Folman's use of animation permits an audience to engage with the events, such as they are recalled, in a way that the simple testimony of those involved could not achieve.

Likely to strike the strongest chord with couples who understand there's a double meaning to enduring love.

Keeps holding out a promise of insight into its young protagonist's mentality and makeup, but ends up merely observing her from a cool distance, as if through the binoculars from the opening scene.

The Zero Theorem is a messy mélange of broad pratfalls, challenged idealism, dark satire, and expansive, indeed cosmic allegory - but it also .cannot escape being seen as a kind of Brazil vers. 2.0.

It's a well constructed, well paced, well made film, but it's poised and polished and professional where one might hope for something a bit more ramshackle, a mite more rebellious.