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Festival coverage

San Sebastian Film Festival

16 September – 24 September 2022

The San Sebastian Film Festival celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. It will open with Prison 77 on September 16 and run until September 24. Drive My Car will win the FIPRESCI critics' prize for the Best Film of the Year.

Other years (17)

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Latest reviews

  • A Male
    Review preview for A Male

    Director Fabian Hernández, making his feature début, demonstrates a fondness for close-ups and keeps the narrative close to Carlos as well.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Carlos lives in a youth shelter in Bogota. Its Christmas and Carlos longs to spend the day with his mother and sister, who are lost in the spiral of urban violence. As he leaves the shelter, Carlos is confronted with the rigor of the streets in his neighborhood, where the law of the strongest, the alpha 'macho', rules. As he seeks for a family reunion, Carlos must show he can be one of them.
  • Thunder
    Review preview for Thunder

    Writer/director Carmen Jacquier explores this ideological and psychological clash with confidence and visual flair.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Summer 1900, Switzerland. The sudden death of her older sister forces Elisabeth to return home. Stiffled by the strict rules of the village, Elisabeth is slowly driven to rebel for her right to live her life.
  • Piaffe
    Review preview for Piaffe

    Full of beautifully observed details, it’s as sensual as it is provocative, and makes room for its characters to unfurl naturally.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    An introverted foley artist, Eva struggles to create sounds for a commercial featuring a horse. Empowered by a horsetail growing out of her body, she lures a botanist into an affair, through a game of submission.
  • My Imaginary Country
    Review preview for My Imaginary Country

    Guzmán doesn’t need to hunt for symbolism as the protesters are often supplying their own.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Protests that exploded onto the streets of Chile's capital of Santiago in 2019 as the population demanded more democracy and social equality around education, healthcare and job opportunities.
  • Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths
    Review preview for Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths

    Iñárritu is very capable – one might even say brilliant – but has no idea how to restrain himself.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    An epic comedy about journalism.
  • Great Yarmouth: Provisional Figures
    Review preview for Great Yarmouth: Provisional Figures

    In places, dark humour seeps into the film like the rot around the hotel windows.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Film based on the true stories of Portuguese migrants who travel to Great Yarmouth, pre-Brexit, to work in turkey factories.
  • Pacifiction
    Review preview for Pacifiction

    The languid mood contrasts with the most dangerous topics.

    Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
    On the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, the High Commissioner of the Republic and French government navigates the high end "establishment" as well as shady venues as a rumour abounds about the sighting of a submarine whose presence could herald the return of French nuclear testing.
  • Prison 77
    Review preview for Prison 77

    Whereas most prison films focus on strife, it’s the gradually developing friendship which forms the bedrock of the film.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Modelo Prison. Barcelona, 1977. A young accountant awaiting trial for embezzlement, joins forces with his cellmate and a collective fighting for the rights of ordinary prisoners.
  • The Beasts
    Review preview for The Beasts

    In long, slow takes, Sorogoyen lets the tension build, one situation after another seeming as if it might spill over into violence.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    French couple Antoine and Olga moved to a little village in the Galician countryside some time ago. There they live a quiet life, although their relations with the locals are not as idyllic as they would like them to be. A conflict with their neighbours, the Anta brothers, will see tension rise in the village to the point of no return.
  • Sublime
    Review preview for Sublime

    What really lights up the film is the chemistry between the boys and their wider circle of friends.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A teenager in a rock band falls for his best friend, who is also one of his bandmates, while acting as his confidante and listening to his plans to impress girls.

A–Z of San Sebastian Film Festival 2022 reviews

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