South by Southwest — A–Z of films

Nothing is taken too seriously - there's plenty of teasing within the group itself - but respect is shown for the effort that has gone into all this.

Timely in its exploration of how we determine what’s real and how easy it is for what seems like legitimate research to become unbalanced and lead to strange places.

It's an obvious metaphor for aspects of life in the 21st Century, complemented by the textured look of Wexler's photography and the archive images which support the central narrative.

Like other iconic figures confronted with injustice, Molly seems to grow in stature with every slight, to gain spiritual power as she loses worldly power.

There are just enough events to keep things interesting without distracting from the fact that it's really the sameness of things that is behind the character interactions we see.

Ortega gives herself over completely to her role, delivering a mesmerising performance.

The way that director Lee Haven Jones frames male and female characters is intriguing, with classic gendered shots reversed.

A very neat summery of an experience that will be familiar to many, whilst still seeming nuanced and personal.

The end result is sweet but its best ideas are underdeveloped, leaving it with the slightness of something conceived on the hoof.

This isn’t just a tale of Chinese manipulation, however, as Wang goes on to show how America, too, played down the story initially, in ways that chillingly mirror what happened in Wuhan.

Stevens uses the Nosferatu framework to tell a story about a marriage.

Mompremier is superb in the lead.

This complex story is driven by its characters and blessed with a trio of impressive but unshowy performances.

Nicholas Bruckman's film follows Ady long enough that we see not just the impact upon him but the changes wrought in those around him.

Keating is a master of building up atmosphere and is much more interested in that than in conventional plot mechanics.

One of the cleverest and most entertaining comedies of the year.

Quirky and a little uneven but appealingly sweet.

Clua's compassionate stance offers a counterweight to the way their stories are often presented by the populist press.

It’s hard to say which is worse: the plot additions that amount to self-parody or the stilted pacing.

It's a beautifully written script and the performances are top notch.

A stylistically innovative, intelligent piece of work.

The central problem here is a common one in fantasy epics: it does go on a bit.

The film balances a search for solutions with an understandable degree of cynicism.

Swan Song is, like many such airs, a little too slow and indulgent for its own good, sometimes meandering and losing its way, but Kier’s magnetic performance, which won him Best Actor Awards in Dublin and Monte Carlo, holds it all together.

Although this is Canadian it has the coolness of the European arthouse, drawing on nature photography at key moments to reinforce the moody sense of primal danger.

Rather than trying to establish a thesis of her own, Janisse allows her interviewees to deliver contradictory viewpoints on key issues, and the film is richer for it.