South by Southwest — A–Z of films

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

The film immerses us in the life of the city.

Most of the film has been assembled out of Zoom chats, but it’s so well done, and the story is so compelling, that it might take you a while to notice.

“I don’t really know why I'm building it,” he says – which is, one imagines, what it might feel like to respond to a divine command.

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

This is a film built in the edit, a story which can but understood in linear form only in retrospect.

The acting and the visuals are of the highest order, especially given the sensitive and personal nature of some of the revelations.

There may be other movies this year that'll give you the wisdom of "gay Yoda" or that reflect the slippery "hobbies to terrorism" pipeline. There won't be many with public address announcements that blur the lines between unreliable narration and inner ear disorders

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

The ornate cinematic style highlights the strangeness of the procedure but never loses track of the emotional journey of those on the operating table.

Even if you might get a hint of the film’s final destination before it arrives, the way Bustillo achieves his aims will leave you with a warm glow.

The difficulty with all this is that too many threads are left hanging, becoming distractions rather than contributing to the atmosphere.

The special itself may exert a certain fascination but this documentary reveals that there was much more going on behind the scenes.

We're told you can't do everything with magic, but the film does manage to make much magical.

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

An emotionally engaging portrait of the struggles of life on a Native American reservation in Oklahoma

In many ways Fremont is advocating the importance of accepting that a life can be both average and fulfilling.

Though it might easily have been twee, the young leads are fresh and natural, unintimidated by the symbolism, whilst Huston brings an unnerving edge to his pleasingly complex character.

Hand drawn using just four colours of ink, the film’s simple lines convey a great deal of movement and expression.

There’s lot of video footage of her playing as a child, obviously very happy and doing the same kinds of things as any other kid her age.

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.

It’s thrilling to watch a filmmaker like Smith throw a wrench in the gears and deliver an unapologetic ode to outcasts that’s every bit as punk rock as its subjects.

Arson, sabotage and intimidatory tactics involving kangaroo penises all get their moments, and although the film is crammed full of incidents and ‘accidents’, one can’t help but feel that the filmmaker has only seen the tip of the iceberg.

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

For all the debt owed to Sister Rosetta Tharpe the essence here is not translation uncovered but transgression buried. That makes the decision not to further explore these hidden histories all the more surprising.

It’s a slight thing but nicely delivered.

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

Dazzles from the opening song and dance number to the final credits.

Making a film like this in the US today is risky, and cinemas showing it will face risks, too. Nevertheless, they persist.

Manzoor operates a controlled chaos that blends the colour and splendour of Bollywood with sly British satire reminiscent of early Edgar Wright.

Raging Grace is a Gothic thriller with the potential to appeal to a wide audience. It’s also a fierce critique of the racism embedded in a culture which still treats it as normal for some perfectly capable people to be waited on by others, and to treat them as less than human in the process.

A film which is forensic in its approach yet also finds room for fascinating explorations of character.

There’s an enviable mix of the playful and the poignant.

The reason the film works so well is in its well-established teenage relationships - with the Philippous showing the attraction of being in with the cool kids and that the dangers this presents are particularly acute for those, like Mia, who are already emotionally vulnerable or, like Riley, desperate to be included in an older peer group.

I was entertained, but unlike an actual game of Tetris I didn't want to go straight back to it.

Everything here has a depth, a richness.

Though the film naturally relies heavily on symbolism, and viewers won’t be surprised to learn that it began life as a play, the performances are fully committed and it has an appropriate degree of emotional heft.