Reviews by Anne-Katrin Titze

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Lincoln (2012)

  Review preview for Lincoln

  Spielberg, as he is very good at, goes out on a limb to walk a tightrope of his own making between melodrama and sinewy storytelling.

  The president's battles in the Civil War and within his own cabinet.
• 
  Lion (2016)

  Review preview for Lion

  To its great merit, the film does not go for romanticizing or exploiting this child's life-threatening dilemma and the impossibly difficult decision-making process can be felt throughout.

  An Indian man who was adopted by an Australian couple as a boy heads off to find his real family.
• 
  Liv And Ingmar (2012)

  Review preview for Liv And Ingmar

  Akolkar’s documentary lets us glimpse the private couple who became lifelong friends.

  An exploration of the creative collaboration and romance between the famous actress and director.
• 
  L'Amour Fou (2010)

  Review preview for L'Amour Fou

  Our view, through Bergé's eyes, is that of the melancholic, someone who has the object of desire but has lost the object-cause of desire.

  Documentary charts the relationship between the fashion designer and his lover Pierre Bergé.
• 
  Late Fame (2025)

  Review preview for Late Fame

  Burch and Jones clearly enjoy updating rich kid Myers and his literary salon pals to the present without ever falling into clownish cliché.

  Ed Saxberger, a forgotten New York poet, works in the post office. After an eager and flattering young admirer appears on his doorstep, Saxberger is beckoned into a coterie of twentysomething admirers who anoint him as a rediscovered genius.
• 
  Learning To Drive (2014)

  Review preview for Learning To Drive

  Sarah Kernochan's screenplay is precise and doesn't shy away from the real-life absurdities we all encounter.

  Jolted by her husband leaving her, a writer decides to learn to drive.
• 
  Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013)

  Review preview for Lee Daniels' The Butler

  Race is a complicated issue, and knowing the past, Daniels seems to say, is as important as making up your mind to act in the present.

  A butler's eye view of the White House staffer who served seven presidents.
• 
  Letters From Baghdad (2016)

  Review preview for Letters From Baghdad

  As the voice of Gertrude, Tilda Swinton seductively pulls us in, reading her letters sent from afar.

  The story of Gertrude Bell, who shaped the destiny of Iraq after the First World War.
• 
  The Letter Room (2020)

  Review preview for The Letter Room

  Oscar Isaac’s poignant performance pulls us in from the get-go.

  Corrections officer Richard starts in a new position as director of prisoner communications and finds his world opening up in unexpected ways.
• 
  Life Of Pi (2012)

  Review preview for Life Of Pi

  The introductory credits are among the most marvellous images seen on screen.

  After a shipwreck, a boy finds himself adrift with an animal menagerie.
• 
  Little Women (2019)

  Review preview for Little Women

  The garments are liberating, positioning the wearer as subject, not object of a gaze that evaluates the body.

  Adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott classic.
• 
  The Loneliest Planet (2011)

  Review preview for The Loneliest Planet

  The Loneliest Planet spins a carefully constructed net around your imagination.

  A young couple are taken by surprise on a trek deep into the Caucasus Mountains.
• 
  Lovers (2020)

  Review preview for Lovers

  Garcia... takes the socio-economic circumstances as the core and builds her elegant thriller around it.

  An inseparable couple are forced apart following a crime... and meet again by chance three years later.
• 
  Lovers Rock (2020)

  Review preview for Lovers Rock

  The choreography by Coral Messam showcases the garments and limbs in movement.

  A story set in London's West Indian community in the early 1980s.
• 
  Love Affair(s) (2020)

  Review preview for Love Affair(s)

  Too much and over the top, the film nevertheless finds its rhythm.

  François has to rush back to Paris to cover for a sick colleague, leaving his partner Daphné, three months pregnant, to welcome his cousin, Maxime. In the four days till Francois’ return Daphné and Maxime get to know each other, sharing increasingly intimate stories that bring them closer.
• 
  Lucky (2017)

  Review preview for Lucky

  Deadpan absurdity, everyday madness and enlightenment through routine merge in an attempt to answer the big questions of life.

  The spiritual journey of a 90-year-old atheist.
• 
  Long Live Freedom (2013)

  Review preview for Long Live Freedom

  Part farce, part political commentary, part soul-searching device.

  After an under-pressure politician disappears, his look-alike brother fills the gap... and starts to win popular support.
• 
  Love At First Fight (2014)

  Review preview for Love At First Fight

  Cinematographer David Cailley, the director's brother, offers stark beauty and wicked humor.

  Between his friends and the family business, Arnaud’s summer looks set to be a peaceful one. Peaceful until he runs into Madeleine, as beautiful as she is brusque.
• 
  Love Hate Love (2011)

  Review preview for Love Hate Love

  All three families documented in this film are hands-on and very much involved in doing good without doing harm.

  Documentary charts the lives of three families torn apart by acts of terrorism.
• 
  Love Steaks (2013)

  Review preview for Love Steaks

  The comedy shifts and jumps with ease from the wintry beach to the pool and into our hearts due to the acute timing of the performances.

  Luxury hotel. Luxury clientele. Irritable staff. A couple who might fall in love, or they might leave their relationship in its raw state – like the titular steaks.
• 
  Lucky Them (2013)

  Review preview for Lucky Them

  Griffiths enjoys showing us the particulars of Ellie's life and it doesn't feel like exposition though it might look a little ersatz.

  A music journalist goes on a troubling journey into her own past.
• 
  Mademoiselle C (2013)

  Review preview for Mademoiselle C

  Fabien Constant's meticulously dashing portrait of Carine Roitfeld in Mademoiselle C works as a triple treat with style, beauty and grace.

  Documentary about former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief and fashion stylist Carine Roitfeld.
• 
  Maudie (2016)

  Review preview for Maudie

  The performances under Walsh's direction capture the fine splinters of motivation and the mystery that we all are to each other.

  Story of folk artist Maud Lewis.
• 
  The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected) (2017)

  Review preview for The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected)

  The balance of the super real with intricately timed artifice and how they collapse into each other is Baumbach's crown achievement.

  Comedy drama about a family who gather in New York to celebrate the work of their dad.
• 
  Michael H - Profession: Director (2013)

  Review preview for Michael H - Profession: Director

  The documentary ultimately chronicles a provocateur in his quest against indifference and the conventions of an obscene normality.

  An exploration of the work of Michael Haneke.
• 
  Midnight Special (2015)

  Review preview for Midnight Special

  A sublime family thriller

  A man takes his eight year old son on a special journey.
• 
  Mistress America (2015)

  Review preview for Mistress America

  The dialogue sparkles all over with wit and joy and perceptiveness.

  Two young women have unpredictable adventures in New York City and beyond.
• 
  MA (2015)

  Review preview for MA

  Director Celia Rowlson-Hall, a dancer and choreographer, is able to make visible through movement what harms the soul.

  In this modern-day vision of Mother Mary’s pilgrimage, a woman crosses the American Southwest, deconstructing the world around her.
• 
  Madeleine Collins (2021)

  Review preview for Madeleine Collins

  The juxtaposition of showing a woman who so carefully and artfully constructs every aspect of her life with the totally natural performances of the children, especially little Ninon, adds great dimension.

  Judith manages a busy double life between Switzerland and France. On the one hand there's Abdel, with whom she has a little girl, and on the other Melvil, with whom she has two older boys. Gradually, this delicate balancing act starts to crack.
• 
  Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger (2024)

  Review preview for Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger

  Hinton’s documentary visually points to all the complicated, often triangular entanglements.

  Documentary about the acclaimed directors, their work and its legacy.
• 
  Maestro (2023)

  Review preview for Maestro

  Maestro is a starry affair on all fronts.

  Biopic of Leonard and Felicia Bernstein.
• 
  Magic In The Moonlight (2014)

  Review preview for Magic In The Moonlight

  One of the most elegant films of the year.

  When an Englishman is persuaded to investigate a fraud he discovers something unexpected.
• 
  Malmkrog (2020)

  Review preview for Malmkrog

  There is more substance of thought in one minute of this film than most movies are able to produce in an hour.

  Guests at the mansion of man of the world Nikolai discuss death, the Antichrist, history and rule, progress and morality.
• 
  Manchester By The Sea (2016)

  Review preview for Manchester By The Sea

  Manchester By The Sea is a masterful study of clumsiness.

  A man returns to his hometown following the death of his brother.
• 
  Mangrove (2020)

  Review preview for Mangrove

  The ease with which McQueen shifts the tone from very serious argument to light-hearted banter is sterling.

  The true story of the Mangrove Nine, the group of black activists who clashed with London police during a protest march in 1970 and their highly publicised trial that followed.
• 
  Mank (2020)

  Review preview for Mank

  This is a film that lets words sizzle more than anything.

  1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
• 
  A Man Of His Time (2026)

  Review preview for A Man Of His Time

  There exists no safe ground when you are part of a regime that uses fear and threats as casual tools.

  Historical drama set against a backdrop of Vichy France as a man strives to help France's renewal.
• 
  Marguerite's Theorem (2023)

  Review preview for Marguerite's Theorem

  Something’s gotta give, so much is clear.

  The life of a maths genius shifts after she makes a mistake.
• 
  Maria By Callas (2017)

  Review preview for Maria By Callas

  Often you see the truth in her face, not in her words.

  The most famous soprano in the world, a true diva, recounts her life 40 years after her death.
• 
  Marx Can Wait (2021)

  Review preview for Marx Can Wait

  The family portrait is devastating.

  Camillo died in 1968. Almost 50 years later, Marco gathers his whole family for a lunch. With his family he wonders about Camillo, his twin, and life.
• 
  Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

  Review preview for Mary Poppins Returns

  The stakes are high and the fears tangible in this return, which invites discussion and doesn't protect parents from uncomfortable questions. This is the power of the film. Mary Poppins herself wouldn't want it any other way.

  In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael's three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins at a difficult time.
• 
  The Master (2012)

  Review preview for The Master

  Surrounding, supporting, and undermining the central love story, Paul Thomas Anderson paints unforgettable scenes that should be enjoyed in a rare 70mm projection.

  A troubled veteran falls under the spell of a charismatic cult leader.
• 
  A Matter Of Trust (2022)

  Review preview for A Matter Of Trust

  Besides the always outstanding Trine Dyrholm, Sofie Juul Blinkenberg is the revelation of this film because her scenes dip the screen into a clear virescent pool of elemental longing for unspoiled credence.

  Five stories on interpersonal trust and unspoken truths intertwine.
• 
  May December (2023)

  Review preview for May December

  The balance held between creepiness and fascination, sheer fun and lingering disturbance is held throughout.

  20 years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under the pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.
• 
  The Meaning Of Hitler (2020)

  Review preview for The Meaning Of Hitler

  Epperlein and Tucker’s kaleidoscopic investigation into the past and our future takes us on the road of history to the state of the world at this moment in time.

  Historians and writers explore what Hitler means in the current waves of white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and the weaponisation of history and weigh in on the lasting impact of his virulent ideology.
• 
  Melancholia (2011)

  Review preview for Melancholia

  Lars von Trier's sublime invitation to the end of the world is a grand film by a master story teller who does not repeat himself.

  Two sisters' relationship is examined as a planet threatens to bring about the apocalypse.
• 
  The Metamorphosis Of Birds (2020)

  Review preview for The Metamorphosis Of Birds

  For a short time, this cinematic jewel lets us travel back to when the migration of birds was a mystery to man.

  Beatriz and Henrique fall in love and get married. He goes to sea while she raises their inquisitive children. The director brings her family's story to the screen.
• 
  The Midnight Sky (2020)

  Review preview for The Midnight Sky

  This is what cinema does best - showing us technicolor worlds that make us see and appreciate the black and white home.

  As a catastrophe unfolds on Earth, a dying man crosses the Arctic in an attempt to make contact with a spacecraft which may have found a habitable world elsewhere.
• 
  Mirrors No.3 (2025)

  Review preview for Mirrors No.3

  As is true of many a tale, not all motivations are on the table right away, and finding rescue and respite with strangers can only last a mere while.

  On a weekend trip to the countryside, Laura miraculously survives a car crash. Physically unhurt but deeply shaken, she is taken in by a local woman who witnessed the accident and now cares for Laura with motherly devotion. When her husband and adult son also give up their initial resistance to Laura's presence, the four of them slowly build up some family-like routine. But soon they can no longer ignore their past...
• 
  Mi Fanno Male I Capelli (2023)

  Review preview for Mi Fanno Male I Capelli

  A bravura performance.

  The film is freely inspired by the great actress Monica Vitti, but it is in no way a biopic. It is the story of a woman named Monica, who loses her memory and regains meaning in her life.