Reviews by Jennie Kermode

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Angel's Egg (1985)

  Review preview for Angel's Egg

  Unutterably beautiful.

  A mysterious young girl wanders a desolate, otherworldly landscape, carrying a large egg.
• 
  Dear Stranger (2025)

  Review preview for Dear Stranger

  Grapples with big themes in interesting ways.

  A Japanese man and Taiwanese-American wife's immigrant life unravels when their son disappears. The kidnapping reveals hidden secrets, testing their emotional limits and moral boundaries.
• 
  Omar & Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird (2023)

  Review preview for Omar & Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird

  More a portrait of a friendship than of Omar and Cedric as creative artists.

  The story of the intimate, artistic and personal relationship between Omar Rodriguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala from progressive band The Mars Volta.
• 
  A Want In Her (2024)

  Review preview for A Want In Her

  It feels organic, spreading outwards from that centre which might swallow everything.

  When her mother goes missing somewhere in Ireland, an artist returns from London to find her. Her search takes her into a feuding family, a contested house, and a history that threatens to take everyone down, including herself.
• 
  The Tasters (2025)

  Review preview for The Tasters

  Chaos is everywhere, along with the fear of straight-out societal collapse.

  Seven women are forced to taste Hitler's food to check for poison. As they spend time together, their relationships evolve between loyalty and betrayal.
• 
  Iron Ladies (2025)

  Review preview for Iron Ladies

  One gets the feeling that most of these women could fill a documentary with fascinating stories all by themselves.

  A celebration of the iron willed women who maintained the 1984/85 Miners' Strike as they fought for the future of their communities.
• 
  A Tooth Fairy Tale (2025)

  Review preview for A Tooth Fairy Tale

  A rare example of something which might entertain brave six-year-olds and wistful teenagers alike.

  A rebellious tooth fairy and a goblin scientist fall in love, threatening centuries of tradition, while befriending a troll and being stalked by a scheming spider.
• 
  Self-Help (2025)

  Review preview for Self-Help

  Bloomquist invites us to think again about the type of people who are drawn into cults, and to reflect on what is missing that they need to replace in this way.

  Members of an underground online community attend a secret weekend retreat to confront their fears and regain their sense of self. Two girls discover that one of their mothers has become romantically entangled with its leader, whose unusual self-actualisation methods may be deadly.
• 
  Beast Of War (2025)

  Review preview for Beast Of War

  Roache-turner achieves a good balance of interpersonal drama and sudden, lurching scares, adding a dash of squaddie-style humour to ease the tension.

  A group of young soldiers, fresh out of boot camp, find themselves stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean after their ship is sunk by the enemy, and must battle for their lives against a giant hungry great white shark.
• 
  Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon (2025)

  Review preview for Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon

  The original film was derided by critics for being crude, exploitative and immature. Fans will be pleased to know that this one delivers more of the same.

  Brodie resurrects his bandmates to win the battle-of-the-bands and reacquire his girlfriend. His uncontrollable undead bandmate raises an army of costumed corpses. Brodie must stop the zombie horde before it ruins his musical dreams and love life.
• 
  Luger (2025)

  Review preview for Luger

  There is some excellent work here of the sort that gets under your skin without you noticing, so that when the film abruptly shifts gears in the final scene, it hits you all at once.

  Two desperate criminals navigate a dangerous industrial complex in real time, seeking redemption while facing mounting threats in this intense thriller.
• 
  The Restoration At Grayson Manor (2025)

  Review preview for The Restoration At Grayson Manor

  Director/co-writer Glenn McQuaid uses larger than life cinematic tropes as a means of getting at his subject effectively.

  After losing both hands in an accident, Boyd Grayson becomes the prime candidate for an experimental replacement procedure in this queer, campy, erotic horror.
• 
  Theater Is Dead (2025)

  Review preview for Theater Is Dead

  The first half is packed with clues and double entendres. The second becomes more about action.

  Sheltered Willow auditions for mysterious director Matthew's play, a Greek tragedy adaptation. Enthralled, she ignores dangers and undergoes self-discovery as the lead under his tutelage.
• 
  Appofeniacs (2025)

  Review preview for Appofeniacs

  The characters are larger than life, each with a distinctive look, to make it easier to keep track. The effect is rather like being at a drunken fancy dress party.

  An ensemble tale with intersecting storylines that escalate into chaos as each portrays how easily deepfake technology can be weaponised to exploit society.
• 
  The Kitchen Brigade (2022)

  Review preview for The Kitchen Brigade

  Warm-hearted and humorous without losing sight of the manifold injustices many migrants face.

  Explores the world of French gastronomy while also tackling issues of social justice and inclusion.
• 
  V/H/S/Halloween (2025)

  Review preview for V/H/S/Halloween

  With a wrap-around story by Scotland’s own short film maestro Bryan M Ferguson, we are guaranteed at least some high quality entertainment.

  A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.
• 
  The Partisan (2024)

  Review preview for The Partisan

  If you’re already familiar with Krystyna’s story, you’re likely to find the film satisfying enough, if a little weak in places; but if you’re not, you’re really going to struggle to keep track.

  A Polish spy who works for the British during the Second World War. After a betrayal, she is compromised in Warsaw and finds herself in a murky world of treachery.
• 
  The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957)

  Review preview for The Curse Of Frankenstein

  The sensitivity of Lee’s performance helps to draw out the ambiguities in Shelley’s work, and the moral complexities which, acknowledged or not, are a critical component of the story’s staying power.

  While awaiting execution for murder, Baron Victor Frankenstein tells the story of a creature he built and brought to life - only for it to behave not as he intended.
• 
  Coyotes (2025)

  Review preview for Coyotes

  The sense that the characters have accidentally wandered into the wrong film is exacerbated by the fact that we see very little direct interaction.

  Trapped in their Hollywood Hills home, a family fight for survival when caught between a raging wildfire and a pack of savage coyotes.
• 
  Good Boy (2024)

  Review preview for Good Boy

  In Good Boy, Indy the dog delivers not only a great animal performance, but one of the best performances by anyone this year.

  Indy is a good boy; a faithful dog, he is always by his human Todd’s side. When Todd seeks quiet in an empty family home in the countryside, Indy finds there is a strange, malevolent presence lurking in the shadows — an evil that only he can sense.
• 
  Every Heavy Thing (2025)

  Review preview for Every Heavy Thing

  Most of Reece’s works are first and foremost character studies, so it’s not surprising that his adherence to plot doesn’t last; the film is better for it.

  An unassuming office worker at an online periodical becomes entangled in a conspiracy after witnessing a murder.
• 
  Dolly (2025)

  Review preview for Dolly

  It’s hard to describe the plot without it sounding laughable, but as a viewing experience it is, at times, riveting.

  A young woman fights for survival after being abducted by a deranged, monster-like figure who wants to raise her as a child.
• 
  The Dead Of Winter (2025)

  Review preview for The Dead Of Winter

  A serviceable thriller with a good bit more soul than most.

  A woman alone in the middle of a snowy wilderness discovers that a teenager has been kidnapped and that she may be the only person who can save her.
• 
  The Vile (2025)

  Review preview for The Vile

  Heavy layered with meaning, the film shifts uncertainly underfoot, deliberately discomfiting viewers.

  Amani's peaceful life as a wife and mother shatters when her husband brings home a second wife, unleashing mysterious dark forces into their household.
• 
  Deathstalker (2025)

  Review preview for Deathstalker

  Cinema in its most metal form.

  When a ruthless warrior named Deathstalker steals a mysterious amulet from a dying man, he’s unwillingly thrust into a quest to stop the dark sorcerer Necromemnon and save the world from destruction.
• 
  The Curse (2025)

  Review preview for The Curse

  Bright, white-painted spaces give way to slowly deepening blues as the story progresses, so that when we see the colour red, it leaps out at us.

  A Japanese girl travels to Taiwan to track down the motive behind a friend's bizarre death, which seems to be linked to strange social media posts.
• 
  The Ice Tower (2025)

  Review preview for The Ice Tower

  Cotillard is at her very best as a character we see only from the sidelines – earthy and opinionated in flashes, yet frozen by her art.

  Colder than ice, her kiss pierces the heart ... The 1970s. Jeanne, a young runaway, falls under the spell of Cristina, the enigmatic star of The Snow Queen, a film which is being shot in the studio where Jeanne has taken refuge.
• 
  The Tree Of Knowledge (2025)

  Review preview for The Tree Of Knowledge

  The Tree Of Knowledge is handsomely shot, intelligent, self-conscious and unabashedly peculiar.

  Gaspard, a teenager from the suburbs of Lisbon, falls into the hands of the Ogre, a man who has made a pact with the Devil.
• 
  Thunderbirds Double Bill (1965)

  Review preview for Thunderbirds Double Bill

  There’s a careful balance between real thrills and the inescapable comedy of these situations. This is managed by way of an ineffable sense of cool.

  Two episodes from the hit supermarionation TV series show the International Rescue team involved in daring escapades.
• Happyend (2024)

  Review preview for Happyend

  A thoughtful, shrewd examination of the impact of rapidly developing technologies.

  Best friends Yuta and Kou are on the brink of graduating from high school in a near-future Tokyo where the threat of a catastrophic earthquake casts a shadow over daily life.
• 
  Compulsion (2024)

  Review preview for Compulsion

  There’s an action sequence towards the end which is among the director’s best.

  Two women's lives become entwined as one of them hatches a scheme to rob the other, while a serial killer stalks the men of Malta.
• 
  Tape (2025)

  Review preview for Tape

  Bizhan M Tong opens up the setting and lets in more light, giving viewers more room to breathe whilst making his characters seem more exposed.

  Three former classmates reunite in Hong Kong, but a buried secret resurfaces forcing them to confront the past, each other, and the limits of truth.
• 
  I Fell In Love With A Z-Grade Director In Brooklyn (2025)

  Review preview for I Fell In Love With A Z-Grade Director In Brooklyn

  It’s clear from the start where most of this is going but that doesn’t make it any less of a joy to watch.

  A jaded Japanese movie star stranded in NYC without money or phone meets a passionate indie filmmaker and his crew, leading to an unexpected creative journey that could reignite her love for cinema.
• 
  California Schemin' (2025)

  Review preview for California Schemin'

  The lads’ delight at their early success is engaging, and both stars acquit themselves well.

  Two Scottish lads from Dundee conned the music industry by pretending to be an established Californian rap duo, bagging a record deal and appearing on MTV until their scam unraveled.
• 
  My Bigfoot Life (2025)

  Review preview for My Bigfoot Life

  Like many of the best documentaries, this is primarily about human relationships, and it doesn’t take long to see the value of the community that has grown up amongst bigfoot enthusiasts.

  The curious journey of 14-year-old Daniel, a teenager with an immense passion for cryptozoology.
• 
  Lucid (2025)

  Review preview for Lucid

  Lucid is surprisingly coherent once the pieces start to come together, and it’s among the more successful experiments in this sort of portraiture.

  Mia is a rebellious art student who struggles to create the ultimate project for a demanding professor. Desperate to find her artistic voice, she takes Lucid, a candy elixir, to access her creativity, but taps into something much darker.
• 
  Out Standing (2025)

  Review preview for Out Standing

  It’s the mass of minor incidents along the way which give it power, and it’s Charbonneau’s commitment to presenting them in this way that makes this an important work.

  Officer Sandra Perron resigns from the Canadian military after a controversial photo surfaces. Adapting to civilian life amidst an investigation, she denies abuse allegations despite evidence suggesting mistreatment within her unit.
• 
  Holding Liat (2025)

  Review preview for Holding Liat

  Her experience is, of course, only that of an individual, and cannot represent what happened to all of the other hostages, but it still has significance.

  On October 7th, during a raid by Hamas on her kibbutz, Israeli-American Liat Atzili was kidnapped, prompting an urgent and heart-wrenching fight for her release by her family. Through a deeply intimate lens, parents Yehuda and Chaya cope with fear and uncertainty as they are thrust into a global conflict unfolding in real time.
• 
  Amoeba (2025)

  Review preview for Amoeba

  Physical and metaphorical layers pile on top of one another.

  In a repressive city-state, a tomboy schoolgirl persuades three classmates at an all-girls school to rebel by forming a triad gang.
• 
  Dirty Boy (2024)

  Review preview for Dirty Boy

  A film which, though it’s messy and doesn’t always hit the spot, goes to interesting places.

  Raised in a cult, a reclusive schizophrenic youth comes to suspect that he's being framed by its leaders for a series of ritualistic murders and must prove his innocence by saving their next victim.
• 
  The Courageous (2024)

  Review preview for The Courageous

  Jule’s sheer resourcefulness makes her a compelling character to watch.

  Three children learn to take care of one another during their mother's absences, as she tries to find a better way of living.
• 
  Marriaginalia (2025)

  Review preview for Marriaginalia

  Stars Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll and Kayla Lorette give the film a lived-in feeling and a lot of heart.

  A surreal portrait of married life told across a day in three parts. A couple navigates life's smaller ruptures - the world distorts, the body surprises - but their bond holds, serene and slightly off-kilter.
• 
  The Cut (2024)

  Review preview for The Cut

  A world away from Hollywood now, Bloom shines in the small independent films that seem to be his first choice, and this is no exception.

  A retired boxer returns to the ring for one last shot at the title but only if he can make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas he embarks on an intensive and illegal weight cut program with an unscrupulous trainer.
• 
  Healing Andy (2025)

  Review preview for Healing Andy

  Cleverer than it looks, and not altogether as cynical, Healing Andy may not always succeed in its tricky balancing act but it deserves praise for doing something so different.

  When Andy gets left at the altar, his best friends turn his Italian honeymoon into a ‘bros trip’ for the world to see. But as their influencer-fueled getaway spirals into a nightmare, they soon realise some things aren’t meant to be filmed.
• 
  Row (2025)

  Review preview for Row

  The boat makes a fascinating set and Losasso uses it well.

  After a failed trans-Atlantic rowing attempt, a woman washes ashore near a bloodstained rowing boat. With all of her crewmates missing, presumed dead, she must try to piece together fractured memories of the ordeal to prove her innocence.
• 
  A Blind Bargain (2025)

  Review preview for A Blind Bargain

  Cinematographer Fransisco Bulgarelli captures the angles perfectly: the theatrical glides, the lingering gaze, the suddenly intimate close-ups on faces when we don’t know whether to expect comedy or violence.

  A reimagining of the Lon Chaney classic in which a desperate young man strikes a dark deal with an unhinged doctor, offering his mother as a subject for the physician's twisted experiments.
• 
  Where Is Juan Moctezuma? (2025)

  Review preview for Where Is Juan Moctezuma?

  There are enough details here to spawn a lot of conspiracy theories.

  A documentary about Mexploitation movies, luchadores, true love, unhealthy obsession and a mysterious disappearance.
• 
  Mother Of Flies (2025)

  Review preview for Mother Of Flies

  If there were any justice in the world, Toby Poser would be in the running for major awards for her performance.

  When a young woman faces a deadly diagnosis, she seeks dark magic from a witch in the woods - but every cure has costs
• 
  Odyssey (2025)

  Review preview for Odyssey

  Maberly herself is unforgettable in a gem of a role.

  A ruthless estate agent finds herself in debt to some vicious gangsters.
• 
  The Haunting At Jack The Ripper's House (2025)

  Review preview for The Haunting At Jack The Ripper's House

  The Haunting at Jack the Ripper’s House feels more like a high speed soap opera than a properly creepy ghost story.

  YouTube ghost hunters get out of their depth when exploring Jack the Ripper's home.