Reviews by Jennie Kermode

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  4.3.2.1 (2010)

  Review preview for 4.3.2.1

  A combination of strong acting and astute writing gives us four distinct characters any one of whom would be strong enough to carry a film on her own.

  Four young women unwittingly get caught up in the violent aftermath of a diamond heist.
• 
  44 Inch Chest (2009)

  Review preview for 44 Inch Chest

  The idea of the bare room, the helpless prisoner and the group of aggressive men is profoundly Pinteresque. Unfortunately it has neither Pinter's wit nor his brevity.

  After Colin's wife leaves him, his gangster friends kidnap her lover - but will Colin actually kill him?
• 
  48 Hours To Live (2016)

  Review preview for 48 Hours To Live

  What it lacks in terms of original ideas, the film tries to make up for with loud music and flashing lights.

  A loner who has just emerged from rehab tries to solve the murder of his sister.
• 
  4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (2007)

  Review preview for 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days

  Takes hold of the audience and never lets go.

  The story of a young woman who helps her friend to have an illegal abortion in Eighties Romania.
• 
  5000 Space Aliens (2021)

  Review preview for 5000 Space Aliens

  A visionary piece of cinema, 5000 Space Aliens takes a simple idea and uses it to drill down into something deep rooted in the human psyche.

  Meet 5000 space aliens in 5000 seconds.
• 
  50 Years Legal (2017)

  Review preview for 50 Years Legal

  Though only an hour and a half long, the film is extraordinarily comprehensive, exploring its subject decade by decade and contextualising each major development with personal stories about the changes that resulted from it.

  Leading activists and commentators explore the changes that have taken place since homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK in 1967 and the influence of gay culture on society.
• 
  51 Degrees North (2015)

  Review preview for 51 Degrees North

  For a first feature, this is a stunning piece of work.

  A young filmmaker making educational material about Near Earth Objects is made party to a terrible secret.
• 
  5-25-77 (2022)

  Review preview for 5-25-77

  Daley, in almost every scene, acquits himself well, and Steve Coulter shines as long-suffering best friend Bill.

  Alienated filmmaker hopeful Pat Johnson's epic story of growing up in rural Illinois, falling in love and becoming the first fan of the movie that changed everything.
• 
  52 Tuesdays (2013)

  Review preview for 52 Tuesdays

  There is no effort to sanitise characters' lives in order to get a message across, and as a result the film never feels preachy.

  Over the course of a year, a teenage girl adjusts to life as a woman while her mother adjusts to life as a man.
• 
  5B (2018)

  Review preview for 5B

  5B isn't just a film with an interesting subject, it's a powerfully made, nuanced and thorough piece of work.

  The story of the first designated hospital ward for AIDS patients in the US.
• 
  64 Days (2024)

  Review preview for 64 Days

  Quested traces the Stop the Steal project back to Maricopa County, Arizona, endeavouring to map out the key individuals involved, which is not easy in light of how fast the whole thing ballooned.

  A documentary about the Trump campaign's efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 US election.
• 
  68 Kill (2017)

  Review preview for 68 Kill

  On the one level, 68 Kill is pure pulp trash, harking back to director Trent Haaga's Troma roots. On the other, it's brilliantly done.

  A sewage worker is sweet talked by his glamorous girlfriend into robbing her sugar daddy, but nothing goes to plan.
• 
  6 Days (2017)

  Review preview for 6 Days

  Nuanced and thoughtful, alert to the individual suffering behind the headlines, cogniscent of the bigger picture.

  A dramatisation of the Iranian Embassy siege in London in 1980.
• 
  6 Years (2015)

  Review preview for 6 Years

  Hannah Fidell's script shows the same sharp insight she brought to A Teacher, continually telling us more about the characters than they know about themselves.

  A young couple's relationship faces sudden, unanticipated turbulence.
• 
  78/52 (2017)

  Review preview for 78/52

  Essential viewing for anyone with an interest in the craft of filmmaking.

  A documentary about the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
• 
  7 Fois (2023)

  Review preview for 7 Fois

  The dynamic between the two young people is beautifully observed and very telling.

  One afternoon a polite young boy, Elio, meets his tutor's secret lover. When he confides in her, sharing an even bigger secret, she's convinced he's joking and bursts out laughing.
• 
  7 Keys (2024)

  Review preview for 7 Keys

  McDonald is excellent.

  When Lena learns Daniel has the keys to every place he’s ever lived, she wants to use them. But what starts as a romantic tour soon takes a sinister turn.
• 
  80 Million (2011)

  Review preview for 80 Million

  Patient, observational, 80 Million generates tension from small glances and elicits sympathy wih its depiction of everyday lives.

  Under an increasingly totalitarian regime, five activists attempt to safeguard funds by stealing them from their own bank account.
• 
  8 Found Dead (2022)

  Review preview for 8 Found Dead

  It’s a cute idea but a tricky one to pull off.

  Two couples go on a weekend getaway in the middle of the desert, only to discover that their Airbnb is already occupied. It's a long and bloody night told from four points-of-view.
• 
  8 Women (2001)

  Review preview for 8 Women

  8 Women brings together some of the classiest actresses in the world, and they are all superb.

  Eight women, one body and a house full of lies.
• 
  LA 92 (2017)

  Review preview for LA 92

  We are quickly immersed in the action.

  Portrait of the LA riots which took place after the police officers who beat Rodney King were acquitted.
• 
  93Queen (2018)

  Review preview for 93Queen

  It's rough at the edges, but it still makes for compelling viewing because the charged nature of the situation an the force of will thereby required to get it off the ground.

  A documentary following a group of Hasidic women who are determined to set up the first all-female ambulance corps in New York City.
• 
  95 And 6 To Go (2016)

  Review preview for 95 And 6 To Go

  Over the course of this accidental film, poignantly named by its subject as he contemplates sport and mortality, generational differences in attitude and expectation emerge.

  In this affectionate portrait, the filmmaker finds an unlikely creative collaborator in her 90-year-old grandfather.
• 
  976-Evil II (1991)

  Review preview for 976-Evil II

  Assa is great in the role of Grubeck, clearly enjoying himself and making for entertaining viewing despite the clunky script and overall shoddiness of the production.

  A teacher imprisoned for murder uses astral projection to kill off his enemies and stalk his former assistant.
• 
  9999 (2014)

  Review preview for 9999

  Vermeulen has chosen to make a quiet film that allows us to spend time with the men themselves and appreciate what they're going through.

  A documentary following five different inmates in Merksplas’ Prison who are held indefinitely because they are mentally ill.
• 
  Aaaaaaaah! (2015)

  Review preview for Aaaaaaaah!

  Aaaaaaaah! is a beautifully crafted piece of work masquerading as an ethnological study made by chimpanzees.

  Alpha Male Smith and his Beta, Keith, move to take over a local community. They hook up with restless Female, Denise, igniting a deadly feud in which emotions run high and deep-seated grudges resurface amongst the tribe. Are we not men?
• 
  Aanikoobijigan (2026)

  Review preview for Aanikoobijigan

  This is not the first documentary to explore the issue of colonial looting, but its unique angle makes it stand out.

  Trapped in museum archives, Ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the still-pervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place.
• 
  Abandoned (2022)

  Review preview for Abandoned

  It’s the central relationship between mother and baby which forms the most interesting part of what is otherwise a fairly straightforward ghost story.

  When a young couple with a newborn baby move into a house with a troubled past, strange things begin to happen.
• 
  Abang Adik (2023)

  Review preview for Abang Adik

  There are no weak links in this film, but Kang Ren Wu’s performance is extraordinary.

  Abang and Adi are undocumented orphans in Malaysia. While the older brother, who is deaf mute, has resigned himself to a life of poverty, his younger sibling burns with indignation. A brutal accident upsets their relationship's fragile balance.
• 
  The ABCs Of Book Banning (2023)

  Review preview for The ABCs Of Book Banning

  It’s a simple film, but more powerful for it: a film in defence of words which doesn’t need many to make its point.

  Children discuss their feelings about the increasing pace of book banning by US school districts.
• 
  Abduction (2011)

  Review preview for Abduction

  On balance this is a serviceable thriller with plenty of exciting moments.

  A young man's life undergoes a dramatic change after he finds his picture on a website for missing children.
• 
  Abode (2025)

  Review preview for Abode

  The whole anthology feels lived-in, creating an immediate intimacy with the viewer.

  Five stories on the theme of home.
• 
  Abominable (2019)

  Review preview for Abominable

  Abominable provides spectacle but fails to satisfy at a narrative level.

  A girl and her yeti friend face a race against time.
• 
  The Abominable Snowman (1957)

  Review preview for The Abominable Snowman

  Its anti-colonial, culturally sensitive perspective feels distinctly modern, and Val Guest’s direction has ensured that it remains tense viewing.

  Two men with opposing views going on a Yeti expedition in the Himalayas. A gunrunner plans to capture and exploit the legendary creature, while a botanist thinks research is more important.
• 
  About Dry Grasses (2023)

  Review preview for About Dry Grasses

  It’s the multiple layers of mystery – which have less to do with actual events than with what different characters are thinking – which make the film compelling.

  A young teacher hopes to be appointed to Istanbul after mandatory duty at a small village. After long time waiting he loses all hope of escaping from this gloomy life. His colleague helps him to regain his perspective.
• 
  About Face: Supermodels Then And Now (2012)

  Review preview for About Face: Supermodels Then And Now

  Though it doesn't really go anywhere new, this film provides a solid document of a series of interesting lives, and succeeds in showing that being good looking doesn't equal being stupid or having nothing to say.

  An exploration of ageing and beauty in the company of the original supermodels.
• 
  About Us But Not About Us (2022)

  Review preview for About Us But Not About Us

  A smart little thriller which asks some uncomfortable questions.

  Two men and a mysterious manuscript.
• 
  Above The Knee (2024)

  Review preview for Above The Knee

  Although Jonas describes his leg as rotting, we get only the briefest hints of what this looks like to him. For the most part, it just looks like an ordinary leg, and our understanding of his position comes from Singh’s performance.

  Amir has a secret. He's tormented by visions of his leg rotting and longs to cut it off, convinced it doesn't belong to him. So, he devises a plan - one that will drag everyone around him into his relentless quest for relief.
• 
  Abruptio (2023)

  Review preview for Abruptio

  Abruptio...stands out because of its format but has a strong narrative and smart ideas behind it.

  A man who is down on his luck wakes up one day to find that an explosive device has been implanted in his neck.
• 
  Absolution (2024)

  Review preview for Absolution

  Neeson does his best to bring something different to the character, to make it more than just a retread of his work in Martin Campbell’s Memory, but he’s up against it.

  An aging gangster attempts to reconnect with his children and rectify the mistakes in his past, but the criminal underworld won't loosen its grip easily.
• 
  Abulele (2015)

  Review preview for Abulele

  Well designed for children aged around five to 12, with a good balance of sentiment, adventure and humour.

  A boy whose family is in crisis after his brother's death begins to put his life back together after meeting a friendly monster - but the monster may need his help.
• 
  Abundant Acreage Available (2017)

  Review preview for Abundant Acreage Available

  The land is a major player in this otherwise small scale drama and the only thing that really keeps pace with Ryan’s performance.

  Two siblings coping with grief find their lives disrupted by the arrival of three brothers who have a surprising connection to their farm.
• 
  The Academy Of Muses (2015)

  Review preview for The Academy Of Muses

  A rather hit and miss affair.

  A professor teaches a class on muses and seduces several of his students in the process.
• 
  Acceleration (2019)

  Review preview for Acceleration

  When you're stuck at home and you're tired of more cerebral cinema, you may well find yourself longing for a bit of cheap and cheerful action. You won't get much cheaper than this.

  A gangster holds a child hostage to force the child's mother to run dangerous errands, killing or stealing from his rivals.
• 
  Accused (2022)

  Review preview for Accused

  Director Philip Barantini was responsible for 2020’s kitchen-set drama Boiling Point, and here he demonstrates the same mastery of tension.

  Alone at a remote country house, a young man watches helplessly as a social media frenzy wrongly identifies him as a wanted terrorist. When online threats lead to an IRL home invasion, he must fight for his life in this tense thriller of virtual witch-hunts and false accusations.
• 
  The Acid King (2019)

  Review preview for The Acid King

  Undermining sensational beliefs like this is a bold thing for a documentary to do because, of course, there’s far more mileage in feeding them.

  The story of Ricky Kasso, an American teenager who murdered his friend, Gary Lauwers, in an alleged Satanic sacrifice during the summer of 1984.
• 
  Across The River And Into The Trees (2022)

  Review preview for Across The River And Into The Trees

  There’s a specificity about the relationship between Cantwell and the Countess that makes it convince.

  A war hero, struggling with his memories as his body is ravaged by heart disease, makes one last trip to Venice to face his demons and discover an unexpected source of joy.
• 
  Acsexybility (2023)

  Review preview for Acsexybility

  There’s a knowing humour to it which will resonate with disabled viewers … but other people should see the funny side too, and will, one hopes, not be too nervous to laugh along.

  A documentary which aims to break open the conversation around sexual life in the disabled community.
• 
  Active Measures (2018)

  Review preview for Active Measures

  Active Measures effectively arranges and links pieces of material but has a habit of ignoring complexities when they make its conclusions less straightforward, and doesn't show a great deal of insight.

  A documentary arguing that Russia has interfered in international politics through the provision of dark money, manipulation of social media and direct influence over politicians.
• 
  Adam (2019)

  Review preview for Adam

  Ernst invites viewers to engage with a cis character whom many will find easier to relate to and, through this, shows them what the world really looks like the other way round.

  Awkward teenager Adam arrives to spend his final high school summer with his older sister, who has thrown herself into New York City's lesbian and trans activist scene. Over the summer, Adam and those around him experience love, friendship, and attendant hard truths in this coming-of-age comedy.