Reviews by Rebecca Naughten

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Salma (2013)

  Review preview for Salma

  Kim Longinotto's documentary about the Tamil poet Salma burns with both indignation and a profound melancholy.

  The story of a woman shut away by her family for 25 years, who became a published poet, politician and activist.
• 
  A Separate Wind (2014)

  Review preview for A Separate Wind

  Newcomers Cobos and Buzzurro both acquit themselves admirably given that they effectively have to carry the film with no prior experience.

  A young brother and sister have to trek across Mexico after their mum suffers a stroke.
• 
  Serra Pelada - The Legend Of The Gold Mountain (2013)

  Review preview for Serra Pelada - The Legend Of The Gold Mountain

  The absence of social or political context makes it difficult to judge the veracity of what we're told.

  Documentary about the gold rush in Brazil's controversial Serra Pelada mine in the 1970s and 1980s.
• 
  Silence (2012)

  Review preview for Silence

  Well worth the effort of tuning into its wavelength.

  A sound recordist returns home to Ireland to record locations away from man-made sound, and in the process finds himself inexorably drawn into his own past.
• 
  The Silent Village (1943)

  Review preview for The Silent Village

  The film suggests that the story ignites a sense of working class solidarity.

  The true story of the massacre of a small Czech village by the Nazis is retold as if it happened in Wales.
• 
  Spanish Affair (2014)

  Review preview for Spanish Affair

  Although there will no doubt be some cultural references that go over the heads of non-Spanish audiences, the stereotypes and prejudices played with are broad enough for us to get most of the jokes.

  In order to help the only woman resistant to his charms, a man from Seville must pass as her Basque fiancé for three days in the Basque Country.
• 
  Spare Time (1939)

  Review preview for Spare Time

  Jennings had an eye for small moments that signal real life rather than something staged for the camera

  A look at how industry workers spend their off-hours.
• 
  A Spell Of Fever (2015)

  Review preview for A Spell Of Fever

  Safia Benhaim has constructed a haunting film.

  One feverish night a girl encounters the spirit of a woman returning to Morocco from lengthy political exile.
• 
  The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973)

  Review preview for The Spirit Of The Beehive

  Although an undoubted classic of the period - and featuring one of cinema's best child performances in Torrent - the allusive and elusive style of the film is difficult to engage with.

  A screening of James Whale's Frankenstein alters how an impressionable young girl sees her world in 1940s Spain.
• 
  Tasting Menu (2013)

  Review preview for Tasting Menu

  As is often the case in ensemble films, certain storylines are better served than others and the constant juxtapositions unavoidably highlight that.

  On closing night of an acclaimed restaurant, the lives of the final set of guests intertwine as the courses are served.
• 
  Tea & Sangria (2014)

  Review preview for Tea & Sangria

  The comedy is generally broad but by extension travels well, breezily utilising stereotypes (fiery Spaniards versus hesitant Brits) that audiences are readily familiar with.

  After an Englishman moves to Madrid, only to be jilted by his girlfriend, he find he has to learn to live and love the Spanish way.
• 
  That Happy Couple (1953)

  Review preview for That Happy Couple

  The film's combination of comedy (Berlanga) and melodrama (Bardem) is rooted in a realistic, cash-strapped milieu that was unusual in Spanish cinema at the time.

  A young couple win a competition to 'that happy couple' for a day but find that money and gifts don't solve all of their problems.
• 
  Today We Live (1937)

  Review preview for Today We Live

  The film takes a compassionate stance towards the unemployed.

  Documentary entwining stories from the Rhondda Valley and rural Gloucestershire, showing communities trying to make constructive attempts to improve themselves.
• 
  Ulterior (2014)

  Review preview for Ulterior

  Not for the squeamish, the short essay film effectively represents the life cycle in reverse.

  A film essay about death and life and our bodies in those states.
• 
  Utopias (1989)

  Review preview for Utopias

  To watch Utopias in 2016 is to experience a sense of déjà vu - it shows the NHS and whole concept of the welfare state under attack while the Labour Party flounders through factionalism and an inability to articulate a vision of the future.

  A series of individuals explain what socialism means to them.
• 
  Vikingland (2011)

  Review preview for Vikingland

  There is a fascinating delineation of public and private personas, but Luis evidently expected the footage to be watched by others - he winks at, and talks to, the camera when he is on his own.

  Far from home, a Galician sailor working on a ferry between Germany and Denmark buys a video camera and films his everyday routine.
• 
  Vampir-Cuadecuc (1971)

  Review preview for Vampir-Cuadecuc

  Portabella's repurposing and reimagining of the elements at Franco's disposal creates something genuinely (and appropriately) otherworldly.

  Avant-garde documentary that uses behind-the-scenes material from Jess Franco's Count Dracula film to reconfigure the Dracula story into an otherworldly tale.
• 
  The Walker (2015)

  Review preview for The Walker

  There is a fairytale vibe to proceedings, enhanced by the snow through which he trudges in the parks.

  Mateo is a civil engineer who plans to walk every street in New York to create a different kind of map of the city.
• 
  Welcome Mr Marshall! (1953)

  Review preview for Welcome Mr Marshall!

  A lot of the film's subversiveness comes from the juxtaposition between what the narrator says (and you can almost hear the chuckle in Rey's voice) and what we see.

  A small Spanish village is thrown into disarray by the news that a delegation of Americans is on its way, bringing the possibility of untold riches.
• 
  We All Want What's Best For Her (2013)

  Review preview for We All Want What's Best For Her

  In a manner befitting the tightrope walked by Navas in her performance, what could be a tragedy becomes tragicomedy.

  After an almost-fatal accident Geni's old life holds no appeal for her and so she attempts to escape it.
• 
  What Have I Done To Deserve This? (1984)

  Review preview for What Have I Done To Deserve This?

  Although darkly funny the film also has strong undercurrents of genuine emotion - Gloria's despair is real rather than comic.

  An amphetamine-addicted housewife reaches breaking point with her ungrateful family.
• 
  Words For Battle (1941)

  Review preview for Words For Battle

  The film lacks the lively spark and sense of nationwide collectivism of Jennings' subsequent film, Listen to Britain.

  Poetry and excerpts considering conflict.