Reviews by Richard Mowe

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  To Life (2014)

  Review preview for To Life

  Although the performances are uniformly pitch-perfect Julie Depardieu (centre) shines out as Hélène.

  Loosely based on the story of the director's mother who, years after being in Auschwitz decided to track down two women she had befriended in the camp.
• 
  Listen Up Philip (2014)

  Review preview for Listen Up Philip

  The moments of distinctly sub-Woody Allenesque humour make you dream of what might have been.

  An angry writer and his relationships.
• 
  The Princess of France (2014)

  Review preview for The Princess of France

  It only lasts an economical 70 minutes but seems considerably longer

  A year after his father’s death, Victor returns to Buenos Aires in order to reconquer the life he was forced to abandon. He brings a new project with him for his former theater company: a radio-play of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost.
• 
  The Shelter (2014)

  Review preview for The Shelter

  This may seem like a “local” problem in an affluent town in a privileged country but it is one that has a universal implications.

  Documentary about winter in a emergency shelter for the homeless in Lausanne.
• 
  Marie's Story (2014)

  Review preview for Marie's Story

  The sense of period and the deprivations of the time are authentically evoked without ramping up the emotional charge.

  Biopic about a woman who was born deaf and blind.
• 
  Dancing Arabs (2014)

  Review preview for Dancing Arabs

  The narrative, based on a novel by co-screenwriter Sayed Kashua, veers off course only in the final scenes and an implausible resolution.

  A boy from an Arab Israeli city is sent to a prestigious Jerusalem boarding school.
• 
  The Fool (2014)

  Review preview for The Fool

  Seizes the attention from the brutal opening – and refuses to let go for an instant.

  A smalltown plumber takes on corrupt bureaucracy.
• 
  August Winds (2014)

  Review preview for August Winds

  Through an intimate story of a close-knit community, Mascaro takes on wider themes of global warming in a subtle way.

  A teenager finds adventure when she leaves the city to look after her grandmother.
• 
  Lucy (2014)

  Review preview for Lucy

  Besson proves he can still concoct a roller coaster ride that harnesses special effects to his creativity in a way that proves stimulating, arresting – and great fun.

  A woman transforms into a super-warrior.
• 
  Fair Play (2014)

  Review preview for Fair Play

  The atmosphere of the drab Czechoslovakia at the time has been captured with uncompromising realism.

  Teenage Anna’s background may be altogether unsuitable for the communist regime, but her talent as a sprinter will help her into the state-run doping program regardless.
• 
  Corn Island (2014)

  Review preview for Corn Island

  Ovashvili tells the story with spare dialogue and absorbing attention to detail.

  An old peasant and his innocent 16-year-old granddaughter sow corn on an island in the middle of the Inguri River dividing Georgia from Abkhazia.
• 
  It Follows (2014)

  Review preview for It Follows

  Genuinely gripping and gruesome.

  A teenager finds herself having strange visions and becomes convinced that something dangerous is following her.
• 
  Rocks In My Pockets (2014)

  Review preview for Rocks In My Pockets

  It is funny and serious by turns... full of striking and humorous images.

  An animated film exploring living with illness.
• 
  Patchwork Family (2014)

  Review preview for Patchwork Family

  Rabaté is strong on seeking out the irony in middle class mores.

  A salesman finds his sharp practice comes back to haunt him.
• 
  All Yours (2014)

  Review preview for All Yours

  Lambert laces this potentially volatile concoction with plenty of humour.

  Lucas arrives in Belgium to visit local bakery owner Henry, who has fallen in love with him via the internet. Their ideas about living together, however, differ greatly.
• 
  Welcome To New York (2014)

  Review preview for Welcome To New York

  Ferrara invests it all with the pseudo-docu urgency of something ripped from the headlines.

  The story of a powerful man and his potentially dangerous sexual appetites.
• 
  Clouds Of Sils Maria (2014)

  Review preview for Clouds Of Sils Maria

  There is much irony on the theme of generational gulfs, internet obsessions and the nature of creativity and culture. Unfortunately none of it rings true.

  A reclusive actress on the brink of divorce is asked to take on a challenging role - that of a doomed woman whose betrayer she made her name as.
• 
  Mommy (2014)

  Review preview for Mommy

  The energy and sheer visual bravura carry it along.

  A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor insinuates herself into their household.
• 
  Jimmy's Hall (2014)

  Review preview for Jimmy's Hall

  Loach gives voice with eloquence to the disenfranchised and celebrates the spirit of working people.

  The story of political activist Jimmy Gralton, deported from Ireland during the country's Red Scare in the 1930s.
• 
  The Search (2014)

  Review preview for The Search

  Hazanavicius creates scenes of conflict that have echoes of everything from Apocalypse Now to Full Metal Jacket.

  An NGO worker forms a special relationship with a young boy in war-torn Chechnya.
• 
  Lost River (2014)

  Review preview for Lost River

  The plot quickly runs out of narrative drive, preferring to deluge the senses with symbolic and surrealistic images.

  A single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town.
• 
  Queen And Country (2014)

  Review preview for Queen And Country

  Boorman evokes a world he knows intimately with skill and affection.

  An Englishman signs up to fight in the Korean War.
• 
  Two Days, One Night (2014)

  Review preview for Two Days, One Night

  Cotillard gives a bravura and quietly introspective performance.

  Sandra, a young woman assisted by her husband, has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job.
• 
  Foxcatcher (2014)

  Review preview for Foxcatcher

  Miller paces it all beautifully so that the tension creeps up unawares.

  The story of wrestling stars Mark and Dave Schultz and their poisonous relationship with John du Pont.
• 
  Maps To The Stars (2014)

  Review preview for Maps To The Stars

  Moore gives a frank and funny portrayal of female status at a certain age in the Dream Factory.

  Drink, drugs, sex and psychosis mix as a Hollywood dynasty comes into contact with the beautiful daughter of a deceased diva.
• 
  The Homesman (2014)

  Review preview for The Homesman

  Jones spares none of the gory details in his depiction of the way the West really was.

  Two pioneers unite to escort three mentally ill women from Nebraska to Iowa.
• 
  Winter Sleep (2014)

  Review preview for Winter Sleep

  Ceylan explores such themes as moral responsibility, class and altruism with rigour.

  A hotel owner gradually has his delusions stripped away from him.
• 
  Eleanor Rigby (2013)

  Review preview for Eleanor Rigby

  How the characters deal with grief is beautifully captured in the nuanced performances of McAvoy and Chastain.

  Two people struggle to stay together after the death of their child.
• 
  Saint Laurent (2014)

  Review preview for Saint Laurent

  In Gaspard Ulliel, Bonello has found an actor who not only looks the part but eases under Saint Laurent's skin with sensitivity.

  Biopic of Yves Saint Laurent.
• 
  Catch Me Daddy (2014)

  Review preview for Catch Me Daddy

  An authentic, no-holds barred roller coaster ride, which gives fresh hope for a new wave of British cinema.

  A young woman on the run from her family finds herself in danger when her brother comes looking for her.
• 
  The Captive (2014)

  Review preview for The Captive

  Egoyan has made an edgy and contemporary psychological thriller.

  A father tries to find his kidnapped daughter.
• 
  Mr. Turner (2014)

  Review preview for Mr. Turner

  What is truly amazing about the film is the way cinematographer Dick Pope evokes Turner’s colour palette.

  A biopic of artist J.M.W Turner
• 
  Grace Of Monaco (2014)

  Review preview for Grace Of Monaco

  The film never really engages either the heart or the intellect.

  The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity during a political dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco.
• 
  Me, Myself And Mum (2013)

  Review preview for Me, Myself And Mum

  It’s a crowd-pleaser and only the most stern of hearts and minds could fail to be seduced by its charm and the incredible persona of Gallienne.

  A comedy of misunderstandings.
• 
  Fruitvale Station (2013)

  Review preview for Fruitvale Station

  The film takes an even-handed view of its main protagonist, illustrating faults on both sides of the divide.

  The true story of Oscar Grant, who set out one day to try and bcome a better person and ended up in a shocking encounter at Fruitvale station.
• 
  All Is Lost (2013)

  Review preview for All Is Lost

  It's a courageous performance in more ways than one.

  One man must battle to survive after his boat sinks in the ocean.
• 
  Killing Season (2013)

  Review preview for Killing Season

  The nagging thought during the 90 minutes is how far two these one-time Hollywood’s A-listers have fallen.

  American and Serb soldiers who fought on opposite sides in the Bosnia War clash once again in a tense, action-packed game of cat and mouse set in the gorgeous yet inaccessible Appalachian Mountains.
• 
  Joe (2013)

  Review preview for Joe

  Cage takes commanding ownership of the somewhat familiar material and milieu.

  When an ex-con meets a teenager who looks to him for inspiration, he has to decide, once and for all, what to do with his life.
• 
  White House Down (2013)

  Review preview for White House Down

  Once the explosions begin to kick in the film concentrates on Tatum and Foxx on the run - an easy-going and watchable pairing that displays real chemistry.

  An off-duty police officer touring the White House with his daughter is the only man who can save the President when terrorists attack.
• 
  Gloria (2012)

  Review preview for Gloria

  The script is beautifully nuanced, looking perceptively at the behavioural patterns and emotions of the middle-aged subjects.

  A woman finds late romance at a dance club, but will family intrude?
• 
  Short Term 12 (2013)

  Review preview for Short Term 12

  The film’s simplicity is its strength.

  Story of a counsellor at a foster care centre.
• 
  Gabrielle (2013)

  Review preview for Gabrielle

  Archambault has succeeded in making a film with her subjects and not simply about them – imperfections and all, while the musical element serves her purpose perfectly.

  Young love comes up against prejudice.
• 
  Tonnerre (2013)

  Review preview for Tonnerre

  Brac films the small town in great detail, capturing its claustrophobia, and the sometimes tragic destinies of his protagonists.

  A musician enters into an amour fou with a younger woman who is on the rebound.
• 
  Mr Morgan's Last Love (2013)

  Review preview for Mr Morgan's Last Love

  Caine makes the most of the material on offer.

  A retired philosophy professor falls for a young Parisian woman.
• 
  Lovers (2013)

  Review preview for Lovers

  Une Autre Vie marks a distinct change of register.

  An exhausted women tries to rebuild her life but finds obstacles intentionally placed in the way of her happiness.
• 
  Human Georgraphy (2013)

  Review preview for Human Georgraphy

  The themes of how globalisation affects personal destinies becomes evident as one individual story follows another with geographical and economic pressures impinging on the personal.

  Documentary about the Gare du Nord station in Paris.
• 
  We're The Millers (2013)

  Review preview for We're The Millers

  Thurber directs with broad brush strokes rather any finesse although the myriad close calls, mistaken identities and persuasions do produce their moments.

  A drug dealer creates a fake family to provide cover while moving a large shipment of cannabis into the US.
• 
  Mary, Queen Of Scots (2013)

  Review preview for Mary, Queen Of Scots

  Imbach’s production eschews costume drama clichés for a spare and taut account.

  A biopic of the ill-fated Scottish monarch.
• 
  The Priest's Children (2012)

  Review preview for The Priest's Children

  Extremely engaging and frequently side-splittingly funny

  A young priest is appalled at the very low birthrate in his new community. When the confession of a local tobacconist reveals the reason why, he opts for a rather unusual method for rectifying the situation.
• 
  Bluebird (2012)

  Review preview for Bluebird

  The story-telling is low key and muted, as befits the characters, but the unremitting sense of melancholia weighs heavily on the film and the viewer.

  A small incident spirals into tragedy.