Reviews by Sergiu Inizian

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Abiding Nowhere (2024)

  Review preview for Abiding Nowhere

  His rigorous journey conveys a deep sense of beauty.

  A solitary monk slowly paces through bustling streets and tranquil parks. Across town, a curious young man explores an abandoned building.
• 
  African Giants (2024)

  Review preview for African Giants

  Heavy on nuanced dialogue, this small-scale cinematic gem has a lot of genuine heart, giving it an endearing authenticity.

  Over a weekend in Los Angeles, two brothers of Sierra-Leonian descent confront a series of revelations and buried emotions that threaten their bond.
• 
  Al Djanat - The Original Paradise (2023)

  Review preview for Al Djanat - The Original Paradise

  While the screen is often overwhelmed by the male family members, the female perspective is gracefully displayed in the background.

  A Burkinabè documentarist returns to her homeland to grapple with the consequences of her influential uncle's passing.
• 
  Blaga's Lessons (2023)

  Review preview for Blaga's Lessons

  Beneath the intense lead performance and the minimalist but effective camera work, there is a rigid moral waiting to be unearthed.

  A woman's moral compass starts to slip after she is conned out of her savings by a phone scammer.
• 
  Brando With A Glass Eye (2024)

  Review preview for Brando With A Glass Eye

  Although Brando With A Glass Eye boldly delves into the complex intricacies of method acting, it lacks an engaging style that hooks the audience throughout.

  A method actor's ill-fated heist forces an unexpected connection to the accidental victim.
• 
  Caterpillar (2023)

  Review preview for Caterpillar

  The ornate cinematic style highlights the strangeness of the procedure but never loses track of the emotional journey of those on the operating table.

  David, a gay man in his fifties who has long struggled with his appearance, becomes enthralled with the idea of changing his eye colour.
• 
  Cent'anni (2024)

  Review preview for Cent'anni

  The camera becomes a tool for interrogation, probing the intricacies of a couple at a crossroads.

  A filmmaker making a documentary about her partner’s cycling tour, following his battle with cancer, finds herself re-examining their relationship.
• 
  Danger Zone (2023)

  Review preview for Danger Zone

  The viewer’s attention is grabbed by the sheer weight of the subject, the apparent cluelessness of the Westerners and a camera that is comfortable with but not indifferent to the stark reality of war.

  Tourists seek extreme combat experiences in war documentary.
• 
  Death Does Not Exist (2025)

  Review preview for Death Does Not Exist

  Laperrière's focus is on creating a sensorial experience, allowing the narrative to become somewhat murky.

  After a failed armed attack on wealthy oppressors, Hélène, the leader of a freedom-fighting group, finds her convictions shaken in a world that becomes more surreal with each step.
• 
  Do I Still Get On Your Nerves? (2024)

  Review preview for Do I Still Get On Your Nerves?

  Dictated by the protagonists' headstrong personalities, the uneven pacing can overwhelm the viewer, but their story finds an endearing balance, driven by their playfulness and desire to finish a shared charitable project.

  During a seemingly endless dispute, two neighbours discover an unexpected and growing affection for each other.
• 
  Eat Bitter (2023)

  Review preview for Eat Bitter

  The close observation of Luan and the others reveals a multilayered image of struggle in an underdeveloped country.

  Observational documentary creates a snapshot of modern globalisation in one of the poorest countries in the world.
• 
  Familiar (2023)

  Review preview for Familiar

  Netzer's exploration of his past is ambitious and well-acted but has a turbulent temperament that hinders the viewer's rapport with its characters.

  A film director delves into his family’s hidden past, aiming to use it for his latest filmmaking project.
• 
  Formosa Beach (2024)

  Review preview for Formosa Beach

  A visually rich experience that boldly breaks down stylistic conventions, resulting in a dream-like atmosphere that vividly conjures the spectres of a troubled past.

  An African woman forced into servitude in 19th-century Brazil, is suddenly transported into present-day Rio de Janeiro.
• 
  Garland Jeffreys: The King Of In Between (2023)

  Review preview for Garland Jeffreys: The King Of In Between

  In her poem to her husband, Claire constantly directs the attention of the viewer to his personal life, as a way to understand his unique creative process.

  An in-depth look at the underrated career of an idiosyncratic New York singer-songwriter.
• 
  The Great Yawn Of History (2024)

  Review preview for The Great Yawn Of History

  The clever dialogue and spirited performances find humour amid a generational discord developed over a visually striking journey.

  A religious man dreams of finding gold coins hidden in a cave. Aware that his belief prohibits him from claiming the treasure, he hires a non-religious young man to assist in its retrieval.
• 
  Her Will Be Done (2025)

  Review preview for Her Will Be Done

  Kowalski's story of black magic and isolation takes command of its audience through a ghastly soundscape.

  Nawojka, 20, dreams of escaping her harsh life working at the family farm. Under the influence of the free-spirited Sandra, Naw experiences trance-like episodes and strange powers, just like her dead mother before her.
• 
  Holy Electricity (2024)

  Review preview for Holy Electricity

  Despite its tendency to lose sight of a unifying thread, Holy Electricity picks up a musical cadence, guiding the viewer through a series of moments that shine with a disarming honesty.

  When young Gonga and his uncle Bart stumble upon a case of rusty crosses in a scrapyard, they repurpose them into neon crucifixes and start selling them in their neighbourhood.
• 
  How To Have An American Baby (2023)

  Review preview for How To Have An American Baby

  Beyond exploring the intricacies of a disturbing illicit business, the documentarist takes a deep interest in the women who take enormous risks for a shot at a better family future.

  A look into the booming shadow economy catering to pregnant Chinese tourists who travel to America to give birth in order to obtain US citizenship for their babies.
• 
  Into The Shaolin (2022)

  Review preview for Into The Shaolin

  The purely descriptive editing undercuts the otherwise engaging narrative, leaving the impression of an ambitious but fragmented look at monastic life.

  Portrait of the Shaolin Monastery, where Buddhist peace and enlightenment are pursued through the practice of martial arts.
• 
  I Saw Three Black Lights (2024)

  Review preview for I Saw Three Black Lights

  Álvarez's talent for highlighting the delicate expression of nature offers the narrative a meditative feel.

  Delving into the heart of the Colombian jungle, a village elder embarks on his final journey. Encountering armed militias, he confronts the violence that has afflicted his community for generations.
• 
  I Won't Die (2023)

  Review preview for I Won't Die

  The Hungarian filmmaker quietly observes his subject choosing a naturalistic visual style that allows the man to project strength, suffering and inspiration on his own terms.

  A portrait of an art gallery owner battling cancer.
• 
  Kamay (2024)

  Review preview for Kamay

  As the modest camera follows Younes and his family, the directors dignify his struggle.

  A sorrow-stricken family from rural Afghanistan seeks justice following the tragic death of their daughter, Zahra, a student at Kabul University.
• 
  Kyuka Before Summer's End (2024)

  Review preview for Kyuka Before Summer's End

  Between fragments of formal experimentation, the relationship between the two siblings and their father's struggle with melancholia deliver a muddled but tender summer chronicle.

  A dad and his twin kids go on a boat holiday filled with unexpected encounters.
• 
  Made In Ethiopia (2024)

  Review preview for Made In Ethiopia

  As the directors patiently capture the lives of Workinesh, Motto and Beti, a shared theme of familial hardship emerges.

  An exploration of the rapid industrialisation in modern-day Ethiopia and China's economic gamble in Africa, seen through the experiences of three women.
• 
  Militantropos (2025)

  Review preview for Militantropos

  Adopting a style that blends collage and observational filmmaking, they probe how human minds and bodies contort, struggle and resist against a cruel war and its repercussions.

  A trio of documentarians captures the everyday realities of Ukrainian life amid the Russian invasion, exploring the fractured psyches of soldiers, survivors, and the country's youth.
• 
  My Stolen Planet (2024)

  Review preview for My Stolen Planet

  Through a collage of footage shot by numerous brave protesters, she pieces together a statement about film as identity, in a country where the individual slowly fades away.

  Farah, an Iranian woman, is forced to migrate to her private planet to be free. She buys other people’s memories in the form of Super 8 films and records and archives her own to create an alternative history of Iran.
• 
  My Summer With Irène (2024)

  Review preview for My Summer With Irène

  The Italian filmmaker employs a minimalist approach that embraces the languorous nature of summer.

  Italy 1997. When 17-year-old Clara and Irene meet they are nothing alike but get on marvelously. They run away together to an island in Sicily to live their summer freely, and to hide from a reality they want to forget.
• 
  Okurimono (2024)

  Review preview for Okurimono

  Beautifully shot and measured in its purpose, Okurimono invites the viewer to patiently discover the emotional layers of a story about generational pain and the need to constantly address it to pave the path for rejuvenation.

  Returning to her home country to prepare her late mother's home for sale, a Japanese woman finds a collection of letters that alter her perception of her mother's experiences as a survivor of the nuclear bombing.
• 
  On The Way Home (2024)

  Review preview for On The Way Home

  The Georgian filmmaker beautifully focuses on familial resilience, capturing the enduring capacity of relatives to help each other in drastic situations.

  Documentary observing the life of Georgian refugees uprooted by conflict as they navigate life in a deserted Soviet-era sanatorium.
• 
  Scooter LaForge: A Life Of Art (2023)

  Review preview for Scooter LaForge: A Life Of Art

  An enthusiastic portrait that feels rushed and over-edited.

  Profile of the New York-based artist who’s been praised as a combination of Warhol and Basquiat.
• 
  Searching For Nika (2023)

  Review preview for Searching For Nika

  Among the vastness of the ruins, Kapralov offers glimpses of hope through contrasting images of nature.

  A Ukrainian filmmaker ventures into his war-torn country hoping to find his dog.
• 
  Simon Of The Mountain (2024)

  Review preview for Simon Of The Mountain

  This playfully filmed coming-of-age narrative never loses its empathetic eye.

  Simon is 21 years old. He introduces himself as a mover's helper. He claims not to know how to cook or clean the bathroom, but he does know how to make a bed. Recently, he seems to have become a different person…
• 
  Sojourn To Shangri-La (2024)

  Review preview for Sojourn To Shangri-La

  Gently plunges into a richly-textured reverie of unobserved objects, spaces and people that leave a lasting impression on a visceral level.

  During a seaside commercial shoot, a complex art piece vanishes overnight. As the situation comes to a standstill, the assistant art director journeys in search of the installation.
• 
  Sons (2024)

  Review preview for Sons

  The intensity between her and the angry young man drives the action in Sons, capturing a relentless cycle of aggression reverberating throughout the sullen halls.

  A prison officer faces a dilemma after a young man from her past is transferred to the jail where she works.
• 
  The Sparrow In The Chimney (2024)

  Review preview for The Sparrow In The Chimney

  As Zürcher explores his protagonist's psyche, straining the limits of a pervasive sense of turbulence, he steers the narrative into a dream-like realm of refreshing sincerity.

  A family gathering is triggering for everyone.
• 
  They're Here (2024)

  Review preview for They're Here

  The camera embraces each of their stories with a lot of heart and imaginative curiosity.

  A group of upstate New Yorkers share their close encounters with extraterrestrial beings.
• 
  Three Days Of Fish (2024)

  Review preview for Three Days Of Fish

  Hoogendoorn crafts the tension around space and body which cinematographer Gregg Telussa captures candidly, usually keeping both protagonists within the frame.

  Gerrie returns to The Netherlands for his annual health check-up, reuniting with his adult son, Dick, who longs to make the most of their brief time together.
• 
  Toxic (2024)

  Review preview for Toxic

  Placing the body at the core of her vision, the Lithuanian filmmaker crafts a coming-of-age story that glows with compassion for the bruises of shortened adolescence.

  Two teenage girls, eager to escape from the bleakness of their industrial town, form an unexpected bond at a local modelling school that pushes their bodies to the limit.
• 
  A Traveler's Needs (2024)

  Review preview for A Traveler's Needs

  Huppert's lines feel stiff from the get-go, predicting a vague narrative limited by a purposefully strange dialogue.

  Iris, a wandering woman teaching French to Koreans, navigates her life with few concerns.
• 
  Uncropped (2023)

  Review preview for Uncropped

  Young takes his time, exploring the history of relevant publications and Hamilton's role in their growth.

  James Hamilton's compelling photographic journey through five decades of New York's cultural evolution.
• 
  Valley Of Exile (2023)

  Review preview for Valley Of Exile

  The measured camera work focuses on their complex emotions, establishing a claustrophobic atmosphere that carries the weight of the war from across the border.

  Seeking shelter from the Syrian war, two sisters find refuge in Lebanon, only to realise that their aspirations for their new life are at odds with each other.
• 
  Who Do I Belong To (2024)

  Review preview for Who Do I Belong To

  Starting as a refined drama about a broken Tunisian family, the narrative becomes a complex meditation on attachment and motherhood, all encompassed by a remarkable female lead.

  Aïcha longs for the return of her oldest sons, Mehdi and Amine, who abandoned the household in search of war. Upon Mehdi's return, a looming darkness surfaces.
• 
  Witness (2023)

  Review preview for Witness

  Under the scrutiny of this intimate cinematic eye, the interviewees unpack their posts and retain responsibility for their footage.

  Anthology documentary dissects viral media and its offline aftermath.