drama
Les Gardiennes is another gracefully-directed film by Beauvois, and it gifts the audience with another perfect arrangement from Legrand, three gripping performances from Smet, Bay, and Bry, and plenty of eye-catching imagery to make up for its lagging pace.
Tully is a return to form for both director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody, with this “hipster Mary Poppins” tale feeling like a thematic sequel to their beloved Juno.
Appropriately and beautifully shot on 35mm celluloid by Raso, Kodachrome is a touching, hilarious, and contemplative gem of a film with three wildly meritorious performances by Harris, Sudeikis, and Olsen, and timely themes.
A trio of staggering performances by Hawke, Seyfried, and Cedric the Entertainer, a gripping story that mines our current sociopolitical landscape for philosophical fodder, and typically formidable writing make First Reformed a mandatory watch for everyone.
Bolstered by the quiet compassion that has always been her strong suit, Lynn Shelton has turned in another stunning independent feature with Outside In that no one who enjoys the quieter side of life should miss.
Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s adaptation of their hit stage play Ghost Stories is a serviceable British horror – but with so many recent gems in the genre, is being “serviceable” enough to justify its existence?
With the help of Theron and Davis’ magnetic chemistry, Cody and Reitman’s synergy, and an intricate yet touching story about motherhood, Tully perfectly blends comedy and drama, creating a powerful, tender meditation on societal stigmas.
Despite a tendency to overdo it when it comes to the scares themselves, Paco Plaza’s Veronica contains enough focus on character and symbolism to be an effective demonic possession horror.
A Gentle Creature is a divisive film, too exaggerated to be a realistic condemnation of the corrupt bureaucracy it seeks to lampoon.
Director Chloe Zhao follows up her debut film with an outstanding sophomore feature, The Rider, that in a just world would see her get an Oscar nomination for her impactful direction.
Daughter of the Nile is a prime example of the underseen gems that we are privileged to finally have access to thanks to distributors like the Cohen Film Collection. You might have to dig a little deeper to find them, but when you do, you are rewarded with something special.
Told in just nine powerful takes, this harrowing legal drama from director Kaouther Ben Hania uncompromisingly depicts one woman’s search for justice following a sexual assault in a corrupt, patriarchal society.
Based on a real-life and serious disease, Midnight Sun, though with initial potential, is ultimately too heavy-handed and clichéd to be an effective romantic drama.
Though with timely themes of inappropriate romance and sexuality, Submission sadly lacks the insight and perspective to become a movie that represents “now.”
It was absolutely inspiring to see so much strong female content at SXSW Conference and Festivals, and Family, the debut feature by Laura Steinel, was no exception.