France

THE SACRIFICE: Revisiting Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stunning Swan Song
THE SACRIFICE: Revisiting Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stunning Swan Song

Tarkovsky’s work redefined how the language of cinema can be used to tell stories, especially with The Sacrifice.

MADS: Am I Tripping Or Is That A Monster? 
MADS: Am I Tripping Or Is That A Monster? 

MadS playful spirit elevates it from film school exercise to wild romp. Fans of Y2K-era zombie movies like Rec or indie bad trips like Bliss are in for a treat.  

THE CROW: An Exercise In Why
THE CROW: An Exercise In Why

The Crow struggles to connect with audiences due to its lack of compelling character development and chemistry.

Toronto International Film Festival 2024: THE ASSESSMENT & EMILIA PEREZ
Toronto International Film Festival 2024: THE ASSESSMENT & EMILIA PÉREZ

Both The Assessment and Emilia Pérez demonstrate the versatility of a festival like TIFF, which is always inclusive of all genres and subgenres of cinema.

Toronto International Film Festival 2024: SHEPHERDS (BERGERS) & THE MOTHER AND THE BEAR
Toronto International Film Festival 2024: THE MOTHER AND THE BEAR & SHEPHERDS (BERGERS)

On this TIFF report, Kristy Strouse reviews The Mother and the Bear and Shepherds – two unforgettable films on a path to self discovery.

Toronto International Film Festival 2024: THE SUBSTANCE & THE LAST SHOWGIRL
Toronto International Film Festival 2024: THE SUBSTANCE & THE LAST SHOWGIRL

Both The Substance and The Last Showgirl evaluate mortality by leaning on their respective stars’ relationship with celebrity in real life.

GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS: Multi-Generational Growing Pains

Girls Will Be Girls is a powerful examination of how the patriarchy continues to punish girls/women for pushing back against the narrow roles prescribed.

Melbourne International Film Festival 2024: KNEECAP, BABES, TEACHES OF PEACHES, SASQUATCH SUNSET & WAKE UP
Melbourne International Film Festival 2024: KNEECAP, BABES, TEACHES OF PEACHES, SASQUATCH SUNSET & WAKE UP

The Melbourne International Film Festival is in its 72nd year with a program of global features, shorts, documentaries, VR experiences, and classic movies.

MARS EXPRESS: A Well-Built Android Neo-Noir
MARS EXPRESS: A Well-Built Android Neo-Noir

Mars Express finds the right words and plucks the precise emotional heartstrings to make such a film more meaningful.

BANEL & ADAMA: Duty And Desire
BANEL & ADAMA: Duty And Desire

A powerful and poetic debut feature, Banel & Adama signifies Sy as an exciting young artist to watch in world cinema.

Cannes Film Festival 2024: ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT & WHEN THE LIGHT BREAKS
Cannes Film Festival 2024: ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT & WHEN THE LIGHT BREAKS

From Cannes Film Festival Wilson Kwong reviews Payal Kapadia’s Grand Prix winning All We Imagine as Light and Rúnar Rúnarsson’s When the Light Breaks.

Cannes Film Festival 2024: THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE & WILD DIAMOND
Cannes Film Festival 2024: THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE & WILD DIAMOND

From Cannes Film Festival, Wilson Kwong reviews
Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle and Agathe Riedinger’s Wild Diamond.

Cannes Film Festival 2024: GHOST TRAIL & BLACK DOG
Cannes Film Festival 2024: GHOST TRAIL & BLACK DOG

Jonathan Millet’s Ghost Trail and Guan Hu’s Black Dog both tackle serious subject matter with subdued restraint.

Cannes Film Festival 2024: THE SECOND ACT & ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL
Cannes Film Festival 2024: THE SECOND ACT & ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL

At Canne’s 2024, Film Inquiry reviews Quentin Dupieux’s The Second Act (Le Deuxieme Acte), and Rungano Nyoni’s On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.

THE BEAST: An Unnerving Collage of Henry James, Sci-Fi, and Angry Young Men

The Beast is about a man beset with loneliness and fears of a fatalistic event likened to an unseen beast haunting him.