sexuality
Only two weeks into 2018, Swinging Safari is Australia’s worst film of the year thus far with its muddled need to elevate the material.
Upon first viewing, Phantom Thread is utterly irresistible, but the dense themes and examinations of inter-character relationships means that it is the rare Anderson effort that will only be upgraded to masterpiece status once it has fully been processed after multiple viewings.
Director Luca Guadagnino’s three previous films, including critical favourite Call Me By Your Name, couldn’t seem any more different from the outside. All three are linked by the theme of desire- but does that reverberate into a thematically coherent trilogy?
Call Me by Your Name shines for its potency and lyricism, delving with an effortless thrall into the lives of two men who are forever changed.
The female body has often been sexualized in mainstream film. It’s time we become aware of how it affects the way we think about women.
The deliberate pace can test your patience but the depth and ambition of this original debut are enough to make Novitiate worth a watch.
A reworking of The Little Mermaid, Agnieszka Smoczynska’s The Lure is quite a unique and often spectacular cinematic treat.
The Chilean drama A Fantastic Woman beautifully captures the story of a transgender woman, who is brought to exquisite life by Daniela Vega.
Emma Stone shines as tennis player Billie Jean King in Battle of the Sexes, which reminds us of how little progress we’ve made since the 70s.
In response to Mexico’s sexual conservatism, director Amat Escalante cooked up The Untamed, a film which has to be seen to be believed.
Never thought much about Japanese pop idols? Then this disturbing yet insightful documentary, Tokyo Idols, from Kyoto Miyake definitely will.
Chavela is a documentary that is an introduction to the legendary ranchera singer as well as a fond remembrance for those who knew her well.
In Between is a compelling study of Arab women in today’s Tel Aviv that’s delightful and eye-opening in equal measure.
Beach Rats may have a lot of superficial similarities with Moonlight, but director Eliza Hittman’s film is a triumph in its own right.
Ying & Yang is empowering and heartbreaking, giving a window into the messed up mind of a man deciding his own fate.