Week In, Week Out

Khorshid (2020): Iran has produced several memorable movies in recent years and Khorshid (aka Sun Children) is a worthy addition to the list. Telling a sad tale of exploitation, wherein young kids have to work and scheme in order to ensure a living, director-writer Majid Majidi finds both the hope and the despair of the situation.… Read more

Petrovy v grippe (2021): If the source material was an American novel, the first thing they’d say is that it’s “unfilmable”. Well, Kirill Serebrennikov has put together an unusual film, that only wavers due to its length, but ultimately comes together into a memorable cinematic experience. It’s rare to come across these beautiful beasts, where… Read more

Les Olympiades, Paris 13e (2021): Jacques Audiard’s latest is three relationship stories that crisscross – sometimes to good effect, other times less convincingly. The movie has a very mellow, explorative vibe, in accordance with its lead characters, young people in search for love and contention. It may sound generic, but the details of each story… Read more

Les intranquilles (2021): Joachim Lafosse has put together a movie that’s not easy to endure – which is a compliment, in this case. Damien is an artist who lives together with his partner Leila and their young boy, Amin, a seemingly blissful family life. The problem – Damien is bipolar, suffering from overwhelming bouts of… Read more

The Power of the Dog (2021): The “runner-up” to this year’s Best Picture Oscar, the other Dog-titled movie this week is, in fact, pretty special. Jane Campion has put together a modern Western, which finds itself in the strange temporality of the early 1900s – seemingly contemporary, yet of a different time. It’s a great… Read more

After Yang (2021): Kogonada’s much expected follow-up to the excellent Columbus is an equally contemplative and beautiful movie. Set in the not-so-near but also not-so-distant future, a family has to deal with the loss of their AI helper – which uncovers unexpected stories and complexities. It’s a soulful exploration of some of the questions people… Read more

The Worst Person in the World (2021): Joachim Trier has finally provided a spiritual successor to one of my favourite movies, Reprise. This time, we are focused on Julie, a young woman closing in on her 30th birthday, but still meandering through life and love in a #whiteprivilege kind of way. Her life shifts tectonically… Read more

Red Rocket (2021): Sean Baker has firmly established himself as one of the most interesting American directors of the last decade. His previous three movies had been exceptional (with Tangerine one of my all time favourites) and Red Rocket is an equally impressive addition. Baker opted for Simon Rex to play the lead character Mikey,… Read more

Luzzu (2021): In another directorial/writing debut, Alex Camilleri proposes a profoundly European movie – a tale of tradition, family and social policies. As the EU aims to repurpose Maltese fishermen out of the jobs they’ve grown into, we meet Jesmark – a young father, struggling to make ends meet and distinctly under-impressing his wife’s family.… Read more

West Side Story (2021): I had never seen the original before going to watch Stephen Spielberg’s (?!) reinterpretation of the renowned musical. A riff on Romeo & Juliet, it tells the love story between Maria and Tony, whose romance is hindered by their allegiance to rival New York gangs. Spielberg is faithful to the original… Read more

Sideways (2004): This is one of those movies that aged as finely as its subject matter (wine) – or maybe it helps that I’m more of a mid-life crisis age now, as opposed to my teens, when I first saw it. Paul Giamatti plays grumpy, frustrated wine-aficionado Miles, who is tagging along with Thomas Haden… Read more

Titane (2021): So how about something completely different? Julia Ducournau’s follow up to Raw (2016) is, if not more polarizing, then at least more abstract. The plot is somewhat simple: a showgirl goes on a murderous streak and in her attempt to hide, ends up pretending to be a fireman’s long lost son. She does… Read more