Hell and Limbo Are Reimagined in Sci-Fi Horror ‘Desert Road’
The same lack of control and uncertainty that hounds Kafka’s Josef. K haunts the lost protagonist in Shannon Triplett’s sci-fi horror Desert Road.
Film Festivals
‘Robot Dreams’ Quietly Encourages You Not to Be Afraid
Pablo Berger’s animated Robot Dreams is a near-perfect marvel of silent cinema nearly a century after talkies ended the silent era.
The Repression of Truth in Michel Franco’s ‘Memory’
Michel Franco’s Memory explores the premise of entrapment in the context of trauma and dementia and, in its repression of truth, builds to a chilling moment.
‘Good One’ Challenges Adulthood’s Naïve Appropriation of Wisdom
India Donaldson’s directorial debut Good One leans into gender distinctions, but goes beyond them to offer incisive and observant critique of human nature.
‘Small Things Like These’ Is a Haunting Meditation on Collective Sin
Which is the greater horror, Small Things Like These asks; the women who suffered under Ireland’s abusive Magdalene Laundries or the citizens’ complicity?
‘The Outrun’ Is an Ode to Recovery and Nature’s Might
Free of a conventional plot but firmly planted in the worldview of Saoirse Ronan’s Rona, The Outrun tells her story in a kaleidoscope of disjointed vignettes.
The Settlers’ Blood-Chilling Journey into Humankind’s ‘Heart of Darkness’
Chilean revisionist Western, The Settlers, is a powerful film whose director shows admirable moral integrity that’s often absent in film history.
Lucy Lawless Reimagines the Myth of Icarus in Margaret Moth Film
Lucy Lawless’ debut documentary about combat journalist and trailblazing camerawoman Margaret Moth, Never Look Away, reimagines the Myth of Icarus.
‘Frida’ Documentary Explores Honest Expression Versus the Institutionalization of Art
Frida Kahlo speaks from beyond her grave about the institutionalization of art and culture and the dangers posed by intellectuals warming their precious asses.
‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’ Dances on the Edge of Love
Skywalkers: A Love Story will endure because it’s not trapped in the moment of a daring acrobatic stunt; it’s rooted in the timeless human experience.
Director Savanah Leaf on Questions About Motherhood in ‘Earth Mama’
Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama is part of an ongoing conversation about motherhood which must recognize systemic change and progress as incremental shifts.
Fantasy Made Reality in William Oldroyd’s Adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s ‘Eileen’
William Oldroyd and Thomasin McKenzie discuss sympathising with a young woman caught between fantasy and reality in the adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s Eileen.