The Forgiven doesn’t have any substance or style to elevate its tired tale of how rich people suck. “Rich people behaving badly” has become such an…
Clara Sola is a bold, confrontational work, perhaps a bit too blunt in its symbolism, but carried through by Chinchilla Araya’s raw, enigmatic performance. The debut…
A Man of Integrity is a probing, challenging film, a poetic latticework of sadness and anger. Leave it to the fates of film distribution that Iranian…
Apples boasts a rich starting premise, but too often undermines its conceptual potency with obvious punchlines and lazy sentimentality. What would society look like if…
Beba is a uniquely fascinating or formally gorgeous mining of personal history, one that fully immerses viewers into its subject’s headspace. “You are now entering…
Official Competition is a decidedly strange film — formally impressive, off-kilter in its humor, and often incisive with its observations of the state of cinema. If…
Brian and Charles is so lightweight as to risk blowing over at any moment, but is also a wholly endearing affair that will charm more viewers…
Tahara isn’t a subtle film — formally or thematically — but it is an exceptionally executed one, striking a impressive balance between emotional realism and…
Lost Illusions is a lush, ravishing work that avoids the lethargy and empty aesthetics of so many literary adaptions and fully embodies the spectacle of…
All My Puny Sorrows builds a striking purgatorial atmosphere that transcends any by-the-number grief narrative, but the film is burdened by an unwieldly and overly verbose…
Ayuma Watanabe’s latest anime is both bland and loathsome, dull when its not offending and contemptible the rest of the time. Let’s not beat around…
The Phantom of the Open doesn’t deviate much from the underdog sports movie template, but has just enough depth and charm to slightly elevate it…
Poser is an ambitious work that pushes contemporary indie filmmaking out of its familiar comfort zone, doing so with authenticity and creative aplomb.. In the…
Freakscene is worth a watch for completists, but anyone looking for a more comprehensive, well-structured deep-dive would do well to look elsewhere. Legendary indie rock…
In ultimately providing too many answers to its excessive plotting, A Chiara extinguishes some of its more troubling and intriguing possibilities. A gangster film from the…
Cane Fire is a kaleidoscopic portrayal of white supremacy’s brutal legacy and a challenge to the enduring colonial myth of Kauaʻi. In the investigative documentary Cane…
On the Count of Three can be uneven and frequently toes the line of twee, but ultimately settles into the right mix of broad comedy…
Montana Story is a notably tender film, patient both in its flaying of old wounds and in sewing seeds of healing. Scott McGehee and David…
Pleasure isn’t the first film to attack the intersection of capitalism, misogyny, and exploitation endemic to the porn industry, but it does so with style…
Human Nature’s looping narrative games don’t always work, but overall the film makes for an effective study of middle-class malaise. There’s not one, but two structural/temporal gambits…