I’m on day 15 of the Melbourne Film Festival and probably film number 50 and so it’s a rarity to watch one that feels rejuvenating.
Continue readingGuided by Horses (2026)
StandardAnyMart (チルド) (2026)
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Yes, the synopsis for this debut film by Yusuke Iwasaki film in the festival program said it was a darkly comedic horror but for some reason that hadn’t really sunk in.
Continue readingYesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep (البارح العين ما نامت) (2026)
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What a debut feature! Rakan Mayasi has crafted a film about a little known culture (in my country) that feels like scripted drama but was made collaboratively with Bedouin communities and the film’s many non-actors.
Continue readingWho Are You, Polly Magoo? (1966)
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It’s hard to know how to appreciate films that are so much of their time. This film by William Klein, who is more often known as a fashion photographer, was made in the 60s as a satire of the fashion industry.
Continue readingFatherland (Ojczyzna) (2026)
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This feels like a perfectly crafted film. As my friend Ariel said, not a single second is wasted. And at only 82 minutes, it shows how well you can tell a story without making it an epic.
Continue readingBig Girls Don’t Cry (2026)
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Seeing the Australian premiere of Paloma Schneideman’s first feature film meant the audience was keyed up for a good time, laughing at every joke.
Continue readingHair, Paper, Water… (Tóc, Giấy và Nước…) (2026)
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I swapped into this one at the last minute, not really knowing much about it but feeling that spending 70 minutes in Vietnam might be a nice way to spend a Wednesday afternoon.
Continue readingTime and Water (2026)
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People die, glaciers die, here’s some more footage of my family. Perhaps if I’d been less tired, I might have sunk into Sara Dosa’s cyclical story of climate change and the inevitability of loss.
Continue readingRoya (2026)
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I felt duty bound to see this film by Mahnaz Mohammadi, supporting the sisterhood by going to see a film that said from the outset that it was about a woman being tortured in an Iranian prison.
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