This is a brave approach to film making as it bucks some genre expectations that might make a mainstream audience feel confused. This can be seen in IMDb reviews that oscillate from 1 to 10 stars.
Continue readingMaddie’s Secret (2025)
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Tangles (2026)
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There might need to be a content warning on Leah Nelson’s beautiful and heartfelt film that if you have experienced the loss of a parent, particularly to old age or long illness, it might make you cry.
Continue readingThe Friend’s House is Here (2026)
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It feels rare to watch a film that centres itself on female friendship. This seems to be an important element in this gentle drama, an underlying message about the persistence of community.
Continue readingThe Blood Countess (Die Blutgräfin) (2026)
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What a hoot! I knew this was going to be a little bit absurdist and a lot camp and I thoroughly enjoyed every stylish and silly moment.
Continue readingMārama (2025)
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Māori and gothic horror are major tick boxes for me, particularly when I see an image like the one above.
Continue readingSpecies (Sanguine) (2026)
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This was such a contrast to AnyMart (2026) which hid its horror shocks behind a whole lot of scene development. Species – or Blood as its original title translates – hits you with it in the first act and is delightfully gory and darkly comedic.
Continue readingThe Sun Never Sets (2026)
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I don’t know who Joe Swanberg is, but he was there at the screening and the audience seemed to think he was something pretty special. It seems he hasn’t had a film out for about six years, and in the past has moved around different genres and was a leader in mumblecore.
Continue readingRehearsals for a Revolution (2026)
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It felt like I was entering the same kind of world as Past Future Continuous but with a much more authentic pay off.
Continue readingSchool for Defectors (2026)
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Well, this one snuck up on me. It feels like a pretty standard documentary, set in one of a handful of schools in South Korea that are set up specifically for the children of defectors from North Korea.
Continue readingGuided by Horses (2026)
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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.
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