Image via miff.com.au
Like a sweet, golden, flaky pastry served with a bitter coffee, Maryam Touzani’s Adam is full of warmth, sorrow and satisfaction. Continue reading
Adam (2019)
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The Lodge (2019)
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Austrian directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz have crafted a frosty and compelling suspense with horror overtones. It surpasses Hereditary (2018) with its eery themes of rural isolation and family dysfunction. Continue reading
Dark Place (2019)
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Dark Place is an anthology of short, horror films by Australian Indigenous filmmakers and it’s an indictment of Australia that they don’t need to exaggerate reality much for it to be horror. Continue reading
His Lost Name (Yoake) (2018)
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This understated and enigmatic drama by Nanako Hirose is surprisingly meditative and captivating, although occasionally frustrating and ultimately unsatisfying. Continue reading
Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019)
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“The hardest thing in life is letting go of those you hold dear. After that, everything is easy.” Continue reading
Little Monsters (2019)
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The Centrepiece Gala had me at ‘ukulele’ and ‘zombies’. Abe Forsyth’s zom-com doesn’t take itself too seriously and is full of laugh-out-loud dialogue and devastatingly winsome performances from Lupita Nyong’o, Alexander England and a class full of kindergarten kids. Continue reading
The Juniper Tree (1990)
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A black and white oddity, this restored copy of the 1990 film by American Nietzchka Keene is known primarily as singer Björk’s first feature film. Continue reading
Song Without a Name (Canción Sin Nombre) (2019)
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It’s hard not to leave this sparse and atmospheric Peruvian drama feeling desolate. Likened to Roma (2018) for its lush black-and-white cinematography and focus on an indigenous woman in central America, it is profoundly moving but a more fragmented and opaque experience. Continue reading
Papicha (2019)
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“Don’t drink standing up. Satan will see you. And with your left hand too!” Continue reading
Judy and Punch (2019)
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Except for a slight misstep in the third act, this darkly funny evisceration of violent men and mob mentality hits all the right notes (pun intended). It is a strong debut by director Mirrah Foulkes. Continue reading
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