Image via http://www.lonelyplanet.com
The film that should have won the best picture Oscar, Alfonso Cuarón’s sublime meditation on the life of an indigenous maid in 1970s Mexico city is filmmaking at its best. Continue reading
Roma (2018)
StandardTag Archives: 5 stars
Glory (Slava) (2016)
Standard
Image via miff.com.au
Glory grabbed me from its first realistic scenes to its devastating ending. Described as Capra-esque and a black comedy, this is anything but; intense, understated and bleak, it is a powerful drama about what is lost when corruption and greed win out over humanity. Continue reading
The Song Keepers (2017)
Standard
Image via miff.com.au
Naina Sen’s radiant documentary about the funny and spirited women (and a few men) of the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir stole my heart. Continue reading
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Standard
Image via miff.com.au
More akin to Dogtooth than The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer takes time to show its hand but when it does, it slowly and surely builds to a devastating conclusion. Continue reading
Only the Brave (1994)
Standard
Alex (Elena Mandalis) is now one of my favourite characters ever. She’s the kind of tough girl I would have been scared of at school. Greek, working class and a misfit, her only choice is to push back. Continue reading
Raw (Grave) (2016)
Standard
Image via http://www.slashfilm.com
Every now and then a film changes the way I see the world. I went into Raw, the stunning first feature by French director Julia Ducournau, expecting horror but instead experienced an intense metaphorical drama about female power and desire. Best suited to those who like their cinema challenging, Raw refuses to let you look away. Continue reading
About Elly (2009)
Standard
Image via http://www.rottentomatoes.com
If you have yet to see a Farhadi film, please go out and see one. He is a master at deftly weaving a story that propels you into a world both foreign and heart-breakingly familiar. About Elly, like A Separation and The Past, drops you into the middle of the ordinary dramas of a group of middle class Iranians. Continue reading
