Written by Eric Zhu "For us, unbound from the burden of direct representation, these images invite speculation of who these people are, of who they might be now, of lives before these images, and of Palestine’s future."… Continue reading.
Category: Film Festival
NYFF 2025: Levers
Written by Eric Zhu "The disruption of daily routine that the darkness inspires, and the corresponding subversion of cinematic legibility, are what enable the film’s expansive sprawl. Perhaps the intimate nocturnal atmosphere is also..."… Continue reading.
NYAFF 2025: Transcending Dimensions
Written by Eric Zhu "Operating simultaneously as urban revenge thriller, space opera, and a Japanese version of a wuxia flick, Toyoda treats each genre vernacular as part of the same overarching prison. Attempting to liberate the film from narrative, he … Continue reading.
NYAFF 2025: Queerpanorama
Written by Eric Zhu "Despite the references to real-world tensions, “QueerPanorama” exists in a punishingly claustrophobic headspace. This is most obvious in the barren abstraction of Cheung’s apartment, where Cheung’s arrested development is on..."… Continue reading.
SIFF 2025: Invention
Written by Taylor Baker "What emerges is neither purely documentary nor entirely fictional but, as its title suggests, an invention unto itself. It's a film about the descendants of snake oil salesmen and big dreamers, about the complicated inheritances we … Continue reading.
VIFF 2024: Measures for a Funeral
Written by Michael Clawson "“Measures for a Funeral,” arrives as her most ambitious work to date, and as a culmination of her collaborations with actress Deragh Campbell. More than just a leap in scale over her previous work, “Measures” suggests..."… Continue reading.
VIFF 2024: Dream Team
Written by Michael Clawson "Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn’s “Dream Team” is what you might call a “vibes” movie. A sparkly, sun-dappled, and pleasurably silly riff on crime drama, it melds erotica and absurdism through a plot that’s digressive and … Continue reading.
VIFF 2024: Black Dog
Written by Michael Clawson "A film of expansive visual power, of so many rolling desert vistas and desolate townscapes coated in metallic gray, “Black Dog” depicts the transformation of rural China in recent decades through the washed-out aesthetic of..."… Continue reading.
VIFF 2024: Julie Keeps Quiet (Julie zwijgt)
Written by Taylor Baker "It's less about talking things out in “Julie Keeps Quiet” and more about watching Julie physically process her emotions and exasperation at the situation. Extended sequences beautifully express Julie’s internal discipline and determination through physical action."… Continue reading.
Venice 2024: Planet B (Planète B)
Written by Taylor Baker "Another year, another Adèle Exarchopoulos film, and for the first time in a while, a colossal misfire. “Planet B,” Aude Léa Rapin’s sophomore feature, is the type of science fiction film that makes a typical fan … Continue reading.
