Written by Eric Zhu "Like many of the best films, “Dry Leaf” is endlessly thought-provoking, but gracious and easygoing on a moment-to-moment basis. Unencumbered by narrative, it’s motivated by the simple pleasures of pastoral vistas, rich humanity, and..."… Continue reading.
Tag: Festival
VIFF 2025: With Hasan in Gaza
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.
VIFF 2025: Christy
Written by Taylor Baker "With some decent fight choreography and dedicated turns by Merritt Weaver and Ethan Embry as Christy's mother and father, this would-be redemption story amounts to little by the time we see Sweeney walk out and bump … Continue reading.
VIFF 2025: Two Prosecutors (Zwei Staatsanwälte)
Written by Taylor Baker "Losznitsa, a director who primarily films documentaries, lets his cameras roll for extended sequences, allowing the spaces to come to life and the characters time to inhabit them. It is when Kornyev acts with kindness or … Continue reading.
NYFF 2025: The Currents (Las Corrientes)
Written by Eric Zhu "Although various metaphorical dimensions of water are explored, chief among them the feeling of being trapped in a vortex between Lina’s escapist desire and maternal love, “The Currents” is a film about keeping up appearances in … Continue reading.
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.
SIFF 2025: Sorry, Baby
Written by Taylor Baker "Eva's sincerity and genuineness allow this material to be repurposed in a way that is not only sincere but feels original. You can sense her authorship creating this project, and that vision allows the cohesion of … Continue reading.
