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Triangle of Sadness (2022) Review
Triangle of Sadness (2022) Director: Ruben ÖstlundScreenwriter: Ruben ÖstlundStarring: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Woody Harrelson, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Buric, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin Without a doubt, 2022 was the year of the capitalist satire. In a period defined by sardonic, tongue-in-cheek critiques of society (such as The Menu), Triangle of Sadness fit right…
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God’s Creatures (2022) GFF Review
God’s Creatures (2022)Directors: Saela Davis, Anna Rose HolmerScreenwriter: Shane CrowleyStarring: Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Aisling Franciosi If you’ve been paying attention recently, you might have noted the exceptional film and television work making its way out of the Republic of Ireland. From Oscar nominations for Irish favourites Kerry Condon and Paul Mescal to the major…
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Girl (2023) GFF Review
Girl (2023)Director: Adura OnashileScreenwriter: Adura OnashileStarring: Déborah Lukumuena, Le’Shantey Bonsu, Liana Turner, Danny Sapani Following its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Adura Onashile’s debut feature film opened the 2023 Glasgow Film Festival. Set in the very city hosting its UK premiere, Girl follows a severely traumatised migrant mother, Grace (Déborah Lukumuena), and…
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Haulout (2022) Short Film Review
Haulout (2022)Directors: Maxim Arbugaev, Evgenia ArbugaevaStarring: Maxim Chakilev The Siberian Arctic. A dense ocean mist engulfs the horizon, covering sea, sand and objects in a deep grey. What’s beyond this place could be anyone’s guess. Then a man, armed with stick in hand, walks into shot. It’s like something from the pioneering early documentary film…
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Call Me Chihiro (2023) Review
Call Me Chihiro (2023)Director: Rikiya ImaizumiScreenwriters: Rikiya Imaizumi, Kaori SawaiStarring: Kasumi Arimura, Lily Franky, Jun Fubuki, Hana Toyoshima, Tetta Shimada The blurb of 2023 Japanese Netflix Original film Call Me Chihiro describes the titular Chihiro (Kasumi Arimura) as an unapologetic former sex worker. Unapologetic is possibly too strong of a term for the passive protagonist…
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Stranger at the Gate (2022) Short Film Review
Stranger at the Gate (2022)Director: Joshua SeftelFeaturing: Richard McKinney, Bibi Bahrami, Saber Bahrami, Zaki Bahrami, Kent Kurtz, Dana McKinney, Emily McKinney Our current space is filled with division, with otherness, with hatred and vitriol. Stranger at the Gate, a Documentary Short Subject nominee at the 95th Academy Awards directed by Joshua Seftel, begins with a…
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Cocaine Bear (2023) Review
Cocaine Bear (2023)Director: Elizabeth BanksScreenwriters: Jimmy WardenStarring: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Ray Liotta In 1985, former narcotics officer and then narcotics trafficker Andrew C. Thornton II flew a plane filled with cocaine in the American southeast. There was so much cocaine on board that Thornton had to dump…
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The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022) Short Film Review
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022)Directors: Peter Baynton, Charlie MackesyScreenwriters: Charlie Mackesy, Jon CrokerStarring: Jude Coward Nicoll, Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne The BBC and Apple TV+ animated children’s story book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is 2023’s all-star offering in the Oscars’ Animated Short category,…
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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022) Review
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022)Director: Dean Fleischer CampScreenwriters: Dean Fleischer Camp, Jenny SlateStarring: Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini, Dean Fleischer Camp You might be mistaken for thinking that 2023 Oscars Animated Feature nominee Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a film aimed at children, as you follow a small, animated shell wearing tiny…
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Joyland (2022) Review
Joyland (2022)Director: Saim SadiqScreenwriters: Saim Sadiq, Maggie RiggsStarring: Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Salmaan Peerzada One of Joyland’s posters is made up of a still that shows one of its main characters in a big, larger-than-reality image that doesn’t quite fit in with its surroundings. The image, at first glance, looks like…