by Alistair Ryder On paper, Stray looks like nothing more than the canine lover’s much needed answer to the 2016 film Kedi. That surprise documentary smash followed some of the cats who roam the streets of Istanbul, speaking with the … Continue reading Stray – Review
by Cheyenne Bunsie We don’t want Zoom films. Already a year into staring dead-eyed into the camera and letting the fifth ‘100% necessary’ meeting of the day wash over us. We know that having our camera on is about being … Continue reading Language Lessons – SXSW 2021 Review
by Nathan Osborne A bold and bracing effort, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson tackles race, homosexuality and a time loop in this timely but messy debut from Ali LeRoi. The titular Tunde Johnson is a tragic victim of police brutality, … Continue reading The Obituary of Tunde Johnson – BFI Flare 2021 Review
by Nathan Osborne Making its world premiere at BFI Flare, Peeter Rebane’s familiar but beautifully crafted feature debut is a soaring exploration of masculinity, homophobia and sexuality in secret. Set at the height of the Cold War and based on … Continue reading Firebird – BFI Flare 2021 Review
by Anton Bitel Slashers and other kinds of psychodrama typically feature a sequence which, in a phrase borrowed from Sigmund Freud, gets called the ‘primal scene‘ – often opening the film, or shown in flashback, and capturing the formative psychosexual … Continue reading Sound of Violence – SXSW Review
by Anton Bitel Aside from an attention-grabbing prologue and the occasional flashback, OffSeason is set entirely on the coastal island of Lone Palm just as the last summer tourists leave. The key word here is ‘off’ – for although this … Continue reading Offseason – SXSW 2021 Review
