Towards the end of Mangrove, during the court case which occupies the second half of the film, a character proclaims that the history books will talk of this. It is a line that stings, and one that feels purposeful. The man speaks from 1970, but is depicted in 2020 as part of a five film … Continue reading Mangrove (Small Axe) (Review)
Tag: opinion
His House (Review)
There is a lot going on in Remi Weekes' horror film. For the most part, this is a great thing, as this narrative that follows the lives of a couple from South Sudan - who have been forced to flee to England, where they now live as refugees - encompasses so many important issues. However, … Continue reading His House (Review)
Barakat (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Review based on BFI Screening from Film Africa 2020 Festival There is a lot of drama and divide in Amy Jephta's Barakat. However, it is a film that ultimately pushes positivity and togetherness, in a pleasing way, even if it does merely give easy answers to complex issues. This is a comedic drama set in … Continue reading Barakat (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Finding Sally (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Review based on BFI Screening from Film Africa 2020 Festival At the heart Tamara Dawit's documentary is the realisation that histories and identities are complex, and that the status of the present and the future relies on understanding, and interrogating, the past. In Finding Sally, Canadian born Tamara Mariam Dawit arrives in Ethiopia - the … Continue reading Finding Sally (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
In Search… (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Review based on BFI Screening from Film Africa 2020 Festival Many documentaries take on important subjects, but not all of these end up as great documentaries. Fortunately, In Search... gets both sides of the equation right. This Kenyan documentary focuses on an inspiring young woman who decides to undergo reconstructive surgery after having been the … Continue reading In Search… (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Ghost Strata (Review)
Ben Rivers' experimental film begins with the filmmaker being given a tarot reading. This moment is looped back to at the end and foregrounds the film's major themes. On its most basic level, this a filmic scrapbook that chronicles the passing of time: there are twelve chapters, one per month, and each is made up … Continue reading Ghost Strata (Review)
Dick Johnson is Dead (Review)
This documentary about a man (the father of the filmmaker, Kirsten Johson) during the onset of dementia - and beyond - is a powerful, and wonderfully eclectic, work that showcases cinema's ability to both reveal and heal. Despite its heavy subject matter - it is literally a daughter chronicling her dying father - Dick Johnson … Continue reading Dick Johnson is Dead (Review)
Possessor (Review)
There is a new name in body horror, and it is Cronenberg. However, it is not David Cronenberg; it is Brandon Cronenberg. As, in his second feature, Possessor, Brandon steps beyond his father's shadow to make one of the most interesting - and just one of the best - films of the year. Though it … Continue reading Possessor (Review)
Shirley (Review)
With Shirley, director Josephine Decker breaks into new territory while covering familiar ground. It is a combination that makes for an interesting film, as it continues the strengths of the director's past work while feeling somewhat bolder and - in ways - more refined. It is also Decker's most conventional and accessible film, which is … Continue reading Shirley (Review)
Barking Dogs Never Bite (Review)
Thanks to Curzon, Bong Joon-ho's debut feature film (first released in 2000) is now available to watch in the United Kingdom for the first time. Arriving hot on the heels of a deserved Oscar win for Parasite - and the re-issue of Memories of Murder (director Bong's first masterpiece) - British Bong completists have a … Continue reading Barking Dogs Never Bite (Review)
Assorted Opinions 