3
Perhaps, with its priorities reorganized, the effort Kingsley puts into the role could not have been so thoroughly wasted; but as it stands, it seems An Ordinary Man is the lesser of the four films he appeared in last year.
9
Girls Always Happy is at once light and breezy, much in the way that Wu (Yang) maneuvers through the alleyways on her scooter, while also being acerbic and gloomy as its lightness is intermittently pulled towards the latter, attaining a certain poignancy therein.
7.5
A budding, contemplative study of humans reconciling nature and determination reconciling fate, Chloé Zhao’s The Rider impresses in its quietest moments.
5
With curious fluctuations in tone, questionable motivations, a dull look and jagged editing that takes us out of potentially affecting moments, this tall tale feels slight.
8
Writer/director Sam Kuhn seems to have an affinity for the forest; seeing it as a miraculous space, beckoning those to enter and explore, enticing any and all with the allure of some fantastical quest or an objective that will reveal one or two illuminating truths or, at the very least, the promise of respite from the day-to-day trivialities life has to offer.
8
A Quiet Place is an airtight thriller that will leave you breathless.
8
Viewers acquainted with the work of writer/director Ricky D’Ambrose will find themselves in familiar territory with his first toe-dip into feature-length filmmaking with Notes on an Appearance.
7
Told as a modern fairy tale, Good Manners, from Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, blends fantasy with social strife, crafting a sometimes beautiful, uneven - but undeniably captivating - film.
8
directed by HELENA WITTMANN // Germany // 95 minutes
With a gossamer thread, Helena Wittmann fashions a scant narrative with her feature-length debut, Drift; delicate and nearly non-existent, it is the type of
8
Reis and Guerra’s Djon África is a travelogue, broadly covering the numerous corners of the island nation of Cape Verde while a journey of self-discovery plays out concurrently with Miguel inhabiting the role of main character and an unknowing host, of sorts, treated like a tourist in his own homeland.
7
Set in the 1920s, Sweet Country applies a classical Western aesthetic to this story while making clear that it is decidedly Australian.
8
Chappaquiddick is another chapter in an accomplished filmography and a must-see come time for its streaming release.
9
The Endless is a masterfully crafted genre hybrid that solidifies Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as two of the most interesting and uniquely voiced directors working today.
8
Lowlife is a wild, entertaining ride, lo-fi warts and all.
5
Rough presentation aside, this is a story that should be discussed in art schools and colleges everywhere, as it’s something that has a fundamental effect on creators.
