The Devil All the Time (Antonio Campos, 2020) – a confused fizzle rather than a slow burn.

An all-star cast that brings genuinely superb performances to the table doesn’t elevate this film enough to the level it could have achieved. Spanning generations, years, and two rural states; building on the aftereffects of World War 2 and feeling the tense beginnings of the Vietnam War; doused in a thick coating of hyper-religious attitudes …

Babyteeth (Shannon Murphy, 2019) – the falls, failures, and faults of human mortality.

Young, naïve, and jumping at any opportunity to add some punch to her life before it ends leads the wig-wearing schoolgirl Milla (Eliza Scanlen) into the arms of a chaotic twenty-three year old drug-user named Moses (Toby Wallace). Teenage defiance and a lust for life doesn’t stop the fact that Milla still has one of …

Mank (David Fincher, 2020)

Fincher’s newest feature has all the components of a film built for an Oscar: a captivating performance from Gary Oldman; sound design that transports you back to the 1940s era of Hollywood; and an insight into the birth of the historically iconic Citizen Kane. However, despite the sugar-coated looks with all the trimmings, the innards …

After Life (Hirokazu Koreeda, 1998)

On a Monday morning, a room full of the recently deceased await an interview with their assigned counsellors. The counsellors inform them that they have one week to decide what their happiest living memory was, allow a crew to recreate this memory on a film set, and then pass-on into the afterlife within that one …

November (Rainer Sarnet, 2017)

November navigates the lives of poor Estonian villagers through the harsh landscape of a cold winter, stealing and thieving their way through survival. Folklore and traditions dictate their questionable behaviour, offering their blood to the Devil in exchange for a soul to inhabit their Kratt (a man-made and often crudely-constructed thing that aids the villagers …

Queen & Slim (Melina Matsoukas, 2019)

From first-time feature film director Melina Matsoukas, Queen & Slim stars well-known versatile actor Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and newcomer Jodie-Turner Smith as the titular characters. The trailer was an empowering Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008)-esque vision of a fight against prejudice, hyping me up for what Kaluuya was going to bring to the table …

Honey Boy (Alma Har’el, 2019)

Written by Shia LaBeouf during his time in rehab, Honey Boy is a semi-autobiographical film in which Shia plays his own father. Upon discovering his alcoholism is connected to PTSD from his upbringing, twenty-two year old Otis (Lucas Hedges, Lady Bird & Manchester by the Sea) works through his memories within the rehab programme. These …

Boy (Taika Waititi, 2010)

Boy (James Rolleston) This is the first film by Taika Waititi that I’ve seen before, and after viewing it, I’m now looking forward to enjoying Jojo Rabbit, his newest feature, in the cinema. The first impression I got from Boy was a Wes-Anderson-esque feeling, visually and narratively. The characters and the way the shots are …

By the Grace of God (François Ozon, 2018)

This film could be set in a political, educational, religious, or any other setting that is built upon a hierarchal ladder; the environment doesn’t matter, as the story’s message is still the same. Based upon the true events from the 2019 conviction of Cardinal Phillipe Barbarin of Lyon for hiding the crimes of Father Bernard …

Pain and Glory / Dolor y Gloria (Pedro Almodóvar, 2019): a classic Almodóvarian tale.

I have been avidly waiting for this film, ever since watching Julieta (2016) and knowing his next film would be only two-three years after. Viewing his entire filmography for my dissertation on my small laptop screen was never ideal, so having the opportunity to see Pain and Glory on the cinema screen made the wait …