‘Endless Summer Syndrome’ Review: Family Vacation Leads to Ruination in a Thorny, Alluring French Thriller
The feature debut from Prague-based Iranian filmmaker Kaveh Daneshmand, Endless Summer Syndrome compellingly probes a seemingly normal upper-middle-class French family to explore the mistrust and deceit that lies just below the surface.
‘Youth (Homecoming)’ Review: Wang Bing Completes His Seminal “Youth” Trilogy
For the finale piece of his expansive "Youth" Trilogy, the Chinese documentarian again returns to the proletariat subjects employed in the garment workshops of Zhili, this time framing them within the context of the larger world outside of their relentless working conditions.
‘Green Night’ Review: Fan Bingbing Returns to the Silver Screen in an Atmospheric but Flimsy Neo-Noir Thriller
Chinese writer-director Han Shuai probes a traditionally masculine genre with a decidedly female touch, building her sophomore feature's narrative around two women who turn to the seedy crime world of Seoul to escape the men who control them.
‘Daaaaaalí!’ Review: Quentin Dupieux Pays Homage to One of the 20th Century’s Kookiest Personalities
In a playful ode to his idols, Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel, Dupieux concocts one of the best films of his increasingly prolific career.
‘Sleep’ Review: A Picturesque Family Is Woken by an Unseen Evil in Jason Lu’s Debut Horror Flick
Shifting between expectations and subversions of the horror genre, Lu's first-time feature might be scary enough to keep you awake tonight.
‘The Substance’ Review: Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley Go for Broke in a Daringly Disgusting Satire Concerning the Absurdity of Modern Beauty Standards
Coralie Fargeat's Cannes-winning sophomore feature pulls out all the stops to serve up an absolutely unforgettable work of body horror that will make you squirm and scream despite its, at times, frustrating ideas.
‘The Girl with the Needle’ Review: A Pitch-Black Tale of Working Class Anguish Crafted With Formalist Superiority
Relentless in its quest to portray the horrors of society's castaways, The Girl with the Needle takes inspiration from one of Denmark's most infamous female criminals to build its grimly singular vision.
‘Red Rooms’ Review: Pascal Plante’s Latest Tackles the Shadiest Corners of the Dark Web
Precisely crafted and emboldened by its gruesome subject matter, Red Rooms works with brilliance to understand society's ongoing fascination with violent crime.
‘Red Island’ Review: Youth Blooms as Colonialism Wilts in 1970s Madagascar
In his follow-up to the critically lauded 2017 film BPM (Beats Per Minute), French writer-director Robin Campillo spectacularly excavates his own childhood experiences growing up in post-colonial Africa.
‘Happy Campers’ Review: Amy Nicholson Documents the Final Summer of a Working Class Paradise
Through her subjective and intimate approach to her latest work, the Baltimore native builds a beautifully emotional portrait of place and its inextricable connections to memory and community.
‘Sebastian’ Review: Fiction and Reality Collide in the Latest Work From Queer Filmmaker Mikko Mäkelä
Operating with absorbing levels of sensuality and melancholy–– often simultaneously –– Mäkelä's sophomore effort portrays a solemn and insightful image of contemporary queer culture, as shown through the arresting eyes of the film’s central character.
‘Sisi & I’ Review: Sandra Hüller Stars as the Lady-In-Waiting to One of European History’s Most Iconic Empresses
Through Frauke Finsterwalder's rule-bending arrangement of a historical account, the German director successfully conveys Empress Elisabeth of Austro-Hungary’s essence as a contemporary woman, even 120+ years after her death.
‘Chronicles of a Wandering Saint’ Review: A Luminous, Bucolic Exploration of the Miraculous From Argentina's Tomás Gómez Bustillo
Through his appreciation for the unexplained phenomena that shape our everyday lives, Bustillo weaves a distinctive movie with an underlying compassion that viewers will not quickly forget.
‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’ Review: Growing Up Bites in Ariane Louis-Seize's Satisfying Genre Mash-Up
For her feature debut, the Quebecois filmmaker interweaves her own creative concepts regarding the vampire and coming-of-age genres to assemble a fresh and thoughtful movie full of promise for her future projects behind the camera.
‘Firebrand’ Review: Alicia Vikander Goes Fully Tudor as Katherine Parr in This Gorgeously Crafted but Predictable Period Thriller
Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz makes his English-language directorial debut with Firebrand, a star-studded affair that struggles to explore new territory in the historically turbulent love life of Henry XIII.
‘Banel & Adama’ Review: Star-Crossed Lovers Battle the Forces of Destiny and Expectation in Rural Senegal
An absolute visual feast centered around a hypnotic tragic romance, Banel & Adama works as a daring and promising feature debut from Ramata-Toulaye Sy and one of the most mesmerizing pieces of world cinema to be released so far in 2024
‘Coma’ Review: Disintegration Gives Way to Regeneration in Bertrand Bonello’s Covid-Era Experiment
Through its heady concepts and amorphous structure, Coma serves as one of the most intriguing examples of COVID-era filmmaking, informed by the director’s uncertainty for the future of his young daughter.
‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Review: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Enigmatic Cautionary Tale
Enrapturing in its portrayal of the natural world yet uncanny in its ominous tone, Evil Does Not Exist works as the director’s most restrained and lyrical film to date.
‘Slow’ Review: Lithuania’s Latest Oscar Entry Gracefully Explores Alternative Expressions of Desire
Marija Kavtaradzė’s Sundance-winning second feature sensitively probes the blossoming relationship between a dancer and the asexual sign language interpreter she has fallen for.
‘All You Need is Death’ Review: Love Yields the Ultimate Carnage in This Undercooked Irish Horror Flick
For his first foray into making narrative feature filmmaking, Paul Duane creates an atmospheric, enigmatic, and at times bewildering horror film uniquely interwoven with traditions of Irish lore.