SXSW 2020 - Porno
Porno excels as a piece of genre cinema in its originality and subversion of familiar tropes
BERLINALE 2020 - Victoria
On paper, the combination of ideas in Victoria should be a win for both the filmmaker and the audience, but in execution, these elements refute each other's effects
Visions du Réel 2020 - El Father Plays Himself
Mo Scarpelli’s El Father Plays Himself is an unfiltered and profound look into a father-son relationship that gets flipped on its head
Visions du Réel 2020 - Amor Fati
With over ten different stories in the mix, scenes and sequences gently shuffle into one another, each of them self-contained while remaining mysterious and incomplete
Visions du Réel 2020 - Kombinat
Equally a scathing commentary on the wide-ranging destruction caused by rampant industrial development, as well as an honest snapshot of the human existence with its beauty, mundanity and drama
BERLINALE 2020- The Wolves
Samuel Kishi Leopo's Los Lobos (The Wolves) is a thematically rich and heartbreaking insight into the trials and tribulations of immigration in America
TRIBECA 2020 - Asia
Ruthy Pribar's Asia is a stunning emotionally charged documentation of the hope and tragedy found in love and family, beautifully orchestrated in two seismic performances from Alena Yiv and Shira Haas
CPH:DOX 2020 - Själö (Island of Souls)
The haunting tales of the wronged, silenced women, in Själo - Island of Souls, can leave more of an impression after its trance of melancholy and silent rage is over, and must not be forgotten
IFFR 2020 - Labyrinth of Cinema
Labyrinth of Cinema is an original and spectacular imaginative exhibition from start to finish
TRIBECA 2020 - My Wonderful Wanda
An unnerving study commenting on class relations and the immigrant experience which also successfully challenges a whole host of national stereotypes
SUNDANCE 2020 - Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a quietly brutal film that is not determined to dramatize the act of abortion but instead tells a straightforward human story with a narrative constructed of human obstacles
TRIBECA 2020 - Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles
Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles from documentary filmmaker, Laura Gabbert is a short yet sweet reminder that art does not have to be limited to a single mode of expression
CINÉMA DU RÉEL 2020 - There Will Be No More Night
Eléonore Weber’s documentary, There Will Be No More Night, utterly mesmerizes the audience with its haunting imagery, given how every frame exudes an overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia
BERLINALE 2020 - Last and First Men
Johann Johannsson’s directorial debut Last and First Men showcases his newfound directorial talents as he brings forth a harrowing vision of the future that may be one of the most beautiful works of art of the last few decades
Sundance 2020 - To the Stars
To The Stars is a handsome coming-of-age drama that unfortunately succumbs to cliché and melodrama
SXSW 2020 - Arkansas
Clark Duke’s directorial debut Arkansas is an engaging and well-crafted feature with a decent screenplay, strong performances from a stellar cast list and a wonderfully effective and vibrant score
BERLINALE 2020 - The American Sector
The American Sector is the kind of cinema that can, in a way, delay the unstoppable, hopefully in the form of insightful, empathetic memory instead of a Thanksgiving punchline
BERLINALE 2020 - Golda Maria
Golda Maria is an emotionally breath-taking and captivating documentary that details the horrors of the Holocaust honestly and devastatingly
BERLINALE 2020 - Petite fille (Little Girl)
From its first until its last frame, Petite fille (Little Girl) is a captivating albeit soul-destroying feature with a considerable amount of gravitas and weight
IFFR 2020 - A Girl Missing
Kôji Fukada's Yokogao (A Girl Missing) is a slow, stoic and strenuously foreboding tale of mental fatigue and media scrutinization