https://youtu.be/5FdRKMQMj4o Directed by Vadim Perelman Screenplay adapted by Ilja Zofin Russia, Germany, Belarus/ 2020/ 127 mins ★★★ Treading the line of invention is a difficult option, and potentially dangerous when devising a Holocaust survival story. But in the end, director Vadim Perelman‘s Persian Lessons has little intention of maintaining authenticity throughout; instead, focusing on specific aspects which, tragically, … Continue reading Persian Lessons – Review
Written by Joan Greening ★★ Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “You might be entitled to PPI”. How about this one: “Have you recently been involved in a car accident…”. The expansion of accessible technology has both enhanced and hindered lives, as scammers use direct access to our communications and vulnerable moments with … Continue reading Scammed – The Space UK
https://youtu.be/26DIABx44Tw Directed by Glen Keane Written by Audrey Wells USA/ 2020/ 95 mins ★★★ Fairy tales and stories sit at the hearts of children and move with them as they come to understand the world and its intense complexities. When her mother passes, and her father slowly begins to introduce a new partner into their … Continue reading Over The Moon – Netflix
https://youtu.be/aqKpAFdpuyI Written & Directed by John-Paul Davidson & Stephen Warbeck UK/ 200/ 94 mins ★★★★ There’s a tremendous reminiscence of Dante’s Divine Comedy as The Man in the Hattraverses the B-roads of France, beginning in the inferno before ultimately finding a peaceful sense of paradise, accompanied by those he encountered along the way. Though not quite as similar as the … Continue reading The Man in the Hat – Review
https://youtu.be/1d0Zf9sXlHk Directed by Harry Bradbeer Screenplay by Jack Thorne UK / 2020 / 123 min ★★★★ It’s far from new, the notion of a third Holmes sibling, especially that of a younger, equally (if not more) brilliant sister. This time, with a missing mother, squabbling brothers, and all-new murder plot, Enola Holmes grounds itself in a warm … Continue reading Enola Holmes – Netflix
https://youtu.be/hN6gA9obKxw Written & Directed by Midi Z Taiwan / 2014 / 95 mins ★★ Burmese director Midi Z latest film is a socially conscious remark on the two options facing the poor – both of which risk your life. One is to risk breaking your body with labour, amidst endless hours working for a pittance. The other … Continue reading Ice Poison – Taiwanese Film Festival
https://youtu.be/nHFIOnOpehw Written by Thomas Friedrich & Michael Venus Directed by Michael Venus Germany/ 2019/ 102 mins ★★★★ The answers in Sleep seemingly lie in a peculiar hotel, cast deep into the woodlands of a remote village. The residents have checked-out, and the staff are as unhinged as the dreams which haunt Mona’s (Gro Swantje Kohlhof) nights, following her … Continue reading Sleep – Fantasia Film Festival
https://youtu.be/GilgGEZZ3tU Written by Yuan-Fu Chang Directed by Chi Hsin Taiwan / 1965 / 117 mins ★★★ Recently, the Ministry for Culture in Taiwan chose to preserve to The Bride Who Returned from Hell for its historical significance to the nation. Based on the 35mm cut, complete with grainy film cells and light strains, this revitalised look at … Continue reading The Bride Who Returned from Hell – Taiwan Film Festival
https://youtu.be/f8gPFZduFOQ Directed by Hyuk Ki Jung South Korea/ 2019/ 114 mins ★★★★ Aphrase we’ve all heard and potentially used ourselves, Punch Drunk is the more common term for the medical condition Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease which causes irreparable damage, often as the result of repeated head trauma: a grave concern for boxers. Allowing … Continue reading My Punch-Drunk Boxer – Fantasia Film Festival
https://youtu.be/si5C-3F9Pw4 Written & Directed by Ninian Doff UK / 2019 / 87 mins ★★★ Not much happens in the Highlands, right? An endless majesty of woodland, glens and hills, the Scottish Highlands are home to scatterings of locals, farmers, wildlife, and a few unfortunate kids who have been roped into The Duke of Edinburgh Award. … Continue reading Get Duked! – Amazon Prime
