In The Name Of / W Imie (2013)
★★★★☆
Love in a dark time, Malgorzata Szumowska’s In The Name Of evokes the desolation of a gay man in conflict with God with summertime brilliance.
Hannah Arendt (2012)
★★★☆☆
A portrait of the great thinker in troubled times, Margarethe von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt is more than a woman.
Mister John (2013)
★★★☆☆
An Irishman, whose marriage is in crisis, travels to Singapore after the death of his brother there and becomes drawn into the life the dead man left behind.
Harrigan (2013)
★★☆☆☆
Bringing the wild west to the North East, Vince Woods’ Harrigan offers a moody warning against the dangers of police cuts amidst blackouts and strikes.
The Artist And The Model / El Artista Y La Modelo (2012)
★★★☆☆
All is fair in love and war, Fernando Trueba’s The Artist And The Model gradually hews out the standoff relationship between the creator and his muse.
Any Day Now (2012)
★★★☆☆
Exposing Seventies homophobia against gay parents and with a great performance from Alan Cummings, Travis Fine’s Any Day Now is a very modern tearjerker.
The Great Beauty / La Grande Bellezza (2013)
★★★★☆
A love poem to the Italian capital and a searing portrait of its glitterati, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty is a virtuoso vision of fiddling while Rome burns.
The Stuart Hall Project (2013)
★★★★☆
A study of the great British cultural theorist, John Akomfrah’s bio-doc The Stuart Hall Project is a patchwork of black identity exposing the empire state of mind.
More Than Honey (2012)
★★★☆☆
Sweating the sweet stuff, Markus Imhoof’s More Than Honey stirs the hornets’ nest with a look inside the hive at the threats facing the world’s bees.
Museum Hours (2012)
★★☆☆☆
A documentary-style feature where fiction fades into the background, Jem Cohen’s Museum Hours is a thought-provoking contemplation of art beyond the frame.
Upstream Color (2013)
★★★★☆
A rhapsody in blue, Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color takes a trip through other worlds and interconnected lives.
The Kings Of Summer (2013)
★★☆☆☆
Building a getaway cabin in the woods, Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ The Kings Of Summer sees males rutting and rebellious teenage dreamers turn from boys to men.
Winter Of Discontent (2012)
★★★★☆
A timely revisit to Egypt’s democratic revolution, Ibrahim El-Batout’s Winter Of Discontent exposes the human side of the Arab Spring and the power of the image.
Call Girl (2012)
★★★★☆
With its corrupt politics and hustling broads, Mikael Marcimain’s Call Girl offers a pleasurably nostalgic vision of teenage girls living in a material world.