Mark Wilshin, Author at Dog And Wolf

★★★, Cannes Film Festival 2016, festivals, RomaniaMay 12, 2016

Sieranevada (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★★☆
Taking place in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attack, Cristi Puiu’s Sieranevada reveals a family in turmoil when the patriarch dies.

★★★★, France, musicMarch 18, 2016

Marguerite (2015)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★★☆
A delicious update of the Emperor’s new clothes parable, Xavier Giannoli’s Marguerite exposes the well-meaning flattery of the have-nots.

★★★, horror, UKMarch 12, 2016

The Ones Below (2015)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★☆☆
A chilling psychodrama in primary colours of maternal and social anxiety, David Farr’s The Ones Below leaves a generic horror plot holding the baby.

★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, GermanyFebruary 22, 2016

Festival Review: 24 Weeks (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★☆☆
As a couple struggle to come to terms with their unborn baby’s condition, Anne Zohra Berrached’s 24 Weeks uncovers a grey world of female courage.

★★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, Portugal, warFebruary 21, 2016

Festival Review: Letters From War (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★★☆
A black and white correspondence between an army medic and his new wife, Ivo Ferreira’s Letters Of War is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of war.

★★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, New ZealandFebruary 21, 2016

Festival Review: Mahana / The Patriarch (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★★☆
The moving portrait of a Maori family seething under the lash of a ruthless patriarch, Lee Tamahori’s Mahana takes heart in a young man finding his way.

★★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, South AfricaFebruary 21, 2016

Festival Review: Shepherds And Butchers (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★★☆
Exposing the inhumanity of capital punishment on the men who lead them to the gallows, Oliver Schmitz’s Shepherds And Butchers is a powerful portrait of a human timebomb.

Berlin Film Festival 2016, featuresFebruary 21, 2016

The 66th Berlin Film Festival – Berlinale 2016

By Mark Wilshin

Focusing on the refugee crisis, the 66th Berlin Film Festival awards Gianfranco Rosi’s Fuocoammare the Golden Bear and underscores the importance of standing together.

★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, China, documentary, Italy, Netherlands, queerFebruary 21, 2016

Festival Review: Inside The Chinese Closet (2015)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★☆☆
With fake marriage markets and illegal babies, Sophia Luvara’s intimate documentary Inside The Chinese Closet reveals gay men and women shouldering their parents’ burden.

★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, Brazil, Female Filmmakers, London Film Festival 2016February 21, 2016

Festival Review: Don’t Call Me Son (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★☆☆
Depicting the impossible situation of teenagers reclaimed by birth parents, Anna Muylaert’s Don’t Call Me Son clothes her emotion in a plain black smock.

★★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, IranFebruary 20, 2016

Festival Review: A Dragon Arrives! (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★★☆
A multilayered blast of mysterious occurrences in the desert, Mani Haghighi’s A Dragon Arrives! is an enjoyable bafflement.

★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, FranceFebruary 19, 2016

Festival Review: Saint Amour (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★☆☆
Another French loser comedy about love, men, wine and heritage, Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern’s Saint Amour finds a gentle, fruity sparkle.

★★★, Berlin Film Festival 2016, London Film Festival 2016, PolandFebruary 19, 2016

Festival Review: United States Of Love (2016)

By Mark Wilshin

★★★☆☆
A portrait of four pained women on the cusp of freedom, Tomasz Wasilewski’s United States Of Love takes its passion removed, rejected and unrequited.