Rosewater (2014)
★★★☆☆
Jon Stewart’s Rosewater is a political satire focusing on the absurd interrogation of a journalist imprisoned for his coverage of the presidential elections.
Americas
Gente de Bien (2014)
★★★☆☆
Building relationships across the class divide, Franco Lolli’s Gente de Bien turns into an unexpectedly moving portrait of father and son bonding.
Jauja (2014)
★★★☆☆
In Lisandro Alonso’s beautifully shot, minimalist Jauja, a desert in 19th century Patagonia sparks an enigmatic quest into the meaning of life and cinema.
While We’re Young (2014)
★★★☆☆
With While We’re Young Noah Baumbach hits you with everything and the kitschen sink in this incisive, funny but often distractingly clichéd comedy about the passage of time and the illusion of youth.
Altman (2014)
★★☆☆☆
Ron Mann’sAltman is a stoic by-the-numbers documentary celebrating the films of the great director, but offering little insight into the man behind the lens.
Wild Tales / Relatos Salvajes (2014)
★★★★☆
Crazy, caustic, and ingeniously clever, Damián Szifrón’s Wild Tales is an excellent Argentine selection box of intricate short stories.
Mommy (2014)
★★★★☆
A violent, visual explosion of fiercely maternal love and insuppressible energy, Xavier Dolan’s Mommy reveals a love that will surely tear us apart.
White Bird In A Blizzard (2014)
★★★☆☆
As one girl comes to terms with the strange disappearance of her mother, Gregg Araki’s White Bird In A Blizzard gets under the skin of a family mystery.
Appropriate Behavior (2014)
★★★☆☆
Directed, written by and starring Desiree Akhavan, Appropriate Behavior is a very personal New York story of the conflicting demands of love, self and family.
Still Alice (2014)
★★★☆☆
In Still Alice Julianne Moore gives a moving performance as a woman struggling to retain her sense of self as she develops early onset Alzheimer’s.
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014)
★★★★☆
With a delicate, mesmerising performance from Rinko Kikuchi, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter is a darkly comic tale of misadventure – tragic, odd and uplifting.
Festival Review: The Second Mother / Que Horas Ela Volta?
★★★★☆
The glorious story of one woman’s emancipation, Anna Muylaert’s The Second Mother is a hilarious and quietly devastating parable of modern Brazil.
Festival Review: What Happened, Miss Simone (2015)
★★★★☆
Pieced together out of archive footage, interviews and diaries, Liz Garbus’ What Happened, Miss Simone? makes a soul-stirring melody out of the blues.
Festival Review: I Am Michael (2015)
★★★☆☆
Charting Michael Glatze’s path from gay poster-boy to Christian pastor, Justin Kelly’s I Am Michael is a confused, emotionless journey back into the closet.