Review: “Identifying Features”

All we know of Jesús is his face. It’s his face that opens “Identifying Features,” the debut film from director Fernanda Valadez, at first blurry and far away, but walking ever closer to us. The image fades, as a voiceover informs us that Jesús left his Mexican town with a friend weeks ago, in search […]

Sundance Review: “Night of the Kings”

Writer and director Phillippe Lacôte’s “Night of the Kings” left me feeling baffled, but in the pleasant sort of way that makes me want to dive deeper into the world created on screen, and its inspiration behind the scenes. Blurring the line between reality and fantasy, “Night of the Kings”—which played at the Sundance Film […]

Review: “Sputnik”

When most people hear the word “sputnik,” they likely think of the name of the first satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union. But the word itself roughly translates to “fellow traveler,” making it the perfect title for director Egor Abramenko’s less-than-perfect debut feature based on his award-winning short film “The Passenger,” which continues […]

Cinema Classics: “The Young Girls of Rochefort” (1967)

In 1964, French director Jacques Demy’s musical film “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (Las parapluies de Cherbourg) was an international sensation, winning the Palmes d’Or at Cannes and being nominated for five Academy Awards. Even watching it today, it’s easy to see why. “Cherbourg” is unique in that it is entirely sung through, as opposed to […]

Review: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

5 out of 5 stars. In “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” we know that Marianne and Héloïse’s relationship is doomed from the start. But that doesn’t make their interactions onscreen any less passionate or romantic; if anything, they are even more so, as the time that they have left together dwindles away. Written and […]

Review: “Weathering With You”

4.5 out of 5 stars. It’s hard to discuss “Weathering With You” without also bringing up “Your Name.” The latter film, an anime movie from writer/director Makoto Shinkai, is one of the highest grossing Japanese films of all time, and has been critically praised across the board. The story of a boy and girl connected […]

Review: “Cold War”

4.5 out of 5 stars. Many of the greatest film romances of all time are sweeping epics, in runtime and scale but also in the way they probe into so many aspects of their characters’ lives and relationships. Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski does almost the opposite of this with his romantic drama “Cold War.” The […]

Review: “Roma”

5 out of 5 stars. Alfonso Cuarón has had a hand in a number of epic films over the years, from the dystopian movie “Children of Men” to the third “Harry Potter” film to his last movie, 2013’s space thriller “Gravity.” But it’s the intimate and deeply personal “Roma” that is the director’s greatest achievement […]