Film Review: La Belle Saison (2015)
byLa Belle Saison is French for ‘summertime’, that time of year with the radiating sun and the slow lazy afternoons. It literally means ‘the…
palace films
Film Review: Girlhood (2014)
byThe third film from French writer/director Céline Sciamma has been gaining a reputation across Europe and abroad as one of the breakout hits of…
Film Review: Far From Men (2014)
byIt is 1954 and the Algerian War is building momentum as it begins to reach the lives of civilians. Trouble is brought to the…
Film Review: Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014)
byBased on the urban legend that a Japanese tourist froze to death in Minnesota while searching for the loot of cash that goes undiscovered…
Film Review: Leviathan (2014)
byIn adapting the Old Testament story of Job and setting it in the modern context of his native Russia, master film maker Andrey Zvyagintsev…
Film Review: Eastern Boys (2013)
byThe subtitles for French film Eastern Boys don’t start until ten minutes in, almost leaving the audience to wonder if they’ve been omitted by…
Film Review: After May (2012)
byAlso released as Something In The Air, but coming to Australia with the translation of its original French title Aprés Mai, After May is the semi-autobiographical new film from Olivier Assayas, one of the most celebrated film makers currently working in his native France.
Film Review: Stories We Tell (2012)
byResponding to the central question, Stories We Tell plays out like a mystery as Polley gradually patches together a portrait, blending archival footage with re-enactments to further blur the distinction between truth and fiction.
Film Review: Tabu (2012)
byFilming contemporary films in black and white, and without dialogue, can invoke feelings of nostalgia for a bygone era. Or, alternatively, they can be alienating. Tabu, a Portuguese film directed by Miguel Gomes and written by Gomes and Mariana Ricardo, takes that risk, with mixed results.
Film Review: The Loneliest Planet (2011)
byCrude, excessively long and just plain misconceived, The Loneliest Planet is not only the perfect case study of how not to make world cinema, it’s also a perseverance test for audiences looking for punishment.