French auteur Claire Denis (White Material) often explores fragile relationships in her films, looking at the tension between her characters and the corrosive effects of the lack of trust. Her latest film Both Sides of the Blade (known as Fire in some territories) explores a romantic triangle that spirals out of control and the emotional…
Blaze is a confronting coming-of-age drama. It deals with themes of the emotional and physical effects of trauma, including sexual violence, and is not an easy film to sit through. Blaze (Julia Savage) is a 12-year-old schoolgirl who witnesses the brutal rape and murder of Hannah (Yael Stone) in a laneway. As a result, she…
The debut feature for Brisbane-based filmmaker Samuel Gay, A Guide to Dating at the End of the World is in essence a romantic comedy, albeit with a touch of sci-fi thrown in for good measure. Alex (Kerith Atkinson) is set up for a blind date by her friends, but she finds John (Tony Brockman) a…
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is the third feature from director Sophie Hyde, and like her previous two films (Animals and 52 Tuesdays), it centres around a strong female character coming to terms with her sexuality and her body. This is the first feature script written by British comedian Katy Brand, best known for…
This enjoyable if somewhat formulaic romantic comedy comes from Australian filmmaker Ben Lewin, who gave us The Sessions with Helen Hunt and John Hawkes in 2012. Successful and ambitious fund manager Millie (Danielle Macdonald,) quits her job just as she receives a promotion and sets out to become an opera singer. This despite having no…
In Full Time, Julie (Laure Calamy) is a single mother who works as the head chambermaid in a prestigious five-star hotel in Paris. She lives in the outer suburbs and daily commutes to and from work. She juggles the demands of her job with raising two young children (Nolan Arizmendi and Sasha Lemaitre Cremaschi). She…
This Spanish/Argentinian co-production stars Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas and was one of the hits at the recent Spanish Film Festival. There have been many films that have explored the filmmaking process, from Singin’ In the Rain through to The Player (Robert Altman’s star-studded two-finger salute to Hollywood) and the Coen brothers’ recent Hail, Caesar….
This generic globe-trotting action thriller comes across like James Bond on steroids. The Gray Man is based on the 2009 thriller written by Mark Greaney, who was a frequent collaborator with the late Tom Clancy and is credited with writing some of the recent Jack Ryan novels. The Gray Man introduces us to Court Gentry…
This star-studded French comedy, which was a hit at the recent Alliance Francaise French Film Festival, is largely set within a retirement village. The Villa (aka Maison de retraite in some markets) is another example of those increasingly popular “grey power” films along the lines of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its ilk which…
Mexican writer-director Michel Franco’s slow-moving existential drama Sundown stars Tim Roth and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Roth plays Neil Bennett, who is spending a relaxing holiday in an exclusive resort in Acapulco with his sister Alice (Gainsbourg) and her two teenage children Colin (Samuel Bottomley) and Alexa (Albertine Kotting McMillan). Neil is the scion of a family…
