A deceptively clever period crime drama, director Graham Moore’s The Outfit is a slow burn mesmeriser. Set in Chicago in 1956, all the action takes place at the premises of a bespoke tailor. Leonard (Mark Rylance) is a well-spoken, nondescript British “cutter” who takes great pride and pleasure in his work. His narrative about what…
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…
In Orphan: First Kill, Leena (Isabelle Fuhrman) looks every bit like a 10-year-old girl. But she’s actually 31 and the most dangerous patient in an Estonian psychiatric institution. Particularly devious, she’s also deadly. When she escapes from the facility, she poses as the long-lost young daughter of a wealthy American family. Thinking his daughter has…
From the folk tales of One Thousand and One Nights, to highest grossing film of 1992, Aladdin, the story of the genie in a lamp is familiar. Now director George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) provides a new take on the tale with Three Thousand Years of Longing. Dr Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is a…
From Babette’s Feast to Big Night, from Eat Drink Man Woman to Chocolat and many besides, foodie movies have their own place in popular culture. Now along comes a Swedish offering from director Annika Appelin, Tuesday Club. Karin (Marie Richardson) and Sten (Bjorn Kjellman) are about to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. They have invited…
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…
Just what is going on in Hit the Road? A mystery infuses this whimsical family drama, written and directed by Panah Panahi (making his feature film debut). We’re on a cross country road trip in Iran with a mother, father, elder son and younger son. Where they’re going is unclear. But there are many stops…
The straightforward plot of Baltasar Kormakur’s Beast sees big game poachers wipe out a pride of lions, only for one to get away and go rogue. To elaborate, Dr Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) has taken his two daughters from New York to visit his old friend Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley) in South Africa. Tension is…
Mark Hartley is a filmmaker whose specialty is the rather niche world of Ozploitation. His latest film, Girl at the Window, is in a similar vein. Troubled teenager Amy’s (Ella Newton) father died when he fell down a disused mine shaft two years ago. She was nearby when it happened, and blames herself. She’s still…
David Cronenberg’s first feature film in eight years sees the master of smart but visceral horror back in the groove. Crimes of the Future (2022*) is a gripping but gruesome exploration of how technology and the human body intersect. As such, this film can be considered the long-delayed (Cronenberg wrote it in 1999 but shelved…
