Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing”
Daniel Kokotajlo’s “Starve Acre”
" It is an unapologetically supernatural folk horror with a rich atmosphere and great performances..."
Christopher Zalla’s “Radical”
“It challenges but isn’t too challenging, it’s heartwarming without being sweet and it’s familiar while still feeling fresh.”
Chris Nash’s “In a Violent Nature”
“…a good addition to the genre with fresh ideas but unfortunately doesn’t fully commit and in turn falls short of greatness.”
Fede Álvarez’s “Alien: Romulus”
“Alien: Romulus gets a lot right and is good, but the adherance to the formula… holds it back”
M. Night Shyamalan’s “Trap”
“…there’s a good film in there buried under missteps…”
Moin Hussain’s “Sky Peals”
“Not for everyone, but I think it will strike a chord for anyone who has felt alienated or has been frustrated with society’s desire to pigeon hole us into specific groups.”
Sean Wang’s “Dìdi”
“… it’s the kind of story I wish I had growing up…”
Mike Cheslik’s “Hundreds of Beavers”
“…a heap of fun best enjoyed with the biggest group you can muster.”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "Evil Does Not Exist"
“A mesmerising experience which kept me thinking about it for weeks.”
Dominik Moll’s “The Night of the 12th”
Grounded police procedural subverts the genre brilliantly in this unnerving fictionalisation of a true crime which touches on misogyny, racism and unanswerable questions
Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight”
Sublime and surprising coming-of-age, romance and social commentary masterpiece with pitch perfect performances, sumptuous visuals and a haunting soundtrack
Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin”
A wholly cinematic experience of the highest calibre fuses visuals, narrative and performance into a cohesive, compelling and sublime piece of visual storytelling
Robbie Banfitch’s “The Outwaters”
Tedious horror with some nice Jodorowsky-style desert aesthetics is an incoherent, frightless b-movie in an arthouse skin
Miwa Nishikawa’s “Under the Open Sky”
This story of an ex-Yakuza trying to go straight after spending much of his life in prison deals effectively with specific social commentary on the Japanese system while never quite feeling completely authentic or fully realised
Pawo Choyning Dorji’s “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
Charming parable of a young Bhutanese man faced with the choice of pursuing his dreams or staying where he’s needed is sentimental though tempered by an ending which leaves just enough unresolved to dull the edge of preachiness
Elegance Bratton’s “The Inspection”
A low key but compelling, fresh and sincere take on the boot camp story telling the true life experience of a gay man hoping to turn his life around by joining the US Marines
Elizabeth Banks’ “Cocaine Bear”
Entertaining set pieces only just hold the film together under the weight of ropey CGI and missed opportunities at suspense and horror
Yôji Yamada’s “What a Wonderful Family!”
Rabidly conservative family “comedy” that is at best bland and predictable and at worst offensive and patronising
Maya Duverdier & Amílie Van Elmbt’s “Dreaming Walls”
The passing of time and the ghosts of brick and mortar are explored in this wistful documentary on New York’s Chelsea Hotel