“Qu’est-ce que cela fait? Tout est grâce” These are the chilling final words that appear in Diary of a Country Priest (French: Journal d’un curé de campagne), the beautiful but shattering adaptation of the novel by Georges Bernanos, carefully brought to the screen by esteemed French realist Robert Bresson, who utilizes his ability to capture…

It’s sometimes difficult to hold an opinion contradictory to the vast majority on a particular film – the feeling of being isolated from the general opinion can feel quite alienating, especially when it comes to films that have been cited as sacrosanct classics. To date, I have yet to find someone who holds the same…

Slow cinema is an art form that very few filmmakers are able to master. Mike Mills is one of the elite group that have managed to build a career around carefully-measured, intricately-woven stories that take their time. They are certainly an acquired taste, since his films don’t immediately announce themselves as the most bombastic productions,…

The Browning Version is a text written for everyone who has regrets, especially those relating to never putting in the effort to fit in. Terence Ratigan’s fascinating drama has been celebrated for its raw understanding of the human condition, as facilitated through the story of an ailing schoolteacher who realizes in his final days before…

No one captures the human condition quite like Mike Leigh – regardless of whether we’re looking at his days as one of the pioneers of the “angry young men” movement that branched off from kitchen-sink realism, or his ascent to become one of the elder statesmen of British cinema, there has always been a fiery…

After having seen several of his films, it’s not surprising if viewers start to find the work of Yasujirō Ozu blurring together. This isn’t nearly as disparaging as it sounds – as a filmmaker who often stuck to the same set of thematic principles, and a particular directorial approach, Ozu’s films are distinct and similar…

Only someone as gifted and precise in his vision as Pedro Almodóvar could make a film like Talk to Her (Spanish: Hable con ella), and not have the final result be an overwrought and vaguely perverse bundle of bizarre scenarios. Not only did he successfully tell a story that would be considered grotesque in the…

Growing up is difficult already, so having the constant threat of inter-faith violence lingering over your quaint Irish neighbourhood is not the most pleasant experience for a young boy trying to make his way through a world he has barely begun to understand. This is the starting-point for Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast (quite literally, with the…

From a contemporary cinematic perspective, there are few artists quite as interesting as Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, who has steadily found his status growing in esteem, moving from the director of films like Happy Hour (more known for its intimidating running time than it is for the contents of those five hours of stunning filmmaking) and Asako…

Art loves a crisis. There’s something about a person (or several) being in peril that inherently fascinates us and keeps us coming back, especially when it is in relation to the movies – from horror to action, comedy to melodrama, people facing adversity is the foundation of the film industry in one way or the…