Somewhere in rural China in the early 1980s, we’re presented with two working-class families residing near a factory, which served as their main source of income for breadwinners Yaojun (Wang Jingchun) and Yingming (Xu Chen), who are raising their children with their respective wives, Liyun (Yong Mei) and Haiyan (Ai Liya). Their sons share the…

The Spanish countryside is on fire – no one knows what, or who, caused it. All the residents of the small region of Galicia know is that one of their most infamous sons, Amador (Amador Arias Mon), a notorious arsonist, has been released from prison and is heading home, where he will be staying with…

Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) have been married for quite a while, being initially brought together by their shared interest in the arts. He’s a theatre director right on the precipice of his breakthrough, already being well-regarded in the avant-garde circles he is a part of, and being set for the Broadway stage….

At this point, how do we talk about Pedro Almodóvar without saying something that has already been said numerous times? The past two decades has confirmed that he’s not only one of the most significant film directors to have come out of his native Spain, but one of the world’s most extraordinary artists, whose work…

There is something so distinct about a John Cassavetes films, a quality that is so difficult to pin down but is there throughout his work. Whether one of his most universally-adored masterpieces or one of his more experimental works that were met with the expected jeers and cheers, his films always seemed to follow the…

The Irishman is not just a gangster film. It’s an intricate cultural epic that functions as a darkly comical meditation on crime, ageing, the role of masculinity throughout the twentieth century and ultimately, death, both that of inflicting and experiencing it. Martin Scorsese presents us with perhaps his finest film in decades, a work of…

Saying goodbye is never easy. This is something I think all of us know a bit too well – whether it’s temporary or long-term, a farewell is an experience that often tests our resilience and proves that sometimes the most difficult moments are the most necessary. This seems to be the theme underlying Lulu Wang’s…

Bobby Dupea (Jack Nicholson) is an aimless young man without any clear sense of direction in his life. On the surface, he is the archetypal blue-collar working man. He spends his days grafting as an oil-rig worker, and his evenings with his girlfriend, the well-meaning but slightly simple Rayette (Karen Black), who adores Bobby, to…

Xavier Dolan seems to occupy quite a unique place in the contemporary cinematic landscape. He’s a director who has had some enormous accusations levelled against him, especially in recent years – his penchant for melodrama, often overwrought storylines and his tendency towards excess are all qualities that seem to be used to deride him by…

“Poems are my solace for the eternity which surrounds us all.” Terence Davies’ A Quiet Passion is a masterful achievement in a number of ways. The story of Emily Dickinson is one that is both profoundly fascinating, but also deeply complex, and any filmmaker who endeavoured to venture into her life was bound to encounter…