When it comes to finding the truth of the human condition and all its earnest complexities, few directors are more adept than Pedro Almodóvar – his influence not only in his native Spain but in the entire film industry as a whole, is something that can never be overstated, to the point where his work…

Simon (Gabin Verdet) is a young man who meets an unfortunate fate one morning after a surfing expedition, finding himself involved in a fatal car accident that leaves him in a severe coma. The doctors have little doubt that Simon won’t recover, as he is past the point where he can wake up. His parent…

The work of William Shakespeare has the unique distinction of being both extremely resonant, inspiring many of the greatest works of art since their inception centuries ago, as well as being heavily saturated to the point where no other artist can attest to have their work more scrutinized and explored. Thus, it takes a lot…

“What makes a family?” – this was apparently the question that served as the impetus for Hirokazu Kore-eda’s masterful Shoplifters (Japanese: 万引き家族), a beautiful character-driven drama that once again sees the maestro venturing into the realm of social realism, delivering one of the most profoundly moving films of the past few years, and an utter…

Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein) is a young man trying to find his way in a world he doesn’t quite understand. His mother, Marianne (Sandrine Kiberlain) is a well-regarded doctor who helps out many of the residents of their small town, while still trying to raise her son almost entirely on her own, as her husband…

At the risk of sounding insensitive or flippant, there aren’t many themes art loves more than grief. Over the course of the centuries, artists in various fields have taken on the subject of losing someone, and the effects that come with realizing someone important is gone. This is most likely because most of us will…

Death in Venice is an anomaly of a film. It is amongst the most beautiful films ever made, as well as one of the most profoundly difficult I’ve ever experienced. Luchino Visconti, to his credit, always made films that were visually sumptuous and narratively complex, and while they could sometimes be extravagant, they were rarely…

John Schlesinger had a way with humanity. In all of his films, he demonstrated how he had a firm pulse on the nature of existence, an intricate understanding of the human condition that very few filmmakers, even those who dedicated their entire lives to realism, were ever able to convey. While remembered mainly for Midnight…

Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) is a young man living in a small town in working-class Texas. He’s  a quiet boy, normally spending his days driving his pickup truck, attending school, playing sport and finding solace in one of three local institutions that become like home to him – a pool-hall run by the enigmatic but sympathetic…

Marie (Charlotte Rampling) is an English teacher who goes on holiday with her intellectual husband, Jean (Bernard Cremer). While she sunbathes, he goes for a swim – and never returns. Suddenly confronted by his mysterious disappearance, Marie is thrown into a quandary, where she wonders whether he drowned by accident, committed suicide, or left her…