We all fear to become what we criticise – it’s an inherent anxiety embedded deep in our consciousness, a desire to acknowledge those who pose danger in order to prevent ever becoming akin to them in any way. It’s a philosophical concept that has been explored often in both fiction and documentary works, and bears…
Our Teacher Jabish (1969)
The continued endeavour to explore global cinema, particularly looking at films that contain some sense of comedy, has opened entirely new avenues of artistic expression, and provided some fascinating insights into how different cultures at various points in history tell their stories on screen. Azerbaijan has a solid cinematic culture, albeit one that is mostly…
Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)
A brief word of warning, or perhaps just a cautionary tale – if you find yourself on the eve of travelling to a specific city, and decide that it would be a good opportunity to watch one of the most famous films set in that particular location in the hopes of getting a better understanding…
A Minecraft Movie (2025)
At some point in the last thirty years, someone decided that video games would be fertile ground for extracting stories – there were a few made in the decades preceding it, but distinct video game adaptations are a uniquely modern phenomenon, which is obviously due to their rise in popularity during the 1990s, which continues…
There Was a Father (1942)
No one would weave a story together quite like Yasujirō Ozu, a filmmaker whose work I have proven to be a strict adherent to, and who continues to surprise me the further I venture into his career, which is brimming with unimpeachable masterpieces and hidden gems. The subject of today’s discussion occupies the latter category,…
Willard (2003)
In a world with over eight billion people, some are just born to be alone, and whether solitary by choice or through circumstances, it can tell us a lot about the human condition when we set out to observe the daily lives of these individuals. In his fascinating novel Ratman’s Notebooks, Stephen Gilbert tells the…
The Cemetery Club (1993)
For some, a friendship is a lifelong blessing, for others, it is a welcome distraction from everyday life. For the select few, it is a frustration that we simply cannot bring ourselves to end, since there is something special about having companions that stand with you through every challenge and triumph in your life. For…
Mister Organ (2022)
It seems that every time I discuss a film that focuses around conspiracies or investigations around the ambiguities of everyday life, Thomas Pynchon’s famous quip in Bleeding Edge that “paranoia is the garlic in life’s kitchen – you can never have too much” comes into the conversation at some point. Perhaps overused, it is still…
The Dig (2021)
There isn’t any “one size fits all” approach to making your way through life – everyone is on their own journey, and tends to be given specific opportunities to better their situation or blessings that help them achieve something that separates them from the rest of society. In many cases, these tend to be concealed,…
When Fall Is Coming (2025)
There’s nothing quite like a mother’s love for her children – and in his most recent directorial outing, François Ozon explores this concept (which he has touched on in the past, making it one of his more frequent themes) by way of When Fall Is Coming (French: Quand vient l’automne), a film that follows Michelle,…
The Postmodern Pelican 