The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1942)

There are a few themes that are the foundation for literature – love, family and death being the most prominent of them. The latter in particular is not notable, since it has spawned into many different kinds of stories, most significantly the idea of the murder mystery, which has been popular for about as long…

Our Story (1984)

A solitary man rides the train, watching the surroundings change as he slowly drifts to sleep. He’s awoken by a beguiling young woman who offers her astute observations about someone who she claims is a stranger, but yet one she somehow knows so well. Our protagonist slowly begins to fall deep into a state of…

Saturday Night (2024)

In 1975, on a chilly October evening, just a few minutes before midnight, viewers across the United States encountered an unfamiliar image – a pair of relatively unknown comedians appeared on their screen in a sketch based around an English tutor and his student of indiscernible origins. A couple of minutes of surreal banter was…

The Bellboy (1960)

There has never been someone like Jerry Lewis, someone whose contributions to the world of entertainment are so immense, he is often viewed as one of the pioneers of modern American humour, a figure that helped bring to life a very specific kind of storytelling that was built on the collision of many different styles….

Sebastian (2024)

Nearly half a century ago, Derek Jarman made Sebastiane, an experimental masterpiece that looked at the trials and tribulations of the titular saint as he underwent persecution for his homosexuality and refusal to abide by the social convention in Ancient Rome, which resulted in his martyrdom that many still view as a tragic demise for…

The Other Way Around (2024)

Life is filled with events that we celebrate – births, marriages, birthdays and anniversaries, and there are even cultures where it is tradition to turn a funeral into a festive occasion, paying tribute to the dearly departed. Yet, there are a few moments in life that are rarely celebrated, at least in the conventional sense,…

Rumours (2024)

There has never been a more appropriate time to be sceptical of our global leaders than now – the world is in tatters. It seems like every nation is working to ensure its survival, even if it comes at the expense of its allies, which is not a new concept but one that goes against…

Starlet (2012)

Much like I suspect would be the case with many people, I first became acquainted with Sean Baker in 2015, when he had a major breakthrough with Tangerine, an extraordinarily ambitious dark comedy about two transgender sex workers that was notable for both its unconventional narrative, the fact that it was shot entirely on an…

La Moustache (2005)

The key to the success of any good film is often quite simple – have a good story and execution that matches or overtakes the level of ambition that went into its conception. Obviously it is integral to add other elements for the sake of diversity, but good art is really just a matter of…

Pressure Point (1962)

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite” These words were written by…