Film Reviews

What remains long after the credits of Petra Volpe’s sophomore feature, The Divine Order, have finished rolling is the historical context in which the film is set. There will undoubtedly be a great number who see this film (writer included) who will be shocked by the revelation that the women of Switzerland did not possess the right to vote at a federal level until 1971. More astounding still is that the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden remained steadfast in its refusal...

Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is a famous and respected dancer for the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton) is a CIA agent in Russia who botches a meeting with a mole. After a horrific leg break, Dominika must retire, and is persuaded by her nefarious uncle in the SVR, Vanya (Matthias Schoenaerts), to become a 'sparrow'; a highly trained sexual manipulator who can worm their way into the lonely lives of men like Nate. Lawrence really poured everything she...

While it is true that A Fantastic Woman is a trans drama, it's a description overlooks the many other compelling qualities that this Chilean film has. It is the type of simple categorisation that the title character Marina (Daniela Vega) faces and battles against. She may be a transgender woman, but there are many other sides to her personality and life. Her relationship with Orlando (Francisco Reyes), a kind older man with a gentle face, is loving and she lives...

Tarik Saleh’s Sundance winner, The Nile Hilton Incident, is a gritty, noir-thriller set in the days leading up to Egypt’s 2011 revolution. January 2011 and we’re landed in the dizzying hustle and bustle of Cairo’s amoral Kasr El-Nil police precinct where back-hand dealings and corruption run rife. The murder of a young singer at the Nile Hilton hotel and an (un)healthy handing of wasta have landed Police Commander Noredin (Fares Fares) the role of chief investigator on the case. His...

Coming off a string of Daddy's Home 2, Bad Moms' Christmas and The House, a Febraury release "WASPs in a pickle" comedy was a sign of oncoming dread to me. As it happens, Game Night is unashamedly huge fun that drags the American middle-class comedy from the gutter. It's love at first sight for Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams), their highly competitive nature bringing them together. When they can't conceive, blame is placed on Max feeling inadequate against...

Netflix is famously tight-lipped about the viewership data for their Original releases, and in the case of Mute this might be for the best. For one wonders why anybody would, after the first five minutes, want to sit through the remaining two hours. Duncan Jones, whose minimalist, lo-fi science fiction delight, Moon, saw him thrust into the burgeoning pool of promising directors, was followed by an equally confident display of filmmaking prowess in the form of Source Code. Jones’ third...

It is a testament to Margot Robbie’s impressive acting talent that from the moment you set eyes on her in I, Tonya, that you instantly know that you are in a pair safe hands. Directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl, United States of Tara) the film recounts the extraordinary story of how one of the most talented American figure skaters of all time suddenly found herself at the centre of one the biggest scandals to ever hit...

For many, the story of John Curry will be an unfamiliar one, but James Erskine, the director behind 2013’s Battle of the Sexes, intimate documentary, The Ice King, about the “best ice skater in the world,” is a graceful success. John Curry’s story begins like many, in his childhood, when his aspirations of becoming a ballet dancer were hobbled by his strict, working class father who refused the boy his dream to dance on the grounds that it was “unmanly.”...

While we may spend most of our lives planning for retirement and old age even the best prepared can be faced with unexpected challenges. This is just the situation that Sandra (Imelda Staunton) finds herself in. While her husband of 40 years Mike (John Sessions) celebrates his retirement following a successful law career, she discovers that he has been having an affair. Seeking refuge she visits her estranged sister Bif (Celia Imrie), who she hasn’t seen in over a decade....