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A family’s existence within a fallout shelter is disrupted by the arrival of an outsider in The End. Following an apocalyptic event, a former Energy Tycoon (Michael Shannon) and his Wife (Tilda Swinton), descend into an underground bunker along with their Butler (Tim McInnerny), Doctor (Lennie James) and Friend (Bronagh Gallagher). The couple’s Son (George […]

A struggling woman in post-WWI Copenhagen is taken in by a confectioner running a side business taking unwanted babies in The Girl with the Needle. In the dying days of the first World War, seamstress Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) is suddenly evicted from the apartment she shared with her MIA husband Peter (Besir Zeciri). Karoline […]

Donald Trump’s rise during the 1970s and 1980s is dramatized in The Apprentice. In the 1970s, Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) is a young real estate upstart working for his father Fred (Martin Donovan). After getting into an exclusive club, Trump catches the eye of cutthroat lawyer Ray Cohn (Jeremy Strong), who takes Trump under his […]

A freak electromagnetic pulse in Oslo results in the recently deceased awakening, affecting three families in Handling the Undead. On a dreary summer’s day in Oslo, a freak electromagnetic event passes through the city causing massive migraines in the living and causing the bodies of the recently deceased to awaken. This includes the son of […]

A Mongolian woman splits her time being a mother and a member of a Nationalist gang in Daughter of Genghis. Gerel Byamba is a Mongolian woman, who leads an all-woman Nationalist gang, specifically fighting against prostitution, in a quest for Mongolian purity. However, during the day, Gerel is mother to her young son Temuulen. When […]

The COVID-19 pandemic exposes the broken food system in the United States in Food and Country. Mass agriculture in the United States is based on how cheap food can be produced. As the COVID-19 pandemic takes hold, farmers are expected to continue planting as if everything is returning to normal. New York Times food critic […]

Inuit lawyer Aaju Peter embarks on a journey to reclaim her language and culture in Twice Colonized. Aaju Peter has made it her lifelong fight to campaign for the rights of Inuit people, particularly against opposition to the Inuit’s hunting of seals. After her son suddenly dies of suicide, Aaju embarks on a journey to […]

A matchmaking event brings back traumatic memories for a middle-aged woman after she learns the truth about the man she was paired up with in The Happiest Man in the World. Asja (Jelena Kordić Kuret) is a legal advisor from Sarajevo who attends a blind dating event, where she is paired with banker Zoran (Adnan […]

A luxury cruise goes horribly awry in Triangle of Sadness. Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean) are two models in a highly volatile relationship who embark on a luxury cruise. Crew leader Paula (Vicki Berlin) tries to ensure the passengers are happy, while The Captain (Woody Harrelson) spends most of the trip in a […]

A young Swedish woman travels to Los Angeles in the hopes of making it in the adult entertainment industry in Pleasure. Linnéa (Sofia Kappel) is a 20-year-old Swedish woman, who comes to Los Angeles and begins working in the pornographic industry under the name “Bella Cherry.” Bella quickly befriends her roommate Joy (Revika Reustle) and […]

A young woman unable to commit to one thing has her romantic feeling divided between two men in The Worst Person in the World. Julie (Renate Reinsve) is a young woman on the cusp of turning 30, who has juggled many career aspirations, before deciding to be an aspiring photographer, with her working at a […]

A refugee tells his story about how he fled Afghanistan and ended up in Denmark in Flee. Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen interviews his friend Amin Nawabi about his life growing up in Afghanistan and how he had to flee with his family to escape the growing war and turmoil. Ending up in Russia, Amil […]

A small-town man gets a job to be the bearer of bad news in The Middle Man. Frank Farelli (Pål Sverre Hagen) enters the town hall of Karmack to be interviewed by The Commission of The Sherrif (Paul Gross), The Doctor (Don McKellar), and The Pastor (Nicolas Bro). The job Frank is interviewing for is […]

A young woman’s faith is challenged over the course of a tragic night in As In Heaven. Lise (Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl) is the oldest child living on a 19th-century farm, who is preparing to go away to school, a choice supported by Lise’s mother Anna (Ida Cæcilie Rasmussen), but not so much by her absentee […]

A veteran gamer attempts to play for 100 hours in a single stretch in Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest. Kim “Cannon Arm” Købke is a Danish man, who has been an avid player of arcade games since 1977. Kim regularly gathers with his friends at the Bip Bip Bar and plays his game of […]

A group of friends perform an experiment about how consuming alcohol can be beneficial to their lives in Another Round. Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe), and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) are four teacher friends from Copenhagen. While out to dinner to celebrate Nikolaj’s 40th birthday, the group begins discussing the theories […]

A mother of two shares a house with ten others in I Love You I Miss You I Hope I See You Before I Die. Betty Boykin is a young mother of two living below the poverty line in suburban Colorado Springs. Betty shares a house with ten other people, including Betty’s young daughter Jade […]

A couple finds themselves trapped in a suburban neighbourhood in Vivarium. Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) are a young couple looking to buy a home. They come across an odd realtor named Martin (Jonathan Aris), who convinces the couple to take a good at a house in a new housing development called Yonder, […]

Twelve strangers awaken in an isolated area to find that they are being hunted for sport in The Hunt. A group of people awaken to find themselves bound in an open field. It isn’t long until shots begin firing and some of the group recognize their situation as the infamous “Manor-gate,” where “Liberal elites” kidnap and […]

Police detectives investigate a 12-year-old cold case somehow connected to a former girl’s home in The Purity of Vengence. Carl (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and Assad (Fares Fares) are two Copenhagen detectives, who take on a grisly new case, as four mummified skeletons are discovered in a walled-off room of an apartment. After identifying the bodies, […]

A couple finds themselves trapped in a suburban neighbourhood in Vivarium. Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) are a young couple looking to buy a home. They come across an odd realtor named Martin (Jonathan Aris), who convinces the couple to take a good at a house in a new housing development called Yonder, […]

The origins and modern reemergence of the process of deep brain stimulation is examined in Hunting for Hedonia. In the 1950s, Dr. Robert Galbraith Heath performed experiments in neuromodulation, trying to seek out the source of pleasure in the brain, also known as hedonia. However, Heath’s methods were shunned by the medical community and he […]

The population of Bricksburg have to deal with alien invaders in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. Five years after Taco Tuesday, repeated attacks by Duplo invaders have turned Bricksburg into “Apocalypseburg.” Despite the town now being a desolate dystopia, Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) remains forever optimistic and even builds a house for himself and Wyldstyle, aka Lucy (Elizabeth Banks). […]

The wife of a famous author silently suffers after he wins a Nobel prize in The Wife. Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) is a woman married to acclaimed author Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce), who receives a call one morning saying that he has won the Nobel prize in literature. Initially Joan seems ecstatic about her husband’s accomplishment, […]

The characters from the Hundred Acre Wood set out to assist their now grown up friend in Christopher Robin. As a child, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) enjoyed many adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with his friend Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings), Piglet (Nick Mohammed), Tigger (Cummings), Eeyore (Brad Garrett), Rabbit (Peter Capaldi), Owl (Toby Jones), Kanga […]

A woman spends Halloween night with her PTSD-suffering husband in Hurt. It is Halloween night in the small town of New Caney, Texas and Rose (Emily Van Raay) is reunited with her husband Tommy (Andrew Creer), who has just returned from the war. After spending some time with Rose’s sister Lily (Stephanie Moran) and her husband Mark […]

Outsourced content moderators decide what content is appropriate for the major social networks in The Cleaners. Companies such as Google and Facebook outsource content moderation to foreign companies, who go through thousands of pictures and videos to weed out all sexual, violent, or terrorist content. One such company is located in Manila, where the anonymous […]

The women of Greece’s controversial Golden Dawn party take centre stage in Golden Dawn Girls. Over the last number of years, the ultra-nationalistic right wing party the Golden Dawn starting gaining more support in Greece, with critics labeling the Golden Dawn as Neo-Nazis. Following the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, many members of the Golden […]

David Lynch tells the story of his early career as an artist in David Lynch: The Art Life. Best known for the films Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Dr and the television series Twin Peaks, David Lynch considers himself first and foremost to be a painter. Following Lynch at his home, the filmmaker tells the story of his […]

The LEGO Dark Knight sets out to protect Gotham City from The Joker in The LEGO Batman Movie. After foiling the latest plan by The Joker (Zach Galifianakis), Batman (Will Arnett) is shocked to discover that new commissioner Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) wants to de-emphasize Batman’s vigilantism. In addition, Batman is shocked to discover that he […]

The review was originally published as part of my coverage of TIFF 2015 A groom gets possessed during his wedding day in Demon. Peter (Itay Tiran) is preparing to marry his fiance Zaneta (Agnieszka Zulewska) at her family’s country home in Poland. The night before the wedding, Peter finds skeletal remains on the property, after which he […]

A young model finds herself the envy of the fashion industry in The Neon Demon. Jesse (Elle Fanning) is a sixteen year old woman, who has just moved to Los Angeles with the hopes of starting a modeling career. At her first shoot, photographed by new acquaintance Dean (Karl Glusman), Jesse meets make-up artist Ruby (Jena […]

A groom gets possessed during his wedding day in Demon. Peter (Itay Tiran) is preparing to marry his fiance Zaneta (Agnieszka Zulewska) at her family’s country home in Poland. The night before the wedding, Peter finds skeletal remains on the property, after which he begins acting strangely during the wedding reception.  It quickly becomes apparent that […]

A man traverses across post-apocalyptic Ethiopia looking to board a spaceship in Crumbs. Candy (Daniel Tadesse) is a physical malformed man, who lives with the love of his life Birdy (Selam Tesfaye). A spaceship has been hovering in the sky since the beginning of the big war, which Birdy believes is about to turn on. […]

This review was originally published as part of my coverage of Hot Docs 2015 A group of scientists simulate an encounter with extraterrestrials in The Visit: An Alien Encounter.  The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs has prepared a scenario of what would be done in the event of an alien life form landing […]

The relationship between two big top families are explored in The Circus Dynasty.  Patrick Berdino is the heir of Circus Arena, one of the biggest in Europe, and is in a relationship with Merrylu Casselly, whose family is known for their award winning acrobatic routines.  As members of the two biggest circus families in Europe, […]

A group of scientists simulate an encounter with extraterrestrials in The Visit: An Alien Encounter.  The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs has prepared a scenario of what would be done in the event of an alien life form landing on Earth.  The audience is given the point of view of “the visitor,” as […]

A split-second decision drives a wedge between a married couple in the Swedish drama Force Majeure.  Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke) is on a ski trip in the French Alps, with his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and two children Vera and Harry.  On the second day of their trip, while having lunch at a mountain restaurant, […]

Indie Spotlight is a series focusing on reviews of independent films A vaguely sinister man invades the life of a suburban family in the dark Dutch fable Borgman. When he is first introduced, Camiel Borgman (Jan Bijvoet) is a bearded hermit, who is forced away from his underground den. Camiel finds his way to the […]

Lindevangskolen is a special needs school in Denmark, which treats kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  Four Letters Apart – Children in the Age of ADHD follows three kids at the school, each with their own different sets of problems; Martino has a habit of acting out violently, Martine regularly has tantrums, and Victor regularly […]

From director Lars von Trier (Melancholia) comes this epic two volume story about a woman with a lifelong sex addition.  Left beaten and bloodied in an alley, the titular nymphomaniac Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is taken in by the kind stranger Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård).  While she recovers in his home, Joe insists to Seligman that she […]

The classic building blocks receive their own film adaptation in The LEGO Movie. Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) is an ordinary construction worker, who loves following the daily routines required for every citizen in his city. However, one night he comes across a woman named Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), who is searching for the Piece of Resistance, […]

Ryan Gosling reunites with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn for the Bangkok-set crime thriller Only God Forgives.  Julian Thompson (Gosling) is an American expat, who is running a Bangkok boxing club, which is a front for a drug-smuggling operation.  His older brother Billy (Tom Burke) brutally rapes and kills an underage prostitute and is in […]

In Searching for Bill, a man named Bob Maser travels from his home in New Orleans to Detroit, in order to recover his car, which was stolen by a grifter named Bill.  After finding Bill’s notebook in the car, Bob decided to go on a cross-country roadtrip to location this elusive figure.  In the meantime, […]

How the mind works remains one of mankind’s biggest mysteries.  In fact, the mind is considered to be the most complicated organ in the universe.  Even though scientists try, we have still have not fully cracked the inner-workings of the mind, especially when it comes to mental disorders. Free the Mind focuses on Professor Richard […]

Continuing right where Napster let off, The Pirate Bay is the world’s largest file-sharing website, generating the bulk of the world’s BitTorrent traffic.  While Napster was primarily targeted by the music industry, The Pirate Bay was targeted by Hollywood studios, due to the fact that the BitTorrent protocol allows for the download of large-sized files […]

Samsara is not an easy film to describe.  I guess you can call Samsara a documentary, even though it isn’t really about anything. I suppose my best description of the film would be “Avant Garde meets National Geographic.”  It’s a film that you watch for the experience of watching it.  There is nothing in the […]

In Indonesia during the 1960s there was a large genocide, in which the paramilitary group in charge of the country decided to kill off anyone they accused to be a communist. The Act of Killing follows a group of people who committed these murders.  They are working with the director to reenact their killings in the style of […]

The Norwegian action-thriller Headhunters features a relatively simple story.  Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) is a corporate headhunter, who moonlights as an art thief.  He comes across a valuable painting that seems to permanently end his financial woes, however in the aftermath of this latest theft, he finds himself (literally) hunted by the painting’s owner Clas Greve (Game of Throne‘s Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). I […]

Even though it was not the original intention of the documentary, The Queen Of Versailles is a very interesting case study about a spoiled rich family and their attempts to cope with the financial crisis. The main focus of the film is Jackie Siegel, the trophy wife of timeshare king David Siegel.  Jackie has seven children (and one […]

Melancholia was without a doubt one of the most bleak and depressing films I have ever seen.  I guess that’s not too much of a surprise, considering the fact that the film was directed by Lars Von Trier, who isn’t really known for making happy-go-lucky films. The story is split into two parts, with each part […]

Over the course of this year the three film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy were released, just as production was beginning on an English-language remake. This final chapter of the trilogy is direct continuation of The Girl Who Played with Fire, however I found that it also works as stand alone tale.  This film […]

You would never expect Disney to make a live action film based on a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon, but then again you could probably say the same thing about films based on their theme park rides. Other than scene that pays homage, this film is really related to the cartoon in name only.  It instead […]

I thought The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was an exceptionally well-made thriller that was on par with similar types of films released in North America.  Its sequel The Girl who Played with Fire was also a quite good film, even if the story wasn’t quite on par to the last one. The last film had a benefit […]

I’m usually one of the first people to find ways to defend M. Night Shyamalan’s films, since I have unapologetically been a fan of his ever since The Sixth Sense hit it big over a decade ago. However, even I can’t really think of a defense for this film, which will probably end up ranking as my least […]