More from Leslie Felperin
The Best Films of the Fall Festivals: THR Critics’ Picks
A shape-shifting Elizabeth Holmes doc, a star vehicle for Mahershala Ali, and new gems from Mike Leigh and Lee Chang-dong were among THR reviewers’ 13 favorite world premieres out of Venice, Telluride and Toronto.
- By
‘Moonfish’ Review: Morgan Spector and Lucy Liu Voice a Spare but Evocative Animated Sci-Fi Suffused With Loneliness
Brooklyn-based artist Daniel Zvereff's Venice-bowing feature debut focuses on a pair of astronauts sent to an asteroid to collect a certain quota of rocks or risk being left there forever.
- By
‘Masc’ Review: A Neurodivergent Gay Man Navigates the World in a Striking and Distinctive Debut Feature
Joshua Griffin plays the protagonist in Britain-based Swedish director Bertil Nilsson's film, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival.
- By
‘Our Loves’ Review: An Overwhelming Subject Gets Underwhelming Treatment in Israeli Drama About People Trying to Survive the October 7th Attack
Writer-director Avi Nesher assembles a large ensemble of locally well-known actors to tell this story of fear and trauma, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival.
- By
‘The Fire Within You’ Review: A Monstrous Mama Unleashes in an Admirable but Draining Italian Comedy-Drama Set on a Miserable Christmas Eve
This Venice competitor from Edoardo De Angelis stars Vanessa Scalera as a caustic matriarch hosting family members whom she subjects to constant and withering criticism.
- By
‘Faith’ Review: Erin Doherty and James McAvoy Excel in a Sensitive Drama That Goes Off the Rails in the Final Reel
The actors play working-class Brits navigating the early stage of a relationship in this TIFF premiere from director Paul Andrew Williams.
- By
‘Holy Wood Dust’ Review: Victor Kossakovsky’s Soothing, if Slightly Dull, Documentary Will Make You Want to Hug a Tree
Playing out of competition in Venice, the latest from the 'Gunda' and 'Architecton' helmer is a meditation on the precious beauty and importance of trees.
- By
‘From Inside Out: The Architecture of Peter Zumthor’ Review: Wim Wenders’ Technically Dazzling, Slightly Dry 3D Doc
Like the director's 'Pina' and 'Anselm,' the Venice-premiering film allows the viewer new perspectives, in this case on the work of the visionary Swiss architect of the title.
- By
‘Making Marie Antoinette’ Review: Eleanor Coppola’s Chronicle of Daughter Sofia Shooting Her 2006 Biopic Makes for a Sublime Collaboration of Talents
Premiering at Telluride, the doc will be pure catnip for fans of the Kirsten Dunst-starring film in all its candy-colored, New Romantic, defiantly anachronistic glory.
- By
‘Queer Edward II’ Review: Footage of the Making of Derek Jarman’s ‘Edward II’ Finally Sees the Dark of Cinema in a Wondrous Documentary
Theo Rollason's film offers a lesson on queer history and early-1990s film production on a budget, as well as the spectacle of Tilda Swinton looking impossibly beautiful in her early 30s.
- By
‘Barbara Forever’ Review: Queer Experimental Filmmaker Barbara Hammer Gets a Tactile, True and Treasurable Career Overview
Director Brydie O’Connor stitches together a huge mass of material in this documentary that counts Kristen Stewart among its executive producers.
- By
‘My Notes on Mars’ Review: Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend Play a Trauma-Shaken Couple in Clever Sci-Fi Puzzler
Written and directed by Hungarian Lili Horvat, the Venice premiere taps into current anxieties about what is human and what is love.
- By