Biographical films can at times garner the need to intellectualise and dissect the life of the individual and the film itself, Benediction is different. Benediction is meant to be felt.

Following the true story of 21-year-old Jewish graphic artist Cioma Schönhaus as he tries to survive day to day living in Nazi Occupied Berlin in 1942, The Forger is a harrowing story of deception and survival with a surprisingly optimistic protagonist.

More intimate, sensual and depressing than a whimsical period drama, Mothering Sunday is a breath of fresh air in a typically repetitive genre.

A testament to the quality of this film and its handling of suspense […] is that although there are missiles and all manner of other Fast and Furious-esque set pieces, nothing is more thrilling than a low-fi, nostalgic dog fight using nothing more than bullets and mean words. 

This understated, sensitive French euthanasia drama is concerned with the human implications of a socio-political issue.

Personally, the whole meta-inception-story-within-a-story is not my usual cup of tea. However, Official Competition doesn’t fade into using conventions of the trope. What separates it, is that rather than focusing on production and the movie-making process it's focused entirely on the actors and their craft. 

Petite Maman shows respect for its audience and reverence for its central themes, opting not to over-explain its time travel logic, or even bother spending too much time ruminating on whether that's actually the case. Above all, this is a story about motherly love.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s second feature release of the last year is a beguiling three-in-one Lego set of lean, focused short-form storytelling.

Deliberate in pace yet nimble on its toes, After Yang lulls the audience into a world not too distant from the one we live in; serene and serendipitous in its own, melancholic way.

Like a well thought out stage performance, Dreams on Fire aims not just to thrill, but also to move. Pulsing through its veins is a rich marriage of emotion and style, resulting in a film experience that commands attention, intoxicating the audience with an audio-visual assault on the senses.

Happening is one of those rare films that makes you think just as much as it makes you feel. Its subject matter is intense; a young girl Anne Duchesne becomes pregnant from a one-night stand and is suddenly caught between a painful crossroad wherein one path resigns her to a life of wasted potential and shame, while the other sets her free, only this path appears seemingly impossible to gain access to.

As I was watching this film I couldn’t help but remember a certain A-list celebrity who recently told people to get off their asses and work. Gavel’s film is the perfect response to comments like this; it is just an added bonus that it happens to be an enthrallingly thrilling film too.

Reflecting on the way one watches this film is as equally important to the viewing experience as what the film contains. And much like its release strategy, the film refuses to make a splash. Rather, its ambience reflects a still and drifting mist that has a soulful and regenerative impact.  

What starts off as a fairly cold and staid experience slowly but surely takes shape, each subtle curve of the narrative shaving what could be a much more generic film in the hands of a lesser filmmaker into something beautiful.

Benedetta balances its sexuality and violence with explorations of what those who seek power will do to get it, and what those in power will do to keep the peace, all set against the backdrop of the black plague.