Jasmine Valentine

What do you get when you swap anime fantasy for reality? Director Takayuki Hirao provides an answer in 90 minutes of cinematic introspection. 

★★★✰✰

It’s a fairly rare occurrence for filmmakers to inspect a […]

A Russian nod to Sally Rooney styling, Juho Kuosmanen’s latest feature revels in the power of the slow burner. 

★★★★✰

In societal terms defined by Westernisation, a meet-cute is supposed to look a certa […]

While Justin Kurzel’s depiction of the Port Arthur Massacre buildup has drawn social criticism, its exceptional technical craft cannot be overlooked. 

★★★★✰ 

The Western audience is known for its ferocious […]

The debut feature from director Mimi Cave, fleshed-out visual jigsaw Fresh sews together the pitfalls of modern dating and the golden age of serial killers.

★★★★✰

After sampling the bodily thrills of Julia […]

Marking its 60th animated feature, Disney hits the magical notes it needs to with the help of an overly-reliable narrative, Latin American heritage and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

★★★✰✰

Any Disney animation […]

As Jessica Chastain soars in her portrayal of the titular televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, its screenplay struggles to keep up with the peaks and pits of her decades-long career. 

★★★✰✰

When the world want […]

As the follow-up to her highly decorated 2019 hit Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma’s unique rumination on working through loss highlights the importance of child perspectives and dismantles the so […]

In the simultaneous role of star and director, Branko Tomović’s Vampir fails to fulfill a sense of purpose with this debut take on Serbian vampiric myths. 

★★✰✰✰

No film should ever compel a viewer to use […]

In her first feature-length animation, Michaela Pavlátová’s perspective on Afghani culture plays dangerously close to the line of stereotyping, oppression and social demonisation. 

★★★✰✰

As a general rule o […]

In his feature-length directorial debut, Matthew Walker’s I’m Wanita screened at this year’s Raindance Film Festival, picking up the award for Best Music Documentary along the way. 

After 25 years of trying […]

A troubled narrative 25 years in the making, Matthew Walker shines an expertly guided light on the peaks, pitfalls and performances of Australia’s Queen of Honky-Tonk. 

★★★★★

Musical folklore tells us cou […]

Steve Martin’s 10-part return to television hits the notes of jovial fun needed in post-pandemic viewing, but fails to keep up momentum through the peaks and pits of close-contact crime. 

If Gossip Girl mu […]

This film is being screened as part of the 2021 BFI London Film Festival and you can find all of our coverage of the festival here

As the latest addition to Paul Verhoeven’s eclectic cinematic re […]

This film is being screened as part of the 2021 BFI London Film Festival and you can find all of our coverage of the festival here

Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s debut feature embarks on a delicate expl […]

This film is being screened as part of the 2021 BFI London Film Festival and you can find all of our coverage of the festival here

In an unforgettable return after the success of 2016’s Raw, Julia Du […]

In the saturated market of British crime dramas, Vigil’s naval narrative holds its own through international politics, submarine warfare and an on-the-nose whodunnit. While Surrane Jones shines in the leading a […]

*CW: Sexual Violence*

“I will always love you, even from behind the comfort of your brave face” is the kind of thing we’d dream of hearing from our best friend, in a kind of candid, Mamma Mia moment. In reali […]

It’s an eerie yet comforting sensation to feel as though you’re listening to an audible mirror of your dating life—even if the levels of dramatic flair skim the heights of pantomime. It’s this attention to rela […]

Anything that needs an app of a fictitious radio station installed on your phone before engaging with it is excitement enough in itself. Over three segments, Darkfield Radio enraptures us with an audio immersive […]

When it comes to the older queer woman’s authentic representation in mainstream media, there hasn’t historically been a lot to work with. Even without the extra narrative nuisance of queerness attached, too man […]