Hamlet (2026)

Proving once again that Shakespeare's plays are endlessly adaptable, director Karia has crafted an energetic, adrenaline fuelled Hamlet, set in modern London's South Asian community. Instead of centred around royal lineages its focus is on corruption in business. Regardless of the setting the film finds the powerful spark of the story and the language and brings it to energetic life. 

At the centre of this is the central intense performance of Ahmed. Him taking on the ultimate starring role is likely enough of a justification for making this film at all and he delivers on the responsibility of that. His Hamlet is no wavering violet. He is a man of action whose central question is how much he will act. Ahmed, deservingly defying all Hollywood expectations of what sort of roles he should take, plays the role boldly crafting a Hamlet unlike those we've seen before. So much of what makes this film work is this central performance. 

The adaptation collapses numerous characters together, reassigns lines to different speakers, and repurposes the narrative elements to tell an evolved story. It is an ostentatious attempt which works to give the play a new urgency. The script is tight, holding just what is necessary and jettisoning the rest so its pace is rapid and kinetic. My only complaint is how sometimes the film feels in too much of a hurry to get through its plot point. Perhaps it could have sat with some of its pathos a bit. 

I was most impressed with how it handles the climax. Perhaps this is where the film does find something more quietly powerful. It is a quite the twist on the famous ending that still captures the play's finale but fitting with this time period and plot. 

Yet even with all this Hamlet remains Hamlet and the film captures what has made this story so compelling for centuries. I felt a bit breathless watching this new take and glad to once again get to see Ahmed play such a vibrant character. 

Hamlet

Starring: Riz Ahmed, Morfydd Clark, Joe Alwyn, Sheeba Chaddha, Avijit Dutt, Art Malik, Timothy Spall

Director: Aneil Karia

Writer: Michael Lesslie

Blue Heron (2026)

Romvari's quiet yet chilling drama is something to behold. She tells her story with a soft power that is undeniable. Blue Heron will leave you with a lot of emotion while also being a beautiful film to watch. 

This is the story of a woman remembering her brother who exhibited disturbing anti-social behaviour as a child. It is told through memory so as we watch we begin to see all the pieces don't quite fit together. It is more like how we remember things than how things happen. But this is a big part of the strength of the film. 

Romvari doesn't do anything shocking or sensational in her film and sometimes we aren't even sure how concerning things truly are. I found this to make it even more powerful. It feels real; the exhaustion, the desperation. 

Romvari issues a strong debut which makes it exciting to think what she will do next. 

Blue Heron

Starring:  Eylul Guven, Amy Zimmer, Ádám Tompa, Iringó Réti

Writer/Director: Sophy Romvari

The Sheep Detectives (2026)

The Sheep Detectives has been described as Knives Out meets Babe and that’s not inaccurate, and shockingly it’s also a really good movie that offers a really enjoyable time and doesn’t talk down to its audience while remaining accessible for both older children and adults. In many ways it is an unexpected little miracle that is a damn good movie about sheep solving a murder. 

The Sheep Detectives is entered around a fairly great drawing room murder story that plays cleverly with classic tropes of the genre. But then it adds in some smart and surprising humour and a strong cast who completely commit to the bit. The sheep are especially good. They becomes truly rounded characters and their arcs have something interesting to say about social issues. By all accounts, this talking sheep movie manages to be really good in pretty much every way. 

Seriously seeing The Sheep Detectives is a choice you won’t regret. It offers real entertainment that isn’t mindless and will leave you with a smile on your face. 

The Sheep Detectives 
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Emma Thompson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein

Director:  Kyle Balda

Writer: Craig Mazin

 

Exit 8 (2026)

Exit 8 might be the template for the best way to adapt a video game into a film. It takes the style and visuals of the game, uses the narrative, and adds a cinematic story that fits with all the game’s themes and ideas. One could watch Exit 8 without any knowledge of the film being based on a game and get as much out of it as anyone in the audience because the premise works on its own and the story itself is completely engaging. Exit 8 is the sort of film that grabs you from the beginning and refuses to let you go. 

The film has deeply unsettling moments and visuals but it uses these to accomplish what is essentially a very relatable and moving emotional story. Our central character, unnamed and “everyman”-ish, is facing the push and pull of the combination of upheaval and inertia making this a story that touches on universal themes even with its specificities. 

And it does so in such a powerful manner, weaving its story with simplicity but deep meaning and emotional power. It is an exciting film to watch without being showy or sensationalized. Yet it is incredibly watchable, the kind of film that keeps you on the edge of your seat and unable to look away. It can be horrifying in moments but also quite touching. Despite the nature of this story, with repeating themes explicit in the narrative, the film never drags. In fact it uses its gimmicks to amp up the engagement. The rather tight runtime keeps the film and its stakes moving. 

But in the end, as I mentioned, the film is an emotional journey, a profoundly familiar character arc about facing our futures. I believe Exit 8 will be incredibly rewatchable for as a film it is a true success. 

Exit 8

Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya 

Director: Genki Kawamura

Writers: Kentaro Hirase, Genki Kawamura

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)

I am a supporter of nostalgic sequels. I think they offer something to fans and can, if nothing else, scratch an itch that makes it fun to enjoy them. The best take the characters and story and build into a new direction, offering something for the fans but also for newcomers. The least really do nothing for anyone coming into it fresh and just satisfy the nostalgia of the fan base. Sadly The Devil Wears Prada 2 is far more the latter than the former. 

As the credits rolled it dawned on me that very little had happened in this sequel. The characters didn’t have any real arcs, the story didn’t advance in any meaningful way, and despite the film attempting to comment on corporate merger culture in the age of tech billionaires, it said the only the most basic. The new characters are thinly drawn (a vapid tech billionaire who is just a clown, a perfect new boyfriend for Andy who has no purpose but to amplify her, a new assistant for Miranda who just is a watered down version of Emily, and on and on) and sadly the old ones are nothing either. It almost felt like they asked AI to write this script. 

Miranda fans prepare yourself; she is oddly situated, often painted as weak and rather placating. She has lost all the bite of her character except in performative ways. In the end she is played weak and ineffective and unlike the first film relies on Andy to save her. The movie can’t decide what to do with Emily, first making her a carbon copy of herself in the first film used mostly for comic relief. Then she turns into a villain sort of out of the blue only to be finally redeemed in a scene that feels tacked on. Benji gives a monologue about why he sticks with the abuse and marginalization he suffers and then gets a moment (that happens off screen) where he gets to shine by giving a speech. But the least interesting is Andy who literally does not grow or accomplish anything for herself. Her role is to normalize what is going on and Hathaway just smiles at all her costars all the time being a stand in for the audience cause more than anything this is what this movie is, just a chance to see our characters again and it doesn’t really matter what they do. 

I’ll give the movie credit for not being boring despite not having much of a story and I’ll also reiterate that it is perfectly fine to just love this because you love the first movie and want to be immersed in this world again. You do you! But in reality unless you are a die hard fan there is no reason to rush out to see this or make much of a point to see it in anyway.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, Traci Thomas, Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, BJ Novak, Conrad Ricamora, Lady Gaga, Donatela Versace 

Director: David Frankel

Writter: Aline Brosh McKenna

 

Deep Water (2026)

I am a sucker for a good disaster movie and Deep Water is sort of two in one; plane crash and shark attack. The good news is that it executes both pretty effectively. It's efficient in its story telling so the energy doesn't lag and it does just what it needs to to keep the audience invested. There are well constructed (if thin) characters that make you are about them and really good survival against all odds action. 

Deep Water feels a bit like a film from another era. It's got the classic disaster film structure and formula and with veteran film director Harlan at the helm, it goes through the beats as it needs to to deliver. Another thing that pushes Deep Water into the positive zone is its cast, who step up and don't feel like they are phoning it in. Kingsley acts the pants off his character and Eckhart is the leading man centring this film that everyone thought he would be. 

I'm not saying Deep Water transcends or elevates its genre. It is exactly what it sells itself as; almost 2 hours of disaster movie fun. A disaster movie is great because of the thrills and terror followed by the sense of hope. When the final survivors eventually survivie there is a catharsis which is reassuring and affirming. Deep Water is doing the traditional thing here but it's doing it well. Sure there is one character who is so cartoonishly despicable (it even turns out everything is his fault) that we are set up to take some joy in watching the sharks feast on him by the end of the film, but I forgive this little cliche because of how much fun I was having. 

If you're up for a fun disaster flick you could do a lot worse than Deep Water. While I might normally wait to recommend this as a streaming watch, and I think it would be fine for a movie night at home, the film with its large impressive set pieces work really well on the big screen. 

Deep Water

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Renny Harlan

Writers: Pete Bridges, Shayne Armstrong, S.P. Krause, Damien Power

 

Animal Farm (2026)

Serkis' take on Orwell's classic story isn't quite a misfire but also isn't overly successful in adapting the story. It attempts to update the cautionary tale to one that fits this rather specific moment while simultaneously attempting to make a film that that is so palatable for a mainstream audience that its message is watered down. Still embedded in here are some sharp critiques that I'm rather surprised by based on the studios backing this movie. But it all sort of happens rather quickly and it's easy to dismiss a lot of what happens here. 

Orwell wrote Animal Farm as a Democratic Socialist critique of Communism by using the specific example of the rise of the Soviet Union's totalitarian regime. That's heady stuff despite the narrative being populated by adorable farm animals. As history keeps repeating, the exploitation of popular movements for totalitarian power continues to be a reality in our world, so this version shifts its soviet allegory to one of corporate fascism with very obvious references to the Trump administration. A lot of those parallels are dead on which, being distributed by a Christian film company, comes as a bit of a surprise. Despite changing the nature of the "villains" the plot points of the novel are basically hit beat by beat. 

But so much of it is softened in exchange for telling a more traditional overcoming-the-bad-guys story. The narrative feels rushed, the brutality of the events are taken out, and the addition of a new central character, Lucky, a plucky little pig who gets sucked into the Pig Regime but eventually does what's right. But like a lot of adaptations of Animal Farm it inserts a happy ending that Orwell never intended and which takes away from the cautionary effect of the story. In the end the bad guys are put in their place (through a clumsily executed climax that feels designed to give younger audiences moments to cheer) and once again the "good" animals take over. It sort of misses the point.

So I am torn a bit. Kids watching this will get something out of the messages here and it gives them more to chew on than the average mainstream animated film. But the film just isn't done well and it rounds off the rough edges in a way that makes it all feel like a charming moral more than a dystopian horror story.  That paired with the film's obvious dialogue and fairly standard animation makes this version rather forgettable.

Animal Farm

Starring: Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, Laverne Cox, Steve Buscemi, Woody Harrelson, Jim Parsons, Andy Serkis, Kathleen Turner

Director: Andy Serkis

Writer: Nicholas Stoller

Apex (2026)

Apex is designed to be a perfect vehicle for Theron. It tells a classic thriller storyline, gets to show off her skills as both an actor and an action star, it takes advantage of the beautiful landscapes its story is set in, and it gets to comment on the "choose the bear" debate. While the story ends up being somewhat predictable it is engaging as hell and a very entertaining watch. Theron does a great job with what's here and Egerton shows that he should take on more villain roles. 

Apex is old school action thriller movie. It doesn't waste time doing any more set up than it needs to and quite effectively gives us its world, characters, and central problem, then runs with it. I likely would have preferred if the film didn't feel the need to make its villain such a complete psychopath. The film could have worked with a bad guy who just wanted to dominate the woman he meets out in the wild but instead it tries to create an antagonist along the lines of a Buffalo Bill. If it wasn't for Egerton doing such a bang up job, this might have been a mistake. But he does bring a realism and edge to the role that makes it work.

Theron has the physicality to make her one of the leading female action stars working today and the acting chops to elevate her role beyond just the bruiser. The pairing of the two strong actors who also seem matched to spar gives Apex an urgency that adds to its enjoyability. 

And the action is very well done. Kormákur knows how to film the set pieces effectively. His visual storytelling paired with his strong cast's performances make for a fun watch even if it does end up going through pretty standard plot points. What I want in an action movie is for it to be exciting to watch and for it have something interesting to say beyond just things blowing up and people fighting. Apex is definitely the first, and it succeeds enough on the second. 

Apex

Starring: Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, Eric Bana

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Writer: Jeremy Robbins

Mother Mary (2026)

Director Lowery is not one to make "normal" movies. This story of a friendship stitching itself back together after being shorn is told more through emotion and visuals than through a logical narrative. Lowery uses what Lynch would call Dream Logic to deconstruct the connection between his two protagonists. Setting this exploration in the world of pop performance allows him to make it into more of an expressionist experience than a traditional story. And casting Hathaway and Coel opposite each other creates an alchemy that makes Mother Mary something to see.  

It would be hard to say one can explain what they just watched after leaving Mother Mary. The film isn't designed to be read literally or understood rationally. It is to be felt and, if understood, through our feelings. It is visceral, often literally, as the characters bleed for us and each other. 

The film dares us to be wrong in our interpretations. "This is not a ghost story" the promotional materials tell us. There are times the films vagueness weakens its strength a bit. Lowery is so loath to let us in on the characters' stories we can almost interpret them too loosely. But the relationship between the co-stars is palpable enough to hook us anyway and Lowery's visuals (including THE dress) and the soundtrack that puts us into a euphoric trance like at the kind of event pop concert the film's lead character is said to perform. 

So even though it sometimes makes you wonder how much there is really there, it still has you ruminating over it, hearing the songs in your head, and never forgetting the way Coel and Hathaway stare at each other.

Mother Mary
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, FKA Twigs

Writer/Director: David Lowery

 

I Swear (2026)

Aramayo has given a performance here that lives up to the hype and the awards he's won. I often struggle with performances (and films) about real people when the real people are involved as it is sometimes hard to separate the film making and story from the desire to be flattering to the person in question. And while I Swear does sometimes lean into after-school-special vibes, it rises above that mostly through its high level of performances and Jones' direction which manages to be very effective in telling its story, not just relying on audience sympathy. 

Again enough credit can't be given to Aramayo and the rest of the cast who bring their A-game. Aramayo never feels like he's doing a caricature and the script does a good job of blending humour with the pathos in a very respectful way. We are never laughing at John Davidson, we are laughing at our own humanity.  

The film is at its best when it is focusing on the relationships between the people. It builds up enough good will that when it starts to lean into the hero aspects of the narrative near the end that we are welcoming of seeing the progress brought about by people like Davidson through putting himself out there. And if we do walk out of I Swear all wanting to be a bit of a better person, that's not such a bad thing too.  

I Swear

Starring: Robert Aramayo, Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson, Peter Mullan, Scott Ellis Watson

Writer/Director: Kirk Jones

 

The Christophers (2026)

It's hard to imagine two actors who have more incredibly fascinating faces to watch than McKellen and Coel. Put them together, in a movie that is essentially a two-person show of two greats facing off against each other, and you have one of the most intensely watchable talky movies that you'll see in a long time. The Christophers, with its smart, hilarious, and touching script by screenwriter Ed Soloman, directed by master film maker Soderdergh, is a quiet little masterclass in how to make a film that will sit with its audience long after the credits roll. 

I was mesmerized from the first scenes as the film set up its clever and enticing premise. But it was when Coel and McKellen have their first moment together that this film grabs you by the collar and you can't look away. McKellen gives what may become my favourite of his performances (in a career full of candidates for that title) as he rattles on brilliant soliloquies that bely a just under the surface sadness and a lot of coping arrogance. He chews up everything around him while giving us so much under the surface, knowing just how to act for the camera in layers of emotions hidden beneath emotions. Opposite him is Coel, playing a thoughtful, patiently brilliant character who chooses to hold her struggles and passions within, seething beneath her piercing eyes. The two are completely complimentary of each other and help to elevate their partner so effortlessly. It has been a while since I have seen such an amazing screen pairing as this. 

And the story is just so wonderfully beautiful. There are elements of a scheme that draw us in but it is the nature of the characters' relationships that ground us, so that the films beautiful ending, which avoids doing a gotcha-style resolution for something far richer, far more satisfying. I left The Christophers so grateful for having just enjoyed it so thoroughly and eager to revisit it again. 

The Christophers 

Starring: Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, James Corden, Jessica Gunning 

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: Ed Soloman

Mile End Kicks (2026)

There are a few things I appreciated about writer/director Levack's Mile End Kicks. As an anglo who lived in Montreal I related to a lot of the references, as someone who has fallen for the wrong people at certain times in our lives (who hasn't) I could feel for Grace no matter how many bad decisions she made, but most of all I loved the way Levack upends the structure of a rom-com to tell a different story. 

Mile End Kicks is set up like a regular romantic comedy. Young woman building her career is positioned between the handsome bad boy who is all wrong for her and the more relatable, but still handsome enough, good boy who we know she'll end up with in the end. But that is just her jumping off point. Instead of letting that play out she uses this to tell the story of Grace who is deeply screwed up herself, and fumbling her way to a sort of rock bottom to start putting herself back together. In most ways the boys are just the afterthought, things to move her through her own journey. 

Mile End Kicks does a great job of creating Grace as a fully rounded and deeply flawed character. Ferreira's performance is delightful with her big almost silly smile and character glasses masking all that disastrous choices she is making. I loved the humanity she brought to her. Grace could easily be a very unlikeable character but in Levack's and Ferreira's hands she is so painfully relatable. You end up rooting for her despite how much you want to figuratively smack her like Cher in Moonstruck; "snap out of it!" 

My main nitpick is the end which feels like it gets all wrapped up a little too easily. Perhaps I'm being hard on it. The film does imply she still has a lot to work with, but some of the resolution felt a bit rushed. Still, the romance here is with a time in our lives when we're messy and flawed and figuring it all out and that part is something that is easy to love.

Mile End Kicks

Starring: Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick, Stanley Simons, Jay Baruchel

Writer/Director: Chandler Levack

 

Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026)

Apparently Cronin forgot he wasn't making an Evil Dead movie. Everything about his Mummy movie is just an Evil Dead movie with a Mummy "skin" thrown over it. The Evil Dead movies, even Cronin's, don't work for me. I just don't find them scary. They rely on tired horror tropes (often involving puritanical repulsions to sexuality) and a lot of exercises in how gross the film can be. Lee Cronin's The Mummy feels like another retread of this and it was just boring.

Mummy films walk a thin line between falling into orientalist biases and western fascination with ancient Egypt in general. This film barely manages to stay above a colonialist world view. But in doing so it also misses out of taking advantage of the ancient Egypt-ness about it. Sometimes this film feels like a cheap and generic Exorcist rip off. There is an ancient demon and the characters must use a ritual to contain it. Everything in this film feels been-there-done-that. 

But it's not just that. The film's script is lazy. So many things happen that just would not happen, especially around rules of international travel and health care. The story requires so mach suspension of disbelief that I just couldn't anymore. 

So by the time the scene's overly drawn out final scene arrived, I was so bored and so done, I wished it was over. Perhaps people who really like his Evil Dead film will get excited for this. For anyone else, skip it. 

Lee Cronin's The Mummy 
Starring: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace

Writer/Director: Lee Cronin

Thrash (2026)

I love me a disaster movie. What I look for in a good one is great characters thrown into a difficult situation, strategizing on how to survive, while working through their character issues. It's best when the overall "disaster" works as both the situational catalyst for the characters' arcs, but also as metaphor for what they are dealing with. Thrash doesn't get to any of that, instead just being a fun survival story which takes the premise of Sharknado but makes it more realistic. So what we get are a group of characters who have to deal with the flooding resulting from a storm while also facing off against a group of hungry sharks that are more than happy to eat whomever they come across. And lets just admit it, Shark movies are fun and touch on something deep within the human psyche. 

Thrash does what it needs to to be what it wants to be. It sets up who the characters are, that the storm is coming, and that there are sharks in the water. Then it just lets its adventure play out. It's a little lazy on the character development (everyone is pretty two-dimensional), but we get enough of a who's who to get invested. It's pretty obvious who will survive and who won't as Thrash follows all the rules of the genre. As in most disaster movies, people get what's coming to them. The central (likeable) characters all make it out alive with only those we hate getting justice by being eaten by the sharks, or those who step up to be heroes but aren't necessarily that important to us. Don't expect the movie to defy any of your expectations. But if you like a movie that does just what you want it to do, then Thrash is for you. 

The shark action is fun and the film keeps you on the edge of your seat. Scenrios are set up to make for great shark attacks. Kids stranded in a flooding house. A woman giving birth and having to save her baby while swimming in shark infested waters (which leads to the film's greatest line "Mama just has to go and fight so FUCKING sharks!"). If you can get over the silliness of the story, Thrash ends up being a lot of fun without tipping into extreme goofiness like the Sharknado films I referenced. 

Yes I know it probably sounds silly critiquing the film for not finding deeper meaning and more powerful story arcs for a Netflix original movie about sharks in a storm, but I've seen movies rise above their station and it's always a pleasant surprise when they do (Twister is a masterpice). And when they don't I remind myself it's fine and I can still enjoy it, which I did with Thrash. So yeah a part of me always wishes there could be more here but I still had a fun if somewhat forgettable time.

Thrash

Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Whitney Peak, Djimon Hounsou 

Writer/Director: Tommy Wirkola

Outcome (2026)

Inside the film Outcome, which is a little inside-baseball sometimes, is the story of someone attempting to face their mistakes and take accountability after years of avoiding it. He isn't presented as a bad person, and casting beloved actor, Reeves, clear reinforces this idea. Instead it's exploring the ways we can all reflect on what hurt we may have brought into the world and if there are ways to atone for that. 

Outcome leans a bit into the sleight side of things, not really wrestling too hard with its themes. That isn't a fatal flaw. It's charming and earnest while also being entertaining and quite honestly funny. Writer/director/star Hill is really fun to watch and he doesn't draw things too two-dimensionally. There is enough complexity here that ground the story even if it doesn't get too far into the weeds to really deal with some of it. 

I was impressed with Reeves who I often find gives rather wooden performances. Here he felt a bit more authentic. I also liked how the film used its many cameos, a tool that could have felt super gimmicky, but here feels rather effective. Some are more comic relief, and others are have moments with more pathos. 

Hill balances his film with a sweet level of humour and humility. It remains a bit surface but still enjoyable.

Outcome

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jonah Hill, Matt Bomer, Cameron Diaz, David Spade, Laverne Cox, Susan Lucci, Atsuko Okatsuka, Martin Scorsese, Drew Barrymore

Director: Jonah Hill

Writers: Ezra Woods, Jonah Hill

Fantasy Life (2026)

Matthew Shear has made an impressive debut as a writer and director with Fantasy Life. The film may be a bit meandering and doesn't feel luck it carries much weight. But it's pleasant, offering a meaty role to Peet who steps up. It might be a bit more "slice of life" and have less to say that I might have preferred, but it is still a rather awkwardly enjoyable story with loveable characters. 

Shear is judicious and efficient with his storytelling, not lingering long in any one moment or event. He often allows characters to refer to what happened without always showing it all to us. This lets us infer things. There is space here for imagination. He is inviting us to participate in the story somewhat. 

Fantasy Life is often quite organically funny without ever being about jokes. The humour comes from the situations and the characters, who most bungle through life and manage despite themselves. 

Casting Hirsh, Martin, Balaban, and Harper is a wonderful choice as they fill the screen with life and laughs, again very organically. Allowing himself and Peet to carry the more dramatic weight of the film. 

Still there isn't a lot of weight here. I think that's sort of the point. He's telling a story about rather regular Joes who just can't seem to quite find their grooves but without a lot of tragedy. This story lives in a middle space that sort of just breathes and fumbles. 

Fantasy Life

Starring: Amanda Peet, Matthew Shear, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin, Zosia Mamet, Jessica Harper, Holland Taylor 

Writer/Director: Matthew Shear

The Drama (2026)

The Drama is a difficult film as it explores some truly complex questions, tackles how far our limits on understanding the humanity of people who do horrible things can go, and does it all while maintaining a darkly comedic approach to story telling. For me it worked, while fascinating me with the maelstrom of conflicting emotions and challenging me to face some difficult dilemmas in a way that was satisfying. But be warned, the film gets in your face and if there are sensitivities to certain issues it could be emotionally a very wrecking film. Even without certain vulnerabilities, the film purposefully makes you uncomfortable with what you are experiencing so it can put you in a situation to wrestle with some truly difficult questions about life and love.

Writer/Director Borgli's last film, Dream Scenario, didn't work for me, but with The Drama I feel he found the right mix. Because I think what is truly interesting here is not the specifics of the worst thing Zendaya's character has ever done, although it is easy to get lost a bit in that. In reality it is more about us coming face to face with out fears about how do we truly know the people we love in our lives and what about them might make us stop loving them. The film is set up cleverly in a way to directly ask us this moral quandary, but it also tells an interesting story with compelling characters while it is doing that. 

So much of this relies on how well Zendaya and Pattinson realize their roles. Both are cast somewhat against type and both create complex and rich performances that make these characters stand out. They also manage the difficulty of the script's dark humour layered into the dark drama. 

For me the film's weaknesses are found around them. While Borgli's screenplay draws the two central characters so well, it is often at the expense of any supporting cast who feel very one-dimensional. That mixed with the fact I struggle to buy Haim in almost any role I've ever seen her in, took me out of the film. I find her performances consistently hammy and didn't think she was up for this. But Athie is a great actor who just isn't given enough to do. Outside of the leads, the film doesn't offer them much support. 

(there are some *spoilerish* references in the rest of this review so stop reading now if you are spoiler averse)

But that wasn't fatal for me with this film as it focuses so much on those two. The film is about their relationship, aping the style of a rom-com, but going to very dark places with it. Even from the film's start you are presented with something you know is going to be different. It starts with a "meet cute" (which is explicitly labelled in the film as such) which feels off and somewhat creepy. To the film's final reconnecting after the couple splits (you know how they come running back to confess their love, usually involving running through some crowd to catch the other before they board the plane or something?) which here is handled just so deftly and lovingly. 

On the one hand, The Drama appears to be a far more romantic film than one might expect. It is saying, at its heart, that love can conquer all. Or is it? Is the ending, which reinforces the film's repeated references to starting fresh, perhaps childishly ignoring what is wrong, a cynical condemnation of this cinematic romantic ideal? You see, this is what I mean by the being so satisfying for me. It doesn't hold-my-hand (pun intended) and tell me what to think. It instead challenges me to grapple with questions that there may not be answers for. Maybe it's asking you to decide what you think. 

The film is getting a lot of flack for its choice of what terrible past Zendaya's character has and I understand why this could be quite upsetting. The film's central question needs it to be something truly terrible but also something human. The film does some meta talking to its audience (a lot of that actually) but in clever and integrated ways. At one point it asks us to consider how many of the other other people walking around us have also done what she's done with effectively disturbing effect. It also references something that could very well be worse (how you scale these horrors, I just don't know) at one point to make a meta point about the fact they didn't make her past even more depraved. My point is that the specific plot details might be too difficult for some audiences, especially since the film is asking us to laugh through some of this (more on that later). I understand why that might disqualify the film for people who have been directly effected by it. For me I was able to get over my discomfort with the use of such a vile back story as I understood why The Drama needed it.

I also feel like Borgli manages the humour very well. This isn't the sort of humour that bristles me, the kind that is used as release valve to take us out of a difficult situation, to take us out of our discomfort, to dismiss the seriousness of the story (see Paul Thomas Anderson films). This is the sort that doubles down on the discomfort. It is often there to highlight just how absurd we are and how difficult life can be. Often I was uncomfortable with how the film was making me laugh, because of how we are socialized to deal with humour in difficult situations. But The Drama recognizes how human laughter is as a means of processing. The humour here felt organic to the story and often truly honest.

But again I don't think that's what the film is about. It is a rom-com in a true sense. It is a comedy (although some of the blackest I've seen in a long time) and it is asking us question about romance and how we experience it, what are its limits, and what morally does it ask us to do. And that is what I haven't been able to stop thinking about The Drama since I saw it. That's why it will continue to wrestle with what it is asking. And that is why I will likely want to return to it again and again. 

The Drama

Starring: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim 

Writer/Director: Kristoffer Borgli

The Housemaid (2025)

I will fully admit for the first half of The Housemaid I was thoroughly unimpressed. Two-dimensional and hackneyed, the film felt like a cartoony Single White Female rip off. Seyfried's character behaved very much in an unrealistic manner that took me out of the film. Sklenar's character didn't react in a way that felt honest. But The Housemaid is a good example of why I don't stop watching a film because I am not enjoying it from the start. 

It is hard not to talk about what makes The Housemaid work without spoiling it so stop reading here if you don't want the end spoiled. 

The film sells itself in the trailers as a war between two women and the first act leans in to that. I was responding emotionally to having to sit through another of those rather rote and, honestly misogynist, tales as old as time, and one that wasn't done in a convincing manner. The characters all felt over-simplified the the plot full of convenient coincidences. 

And then the film becomes what it actually trying to be and it makes more sense why Seyfried too this role, an actor whose choices as an actor up to this point wouldn't suggest she'd do a movie like this. The real villain here isn't Sweeney or Seyfried. It is the one we are conditioned to expect the least. It's Sklenar. 

Skelnar is an actor who has likability written all over him. He is handsome and sexy in a way that is generally non-threatening and approachable. He has played very likeable characters up to this point. Him playing an abusive character, one who no one recognizes due to his attractiveness, is brilliant casting and he pulls off the transition from the hunk the audience has been drooling over to a threatening villain quite realistically. The film plays its audience in the way real abusers play their audiences. It makes us complicit in its game to highlight the way this plays out in the real world. Now the reasons why Seyfried and Sklenar's characters acted the way they did in the beginning made sense. Now I was fully onboard. 

The film uses the tropes of the sexual thriller so the story does become more extreme than it needs to be. It starts to jump the shark by the end but its mind games are delicious enough for me to forgive some of that. So yeah the final resolution feels a bit over the top. The plays its audience again getting us to root for the violence that is coming. It's a smartly made film even if its ending goes in directions that I think undercut some of its power. But also makes for a cinematic, crowd pleasing ending. 

The Housemaid

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Indiana Elle

Director: Paul Fieg

Writer: Rebecca Sonnenshine

The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)

The Testament of Ann Lee is a number of things at once. It is in many ways a traditional historical drama methodically telling the story of Ann Lee, early spiritual leader of the Shakers. Very much a costume period piece which labours to walk through the historical beats to tell a story that many modern audiences would not be familiar with. However at the same time it attempts to upend typical prestige cinema through genre bending flourishes such as ecstatic musical numbers and and experimental film making techniques. Despite the latter it errs on the former side, ending up a fairly standard historical drama telling the rather unique story of a unique woman whose influence is still felt today despite many not knowing of her. 

Ann Lee was seen by believers to be the second coming of Christ. As a Shaker, she lead group through charismatic mob reactions that earned them the name. They promoted equality of the sexes, celibacy, puritanism, and pacifism. The film explores these complications and leans into Ann's visions and chanting. The film is narrated to fill in plot blank spots and sometimes to highlight what is going on. 

The musical conceit should work. It's integrated well into the story of a religious group who focus on ritual and chants. Sometimes it works better than other times. I appreciated how it created a sense of otherness to the cult as it is often juxtaposed to the reaction of others to their singing and dancing. But other times it felt anachronistic. So much of the music is repetitive, with minimal refrains returned to over and over. The effect is jarring and doesn't engender the scenes to the audience. I was often relieved when the music was done. 

Seyfried has been praised for the role. I believe she is a talented actor who is always strong in what she does. But I don't think I see this role as giving her the opportunity to do her best work. Her character is an attention seeker, often acting out, so her performance often feels over the top and not in a way that feels original or outstanding. 

And the film is on the long side. I was ready for it to be over long before it was. While I felt this is a story that is interesting for a number of reasons, the film doesn't necessarily hold your interest well. It is a film that doesn't quite succeed which is likely why it missed out on getting many of the accolades some thought it should receive.

The Testament of Ann Lee

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Christopher Abbott, Tim Blake Nelson

Director: Mona Fastvold

Writers: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold

Dhurandhar (2025)

Dhurandhar brought me back to the 80s. It is a Sylvester Stallone style action thriller which is almost comic in its over-the-top style action, and from what I understand, right wing political leanings. This is the sort of action film where the hero throws a lighter to blow up a building and walks away in slow motion as it blows up behind him. At almost three and a half hours it is epic in its scope and brutal in its violence. It is spectacle for sure and gripping throughout even if its messaging is rather suspect. 

Singh plays a cliche of an action hero. Stoic and muscly with flowing locks that put Jason Momoa to shame. He is undercover, embedded into Pakistani gangs to undermine them for India. While the film claims to be a work of fiction, I understand it is not only based on real events, but uses footage of actual violence from the conflict between Pakistan and India as part of its story. That might be unsettling enough as this isn't a dramatization of history but also due to the film's strong anti-islamic sentiment. There is not analysis of the complexities of the conflicts. This is very much a one-sided story framed in action movie glory. Perhaps American Sniper might be one of the closest American analogues but that film even had more self-consciousness of what it was doing. Maybe Top Gun is a better comparison.  

But I have to hand it to the film makers, Dhurandhar is extremely entertaining and watchable. Visually incredible with violent set pieces that are incredibly gripping. For a film this long, it is never boring, keeping the action an gore moving along at a kinetic pace. There are wonderfully filmed car chases, gun fights, explosions, all the things audiences into hyper-masculine films want without much moral ambiguity to get in the way. As a film, you could tear it apart for its lack of subtlety or nuance but you can't fault it for lack of entertainment value.  

Still, it's a film with limited views on heroism, no female characters that are developed or there to do anything but advance the mens' arcs, and some homophobic references. It is supportive of the Modi regime in India with only the slightest of veiling of that support. Set before his time, it implies a government like his is what India needs. It takes a lot of overlooking of (if we're being generous) problematic elements to truly enjoy Dhurandhar. 

Dhurandhar

Starring: Ranveer Singh

Writer/Director: Aditya Dhar

Pretty Lethal (2026)

Ballet is a brutal art form that takes an incredible amount of strength and toughness. It is also seen as hyper-feminine which isn't alway  associated with those qualities. The great conceit of this film is drawing those two polarities together and dismantling the myth of their incompatibility. That aspect of the film is truly interesting. But beyond that the film doesn't do much that doesn't feel paint-by-numbers. That doesn't stop it from being a fun watch even if it is a bit on the forgettable side. 

Pretty Lethal is filmed like a John Wick movie, one that leans into the humour and absurdity more than the Ballerina spin off that shares a lot with this film.  Where that film went in a more serious direction, Pretty Lethal keeps things light and breezy. The characters are archetypes and their arcs are rather predictable and expected. Little is going to surprise you watching this film. Again that isn't lethal to the film's enjoyment. Sure it could have risen to something more but it chooses instead to be just what one would expect and to run with that. 

And with that it does what it is trying to do well. It is a showcase for centring women characters into the sort of narrative that we are used to seeing male characters in. It doesn't do any of it any less than the endless plethora of films like this that feature men. Perhaps in that it manages to exceed expectations. It ends up being entertaining and it still manages to make its point about just how tough a ballerina needs to be be. 

Pretty Lethal

Starring: Uma Thurman, Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler

Director: Vicky Jewson

Writer: Kate Freund

Holy Days (2026)

Sometimes a movie is just so darn delightful that you watch it with a smile across your face the whole time. Holy Days is one of those movies, the story of three elderly nuns trying to save themselves and their convent from being sold to a developer all while helping a young boy who has suffered a lot of loss, find his way. So yeah, a big smile with maybe a few moments of sweet tears as well. 

Director Boltt brings a truly lovely energy to her film. The style she uses to tell her story is one that is infused with joy and visual beauty. I found her manner of film making truly brought out the emotions of the story. She also manages to film comedy extremely well which isn't always something many directors are good at. Holy Days had me laughing throughout with its very naturalistic humour that never felt forced or faked. 

The real prize here is seeing Davis, Margolyse, and Weaver play off each other. Each is such a true delight and really makes the most of their characters and story. Young Tamati has incredible screen presence too and is a great foil to his legendary castmates. 

I couldn't recommend Holy Days more. It really is just a joy of a film. 

Holy Days

Starring: Judy Davis, Miriam Margolyes, Elijah Tamati, Jacki Weaver 

Writer/Director: Nat Boltt

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026)

This movie is a lot of fun. Does it feel like there were corner cut in the screenplay/production? Maybe a bit. There are a lot of really entertaining set pieces. Maybe not all the emotional payoff is earned by the end due to some assumed character development. But overall M&N&N&A is an entertaining film that is worth a watch. 

The film mixes the smart-ass crime genre popularized by Tarantino with time-travel comedy which seems to be becoming its own genre. No it doesn't reach the heights of a Kill Bill or an Everything Everywhere All at Once. It never quite gets enough of a chance to breathe to be either. But as a smaller, more intimate piece it works. Its B-movie leanings (including its budget casting choices) don't take away from the fact that as a story its solid and even ends on a promise of something perhaps even better. For me it was solid enough and showed promise of something greater. 

I'm a big believer in cinemas but also that not every movie is destined for the big screen. I think this is a great example of how a film can work for streaming in a way that it may not have in a movie theatre. The script is smart enough to be satisfying, the cast talented enough to put on a good show, and the story is a strong one, so the whole thing is a really good time. 

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice

Starring: Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza González, Keith David, Emily Hampshire, Auturo Castro, Jimmy Tatro, Ben Schwartz, Stephen Root, Dolf Lundgren

Writer/Director: BenDavid Grabinski

I Wish You All the Best (2026)

Perhaps the first mainstream non-binary coming of age film, I Wish You All the Best does follow typical queer film coming of age tropes but manages to do so in a way that doesn't feel tired or rote. Perhaps it is the sincerity which film maker Tommy Dorfman and lead actor Corey Fogelmanis bring to the film. 

The plot isn't surprising. Teen comes out, is thrown out of their home by religious parents, and has to navigate finding themselves with the support of a supportive group of friends and an off the wall art teacher. I know when I describe it I Wish You All the Best sounds cliche but the film's earnestness elevates it and it's hard not to watch without it getting you emotionally. The story might cut a few corners but its focus on the messiness of coming out, of growing up, and figuring things out is refreshing. So many mistakes are made on these journeys and the comfort with that that Dorfman has in telling it makes it feel real. 

Also Fogelmanis is wonderul, giving a really breakout performances as the main character and finding a real human inside the character. So despite some of the limits of the film everyone steps up and makes it a really watchable, really affecting movie.

I Wish You All the Best

Starring: Corey Fogelmanis, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Lena Dunham, Alexandra Daddario, Cole Sprouse, Amy Landecker, Brian Michael Smith

Writer/Director: Tommy Dorfman 

Project Hail Mary (2026)

Sometimes a movie comes along that is just a simple crowdpleaser yet captures something, just right for the moment and becomes destined to be a classic film loved for the ages. It doesn't necessarily need to be complex or perfect or without flaws. It just needs to be truly entertaining and accessible for almost anyone. Project Hail Mary is that sort of a movie and I'll be surprised if it doesn't become a big hit.  

I could get into why the film's plot cuts some corners and perhaps jumps from set piece to set piece conveniently wrapping each up with a little bow. I could discuss how the film is a little on the emotionally manipulative side. But I'd be a party-pooper so instead I'll just talk about why I enjoyed the film so much regardless of its imperfections. 

Project Hail Mary is an aggressively optimistic movie. As I said, it manages to solve each of its cataclysmic problems, usually rather quickly. Its central character is likeable with a capital LIKE and never lets the immense pressure of the plot bring him down. When you think about it the film's story goes to some very dark places. Very dark. Yet the film doesn't dwell there, instead finding the bright spots in the almost pure darkness and coming out shining. I think this is a big part of the appeal. Perhaps it is the film audiences need in 2026. 

Gosling is a big part of this. He is extremely charming and relatable and just appealing. It is hard to think of another A-lister who could have pulled this off. His charisma carries the film and truly makes it all work. He'll have you at hello and his delivery of the film's relentlessly cheerful humour is the secret sauce that brings Project Hail Mary to life. 

Lord and Miller have made a lot of rather happy movies and find a real joy in their storytelling. This may be a bit of a magnum opus for them, the sort of film that might define who they are as film makers. And that's not something they should be upset about. 

So yeah there were things I could focus on to pick apart about this movie but I just don't want to cause I had a good time and I want to sit with that. Project Hail Mary and its star won me over. 

Project Hail Mary

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Priya Kansara, Orion Lee, James Ortiz

Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Writer: Drew Goddard

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (2026)

When a TV series continues with a movie, it is best when it can do two things at once, be a satisfying return to the story and characters of the show for the fans, and a stand alone story for newcomers. I've never watched Peaky Blinders so I cannot speak to the former, but on the latter I can say The Immortal Man succeeds. For the uninitiated like me The Immortal Man clearly sets out its premise and who the characters are sufficiently to be able to tell its story and draw us in, offering an engaging wartime gangster story that packs an emotional punch. 

This is a story about reckoning. A man with a past filled with evil is forced to face his ghosts, sometimes quite literally. He has failed himself and many in his life, including a son, and that consequences of that spiral out for him personally, for his larger community, all the way to the fate of a world war. Like most crime stories it is a cautionary tale, the costs of making deals with the devil. So what we're seeing here may not be that new. It is the way the story rolls out that makes it interesting. 

The cast here in one of its strengths. From the returning cast of the series to new additions Barry Keoghan and Rebeccca Ferguson, there is a high quality to the performances here. The story is operatic in its scope and takes many dramatic liberties so to make it work the performances need to be on point. Director Harper brings just the right mix of flare and emotional substance to the story keeping the film rather cinematic for a movie that continues the story of a TV series. 

From what I understand the film continues the series' focus on how the marginalization of populations contributes to the rise in organized crime. A society that doesn't offer anything to huge parts of its population but subjugation is inviting their retaliation. This film's story does that while also drawing the parallel on the personal level, the reckoning of the father and the son he abandons. The Immortal Man gives us the opportunity to wrestle with these struggles while telling its melodramatic story.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, Sophie Rundle, Barry Keoghan, Stephen Graham, Packy Lee 

Director: Tom Harper

Writer: Steven Knight

Father Mother Sister Brother (2026)

Father Mother Sister Brother is the sort of film that I loved more and move the longer it went on. It is an anthology film, featuring 3 separate yet related stories set one after the other; Father, Mother, then Sister Brother. Each revolves around "family" and explores the lack of connection within those familial connections. As Father began I was only half into it, but as that reached its conclusion, and we began to move into Mother I began to understand more about what was going on and appreciate the journey. As we finally got to Sister Brother I was enraptured. By the end I wanted to start again. 

Each short in this film is a separate story that does not even imply it is in the same story/universe as the others. But the tales echo each other. The characters have discussions on similar small-talk subjects. They each reference certain objects. But mostly it is the theme of knowing each other in families. The film is both warm in its politeness and cold in how it keeps its characters distant. It is masterful how it balances a lot of the issues with staying close to family. 

Jarmush's films tend to be on the quiet and reflective side and this is no exception. His cast is incredible and delivers the sort of performances needed to go on this journey. The introspection asked of the audience is palpable while the film shows us, like in the famous meme, the tip of the iceberg while implying the large body of ice underneath. It is a masterclass. And it had me bringing up a lot of feelings that I wasn't expecting. Father Mother Sister Brother is unassuming yet powerful. 

Father Mother Sister Brother

Starring: Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Sarah Greene, Indya Moore, Luka Sabbat 

Writer/Director: Jim Jarmush

Undertone (2026)

There are things about Undertone that impressed me but in the end I found it rather unsatisfying. On the one hand the director does a really good job of utilizing space and lighting to create a real sense of unease and discomfort, almost a claustrophobia. But on the other, his underlying themes are so muddled, and the plot is just incoherent enough to take the power of out the story. I'm usually all in for ambiguity, especially in horror, but there is a line where it no longer becomes scary when it isn't suggesting that anything is even happening. 

The gimmick here is clever. We are watching a podcaster record her show and she is listening to audio clips sent to her. Her co-host is recording in another location so we only get his voice as well. The idea is that all we get is the sounds and being denied the visible aspects of the story makes it more disquieting and unsettling. And it does, for the beginning. But the film sort of gives up on this part way through and falls into horror movie cliches such as creepy childish drawings and power surges (maybe?) that make the lights flicker. Instead of sticking to the idea that the visual world is normal but the what we are hearing is off, the film loses some of its power. 

But I might have been able to roll with this if the film had built a cohesive sense of story and or dread. But the film isn't clear on what its story is about. By the end there is just chaotic sounds that aren't connected enough to truly instil any real fear. There are a lot of cliches (childhood songs, backwards music, speaking in tongues, screams/jump-scares) but nothing that suggests what the threat is. 

I also found its meta-narrative sort of questionable. The main character discovers she is pregnant and at one point makes an appointment for a "clinic" and the recordings and other information presented seems to suggest there is a horror that is making mothers kill their babies. What is the film saying?

But the worst sin was that it just wasn't scary in the end. It was a muddle that started out strong but didn't stick any sort of landing. 

Undertone

Starring: Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco

Writer/Director: Ian Tuason

 

2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts (2026)

This year's crop of films is more optimistic than other recent years. I have remembered years where coming out of watching them you'd be filled with sadness and dread. But this group provides a lot to smile about. I found myself laughing often during these films. There is some pain and loss expressed here, and they give us a lot to think about, but there is also hope in these films.  

Animated

Butterfly

Painted like a watercolour, Butterfly is a holocaust story, and a story of loss and survival. The story is sparse in it's telling, letting the emotion and visuals drive home its message. It is easily the most gorgeous of the group nominated this year.

Forevergreen

Forevergreen is animated to have the feel of stop motion. The story, reminiscent of The Giving Tree is about maturing and and sacrifice. It is, for me, perhaps the slightest of the five nominated films, but it is still charming in its way.  

The Girl Who Cried Pearls 

Pearls is actually stop motion and its set design and puppetry are intricately amazing. The story is clever with some twists and very adult themes about what is truly valuable. It presents perhaps the most complicated of the narratives of the five nominated films. 

Retirement Plan

Clever and sharp, Retirement Plan is the shortest of this crop of five films. Domhnall Gleeson narrates the thoughts/wishes of a middle aged man looking towards retirement. It is funny and impactful in its brief run time and might be my favourite in the end, maybe because it feels the closest to home for me. 

The Three Sisters

Visually original with its hand drawn animation the film follows three sisters (twist!) who live on a small island when a sailor arrives and uproots their existence. It is quite humorous but also sweet and a lovely little bit of cinema. 

Documentary

All The Empty Rooms

Following a journalist and photographer who take pictures of the bedrooms of children who've been killed in school shootings, this film is a powerful testament to the humans these children were and the families they have left behind. 

Armed With Only a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

This is the story of photojournalist Brent Renaud, who survived many war zones to bring the story of war to those unaffected, only to finally give the ultimate sacrifice while covering the war in Ukraine. The film highlights the dangerous but important work photojournalists do. 

Children No More: Were and Are Gone

This powerful story of Israelis who protest their country's war in Palestine by holding silent vigils for the children killed in the way by the Israeli army. They face the verbal harassment and threats of physical violence of their fellow citizens yet stand firm in their commitment to ending genocide being committed in their name. 

The Devil is Busy

This film is a day in the life of an abortion clinic in Atlanta. We get a personal look at the people who work there and their dedication to providing this service despite hateful protests outside and discriminatory laws that limit their ability to help those coming to them. 

Perfectly a Strangeness

The most oddball of the this group of five films, and perhaps the only one that isn't struggling with how horrible the world is, Perfectly a Strangeness follows three donkeys who come across an observatory and, well... that's a good question. It is rather strange film that doesn't wear its point on its sleeve but is beautiful in a quiet way and does bring into question the definition of what a documentary can be. 

Live Action

Butcher's Stain

The most grounded of the group. this short film takes a fairly straight forward problem that may be not be as familiar to western audiences, and sets it out for us in a way that makes complete sense. It is powerful in its transparency. 

A Friend of Dorothy

This one was easily my favourite of the bunch with a delightful yet sensitive performance by Miriam Margolyes. The story is incredibly simple yet it is done so effectively it feels fresh. You will smile all the through.

Jane Austin Period Drama

This feels like an elevated SNL skit. Parodying the sort of films the title references with its sharp and truly hilarious script, the film plays with words and our cultural assumptions about menstruation in fun and nonthreatening ways for a light but very entertaining time. 

The Singers

The Singers is a surprisingly touching upending of masculine tropes. It may be the only film I felt was cut off too short. 

Two People Exchanging Saliva

The darkest of the group, this French film's critique is not explicit yet it feels more visceral. It presents a world slightly different yet tied to our own discomfort with sexuality. It remains somewhat ambiguous yet still makes a point that is fascinating to think about.