Drama

Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman once said, “no art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.” To many of us,…

There’s a line that creators of topical art must keep in mind as it’s being crafted — so easy is it to become melodramatic, “preachy”, or unrealistic. The slightest misstep can take a viewer out…

With 2021’s Cannes Grand Prix win on its back, Compartment No. 6 brings to life a self-reflective, alcohol-filled drama. Establishing an unlikely friendship between a Finnish student and a Russian miner, Laura (Seidi Haarla) and…

To discuss Pedro Almodóvar is to acknowledge not just the transgressive streak of his early filmography, but also the post-Julieta change of pace that the Spanish auteur has undergone with his latest few works. With…

Manitoban filmmaker Rhayne Vermette’s Ste. Anne is a fascinating directorial debut — a loosely constructed tapestry of hypnotic sounds and grainy cinematography, and an enigmatic 80-minute experience that operates in pure abstraction. Unfolding a series…

Daniela (Daniela Zahlner) can’t sleep lately. After spending some time traveling in New York and returning to Berlin, she’s slowly come to the realization that her continued insomnia isn’t just from her jet lag anymore,…

Wife of a Spy won the Silver Bear for Best Director at last year’s Venice Film Festival. I had heard of director and co-writer Kiyoshi Kurosawa (not related to the late great master of Japanese…

Can the literary art form still survive in this hyperactive, Twitter-operating, modern age? Bookworms venturing through desolated libraries and soon-to-be bankrupt bookstores may find themselves out of time, yearning for a time where a 400-page…

Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms caused quite a stir when it unexpectedly took out the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2019. The film loosely based on Lapid’s own life about an Israeli man who flees…

Céline Sciamma has once again made one of the best films of the year with her latest project and follow-up to the brilliant Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Petite Maman. The film follows Nelly (Joséphine Sanz),…

A common complaint regarding movies based on plays is that they feel like exactly that: a play made into a movie. Detractors often cite the transition from stage to screen as being too noticeable, remarking…

Despite how much social media is seemingly at the center of our lives, there are still only precious few good movies about the subject. What is it that makes it so hard to capture? Is…

Biopics have long been a crowd favorite. From the 1985 Best Picture winner Amadeus to the modern classic The Social Network, audiences are enamored by the idea of watching a biographical tale unfold on the…

To say that a two-and-a-half-hour-long film is on the shorter side of a director’s filmography may sound like a deeply confused claim, but for Filipino auteur Lav Diaz — whose works are less like films…

Few snippets of on-screen text in modern foreign cinema have been as intriguing as the opening blurb of Tsai Ming-liang’s latest film, Days — “This film is intentionally unsubtitled.” — not just because it points to a…

Ben Platt, a man of many talents. He once again showcases his raw, exquisite acting skills in Peter Sattler’s Broken Diamonds. Scott (Platt) is an aspiring author, longing to move to Paris. His flights are booked…

Some of Mark Wahlberg’s most fascinating films have found him in strange roles. In every one of them, however, he always manages to make his character into some overly macho badass who never grows as…

A group of lovable misfits in a predominantly working-class Welsch village comes together to form a horse racing syndicate to compete against the big boys on the race track. They’re all down on their luck, either…

Melanie (Stefania LaVie Owen) is a high school senior and wrestling with all the normal anxieties that come with it. Her bright future promises to lead her in her late father’s footsteps across the country…

2016 will for me always be linked with the death of Abbas Kiarostami, one of my all-time favorite directors and the godfather of Iranian cinema. Luckily, there is still a lot of talent around. There…

After the Holocaust, the catchphrase “Never Again” caught fire. It was supposed to be the reminder of what hate and prejudice can do to humanity. But in the 76 years since World War II ended,…

David, a husband and father of four desperately attempts to keep his family intact during a tense separation from his wife in The Killing of Two Lovers. The couple agrees to see other people, but…

The Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Even if you have never been there, you can easily imagine what it looks like. You must have seen it on the news, a documentary, a video clip, or another movie.…

Generally, we all try and avoid uncomfortable situations. Whether it is trying to avoid someone, a confrontation, or any of the other myriad of possibilities, we don’t want any part of it. We will quickly…

Lyz Lopez is not your average teenager. The 15-year-old girl is a skiing prodigy who dreams of becoming a champion. To this end, she has just joined a residential program, where young athletes push themselves…

The Father truly broke me. Florian Zeller’s take on dementia is a heartbreaking, surreal, yet realistic approach to what could be a sensitive subject matter for many. The story follows a man (Anthony Hopkins) who…

I love a good walk-and-talk movie. Especially in a time when the most popular films are often heavy on plot, their relatively formless presentation can act as a nice palate cleanser while still showcasing plenty…

It’s a tale as old as sport itself and one that is forever etched into sporting history; the comeback. Once successful athletes who are down and out that come from the clouds, like a phoenix…

While watching Todd Stephens’ Swan Song, I couldn’t help but think of The Old Man & the Gun. David Lowery’s film is a solid and surprisingly layered throwback, somehow managing to feel low in stakes while…

Night Shift follows three police officers: Virginie, Erik, and Aristide. After volunteering for overtime, the trio is tasked with escorting an illegal immigrant to the airport. What could go wrong? The movie (which also goes…