María Alvarez’ Last Days of the Lab is a touching look at healing despite grief. With two top-notch performances from Alex Felix and Arianna Ortiz, this short film will easily connect with audiences. Mother Lucia (Arianna Ortiz) and daughter Isabel (Alex Felix) sift through old memories as they prepare to
Tag: film review
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood ★★★★★ Sea Change Festival 2023
An unbelievably intimate yet Anna Hints Smoke Sauna Sisterhood stunning documentary captures the beauty in being vulnerable, a profoundly cathartic viewing experience. In the darkness of the smoke sauna, a group of women tend to each other’s bodies as they share their innermost secrets and experiences. Their candid and cathartic
After the Fire ★★★★ TIFF 2023
An engrossing feature debut from Mehdi Fikri, After the Fire, is a deliberate and powerful drama that times its moments perfectly. It purposely leaves a sour taste in your mouth while leaving you with hope – an incredibly striking film. In the aftermath of a crime, a young Arab living
Homecoming (Máhccan) ★★★★ 1/2 TIFF 2023
Homecoming (Máhccan) is a film that superbly engages its audience and allows us to connect with the struggles that people like the Sámi community endure in getting their cultural property back. Suvi West and Anssi Kömi have made a moving and fascinating documentary. As museums worldwide are increasingly pressured to
Megalomaniac ★★★
Karim Ouelhaj’s Megalomaniac is a disconcerting look at the cyclical nature of violence within a family. Full of striking imagery, this is a purposely provocative and ugly film. One that doesn’t quite dig as deep into its characters’ psyches as needed. If the story matched the painstaking imagery, then what
Bloom (Short Film) ★★★★ TIFF 2023
Kasey Lum’s short film Bloom is a wonderful metaphor for finding yourself after the anguish of a relationship ending. Indulging in just the right amount of surrealism, Jodi Balfour’s performance is superb leveling up an already great film. Abandoned by her partner, Laurel (Jodi Balfour) stumbles through heartbreak and grows
Seagrass ★★★★★ TIFF 2023
As absorbing a family drama as you will see, Meredith Hama-Brown’s Seagrass introspective feature debut is astounding. Excelling in the small moments, this is an exceptional look at a fractured biracial relationship. Set in the mid-1990s, a Japanese Canadian woman grappling with the recent death of her mother brings her
Aphasia (Short Film) ★★★★★ TIFF 2023
Marielle Dalpé disorientates and unsettles in her visually violent film Aphasia. While under 4 minutes in length, there is a power here that fully immerses and pains you, a fantastic and vital animation. Aphasia is an unsettling sensory experience that immerses us in the world of people with Alzheimer’s disease
Modern Goose ★★★ 1/2 TIFF 2023
Modern Goose wonderfully brings awareness to how we as a species take for granted animals’ need for nature in our ever-growing suburban landscapes. Karsten Wall’s short documentary is a compelling reminder that this planet isn’t just ours. Able to navigate by reading the Earth’s magnetic field, fiercely loyal to flock
Farewell My Concubine ★★★★★ TIFF 2023
At times difficult viewing, but always mesmerising, Farewell My Concubine is a gorgeous, emotional tragedy of a film. From beginning to end, this is what cinema is about. Cheng Dieyi (Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) grow up enduring the harsh training of the Peking Opera Academy, where instructors
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