All of a Sudden (Soudain)
France, Japan, Germany, Belgium.
Director | Ryũsuke Hamaguchi (Evil Does Not Exist, Drive My Car, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Asako I & II).
Stars | Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto.

I truly believe there are certain movies that if viewed at the right time, both in our own lives and in terms of current mood and space we have in our minds and hearts, can be profoundly felt and have an everlasting impact.

All of a Sudden is one of those films.

The snapshot of the plot involves an overworked director of a care facility for the elderly who strikes up a sincere and beautiful friendship with a theatre director facing her own very personal crisis.

The time and attention devoted to detail and the empathy present in every aspect the writing touches is in this film is exemplary. It is largely an utterly engaging and educational social realism drama but one that is simultaneously about the power of human connection and the meaning a stranger can bring into a person’s world.

This is already a MIFF standout and will be one of the best films of 2027 when in general release next year. Furthermore, the two aforementioned Cannes Award winning actresses are equally mesmerising to watch, and their on-screen chemistry is majestic.

4.5/5

Wicker
United Kingdom, United States, Australia.
Directors | Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson (Save Yourselves!).
Stars | Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage and Elizabeth Debicki.

Based on the short story ‘The Wicker Husband’, a lonely and stinky fisherwoman (played by the one and only Olivia Colman) with a tragic past is fed up at being the outcast in the small village she resides, so she decides to do something about it. She places an order with the local basket maker (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband (Alexander Skarsgård), stirring jealousy among the locals.

Wicker is a very enjoyable oddball of a film. The writing creates more than simply a wicker man for Olivia Colman’s character to have and to hold; it weaves a healthy supply of affectionate and humorous dialogue for several of its characters all throughout. The story doesn’t necessarily venture anywhere outrageous or original (outside of the make of the husband), but does remain endearing, emphasises a meaningful message during its finale and Olivia Colman is always a delight.

3.5/5

Atonement
United States
Director | Reed Van Dyk (Feature film debut)
Stars | Boyd Holbrook, Kenneth Branagh, Hiam Abbass, Gheed.

Inspired by true events and based on a 2012 article, Atonement, told from various perspectives, centres on an American marine (played by Boyd Holbrook) who attempts to reconcile with the surviving members of an Iraqi family several years after the squad he led fired upon them.

A multi-dimensional human drama with layers of tragedy in every perspective of its story that is a shining testament to the power of reconciliation and forgiveness. Atonement is expertly directed by the debutant filmmaker, outstandingly empathetic to all of its characters and features a special performance by Boyd Holbrook, whose name may very well be frequently whispered among voters during awards season! 

4/5

Maddie’s Secret
United States.
Writer & Director | John Early (Feature film debut)
Stars | John Early, Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill.

American comedian and actor John Early’s feature film writing and directing debut also stars him in the lead role playing the titular female character, a dishwasher at a kitchen who gets the chance to fulfil her dreams to be innovative chef right when the bulimia she suffered as a child makes an unwelcome return. 

Maddie’s Secret feels like a John Early only fans… I mean fans only, affair (Sorry, not sorry). For someone unfamiliar with his comedic pursuits, this is far from an ideal introduction! Unfortunately for Mr Early, his project is off-putting from start to end courtesy of the consistently unrestrained amateurish acting from all the cast, self-indulgent directing and completely misjudged rendering of the core story. Maddie’s Secret is a secret that did not need to be shared!

1.5/5

Sheep in the Box (Hako no Naka no Hitsuji)
Japan
Writer & Director | Hirokazu Koreeda (Monster, Broker, The Truth, Shoplifters, The Third Murder, After the Storm).
Stars | Haruka Ayase, Daigo Yamamoto, Rimu Kuwaki.

Set in the not-too-distant future, a couple whose only son died in an accident 2 years earlier order a humanoid child robot that utilises their family videos and data to live with them. 

A consistent run of quality films I’ve seen from Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda starting in 2016 with After the Storm hits a minor dip in Sheep in the Box. Once its central plot is established early, this gentle and breezy drama settles into depicting the mundanities of their suburban life as a family of three without variation in tone or pace. Thematically and plot wise, Sheep in the Box had much more to unpack than it delivers to audiences, but it does remain a pleasant enough outing, nonetheless. 

3/5

The Man I Love
United States, France.
Director | Ira Sachs (Love is Strange, Passages, Little Men, Keep the Lights On, Married Life).
Stars | Rami Malek, Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford, Maisy Stella, Rebecca Hall.

My first Ira Sachs film also happens to be one of his most personal. This one, set in 1980s New York, revolves around gay theatre actor Jimmy George (Rami Malek) rehearsing for an upcoming live performance with fellow cast and crew members while battling illness and facing temptation.

This is an undeniably aesthetically attractive picture courtesy of the fashion and the infectious aura the characters ooze off the screen. Despite these attributes giving The Man I Love a binding sense of place and time, they aren’t enough to compensate for what is a repetitive, meandering and mumbling screenplay whose content rarely engages.

2/5

Parallel Tales (Histoires parallèles)
France, Italy, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, United States.
Director | Asghar Farhadi (A Separation, The Salesman, A Hero, About Elly, Everybody Knows, The Past).
Stars | Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, India Hair, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney, Adam Bessa

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s second French language production is an intricately woven drama about a reclusive author (played by Isabelle Huppert) who lives in squalor and derives ideas for her new novel from spying on neighbours across from her. 

Parallel Tales, co-written by Asghar Farhadi, falls a little short of the filmmaker’s usual lofty standards and is not his absolute sharpest film, but it never stops being engrossing viewing. The various characters in this picture are introduced, evolve and enmesh into the tales being told in maze-like fashion that can entangle as equally as they engage.

3.5/5

Dead Man’s Wire
United States, Germany, Israel.
Director | Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, Elephant, Paranoid Park, Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Promised Land, Milk).
Stars | Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Myha’la

Partially based on 2018 documentary Dead Man’s Line and inspired by actual events that took place in 1977, this dark crime comedy depicts the bizarre sequence of steps that unfolds when Tony (Bill Skarsgård) arrives at Meridian Mortgage HQ for a meeting with a wealthy mortgage broker…and holds him at gunpoint.

After 6 hours of movie watching in 1 day, I needed my fourth and final movie of this marathon day to be effortlessly entertaining viewing and easier to digest than the films before it. Enter Dead Man’s Wire. What transpires is almost unfathomable but becomes believable courtesy of the quality production, sharp writing laced with well-judged and placed offbeat humour and a wily, unhinged yet measured performance from an excellent Bill Skarsgård.

3.5/5

La Bola Negra
Spain, France.
Directors | Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (Holy Camp!).
Stars | Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Julio Torres, Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close.

The lives of three gay men in three separate timelines; Carlos (Milo Quifes) in 1932, Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) in 1937 and Alberto (Carlos González) in 2017, headline this queer epic. The weight of family expectation falls upon Carlos’ membership application to join a high society. Sebastián flees his village and forges an unexpected new path during the Spanish civil war. Alberto, an unsuccessful writer, inherits a poem that changes the course of his life and tests an already fractured relationship with his volatile mother.

The reasonably inexperienced directing duo of Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, who also co-wrote their film with another writer, execute several passages throughout their two-and-a-half-hour feature that are downright outstanding. La Bola Negra is many things. Ambitious, bold and comprehensively detailed to name a few. Distracted, sometimes schlock and unconvincing are others. Though the process isn’t exactly consistent, the experience remains profound and well worth having.

3.5/5

Minotaur
France, Latvia, Germany.
Director | Andrey Zvyagintsev (The Return, Loveless, Leviathan, Elena, The Banishment).
Stars | Dmitriy Mazurov, Iris Lebedeva, Yuriy Zavalnyouk, Vladimir Friedman, Varvara Shmykova, Boris Kudrin.

Based on the 1969 French film The Unfaithful Wife by Claude Chabrol, Minotaur is relocated to Russia and set against the backdrop of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. Gleb (Dmitriy Mazurov) is a man facing professional and personal crises simultaneously. His marriage to Galina (Iris Lebedeva) has gone stale and he is rapidly losing workers at the company he is CEO at due to their enlistment. Pressed to breaking point, how far will he go to save his marriage and his business? 

Mark down Minotaur as another marvellous character-driven story from masterful Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev. This domestic and partly political drama exerts laser-like focus and control over every strand of detail in its storytelling and is entirely engrossing from start to end. Expertly filmed and perfectly scored, this is highly recommended for fans of this genre and for those who are appreciative of meticulous writing and directing in cinema. 

4.5/5

Silenced
Australia, United Kingdom, South Africa, Switzerland, Mexico.
Director | Selina Miles (Harley & Katya).
Featuring | Jennifer Robinson, Amber Heard, Brittany Higgins, Catalina Ruiz Navarro.

Ironically, there are people who tried to silence Silenced from being produced and publicly shown. Their loss is everyone else’s victory. 

Flowing off the back of the #metoo movement, this documentary with global contributors covers the campaign of Australian international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson as she fights defamation laws used to silence survivors. The film also gives insight into social media’s influence over public perception and the role this is playing in modern day and very public court trials. 

Based on the book “How Many More Women” by Jennifer Robinson and Keio Yoshida, Silenced is immaculately prepared, assertively presented and clearly articulated, especially when Jennifer Robinson is doing the talking. It is a driven piece of work with a striking sense of urgency in one clenched fist and a brave and dogged determination for international legislation change in the other that earns utmost respect and admiration. 

4/5

Mile End Kicks
Canada
Writer & Director | Chandler Levack (I Like Movies).
Stars | Barbie Ferreira, Stanley Simons, Devon Bostick, Juliette Gariépy, Jay Baruchel.

Based in part on the writer & director’s own experiences as a young adult, Mile End Kicks is set in Montreal’s amateur music scene and stars Barbie Ferreira (star of last year’s MIFF gem Bob Trevino Likes It) as a 22-year-old music critic and Alanis Morissette enthusiast who instantly fancies the lead singer of a band she is to become the publicist for. 

A comedy with wide demographic appeal, Mile End Kicks spins a relatively laid-back tune that is always enjoyable, even if the song it is singing misses a few notes throughout and always plays to its predictable outro. Though the film could have attached audiences to its characters and story more strongly than it does, Barbie Ferreira’s authenticity, courage and warmth in the leading role ought to be as popular as a number 1 hit!

3.5/5

Fatherland
Poland, Germany, Italy, France
Director | Pawel Pawlikowski (Ida, Cold War, My Summer of Love, Last Resort, The Woman in the Fifth).
Stars | Hanns Zischler, Sandra Hüller, August Diehl.

Loosely inspired by real events and forming the final part of a trilogy of historical films by Pawel Pawlikowski, Fatherland reunites a father and daughter in post-war Deutschland. Erika Mann (Sandra Hüller) travels to Frankfurt accompanying her father, Thomas (Hanns Zischler), a highly regarded writer who is receiving a prize, acting as his translator and driver. Familial frictions and the unsettling climate of a country they once called home rise to the surface.

Shot in exquisite B&W and featuring fine performances, Fatherland is visually an effortlessly absorbing film whose narrative I found more challenging to grasp. There were numerous sequences where dialogue was spoken yet had me unsure to which part of the story or possible emerging themes I needed to apply them to. Thankfully, reading about Fatherland online after watching the film, I could reconcile my understanding, clear some uncertainties and hold stronger appreciation for how this piece of cinema has been presented.

3.5/5

I Want Your Sex
United States
Director | Gregg Araki (White Bird in a Blizzard, Mysterious Skin).
Stars | Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Daveed Diggs, Charli XCX.

Fifty shades of play, anyone!?

Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) has been working only 1 week as assistant to his boss, Erica (Olivia Wilde), a contemporary artist of R-rated works, when she “promotes” him by engaging in physical relations outside of her studio as her submissive.

Admittedly, I Want Your Sex is attempting to erect a comedy from a borderline premise that may cross that line early for some but serves others with an abundance of raunchy fun courtesy of its raw dialogue and characterisation and its performances. Cooper Hoffman, son of the late and great Philip Seymour Hoffman, displays just the right amount of awkwardness and compliance as the younger Elliot. His co-star, The Invite director Olivia Wilde is handed a character in Erika that is easily unlikeable, yet she sculpts her into a strong, sharp and sexy individual and downright dominates this picture.

You can read Janer’s full review of I Want Your Sex posted here soon!

3.5/5

Bitter Christmas (Amarga Navidad)
Spain
Director | Pedro Almodóvar (The Room Next Door, Parallel Mothers, Pain and Glory, The Skin I Live In, Broken Embraces, Bad Education, Talk to Her, All About My Mother).
Stars | Bárbara Lennie, Patrick Criado, Victoria Luengo, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Milena Smit.

In 2004, a failed film director (played by Bárbara Lennie) suffering from migraines has her partner (Patrick Criado) take her to hospital for further inspection, leading to a subsequent chain of events being developed for her by the screenplay writer and filmmaker (Leonardo Sbaraglia) who has created her character in contemporary times.

An appealing premise and Christmas setting in this tragicomedy that incorporates elements of autofiction ultimately lets down courtesy of Almodóvar’s over-investment in the 2004 storyline, which in turn results in a strongly underwritten modern day plot. Had events that do transpire late in Raúl’s (the writer and filmmaker) story been brought forward and further expanded, the parallel tales would have progressed concurrently to much more captivating effect. While Bitter Christmas is a disappointing second film in a row for fans of the highly regarded Spanish filmmaker, even a sub-par Pedro Almodóvar film remains an above average movie experience.

3/5

Coward
Belgium, France, Netherlands.
Director | Lukas Dhont (Close, Girl).
Stars | Emmanuel Macchia, Valentin Campagne.

War is far more than exchanging violent hostilities, as Coward immediately informs audiences of. Set during WWI at the Belgian front, this sublime drama follows Pierre (first time actor Emmanuel Macchia), a young and reserved Belgian soldier assisting his fellow comrades in the trenches while also working to keep troops spirits alive with Francis (Valentin Campagne), who he develops feelings for.

Coward is quite unlike any other war film I can recall seeing courtesy of the juxtaposition of depicting the threat of an enemy from the trenches whilst chronicling behind-the-scenes preparations and performances for soldier entertainment and escapism. These aspects make for a fascinating war-set film alone; one that is very capable at summoning tension and providing audiences with their own quality escapism at once. What elevates Coward above excellence to something a little more special is the gentle, genuine and unforced handling of the blooming romance and its trajectory. That, and its production, which is handsomely filmed, poignantly scored and greatly directed and acted. Coward is a beautiful film and one of MIFF’s standouts.

4.5/5

The Beloved (El ser querido)
Spain, France.
Director | Rodrigo Sorogoyen (May God Save Us, The Candidate, The Beats).
Stars | Javier Bardem, Victoria Luengo.

Two-time Oscar winning filmmaker, Esteban Martínez (played by Javier Bardem) returns to Spain from New York, meeting with his estranged daughter, Emilia (Victoria Luengo from Bitter Christmas), a failed actress now working full-time in a bar, to offer her the leading role in his upcoming production. 

Last year’s Best International Feature Film winner at the Academy Awards, Sentimental Value, tackled precisely this topic and similar themes that resonated with many viewers. Well, I consider The Beloved a class above the Norwegian drama. While all dialogue exchanged between father and daughter builds strong characterisation and points to a painful past, it is the unsaid and the constant and palpable tension in the air that most unsettles. The Beloved is an utterly absorbing film with a commanding and Oscar-contending performance from Javier Bardem.

A strong 4/5

Next!

Rose
Germany, Austria.
Director | Markus Schleinzer (Angelo, Michael).
Stars | Sandra Hüller

Review coming soon!

Mini Reviews by Leigh for Moviedoc

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