REVIEWS
Post-film thoughts.
EXODUS: The Uncertainties of Transitions and Human Relationships
Focusing on the life of two women post-incarceration, the documentary short film delivers a raw, compelling showcase of Trinity Copeland and Assia Serrano’s stories, experiences, and struggles after they get out of prison and return to their “normal” world.
Last Call: A Psychedelic Dreamscape
Winnie Cheung’s latest film, Last Call, premiered at South by Southwest 2025 as an acid folk thriller bathed in neon lights, with almost dizzying glimpses of Claudia’s life. Each shot is a puzzle piece putting the premise together, from dancing at a party to her speeding on a motorcycle. It plays out like a psychedelic dreamscape, constantly changing gears without waiting for the viewer to catch up.
Mickey 17: Subtlety Is Dead—And Should Be
Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has died 16 times. He is what they call an “expendable”—his sole purpose to be a test subject, to die and be reprinted for humanity’s needs. It’s the 2050s and humans have hopped on spaceships to escape capitalism and a dying Earth. Four years into the expedition, Mickey is now the eponymous Mickey 17.
The Perfect Neighbor: Community Anatomy
The film’s format successfully pulls at the initial threads of many necessary conversations surrounding the incident without actually making any commentary on its own. Owens’ murder reignited conversations in America surrounding “stand-your-ground” laws, especially how they are frequently tied to racism and discrimination, and The Perfect Neighbor elicits further discussions on this front.
Ricky: A Twisted Rebirth
In Ricky (2025), we follow Ricardo Smith (Stephan James), as he attempts to re-learn what it means to live a free life as a now 30-year-old after being incarcerated for 15 years.
BAGGAGE: Airports, Anxieties, and Affirmative Friendships
The film’s charm lies in its ability to be incredibly poignant over the course of its very short 5-minute runtime. As a nod to human emotion, the film is an important reminder of the fact that we might all be heavy because of the things we carry inside us, but to those who truly care about us, these things will be just another part of us to embrace and love.
Trap: The Fangirl Experience
Trap follows a serial killer who attends a pop concert with his daughter only to discover the whole event is an attempt to catch him. But I’m not interested in discussing the protagonist or the overall plot. Because what struck me —and stuck with me—most about the thriller is how respectfully Shyamalan treats his preteen fangirl character.
Deaf President Now!: Not To Be Silenced
In 1988, Gallaudet University, the first college for the deaf and hard of hearing in the United States, had never actually had a deaf president. The documentary opens with the news reaching the hopeful Gallaudet students on the ground that the college’s board of trustees, with Spilman as their figurehead, had chosen the hearing candidate.
Rains Over Babel: Eclectic Retribution and (Literally) Dancing With the Devil
Rains Over Babel (2025) is director Gala del Sol’s feature film debut at Sundance 2025, and what an intimately enthralling and adventurous debut it is. Through three separate character arcs that are also closely interwoven with each other, the film highlights the trials of not just coming to terms with your identity but being able to openly embrace it and celebrate it with the people who matter.
DJ Ahmet: Against All Odds
Georgi M. Unkovski, in his first feature-length film, brings us to the country of North Macedonia to show us the life of music in their corner. DJ Ahmet (2025) is about a 15-year-old shepherd boy from a small Macedonian village.
LUZ: Worlds Intertwined
Flora Lau’s LUZ (花明渡) follows two narratives intertwined across three distinct settings. The main storylines take place in Paris and Chongqing, both connected through virtual reality.
Bunnylovr: Virtual Isolation in the New Generation
Katarina Zhu proves to be a triple threat in her debut feature film Bunnylovr (2025), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this January.
Sorry, Baby: Finding Good Things Amongst the Bad
Divided into chapters and in jumbled-up chronology, Sorry, Baby takes us back in time to show us the ghost, and then through the years between then and the present. Years are defined by chapter titles and defining incidents: “The Year With the Bad Thing,” “The Year with the Questions,” “The Year with the Good Sandwich.” What emerges is a slow, vibrant picture of a life before, during, and after trauma, shown to us in glimpses.
Como Si La Tierra Se Las Hubiera Tragado: Being a Woman
The short opens to Olivia sitting in a bus surrounded by the ambient sounds of traffic. The greyscale switches to a warm palette with a flashback of a memory from her childhood—her mom braiding her hair and telling her, “A pretty girl like you, they’ll eat you up.”
Rocky’s: Familiarity, Nostalgia, and Friendships That Remain Timeless
As Charlie drives into the parking lot of Rocky’s, the delicatessen where he spent his childhood years growing up, he runs into his friends—figures from the past who create tension and conflict at first. Through difficult conversations, long-due confrontations, and a good amount of snacking on sandwiches, we watch the estranged group transition back into a crew, a group of friends who are there for each other through thick and thin.
Sabar Bonda: Love, Loss, and the Spaces That Hold Us
Sabar Bonda is tender—not just in its storytelling but in the way it wraps you in its emotions, like a warm embrace. No wonder it became the first Marathi film to premiere at Sundance; its universality transcends language, speaking instead in the language of love.
By Design: The Theatre Of The Absurd On Screen
Camille is a middle-aged woman who feels different from the people around her. She wants ideas and meaning to fill her life. She wants deep connection. She wants genuine communication. She wants to feel seen. She wishes and she wants. She wants. She wants. She wants.
Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake): Everything Eats and Is Eaten
Sunfish is a glimpse into lake life, a life lived by the rhythms of the water, which, by turns, can be languid and peaceful or choppy and unpredictable; the surface of which can be navigable, while its depths hold unfathomable unknowns. And which, above all, can feel as familiar and well-worn as home.
Come See Me In The Good Light: And Suddenly Nothing In The World Was Dying
Directed by the critically acclaimed Ryan White, Come See Me In The Good Light (2025) is a documentary following the journey of two poets navigating a devastating cancer diagnosis. It explores the personal lives of lovers Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley—detailing how they fell in love and their current domesticity—and more.
Conclave: Sacred Uncertainty
The thing that made Conclave resonate so deeply with me, and what makes it one of the best movies of 2024, is its earnest appeal—from the narrative down to the production design—to reason and humanity amidst opulence, hypocrisy, and ego.