REVIEWS
Post-film thoughts.
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.
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.
Bob Trevino Likes It: On Unconventional Friendships Turned Chosen Families
With Lily’s severe lack of paternal love and Bob’s childless marriage, the film explores how the bizarre duo connect and fulfill each other's personal voids. Bob Trevino Likes It is a heartwarming and healing film about chosen families whose posts are always worth liking.
Seeds: Embracing Rage
Those first few minutes of Seeds, Kaniehtiio Horn’s debut feature film, tells us exactly what we’re in for—a tongue-in-cheek comedy-thriller, but one grounded in very real questions of identity, colonialism, and heritage.
Mr. K: Searching for Meaning
Tallulah H. Schwab’s Mr. K tells the story of a travelling magician as he checks into a mysterious hotel and must later find his way out while encountering a strange cast of characters along the way.
The Mountain: An Authentic Māori Story Marking Multiple Brilliant Debuts
The Mountain is a multi-layered treat. Visually stunning and moving, it allows the paradisiacal landscapes of Taranaki to do all the talking. Thematically, too, The Mountain is rich and kaleidoscope-like in what it can offer to its audience.
Good One: Everything and Nothing is the Same
A young girl with two big male egos out in isolation, what could go wrong? The film is a poignant reality check on girlhood, masked under the fantasy of the forest.
DÌDI (弟弟): A Son’s Coming of Age
Though this film is largely a coming-of-age story, what shines through isn’t Chris’s journey to find himself. Rather, it’s the touching and sincere relationship between him and his mother, the only person who loves him so purely.
Backspot: We’re All Just People
It is easy to see myself in Riley—in her anxious nature, in her drive to perfect her craft, in her ability to lose herself in her passions, sometimes at the detriment to the people around her.
I Wish You All The Best: In Search of Hope
Dorfman spoke about wanting to make a queer movie centered on hope, rather than trauma. And that is exactly what this film does—it shows that there is always love to be found in friends, chosen family, and community.
Songs From The Hole: A Visual Album Soaked In Humanity
The quality of JJ’88’s music, the visuals of ‘Songs From The Hole,’ and the way they magnify Jacobs’ circumstance of being both victim and perpetrator brings the film above the empty and vain marketing attempts that have become emblematic of music video production today.
7 Beats Per Minute: Of Consciousness and Human Connection
On the surface, ‘7 Beats Per Minute’ is about freediving and the prodigy champion Jessea Lu. But at its core, it is a story of emotional suppression and discovery, unshakeable determination, and the profound act of breathing.
Dickweed: Weird But True Crime
If you’re aching for a true crime story that starts with a bang and fades into a fascinating portrait of a potential sociopath, and you don’t mind a cable-soapy sheen, this will do the trick.
Ben and Suzanne: Love on the Rocks
Shaun Seniveratne’s ‘Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts’ looks into a love that grows, consumes, and shudders to an end.
Wander to Wonder: Manifestations of Grief
Even with a short runtime, Wander to Wonder uncovers what layers of grief could look like.
The Bleacher: A Dark Display of Guilt
The Bleacher is a gruesome and upsetting display that while at first feels like senseless surrealism, presents a thought-provoking consideration of reactionary violence and guilt.
7 Keys: To Be Drifting In The Underbelly
The film, striking a thin balance between romance and violence against a synth-pop soundtrack, calls upon the unforgettable atmosphere of Refn’s ‘Drive.’