★★ Directed by: #SayanBasuChowdhury Written by: #SayanBasuChowdhury #ChhandakBandopadhyay Starring: #PriyankaBhattacharjee #SudipSarkar Film review by: William Hemingway Soumya (Sarkar) and Riti (Bhattacharjee) have a problem; their father, or more accurately Soumya’s father and Riti’s step-father. He is a bitter and abusive alcoholic who likes to visit brothels when he’s not drinking his money away. After losing his first wife, Soumya’s mother, he remarried to a woman from a lower caste; someone he could bring in to the household to do the chores, to cook and to clean, to look after his son and bring him up. However, this new wife also brought with her Riti, her own daughter, who was then the target for the old man’s spite and hatred and abuse. He always said she had ‘bad blood’ and would try to keep her at arm’s length, if not out of sight, at all times. Soumya has always been protective of his step-sister and loathes his father’s treatment of her and her mother. Soumya and Riti have another problem; they have each been the object of unwanted advances from other people. Soumya’s cousin/friend Archan fancies himself as a bit of a ladies’ man, and after being introduced to Riti on a very special beach walk and boat ride, won’t leave her alone until he gets some of what he wants. Riti, while at first flattered and swept away by Archan’s advances, soon comes to realise that he is not who she loves and has a hard time convincing him to back off. Soumya, on the other hand, has to deal with the young teenager he has been tutoring, who can’t concentrate on her assignments and who looks longingly into his eyes as she cosies up to him in private moments. He too, cannot return this affection, even though all the boys call her pretty and want to marry her, as he only has eyes for another. Soumya and Riti also have another problem; they are in love – with each other. Yep, that’s right; despite being step-brother and step-sister for more than twenty years they still fancy the pants off one another and want to sing and dance in the rain like all the best couples do. It seems that circumstance has created a bond between them that no moral judgement can split asunder and which is going to lead them to face their own world together. Even with the strangely odd subject matter, the story of Megh Bristir Molat is still rather well played. The two leads do a fine job of inhabiting their characters and you can feel their closeness to one another along with the inevitable strain that it causes. The story is told partially in flashback which allows some grounding for the set-up as well as exposing a series of events that inform on the present day scenario. It is a useful device which the director has used to flesh out his characters, without ever really taking us into the subtext that informs on their feelings for each other. The direction itself is assured and accomplished with well placed panning shots taking the viewer through the scenes, as well as some intense close-ups and striking establishing shots. The colour also pops from the costumes and sets and fills the frame with life and vibrancy as forbidden love blossoms in the hearts of the characters. The film is somewhat let down by the overdubbing of the soundtrack, with dialogue often mismatched to actor’s mouths and terrible sound effects being heard well after the action on screen. The subtitling, too, can be a major distraction with bad translation, poor punctuation and grammar, and the unforgivable textspeak of using ‘U’ instead of ‘you’ in every sentence. The minor characters aren’t always done justice by the level of acting either. With only one song, and no big dance numbers, Megh Bristir Molat feels like it’s trying to go for dramatic realism in its storytelling. However, with the overarching impression that what’s happening is all okay in the minds of the characters, and the minimal treatment of the father’s effect on the entirety of proceedings, there isn’t enough dramatic tension to justify the depths of the themes involved. The lightness of the film fails to reflect the darkness of the subject and in doing so muddies the waters of morality enough to make us question what it was the film-makers were really trying to say. It’s as though Sesame Street did an episode on incest, exploring the motivations and circumstances that could lead up to it, and this is what they came up with. All in all Megh Bristir Molat is too contradictory in its make-up to make an awful lot of sense and in the end is a very odd experience indeed.

★★★ Directed by: #JoeMantello Written by: #MartCrowley and #NedMartel Starring: #JimParsons, #ZacharyQuinto, #MattBomer, #AndrewRannells, #CharlieCarver, #RobindeJesús, #BrianHutchison, #MichaelBenjaminWashington, #TucWatkins Film Review by: Corey Bulloch A lot has changed since the debut of The Boys in the Band on broadway in 1968; Stonewall, Pride, AIDS, marriage equality, the history of LGBTQ+ communities across the globe are rife with stories of heartbreak and triumph. While so many barriers have broken in the righteous path for equality and acceptance, Mart Crowley’s play about a group of gay men celebrating a birthday party is considered by some to be one of the first and critical of moments. Over fifty years later now Joe Mantello’s film, itself an adaptation of his Broadway revival of the play with the same cast does less to disrupt the status quo but continue to examine that enduring humanity in its characters. The whole cast delivers an impressive collection of performances, Crowley adapting his work alongside Ned Martel gives each actor their moment to shine but it’s Jim Parsons’ Michael that really steals the show. As the party goes on as secrets and shames are revealed, it’s the creeping self-loathing and self-destructive behaviour of Michael that makes for such a tense and riveting watch. The Boys in the Band goes beyond exploring prejudice in 1960s America but that universal desire of acceptance. All of these characters wanted to be accepted in their own way and the script shows the difficulty of that through the lens of their homosexuality. It’s not just the desire of being accepted by society but by their loved ones and themselves, the characters are wrestling with that insecurity of being rejected not just because of their sexuality but because of who they think they are. The characters are built out from common stereotypes of homosexual men including Robin de Jesús as the flamboyant Emory, Andrew Rannells’ non-monogamous Larry, and Brian Hutchison as the suspected closeted Alan. It’s all about peeling back from those preconceived notions with the second half of the film where Michael’s “party game” allows the performers and the screenplay to ponder all of these turbulent emotions. Mantello’s direction has its strengths, he and cinematographer Bill Pope make excellent use of the camera within the same location, so much to reveal and contemplate in the small areas of Michael’s apartment lounge and balcony but the camerawork never gets stale alongside Adriaan van Zyl’s editing. Though an issue with The Boys in the Band comes from its origins from a stage play as Mantello is unable to break away from the conventions of that medium. Long monologues and over dramatised moments don’t derail the film but leave a nagging feeling that these performances are intended for a live audience than a cinematic one, everything just feels slightly out of sync. However, it could also be seen as the characters putting on performances for one another, having to project this veneer to hide the parts they hate most about themselves. To exaggerate to make the inevitable exposures more striking, definitely in the case of Parsons’ Michael or Zachary Quinto’s Harold. It’s snappy dialogue, scenery-chewing, but with time to breathe and build, Crowley and Martel’s script isn’t lacking for memorable moments. It just feels more theatrical than cinematic and Mantello doesn’t seem to strive to make a noticeable difference through the pacing or performance. It may feel awkward in places but Parsons and his co-stars captivate regardless and the work of Pope, production designer Judy Becker and costume designer Lou Eyrich make it exquisite to look upon. To modern audiences, it won’t feel as groundbreaking but The Boys in the Band still has its pride in representation and recognising how we are all marginalised whether it be by others or ourselves. #CoreyBulloch #Netflix

★★ Directed by #RishMustaine Written by #John Sjogren, #RishMustaine Starring #MichaelMadsen, #John Sjogren, #MohamedZouaoui Film Review by Lawrence Bennie The prospect of filming a zero-budget action-comedy, set in the Middle East, involving time-travel and explosive set pieces is a daunting challenge to say the least. When you also add veteran Hollywood tough guy Michael Madsen into the mix, and a minuscule crew of eight to pull off the project, the situation could pass for Hollywood comedy itself. Hats off then to producer-director and co-writer Rish Mustaine for delivering Dead on Time to the screen, regardless of the end results. Moshin Dewar (Mohamed Zouaoui) is under hot pursuit by the clandestine military agency ‘Black Halo’ for possessing a miraculous invention which enables him to rewind time. Eager to snatch the device from Dewar, Black-Ops boss Mike McGuirk (Michael Madsen) dispatches ageing action man Tom Bruise (John Sjogren) to intercept Dewar. Accepting the assignment, Bruise sets off to track down Dewar, unaware that McGuirk is operating for darker forces. With a bizarre plot (no explanation is given as to how Zouaoui has been able to survive a freefall airplane crash, let alone develop the ability to stop and replay time) and obviously cheap production values, Dead on Time runs the risk of stopping dead in its tracks from the word go. “Some days it was just a cameraman and actor and a mic positioned close by”, Mustaine says. “We knew we were limited and so we made the core of the movie, the themes”. The director’s honest approach is admirable and, even if Dead On Time doesn’t exactly work thematically, it at least has fun along the way. Sjogren and Mustaine’s screenplay is light-hearted, fast-paced and, crucially, treats the whole set-up with a knowing wink. Sjogren and Zouaoui enjoy a comic chemistry and their misadventures through rounds of Russian Roulette, Arab terrorist camps and war-torn countryside play out like a demented blend of The Odd Couple, The Deer Hunter and Rambo. One of the more memorable scenes has the hapless heroes driving through miles of picturesque desert, triggering a lengthy, amusingly angry rant from Sjogren on the complexities of the “real-worlders” in America. Perhaps the funniest moments though are between Sjogren and his over-zealous military pal, with wrestler Colt Cabana clearly relishing the screen time in probably the film’s best performance. Wrapping up in 94 minutes, Dead on Time doesn’t outstay its welcome. It may miss the mark in its jab as an action blockbuster but, given its no-budget scope, it’s an interesting shot and enjoys a few pokes along the way. #LawrenceBennie

★★★★★ Directed by: #SamAshurov, #RazaRizvi Written by: #SamAshurov, #RazaRizvi Starring: #MarcoBermudez, #AnaMonfared, #SydneyAmanuel Film Review by: Patrick Foley Wouldn’t it have been great to grow up in a coming-of-age movie? Even as a supporting character, you would no doubt be a 7 at a minimum, have a solid circle of similarly attractive friends and roll off perfectly delivered quips on the regular – rather than be perpetually awkward, moody and spend most weekends playing video games and drinking Frosty Jacks. Teenage life, and the changes that bombard us in those pivotal years, is rarely portrayed as intimately as in I’ll Never Forget My Highschool Friends, a handheld-footage exploration of teenage friendships and the pressures they face. Ryan (Marco Bermudez) decides to record every aspect of his life before he leaves his hometown of Sudbury for college. He recruits Pauline (Ana Monfared) into doing the same, and together they document the last few weeks of summer with their friends Tanner (Michael Kishon), Bex (Sydney Amanuel) and PJ (Noah Pyzik). The filming continues over the next few summers as their lives cascade through unexpected developments that pull some bonds closer, tear others apart, and threaten to split the group for good. Barring a few grinding exposition-heavy scenes early on, I’ll Never Forget My Highschool Friends is one of the most authentic and realistic coming-of-age movies you are likely to see. The ‘handheld footage’ style is effective and used innovatively – proving there is a lot more to these types of films than horror. But the intimacy that comes with the filming style is complimentary to the characterisation and dialogue in what makes the film feel genuine. The teenagers speak like teenagers – not like a screenwriters’ best guess at what teenagers speak like. The theme of growing up is woven effectively into the format, with changes in the group dynamic between the years displayed naturally through the interactions and conflicts which are documented. The cast are excellent. Marco Bermudez and Ana Monfared as Ryan and Pauline are our windows into the group, and are the perfect focal points for the film. Sydney Amanuel brings a nihilistic cool to Bex. Michael Kishon brings an endearing aloofness to Tanner. And Noah Pyzik is mercurial and manipulative as PJ. The characters charm, entertain, irritate, shock and break your heart throughout. Most importantly of all, you will mourn for their carefree days as the spectre of adult life slowly cracks the gang apart – even as it becomes clear that in some instances, certain friendships aren’t meant to last. Sam Ashurov and Raza Rizvi handle the direction brilliantly – using the film’s handheld camera format to great impact. There are clunky moments – at times it can be tough to keep pace with the time jumps as we follow two separate viewpoints over multiple summers. Certain scenes do feel contrived – a common pitfall of the genre where audiences will question whether characters would really keep recording such personal events at the perfect camera angle. But for the most part the storytelling works perfectly well with some of the most meaningful moments left beautifully understated. The directors trust their audience to pick up on the smallest and subtlest of clues as to the character’s motivations without outright stating them. It is a rewarding experience, and one that accesses the viewer’s own memories to remind us of the small moments in our own lives that meant more than we ever realised. I’ll Never Forget My Highschool Friends is a real hidden treasure that is much more affecting than it first appears. If you can break past your initial impression of a bunch of young, dumb and carefree teenagers, you will find a deep and intimate portrayal of growth and how devastating its changes can be.

★★★★★ Directed by: #SergioPablos & #CarlosMartinezLopez Written by: #SergioPablos, #JimMahoney & #ZachLewis Starring: #JasonSchwartzman, #JKSimmons, #RashidaJones, #JoanCusack & #WillSasso Film Review by Connor Slatkoff Sharpe It’s almost that time of year again. Cold spells are getting longer, retail-store prices are climbing and Michael Bublé has risen from his 10-month slumber; yes, it’s “beginning to look a lot like Christmas” once again. And if you (like this critic) have lost track of the month—or even year—in a blur of lockdowns and travel bans, we here at the UK Film Review would like to remind you, with our review of last year’s animated Christmas masterpiece Klaus, that we are in fact nearing December 25th. The film—co-directed by seasoned animator Sergio Pablos and relative newcomer Carlos Martínez López—follows the young heir to a postal delivery dynasty, Jesper (played by the forever-funny Jason Schwartzman) as he is cast out from the lap of luxury by his father, in the hopes that it will give his son some much-needed ambition in life. Tasked with revitalizing the postal service on a remote and frozen island, Jesper must oversee the postage of six thousand letters or face being cut off from his family fortune. Upon his arrival at the desolate coast, it becomes painfully clear to the newly minted postman that this task will not be nearly as easy as it sounds. With two feuding families in the small town, education and communication have been cast aside in favour of brawls, pranks and alarming amounts of property damage, removing (in the eyes of the island’s inhabitants) any need for a postal service whatsoever. However, with the help of a few strange allies, namely a secretive woodsman by the name of Klaus (voiced by J.K. Simmons), Jesper and his friends must fight to unite this hugely divided community before it brawls itself out of existence. Klaus, in many ways, is a superhero origin story: audiences meet a talented loner (the woodsman) with a tragic past, he finds that his skills can be used for the good of all, and he must join a team of similar misfits to conquer the powers of “evil” and rediscover the hope that he once lost. Strip away the “broad face and a little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly”, and you’ve essentially got the origin of the X-Men’s Wolverine. This, in its purest sense, is what differentiates Klaus from the rest of the plethora of other—overly merry—Christmas movies: this isn’t simply a children’s story, it’s a hero’s journey. However, this hero’s journey wouldn’t be nearly as heroic without its unique and vibrant children’s-book style animation, which harkens back to hand drawn Saturday morning cartoons, but with all the technical flare and mastery which a studio the size of Netflix is capable of achieving. Even with such beautiful design, there is still a need for strong and creative direction, which is exactly what Pablos and López orchestrate through their use of traditional cinematic techniques. Rack focus and brilliantly stylized montage scenes lend Klaus the sheen of a live-action theatrical blockbuster, something which is rarely found to this degree in a completely animated piece. The voice acting is understandably excellent considering the star-studded cast which includes the likes of Rashida Jones, Will Sasso and Joan Cusack, as well as the aforementioned Schwartzman and Simmons. Schwartzman in particular perfectly embodies the quirky pomposity of Jesper, channeling a comedic performance similar to David Spade in The Emperor’s New Groove. Most importantly, this film remains a moving and effective—albeit thinly veiled—moral that despite our differences, we are all still human beings. Considering the young target age group for this film (despite its appeal to adults), the weight and importance of this message—especially when so much of our global community remains divided—cannot be over-stated. Another positive aspect of this movie’s identity is that—while certainly being a Christmas movie—Klaus approaches the story of Santa Claus not from any specific religious perspective, but with the shared perspective of humanity and community. This not only differentiates Klaus from the overwhelming number of other Father Christmas movies, it also allows for the animated film to remain accessible to all children. As the character of Klaus says in the movie, “a true, selfless act always sparks another”. While this has certainly been a year in need of more than a little spark, let’s hope that this upcoming holiday season sees more than a little selflessness from all of us, while we struggle through these unusually hard times. #ConnorSlatkoffSharpe

★★★★ Directed by: Jake Horowitz Written by: Jake Horowitz, Andy Lewis Starring: Storm Steenson, Alexander Oliver, Liam Marshall, Jacob Hogan Film Review by: Jason Knight Its Christmas! A Christmas movie! Certainly that means people smiling, full of joy, snow, decorations everywhere, Christmas Trees, presents and heartwarming scenes! Right? Well the elements mentioned above are present in this feature, however there are some additional ones that are not often seen in a story that evolves around this joyful season. There is profanity, dark humour, adult humour, toilet humour, a bit of blood, child abduction, death by allergic reaction and it is even indicated that a murder takes place off-screen! Not a family film then! So what is the plot then? Mary (Steenson), a young journalist, is assigned to go to Snowy Heights, her home town, in order to write an article about the town's world famous Christmas cheer. There she ends up getting involved with Chris (Oliver), the owner of the Cup of Cheer, a hot cocoa shop. The shop is in danger of closing its doors for ever on Christmas Eve and Mary decides to help prevent that from happening. The film has 'Christmas' written all over it! As mentioned the elements of this celebration are visible here, and they do look great! Beautiful decorations everywhere and people wearing Christmas clothing. And the music that is heard throughout sounds like...Christmas! It sounds jolly, uplifting, sentimental and childish. The movie even makes references to A Christmas Carol! And the Christmas-themed closing credits are a nice treat! The protagonists deliver generally goofy, slapstick, over-the-top performances. They portray individuals who are not to be taken seriously (this is after all an adult comedy). All characters are more or less cheerful and tend to look at the bright side of life. The narrative is interesting enough to follow, but the most enjoyable thing are the jokes and the awkward situations, that tend to involve adult themes. Director Horowitz does a very good job, creating fantastic establishing shots. This is a Christmas romantic comedy for adults. Is is entertaining? Well, that depends on the person. If one fancies an hour and a half of outrageous comedy and would also like to see wonderful, festive decorations, then they should give this one a go! #JasonKnight

★★★★ Directed by #DariusMarder Written by #DariusMarder Starring #RizAhmed #OliviaCooke Film Review by Hope Madden Riz Ahmed is a guy who can do anything. He can be funny (Four Lions), pathetic (Nightcrawler), tragic (Sisters Brothers), villainous (Venom). He’s soon to be Hamlet. But in Sound of Metal, playing a recovering addict heavy metal drummer who’s hearing suddenly deteriorates, he’s more than all of these put together. Ahmed is Ruben, in a performance that brings this man to life with so many layers and such nuance and power it requires your attention. Ruben’s traveling the country in an airstream with his girlfriend Lou (the always welcome Olivia Cooke). She sings/wails/screams and plays guitar, he bangs on the drums, and they keep each other safe, sane and sober. This is how they do it, one day at a time. But Ruben’s sudden deafness is more than he can take and as he spirals out of control, Lou and his sponsor find him a place. It’s secluded, nestled on a big piece of land near a school for the deaf—a spot for recovering addicts who are deaf. No one else. No Lou. Even before you begin to appreciate Ahmed’s remarkable performance, you’ll likely notice writer/director Darius Marder’s choices when it comes to sound design. Also, Sound of Metal is captioned, but not all the time. If Ruben can't understand what's being said, neither can you. The sound design evokes the same sensation: of being in Ruben’s head. What he can’t really hear it, you can’t, either. Marder mimics the humming, echoing, and blurring together of sounds to create an immersive sensation that never feels like a gimmick. It might, were it not for Ahmed, though. The rest of the cast, most of them non-actors, offer solid support. Cooke is characteristically strong, simultaneously resilient and dependent in a way that feels authentic to the character. The charming and endlessly tender third act arrival of Matthieu Amalric only adds to the emotional heft the film carries. Sound of Metal is Marder’s first feature. It often benefits from a loose structure, but just as often, this becomes its downfall. There are scenes that amount to little, giving the film a bloated quality. But that’s not enough to defeat it, not nearly. Sound of Metal is a powerful experiment and a star turn for a talented actor. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by: #RamkrishnaChanda and #BiplabDas Written by: #SudipChattopadhyay and #BiplabDas Starring: #TapanKumarMitra, #TapatiMukherjee, #AnirbanAsh Film Review by Lucy Clarke There is a problem our society does not know how to address. We do not know how to discuss it, and the workload becomes the family's secret burden. Dementia and Alzheimer's are wholly destructive diseases which deprive our elderly of their cognitive functions – and these diseases will eventually destroy everything. Rarely are they the subject of films, making rare appearances in Still Alice and most recently, Supernova. Ramkrishna Chanda and Biplab Das' short film, The Thistle Ball focusses on dementia and the effects it has on its victims and their families. Sibatosh (Tapan Kumar Mitra) is a respected elder in his community. After reading a book on the renaissance of Bengal, Sibatosh starts forgetting things, who his family is and what he is doing there. Confused and alone in this illness even though he's surrounded by family, he becomes increasingly incapable of feeding himself, communicating or relieving himself. The film then asks the intriguing question: is Sibatosh's disease a spiritual response to an increasingly unspiritual world instead? Whatever the answer to this question, The Thistle Ball, is a remarkably moving portrayal of the difficulties of caring for someone with dementia. Although Sibatosh is mostly quiet throughout the film, his pain is beautifully acted. With a simple glance, he hints at the hopelessness and cluelessness at his situation. The rest of the cast features brilliant acting, with Sibatosh's extended family painfully going through the motions of caring for an older relative who doesn't recognise them anymore. The beautiful deep ocean blue tones and the sandy, hazy filter over the film's imagery emphasise the gentleness and care lovingly infused throughout the work. The end result is an incredibly honest and beautiful portrait of what it is like to lose someone who doesn't really comprehend who they are. With this kind of subject matter, it can be easy to choose a melodramatic score – something that emotionally manipulates and really pulls at the heartstrings. But within this film, that is not the case. The music fits perfectly; with every beat emphasising the emotional journey just so. In navigating the choppy waters of a prolonged family illness, Chanda and Das Have accomplished something marvellous. The Thistle Ball is an affecting piece reflecting something that many people will have experienced. Cleverly the indescribable feeling of slowly losing a family member is put into images. It emotively connects but also soothes the viewer, which is an extraordinary feat.

★★★★★ Written & Directed by #CalebSvensson Starring #NickJones Film Review by Lawrence Bennie Isolation. Loneliness. Paranoia. The international lockdowns of 2020 have, without question, brought profound challenges, confusion and chaos to the lives of millions across the world. Writer-director Caleb Svensson exquisitely uses this backdrop of global turmoil in his brilliant Anteros to offer a powerful expression of the potential of healing, hope and redemption amongst the madness. Estranged from his family, and increasingly isolated from the community, wounded ex-soldier Joel (Nick Jones) edges ever closer to a nervous breakdown. His dilemma deepens even further with the onset of national lockdown on March 24th 2020 and when he comes under the watch of an enigmatic stalker. As the film’s singular character, Nick Jones (also executive producer) has the formidable task of conveying Joel’s growing angst and turmoil in complete silence and, for the most part, behind sunglasses. Yet, Svensson keeps Joel and the audience connected throughout the piece; we are always made to feel a part of his world, through both the darkness and the light, akin to Julianne Donelle’s similarly psychological Split Second. With its snippets of narrative thread, enigmatic imagery and sense of severance, both internal and external, the film is also reminiscent of the Maya Deren classic Meshes Of The Afternoon. However, in contrast to a number of lockdown-inspired productions, Svensson effectively takes his drama outdoors to show us Joel lost amongst the empty streets and warmth of the community, making the character’s journey and escape from alienation even more impactful. When the mystery does kick in, both Joel and the viewer are taken in an surprising direction, as Svensson deftly detours from the expected suspense-thriller routine to something very different. Joel begins to communicate with the stranger offering him solace. Slowly, against the troubled times of the world around him, and his own inner-turbulence, he begins to find a way through; reconnecting with a friend, making a difference to the community and, eventually, reaching some state of peace again and turning his life back round. It may sound à la Groundhog Day in its resolution but its played wonderfully simply and straight. And it works superbly well. Without preaching or pandering, and crucially avoiding the mawkish, Anteros nobly rallies against the private and public darknesses of 2020, without ever undermining its devastation and the weight of one’s personal demons. A remarkable piece, Svensson has bravely, and expertly, brought to the screen a triumphant truth through the heartbreak and horror of the pandemic. #LawrenceBennie

★★ Directed by: #AlexDorrington Starring: #NeilBerrett, #AncaVaida, #AlbyJay, #JoakimFink Short Film Review by: Corey Bulloch Toxic air, soldiers and doctors in hazmat suits, old government secrets and mysterious artefacts, Sync from director Alex Dorrington bears familiar hallmarks to the post-apocalypse dramas but it all feels rather stale. Lacking urgency and failing to create captivating characters and drama, Sync isn’t much except actors wandering around rooms uttering exposition for this underdeveloped setting. Following a trio of soldiers investigating “black sites” in this seemingly dangerous environment, the character’s need for information and understanding what has made the world this way isn’t made equal for the audience. The main character of Dr Maven seems to be a critical figure in the origins of this crisis, she doesn’t seek redemption or vindication however just survival but Dorrington’s direction keeps the stakes to a minimum. The filmmaking from Dorrington and the team isn’t necessarily bad just absent of passion, the audience just meanders through the film with nothing to take away thematically. The audience is given very little to become invested in, leaving you apathetic to every new development. Leo Violet’s concept art featured in the end credits is the only real hook to garner interest for the brief moment it's featured. The imagery and colours combined with the context of the film’s peculiar ending offer the film a more interesting direction. Rather than the bland gritty sci-fi setting with no personality the last moments of Sync broaden out to more Lovecraftian themes and even though this is what Dorrington is building towards it falls flat. More of a curious head scratch than a satisfying ending, the script needed much stronger foundations to deliver these grander ideas to the audience. Sync is frustrating in that its vagueness doesn’t create tension or mystery, Dorrington doesn’t build curiosity to make the audience care about the progression of the plot. The script revolves around these questions about the toxic air, Dr Maven’s motivations and this mysterious tech but Sync can’t provide clear or gratifying answers. The stoic direction and atmosphere the film portrays just can’t create anything noteworthy or exciting about the film leaving Sync forgettable and inconsequential. Competently made but narratively and creatively inadequate, Sync and Dorrington don’t seem to be sure of what exactly it wanted to be. #CoreyBulloch #shortfilm

★★★ Directed by #DanFriedkin Written by #JohnOrloff #MarkFergus #HawkOstby Starring #GuyPearce #ClaesBang #VickyKrieps Film Review by Hope Madden Who doesn’t like a story about swindling Nazis? There’s something festive in that notion, and Dan Friedkin’s The Last Vermeer does what it can to keep the mood light as one of Holland’s unsung artists is accused of consorting with Nazis to help Goering purchase a painting by Dutch master Vermeer. The film is set shortly after the end of WWII. Claes Bang, who seems to only make films about art (Burnt Orange Heresy, The Cube), plays Captain Joseph Piller. A former member of the resistance with a strained family life, Piller is part of an operation that finds said Vermeer, Christ and the Adulteress. The problem with this movie is that Friedkin treats it like a mystery. Mysteries are cool, and the reveal here is certainly interesting, but there very are few clues to follow. And following those few clues are characters far less interesting than Han Van Meegeren, played here with fanciful, libidinous panache by Guy Pearce and someone’s joke of a pair of eyebrows. Van Meegeren’s crime, if he did collaborate with Nazis to move a masterpiece from Holland’s greatest artist, is a capital one. Not that you’d know that from Pearce’s flashes of eccentricity and decadence. He seems to be enjoying himself. His character—and, indeed, Van Meegeren himself—commands attention. Too bad Friedkin and his slew of scriptwriters decided to bury the lede. In one of those Hollywood moves, this film chose to sideline its main character—the real life figure who could face a firing squad—in favor of a safe, blandly attractive hero we can all root for. Yawn. Worse still is the criminal underuse of The Phantom Thread’s Vicky Krieps as the attractive but honorable assistant. The Last Vermeer is one of those hopelessly manipulated true histories. It looks good, although nothing about the direction seems inspired. Instead the film delivers a competently made, by-the-numbers historical recreation when it could have been art. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by #AlexanderNanau Written by #AlexanderNanau #AntoanetaOpris Film Review by Brandon Thomas On October 30, 2015, a massive fire broke out at the Colectiv Club in Bucharest, Romania. Twenty-seven people died in the initial blaze while another 180 were injured. In the days and weeks following the fire, dozens of survivors died in the hospital of preventable infections. Over the next year, journalist Catalin Tolontan would uncover a trail of corruption that had all but hobbled the country’s health care system. There’s a restraint to Collective that is much appreciated. Absent are the talking heads and exposition-heavy voiceovers that have become staples of documentaries. In fact, Collective is a film more than happy to let multiple scenes set in boardrooms and offices play out almost in real-time. And it is riveting. The access granted to filmmaker Alexander Nanau is nothing short of astounding. They are there as Tolontan interviews a doctor that has smuggled disturbing footage out of a Romanian hospital. Nanau is also granted unprecedented access to newly appointed Romanian Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu. The juxtaposition between Tolontan’s journalistic work and Voiculescu’s navigation of hostile political waters is fascinating and demoralizing all at once. Collective’s foundation is built around that tragic fire and the deaths that occurred. However, the film never once seems exploitative. The victims and their families loom large, but Nanau feels no need to use their grief to propel his film forward. The power of Collective is in the film’s desire to avoid one specific point of view. There’s a matter-of-factness to the film that is methodical and precise. Films and filmmaking are all about manipulation, and this clinically observational approach feels more authentic. For a film so steeped in the hunt for the truth, Nanau’s fly-on-the-wall perspective just seems right. Collective isn’t a flashy film – it doesn’t want to be. What it is, though, is a gripping look at the good that can come from honest, professional investigative journalism. #BrandonThomas