Somniphobia film review by UK film critic Isabelle Ryan. Starring Chris Attoh, Tatjana Marjanovic, Atticus Hinckley directed by Dillon Vibbart. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Somniphobia Film Review average rating is 1 out of 5 Critic: | Posted on: Oct 28, 2021 Directed by: Dillon Vibbart Written by: Dillon Vibbart Starring: Chris Attoh, Tatjana Marjanovic, Atticus Hinckley Somniphobia is an anxiety disorder. The sufferer worries about death or nightmares, and even at the point of exhaustion, they stay awake. Simply put, somniphobia is the fear of sleep. In Dillon Vibbart’s short film, we follow Ryley Rose (Marjanovic), a woman haunted by a ghoul in her dreams. Exhausted and terrified, she and her boyfriend Brian (Hinckley) seek help from somnologist Dr Brady (Attoh). At first denying the online rumours that he can enter people’s dreams, Dr Brady comes to realise that he may be Ryley’s only hope. Is there really a monster attacking her, or were the wounds on her arms caused by something more earthly? Vibbart said that the goal with Somniphobia was to “make a horror film with a deeper meaning.” This assumes that horror films are usually shallow. In fact, since the dawn of the genre, horror stories have been used to explore writers’ fears and concerns through a supernatural or speculative lens. In the 1950s, for example, fear of nuclear war gave us Godzilla. Zombie films have long been used to comment on wider society, on our consumerism or bigotries. The list goes on. Vibbart is not the first to use a supernatural theme to explore human nature, and sadly, he relies far too heavily on exposition. It is clear to any discerning viewer where the film is headed in the first five minutes, but he still has Attoh deliver a few speeches along the way, just in case we missed something. Perhaps Vibbart, stuck in the assumption that horror films do not generally have deeper meanings, worried that the audience might not grasp his message. Unfortunately, whatever the reason, it leaves us with a very simple film over-explaining itself. The plot is serviceable but lacking. Much of this is down to the characters fitting archetypes typical to the horror genre. Ryley and her casually racist boyfriend (he calls Dr Brady a “witch doctor” who does “voodoo magic”) fit neatly into the horror movie couple trope: the woman becomes aware of possibly paranormal activity, and the man doubts her. Vibbart is not the first director to explore this theme, and he certainly won’t be the last; the trope is ubiquitous because the experience is ubiquitous. The film’s conclusion unfortunately appears to place some of the blame for Ryley’s suffering on Ryley herself, and speaking of unfortunate, Dr Brady fits a more general archetype. It is more than a little uncomfortable to watch a film from 2021 play so heavily (and, one hopes, accidentally) into a racist trope: a benevolent Black man with magical powers saving a defenceless white woman, calling her ‘Miss’ all the while. On the technical side of things, Joshua Nitschke’s cinematography adds very little to the proceedings. There are some confusing lighting choices, especially in the nightmare sequences, though this should perhaps be excused by the lack of logic in dreams, but mostly nothing stands out. This is a real shame, as some better lighting or shot composition could have made Ryley’s ghoul (and the other monsters) a greater presence. Lance Trevino’s score, meanwhile, is forgettable and can get in the way of dialogue. Thankfully, the creature effects and makeup by M.J. DuBarr are fun. Fear is subjective, but it is a shame that Somniphobia is not scary. It lacks dread; we never truly fear for Ryley’s life, and when the monsters become a real threat, we aren’t supposed to be afraid. Add to that the unsubverted tropes and archetypes, and Somniphobia becomes a horror film that wants to keep you awake, but might put you to sleep instead. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

A Night and Some Change film review by UK film critic Joe Beck. Starring Ines Badila, Richard Logun, Jack Maddison, Lanya Matthews, Fiona Pirie directed by Eke Chukwu. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS A Night and Some Change Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: Feb 10, 2023 Directed by: Eke Chukwu Written by: Esme Allman Starring: Ines Badila, Richard Logun, Jack Maddison, Lanya Matthews, Fiona Pirie To shoot a film in black and white shouldn’t ever just be a stylistic choice. There should always be some deeper meaning or value in choosing a monochrome colour palette, yet ‘A Night and Some Change’ seemingly lacks any reason - there is nothing lurking in the shadows, and nothing brought out by the black and white which couldn’t be expressed otherwise. That is indicative of the rest of the film, which begins promisingly, and is good in many aspects, yet ultimately amounts to little in the way of profundity. We begin with a woman dancing around a studio. What at first appears to be rhythmic becomes more angered, as though she’s channeling all her emotion into this one dance. I suppose that’s what dancing, like any art form, is like. Beginning without words, only the sound of a piano and the image of woman dancing is a bold way to begin a film, and one which suggests a level of competency and depth in its message. Though ‘A Night and Some Change' is undoubtedly competent, with Eke Chukwu’s direction at times mesmerising, it lacks the complexity to push it to greater to heights. That’s because Esme Allman’s screenplay, though never blocky in terms of dialogue, fails in terms of subtext, leaving the film feeling rather empty. This means that it's hard to become invested in the affairs of the film's characters, all creative types, as they deal with issues of love, friendship and the mounting pressures of adulthood. Anya (Ines Badila) has recently moved to London from Paris in order to become a dance teacher, and has taken a whole lot of baggage across the channel with her, not all of which can be completely shaken off. Moving in with Kenny (Richard Logun) and Joel (Jack Maddison), there is a suggestion that a romantic triangle could develop between the three of them, with the interactions between each bearing hallmarks of attraction. Kenny and Joel are clearly longstanding friends, but there is a hint of something more, though it also appears that both may have their own feelings towards Anya. Things are cordial, if a little awkward when the trio decide to go out to an eerily deserted bar in the evening, where they meet Dylan (Lanya Matthews) and Emilia (Fiona Price). There is a sense that these two characters were intended to be of greater prominence, but instead end up feeling like half-developed caricatures - the petulant chaos causer and a woman with a deeply troubled background. Still, Eke Chukwu's direction is promising, even with the questionable and seemingly redundant decision to shoot in black and white. Frames are competently held together, and Chukwu films all movement with a kind of rhythm not too dissimilar from the dancer. Ultimately, however, while 'A Night and Some Change' may be stylistically impressive, it lacks a substance in its screenplay which Chukwu's impressive direction, and competent acting all round, is unable to make up for. It's not quite being short-changed, but the disappointment that 'A Night and Some Change' doesn't build upon it's promising opening is only slightly less dissatisfying. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Joe Beck Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Fervor film review by UK film critic Lawrence Bennie. Starring Johanna Martinez, Timothy Roarke directed by Enrique A.Mendoza. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Fervor Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Lawrence Bennie | Posted on: Dec 15, 2025 Directed by: Enrique A.Mendoza Written by: Enrique A. Mendoza Starring: Johanna Martinez, Timothy Roarke Johanna Martinez and Timothy Roarke star in this short, sharp two-hander from Guatemalan director Enrique A. Mendoza. A young Latina woman called Fernada (Martinez) takes a drive seemingly out into the middle of nowhere. However, we find out that she has an unexpected passenger (Roarke) to whom she relates a painful story of survival and violence, centred around the lives of two brothers in a remote village. The opening 38 seconds of Fervor could not be more different from what comes next as we follow Fernada’s journeys out into the wilderness to the tune of upbeat rock. Suddenly, the journey stops, so does the music and so does Fernada. She steps out of her vehicle, takes a call that we cannot hear and sits alone, contemplating, or even waiting for something or someone. We soon find out what. Or rather who. A bruised, battered older man is hurled out from the truck. Fernada appears to be an unlikely kidnapper. The man makes a lucky break for it, but it’s no good. Fernada responds violently and her story immediately turns darker. “Things can get rough in my neighbourhood, but we endure. That’s until we have no other option but to leave, to escape”. The stranger’s role starts to become apparent. He was an oppressor. The hunter who has become the hunted. The roles have reversed and so it is Fernada who is now the hunter. Unflinching, ruthless and tough. At least from what we see. When she drives away at the film's ending, after her bitter, hard-hitting monologue, there’s a striking change and we see the real Fernada. Sensitive, scared and shaken by what’s just happened, at the brutality she has unleashed and unveiled to herself. She breaks down. In waves of relief? In tears of sweet revenge? Or in revulsion at becoming the hunter herself? Fervor is a solid accomplishment for both Martinez and Mendoza. Martinez keeps the viewer entrenched with the film’s only speaking role and her character’s softening in its closing seconds is an impressive transition to the extent that one comes away with a sense that there is a third performance within the film - that of Fernada herself masquerading her new-found menance and wrath before her powerless captive. For Mendoza, it’s a fine encapsulation of the director’s own mantra to tell stories that "actually stay with people". Thanks to its simplicy and sincerity, Fervor does. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Lawrence Bennie Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Bruised film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Halle Berry, SheilaAtim, Adan Canto directed by Halle Berry. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Bruised Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Nov 23, 2021 Directed by: Halle Berry Written by: Michelle Rosenfarb Starring: Halle Berry, SheilaAtim, Adan Canto It isn’t exactly Michelle Rosenfarb’s writing you’ll remember after viewing the MMA drama Bruised . The story itself offers a rehash of sports cliches that make the film anything but memorable. Still, there is something about it that sticks. Part of that is the way director Halle Berry embraces the bleakness beneath the underdog sports story. Berry stars as Jackie Justice, one-time octagon phenom who lost it all and found herself drunk and cleaning toilets post-stardom. Here’s where Berry — both behind the camera and in front — digs into something we did not get with Rocky Balboa or Maggie Fitzgerald or any of the other earnest, down-on-their-luck prizefighters in cinema. There is no scrappy optimism, no unquenchable ambition, no romantic dream. And Justice only gets back in the game for the money. It’s a risky move, giving us a less-than-likable protagonist and still asking for us to root for her, but Berry’s up to the task as a performer. She convinces. Justice is weary, angry, vacant and just one step ahead of all the trauma that made her fighting mad in the first place. Here, again, is where the writing lets Berry down. Random scenes of exposition are wedged in periodically where none is needed, while other information remains weirdly—though sometimes intriguingly—vague. But certain scenes are brilliant, charged with emotion and brutality, and sometimes tenderness. Bruised also contains a slew of really strong performances, the most interesting of which is delivered by Sheila Atim as the sage mentor/manager. Adriane Lenox, Adan Canto and Shamier Anderson also shine in supporting turns, as does Danny Boyd Jr., who has the unenviable task of creating a character out of a shameless trope. He manages. There are workout montages. There are emotional subplots. There is backsliding and heartbreak. It wouldn’t be an underdog sports film without them. But every so often, Berry gives us something raw and surprising. The performance makes you realize her range is wider than we may have expected. The film points out that her talent is greater than expected, too. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Netflix < All Reviews Next Film Review >

2Late film review by UK film critic Isaac Parkinson. Starring Adam McCaffrey, Gary Wales, Beth Reader, Simon Millar, Lindsey Mitchell directed by Phil McAleavey and Gary Wales. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS 2Late Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Isaac Parkinson | Posted on: Jun 18, 2022 Directed by: Phil McAleavey and Gary Wales Written by: Adam McCaffrey Starring: Adam McCaffrey, Gary Wales, Beth Reader, Simon Millar, Lindsey Mitchell An anti-bullying educational drama that plays on sentiments to reiterate ideas about bigotry that should be assumed and yet never seem to take hold. Life in a small town is difficult when you’re different from everyone around you. The pressure to conform is heightened by the homogenous social expectations and the constant exposure of an everyone-knows-everyone culture. There’s nowhere to hide who you are, but why should you have to? Sam (McCaffrey), a teenage boy, is the object of cruelty for several local bullies. Inflicting random and senseless violence on him and his best friend Reece (Wales), they have identified some difference within him and want to attack it as brutally as they can. This scene is the first instance an odd reverb on the sound, making some of their dialogue difficult to understand. The naturalistic lighting and shallow focus on a muted and subdued working class Britain has shades of Andrea Arnold’s film, such as Wasp (2003). As Reece returns, he’s confronted by his father, who doesn’t want him to be friends with Sam due to a growing reputation in the town. The pervasive homophobia of their world and increasing rumours that Sam is gay have made Reece’s father worried about how they friendship will reflect on their own family. Even in their two-degree-removed connection, he wants to protect his social reputation at all costs. This generational bigotry not only comes from his friends’ parents, but from Sam’s own family. Upon returning home with visible injuries, Sam’s family appears apathetic. His mother is unbothered by his bruises and generally depressive mood. His father is more violent. After finding texts on Sam’s phone which confirm his sexuality, his alcoholic rage leads him to hit Sam, shouting “No son of mine is gonna be a queer!” It’s implied this isn’t the first beating Sam has suffered at his father’s hands. Sam’s internal conflict is only worsened by his admission to Reece that he is both gay, and in love with him. The dependency he feels towards Reece, as the only kind and understanding friend he has, is strained by the fact that he needs more than friendship from him now. Their relationship is touching, and sold well by both performers. “I do love you, but not the way you love me,” Reece tells Sam. While this is heartbreaking, there is some comfort to the fact he is at least able to express homosocial affection. The generational difference between them and their fathers gestures towards some hope for changing attitudes. One of his bullies briefly takes pity on Sam, telling him to go home. As if there is a home to go to. But the idea of an escape to a sanctuary of safety is impossible, as the inside world is just as deadly as the outside. There is nowhere to be himself, and therefore nowhere to be. The conclusion to this tragedy is predictable, and there’s some exhaustion to seeing the same homophobic abuse and self-inflicted end come to fruition over and over again. But at the same time, these educational dramas remain unavoidable as long as they are reflective of true experiences for young LGBTQ people. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Isaac Parkinson Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A song film review by UK film critic George Wolf. Starring Leonard Cohen, Nancy Bacal, Steve Berkowitz directed by Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A song Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: George Wolf | Posted on: Aug 2, 2022 Directed by: Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine Written by: Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine Starring: Leonard Cohen, Nancy Bacal, Steve Berkowitz For longtime fans of Leonard Cohen, the continued pop culture embrace of “Hallelujah” can sometimes feel bittersweet. Other times it just makes you want to scream. Jeff Buckley didn’t write it! It’s not a Christmas song! And for God’s sake, stop messing with the lyrics! And even though that’s satisfying to yell when another TV talent show contestant attacks Cohen’s masterpiece with more bluster than feeling, you can’t deny you’re guilty of an equally false claim of ownership. As singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile rightly points out, by now the song “Is its own person. It has a life of its own.” So, how’d that happen? Back in the early 80s, “Hallelujah” was DOA, buried on a Cohen album that Columbia Records dismissed outright as unworthy to release. Alan Light first tracked the song’s ascent in his 2012 bestseller “The Holy or the Broken,” and Light serves as a consultant to co-directors Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine for their documentary examination. Straddling the line between biopic and expose, the film gives the uninitiated an overview of Cohen’s background while indulging veteran admirers with a deeper dive into his most acclaimed composition. Geller and Goldfine interview fans, friends and journalists, tracking Cohen’s unique troubadour life alongside the gradual wave of “Hallelujah” cover versions. It seems only right that Bob Dylan was one of the first to recognize the song’s genius, and it’s a treat to hear his interpretation set the stage for the mainstream breakthrough that came via Jeff Buckley and Shrek (John Cale in the film, Rufus Wainwright on the soundtrack). But the film’s strongest moments come through the intimacy of hearing from Cohen himself, and getting closer to his often tortured songwriting process (“If I knew where songs came from, I would go there more often”). We see notebook after notebook full of lyrics, while handwritten lines appear and disappear as guesses are made as to just how many verses (100? 180?) Cohen wrote for “Hallelujah” alone. At times Geller and Goldfine lean back on biography just when the musical detective work is cooking, but A Journey, A Song ultimately connects the two with a resonant thread. Leonard Cohen was a seeker, always striving to reconcile the primal with the spiritual. The process may have taken several years, but he wrote a song that lays that search bare with unparalleled eloquence. And though Cohen himself admitted before his death that “too many people sing it,” Geller and Goldfine are smart enough to include plenty of footage of Cohen performing the song himself, and to close with k.d. lang’s goosebump-time version that Cohen hinted was his favorite. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic George Wolf Theatrical Release, Documentary < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Finellis film review by UK film critic Amber Jackson. Starring Mark Janicello, Timo Merkhoffer, Gabriela Burkhardt directed by Mark Janicello. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Finellis Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Amber Jackson | Posted on: Feb 13, 2022 Directed by: Mark Janicello Written by: Mark Janicello Starring: Mark Janicello, Timo Merkhoffer, Gabriela Burkhardt Exhibiting a cluster of bizarre and unprecedented events, musician and ex-con Tony Finelli looks back at his so-called ‘extraordinary’ life in Mark Janicello’s latest film: The Finellis. Whilst this comedic feature is brimming with intrigue and possibilities, the concept actualised is absurdly structured with flippant on-the-nose humour as it tries to be satirical. The Finellis situates Tony participating in a ‘tell-all’ interview to celebrate his new musical twenty-five years after his shock arrest and scenes cut between him answering deep and personal questions and him going through the events themselves after his release. Storyline-wise, Mark Janicello’s story is thought-provoking and engaging, maybe in part because it is semi-autobiographical. We sympathise instantly with Tony himself, performed by Janicello himself, as he allows the viewer to empathise with his prison plight. This element of truth is realised in a quirky way throughout the film, with graphics structuring the piece as though it is like a reality show, with swearing bleeped out and laughter following the actors. Tony’s family exists at the core of his story, with his daughters feeling abandoned and his ex-wife acting with constant hostility towards him. Other characters fly in and out of the film with sometimes unclear motives, but they are otherwise equal parts enjoyable and fascinating to watch. Whilst there is a revolving door of different characters that fly in and out of Tony’s journey, each performance is incredibly effective. Every actor remains true to the personality of their individual character throughout the film, especially those in Tony’s family who cement the strength of a chaotic, yet loving, family that embraces many cultures and ways of life. Not landing quite right is the tone that The Finellis adopts for serious moments. As it is a comedy, there are often series of melodramatic shots of Tony’s inner turmoil as he struggles to adjust to life again. There are plenty of jarring camera shots that change frequently and, whilst these make the film feel really full of action, are often inconsistent and slow the film down. Combined with cringe-worthy and occasionally unrealistic jokes that fall flat, you cannot tell if the film itself is being deliberately ironic or if the humour just does not land right. What Mark Janicello claims to be doing is using irony in order to raise awareness of issues concerning gender and sexuality and expose ignorance. This definitely allows for the film to redeem itself in the second half, where the power of performance is used by some characters to be authentic to their true selves. In particular, positive transgender representation is always fantastic to see on screen as a way to empower individuals to like who they are (although, it is weird when Tony appears to compare this struggle to his time in prison). Likewise, fat-shaming and inappropriate sexual commentaries towards drag queens are also ironized, which allude to the point that Janicello was trying to make, however at times the impact of these scenes does not land. The derogatory comments towards marginalized characters that are made do not always feel very welcomed and sometimes feel unnecessary. The Finellis is a comedic feature film with a plot that takes on too many different directions. Although a fascinating and emotional real-life story, the film itself feels a bit too surface-level in its attempt at being satirical. For an escape from reality it is a good watch, but maybe not the film for you if you want to watch something with a bit more impact. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Amber Jackson Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

THE BIGGEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL IN THE MIDLANDS is the Beeston Film Festival. It is now open for its SIXTH year and now ranks in the top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals from the 8,000 festivals registered worldwide. The festival takes place over five days across several venues and screens over 120 films from 35 countries, creating a truly international cinematic experience. It will take place late March 2020. The Beeston Oscar, or B’Oscar, is presented to the best film in the following categories - Drama, Horror, Comedy, Documentary, Animation, Crime, Science Fiction and Student. Further prizes include Best Director, Best Script, Best Cinematography, Best Acting Performance, Best Soundtrack & Sound Design, Women’s Voices and an Audience award, too. The selection process includes review by a team of local Beestonians who select the film accepted into the festival and determine the B’Oscar nomination shortlists. Our B’Oscar award jury comprises of film professionals from across the globe including UK, US, Belgium, France, India, and Taiwan. Beeston Film Festival THE BIGGEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL IN THE MIDLANDS is the Beeston Film Festival. It is now open for its SIXTH year and now ranks in the top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals from the 8,000 festivals registered worldwide. The festival takes place over five days across several venues and screens over 120 films from 35 countries, creating a truly international cinematic experience. It will take place late March 2020. The Beeston Oscar, or B’Oscar, is presented to the best film in the following categories - Drama, Horror, Comedy, Documentary, Animation, Crime, Science Fiction and Student. Further prizes include Best Director, Best Script, Best Cinematography, Best Acting Performance, Best Soundtrack & Sound Design, Women’s Voices and an Audience award, too. The selection process includes review by a team of local Beestonians who select the film accepted into the festival and determine the B’Oscar nomination shortlists. Our B’Oscar award jury comprises of film professionals from across the globe including UK, US, Belgium, France, India, and Taiwan. SEE MORE FILM FESTIVALS

Not all answers are found in Google film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Evalynn Li, Li Jian Feng, Ziyan Li directed by Triden V Balasingam. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Not all answers are found in Google Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Oct 10, 2021 Directed by: Triden V Balasingam Written by: John Mahendran Starring: Evalynn Li, Li Jian Feng, Ziyan Li During COVID-19 lockdown, a child and her grandfather are forced to stay at home, where they spend quality time together. An elderly Chinese man (Feng) is visiting his granddaughter Sera (Li) in Toronto. Sera's mother is due to return soon after spending time abroad, shortly after which her grandfather will go back to China. Then the coronavirus pandemic takes place and the two of them end up spending a great deal of time inside the house, where they cook together, engage in entertaining activities and talk about the values of life. This short is a heartwarming drama that explores the things that matter the most in life and that happiness can be found in the most simple things. It also points out that even terrible events such as pandemics must not prevent people from being positive. The film also spreads the message that technology influences individuals heavily these days, however it cannot replace the significance of memories, which are unique in ways no technological products are. The main focus is the relationship between Sera and her grandfather, which is a very strong one. The two of them care deeply for each other and the grandad is keen to teach his granddaughter how to live a happy life and that creating wonderful memories will play a key part in that. He refuses to let the virus outbreak bring him or Sera down. The acting is rather good, with Feng convincing as an optimistic person, who treasures the most valuable things that life has to offer. Li is the well-behaved child who listens to her grandfather. Her character is growing up in a world that relies on technology for many things, while Feng's character believes that memories can only be created by people. The score is one of the strongest aspects here. Composer Nathaniel Wolkstein creates music that develops an emotional atmosphere, with effective sounds of violin and piano. The score also becomes sinister when the protagonists find out from the news that COVID-19 is occurring. Balasingam does an amazing job as director and creates wonderful establishing shots of nature. This is a moving story about an individual teaching someone else important life lessons, that one must always try to see the good things and that technology is not everything, especially when it comes to memories. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Orchestrator of Storms: The Fantastique World fo Jean Rollin film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Brigitte Lahaie, FrancoisePascal, Kier-La Janisse directed by Dima Ballin, Kat Ellinger. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Orchestrator of Storms: The Fantastique World fo Jean Rollin Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Feb 13, 2023 Directed by: Dima Ballin, Kat Ellinger Written by: Dima Ballin, Kat Ellinger Starring: Brigitte Lahaie, FrancoisePascal, Kier-La Janisse Who is Jean Rollin? He was an underappreciated French genre filmmaker of the 70s, 80s and 90s – kind of the Jess Franco of France. Who is Jess Franco? A horror filmmaker known primarily for lurid, colorful B-pictures, often featuring hot, naked lesbian vampires. He’s the Jean Rollin of Spain. You’ll be better able to tell them apart if you watch Orchestrator of Storms: The Fantastique World of Jean Rollin . Documentarians Dima Ballin and Kat Ellinger want to make sure the world remembers and recognizes Rollin’s contribution to film. Changing the smarmy discourse among those of us who do know his work is a second-tier goal. That’s not to say that the filmmakers shy away from Rollin’s poor critical reception or comparisons to Franco. Indeed, Rollin stepped in to complete two films Franco started, including Zombie Lake , a film so terrible it nearly ended Rollin’s career. Talking with several of Rollin’s colleagues, a couple of the actresses best known for his films, and writers who’ve championed his work, Orchestrator of Storms tells the tale of an artist who loved what he did and struggled to make a career out of filmmaking regardless of the challenges. He even directed a load of hard-core porn titles to keep the lights on. Fascinatingly, one of the challenges was France itself, which, in the 70s and 80s, was hardly a hot spot for genre filmmaking. Being a contemporary of New Wave artists, Rollin faced backlash for his fanciful, decidedly unpolitical output. A lot of the struggle could also have been that many of Rollin’s films are just plain terrible, a possibility mostly unexplored in the doc. But what’s most intriguing is the image you get of Rollin as a person, mainly from actors Brigitte Lahaie and Francoise Pascal, as well as former film festival programmer Kier-La Janisse, who also produces. They build a picture of a humble, kind man driven to exercise his imagination. And, as the film rightly points out, there are times when that imagination delivered amazing product. Fascination, The Iron Rose and Living Dead Girl are more than macabre dances among the nubile nude, although they certainly are that as well. With these films, Rollin’s evocative imagery details gruesome stories unlike anything else. Orchestrator of Storms would have benefitted from more of Rollin’s work. Though Vallin and Ellinger do a fine job of enlivening talking head footage, no one’s movies looked like Rollin’s. Talking about his aesthetic doesn’t do them justice. You need to look at them. That aside, this is a film that deeply appreciates a filmmaker who rarely received such love. The conversations are candid and often moving. The film leans a little too close to mash note, but there is something undeniable in the work of Jean Rollin that probably deserves this kind of love. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Digital / DVD Release, Documentary < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Tropical Night film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Kate Chan, Sebastian Law, Lucia Tong, Annie Long directed by Sebastian Li. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Tropical Night Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Jun 3, 2022 Directed by: Sebastian Li Written by: Yuan Xu, Noemi Korn, Sebastian Li Starring: Kate Chan, Sebastian Law, Lucia Tong, Annie Long A short film about the world of webcam girls. Jo (Chan) is an Asian student who lives with her mother (Tong). After her friend Alvin (Law) informs her about a website where women offer services as cam-girls in return for financial rewards, she decides to have a look and find out more about it. This interesting drama offers an insight into life as a webcam girl and investigates online socialising in general and it is also a coming-of-age story. The film begins with a computer screen containing an online conversation between Jo and Alvin, with browser windows that contain their characters as they are being filmed by webcams. The narrative then moves on to a conversation that Jo has with her mother while sitting at a table and eating. After that, Jo looks into the adult website, curious to see what camming is all about, which takes up approximately half of the film's duration. The screenplay focuses a great deal on the cam-girl universe and social media and the majority of the image is set on a computer screen. Jo spends a lot of time observing a webcam girl named Stacie (Long) and asks her questions regarding why she does that type of work and generally what it is like making a living as a cam-girl, while other users just flirt with her. Stacie is friendly and appears content with her decisions. The story does not focuse solely on how people utilise social networking services, as it explores Jo's family life, which is experiencing difficulties due to her father's absence and her mother is eager for her to find someone and be settled for life. The plot also involves an Asian King whose concubine has just been released from prison. The acting is good and Chan is convincing as a schoolgirl who is reaching a point in her life where she has to make decisions for herself. Tong is emotional as a mother who wants her daughter to live a comfortable life. The filmmakers effectively use webcams and social networking services in order to tell a story and the romantic song that is heard during the webcam girl part was a good choice. This short explores family values and looks into the world of camming. Focusing on interesting themes and utilising creative filmmaking techniques, this achievement offers a thoughtful experience. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

No Distinction In You And Me film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Madelon Schoenmaker, Anwar Lachman directed by Roman and Florian de Rijk. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS No Distinction In You And Me Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Oct 21, 2023 Directed by: Roman and Florian de Rijk Written by: Roman and Florian de Rijk Starring: Madelon Schoenmaker, Anwar Lachman Just to avoid any confusion or conflation with current events it’s probably best to say from the start that short film, No Distinction In You And Me from Dutch brothers and co-filmmakers, Roman and Florian de Rijk was shot in 2017 and completed in 2020. The fact that the film has suddenly become a whole lot more relevant, as well as seemingly prescient, will hopefully allow it to now reach a far larger audience and take with it its positive message of humanity, acceptance and understanding to the wider world. Beginning with a short poem and a long title inspired by the words of Rumi, No Distinction In You And Me is selling us on the idea that we are all the same, that there is no difference in our ethereal identity, and any pain done unto others is merely pain done unto ourselves. The illustration of this presented by the de Rijk brothers is that of a war zone, of rubble strewn rooms and blasted in windows. An unnamed female soldier enters the scene clad in bomb-proof gear which bears no insignia, symbol or flag. She surveys the devastation and loses herself to thought, arranging fallen shards of glass into memories, believing herself to be alone until a Muslim man emerges from the surrounding debris. The man only wishes to lay out his mat and pray but he is immediately met with distrust, hostility and a gun in his face. There are obvious parallels to be made with what is happening in the world right now, but it was a smart decision from the filmmakers to keep the allegiances of the soldier nameless, so that any false parallels could not be drawn to serve one cause or another. It is the overarching idea of No Distinction In You And Me that unity should conquer all and the feeling of the whole production is geared towards bringing this across to the audience. A beautiful score from Xander Slikker and violinist Kirsten Timmerman guides us through the tragedy towards hope and humanity with its light and beautiful tones, while the photography from Ruben de Boer keeps things personal and real up front yet expansive and ethereal outwith the scene. The silent performances from Madelon Schoenmaker and Anwar Lachman are understated yet powerful and everything is brought together solidly by the de Rijk brothers, who seem to have achieved what they set out to create. At only six-minutes long, No Distinction In You And Me is a glimmer of light in a chasm of darkness. Its themes, ethos and energy revolve around a desire for togetherness and it looks to share a commonality of all peoples with its audience. With all that’s taking place in the world at the moment it’s nice to hear a voice of hope and unity, one which isn’t preachy or judgemental, but which treats its audience with the same care and attention as it gives to its themes and its characters. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Short Film, Digital / DVD Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >