Anne T. Donahue

The film is, true to Sorrentino’s style, breathtakingly shot. It is a vibrant, arresting love letter to Naples complemented by the choices of costume artistic director Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent. Every shot is intentional, every close-up serves a purpose. The problem, however, is that the purpose is as surface deep as the characters Parthenope consistently reckons with.

I’m Still Here is a timely, exquisite masterpiece.

A testament to the insidiousness of systemic abuse, Kidnapped illuminates the tragedy of unchecked power exploited by men. It upholds the importance of separating church and state, serving as a painful reminder that authoritarianism is a dangerous road soaked with the tears of its countless victims.

The Burning Season offers a fresh and heart-wrenching take on the collisions of love, betrayal and personal tragedy.

Anthropologists, former missionaries and Chau’s friends offer valuable perspectives – and prompt viewers to examine their own roles in perpetuating ages-old saviour complexes. The Mission’s message is as timely as it is timeless, tragically.

Wasting Collette’s comedic talent and Monica Bellucci’s commanding onscreen presence, the film takes what could be a subversive comment on female rage and turns it into slapstick, failing to give any character enough dimension to warrant spending 90 minutes with them.

Call Jane delivers a striking and affecting message that self-autonomy is crucial to survival, and that the fight for reproductive health is one that we can under no circumstances back down from.

Triumphantly, Young’s work with her ever-changing (and aging) character succeeds in bringing a complicated and resilient character to life.

To director Gilles de Maistre’s credit, a story about two astonishingly different animals – who still share a friendship – is rife with footage that puts almost every Dodo video to shame. Yet sadly, nearly all human interactions weigh it down to the point of creating a frustrating, dramatic and heavy-handed film.

A witty tale of deceit and betrayal, it’s an uncomfortable look at the values we tend to buy into and why.

Despite its unique premise, Eat Wheaties! is easy to embrace.

Much like the heroes of this story, The Retreat manages to defy expectations. And while some gory clichés still abound, it makes for a gruesome, gritty thriller that lets its leads shine.

The Woman in the Window isn’t sure whether it’s a thriller, a drama, a psychological study or a slasher. Each Big Moment™ succeeds in eliciting a reaction, but that just leads to a new state of confusion. Confusion that’s spurred on by questions that aren’t answered.

The plot could have benefited from some sort of subversion – something to make the familiar trope of a dysfunctional family wedding a little less predictable.

Of course, sexism in any realm is hardly shocking. But Lee presents her argument in such a clear and empathetic way that you’re not only enraged by the state of the genre, but how the women we meet are still fighting a fight that’s hurting us all.