David Parkinson

A painful and poignant excoriation of the American dream.

At the venerable age of 84, documentary maven Wiseman hasn't lost his touch.

Filipino maven Diaz delivers a bravura, literary human drama that does justice to its great source material.

An intriguing look at a lost voice.

A sparse and languid Italian thriller that carries a debt to Melville.

Shot with grace and precision but paced with all the urgency of a Sunday afternoon stroll, Joanna Hogg's Haneke-lite study of an English middle class family is a well-crafted affair elevated by terrific moments.

A romance not nearly as seductive as its lead actress.

As meticulous as one of Claudel's sculptures, Hors Satan director Dumont and his star do this true-life story justice with an empathetic telling.

A road trip movie filled with simple pleasures. Ashmore does a solid job as a mariachi musician without a single grenade-launcher in his guitar case

Despite visceral moments, it often feels like an excuse to use footage that didn’t make the 2010 film.

Forte and Peake excel in a notable debut from Green that marks her out as a director to watch.

This leaden relocating of an iconic German saga to 16th-century France isn’t helped by the miscast Mads Mikkelsen’s morose display as Michael Kohlhaas.

Over-the-top but blackly funny along the way.

A fly-on-the-wall look at the band that will thrill fans but may not convert too many non-believers.

A timeless musical treat and the most fun you can have with really elegant clothes on.

A romantic-comedy that isn't funny or romantic.

A snappy, quirky German indie that will thrill fans of early Jim Jarmusch.

A laudably even-handed examination of a highly charged subject.

Powerful and mesmerising, this offers an fresh approach to a tough topic.

A fun and frothy mock-doc with a message buried in its axle.

A largely dour romantic drama, hampered by thrusting non-actors into challenging lead roles.

A moving treatment of a deeply personal subject (France's own partner died of an AIDS-related illness in 1992), and an enthralling depiction of a seriously fired-up popular movement.

The mesmerising García and sensitive direction by Lelio light up this delicate yet spiky drama. Terrific stuff from both Chileans.

If not quite on the level of Garbus's terrific Bobby Fischer documentary, this still filled with fond recollections of Mazza's life and career. Fans will relish it.

Unsurprisingly, considering the circumstances, this is less a meticulous study of photojournalist's art than an privileged and emotional look at the life of a friend and colleague.

Shot in magisterial black-and-white, veteran director Trueba's drama is a welcome return from the Belle Epoque man.

A sometimes over-simplified but often affecting look at forbidden love.

A deeply affecting glimpse of a man's quest to salvage beauty from tragedy.

Slightly jerry-built reconstructions detract from an intriguing film with a unique angle on the country legend.

Angry, impassionate filmmaking that demands - and deserves - serious answers.

As simple and charming as you could wish for, this is a genuinely pioneering debut from a female Saudi filmmaker and a striking piece of work by any standards.

Impassioned and disturbing, this documentary matches "The Cove" for marrying cool intellect with real fire.

Bold and beautiful, this is a mystery worth puzzling over.

Now practically an exile from his homeland, Kiarostami follows Certified Copy with another film-literate relationship drama with the enigmatic overtones of Hitchcock.

As angry and unflinching a piece of documentary filmmaking as you'll see this year.

It's a stark vision of humanity in a hellish world. Tough and thought-provoking.

Lustrous photography and a fine cast make this dark drama a compelling one.

Funny and freewheeling, it's a joy.

Superbly judging tonal shifts and juggling disparate storylines, this snapshot of a Refice street reveals the class, gender, racial and historical fissures in Brazilian society, while also making for riveting drama right down to the shocking sting in the tail.

A bruising psychodrama from the Palme d'Or winner that taps into the dark heart of central European superstition.

A timely documentary that seeks to amuse and inform as much as alarm.

Bleak and compelling.

Shot in beautiful black and white with some stunning visuals, Gomes' narrative quest is a understated gem.

An intense, emotional ride. Uplifting and inspiring.

Tender and touching, this gay coming-of-ages story is underpinned by a terrific, subtle turn from newcomer Florizoone.

A touching and revelatory piece of film-making about the plights of real people living in an uncertain world.

A few plot holes hold back what is otherwise a well cast and compelling picture.

A delight from start to finish.

Best known until now for Oscar-winning holocaust drama "The Counterfeiters," Karl Markovics flexes his muscles on the other side of the camera with terrific effect. A fine, moving debut for the new writer/director.

Klayman exploits the opportunity to follow a man at the eye of a cultural and political storm, although more detail on his creative process and private life would have welcome.

A mix of the fascinating and the frustrating: some of the dishes are exciting and interesting, however, 108 minutes of detail causes this documentary to fall short of its potential.

Enjoyably satirical and occasionally insightful, it's betrayed by some lazy stereotyping.

Quietly compelling, the cerebral slice of social realism is well worth hunting down.

A charming, visually sparkling Parisian fantasy with a dark edge.

Hansen-Løve again shows what a gifted storyteller she is with this tender, realistic portrayal of young love.

Much-maligned it may be, but the so-called mumblecore movement continues to turn out gems. Lena Dunham's lo-fi, witty treatment of a semi-autobiographical tale adds another dozy to the canon.

Complex and sophisticated, this genre-defying crime story is spellbinding viewing.

As Cunningham goes about his work chronicling changes in fashion and the city he loves, a portrait emerges of a man deserving of ever bit of the respect and esteem in which he's held. There's few sharp edges or dirt digging, but it's no less engaging for that.

Tsangari proves she's one of the freshest voices in European cinema with this offbeat character piece.

A tough but deeply rewarding watch. Search it out.

A quirky road-trip movie with things to say. A return to form for Depardieu too.

Veers too close to hagiography, although it's visually arresting enough to carry you through sagging in the narrative.

Keiller's follow up to his cine-essays London and Robinson In Space is another intelligent, thought-provoking piece of filmmaking.

Powerful art cinema that challenges political and social unity in Iran.

Storytelling of breathtaking scale and grandeur, even if the complex plotting may twist your synapses along the way.

Occasionally lacking in context but never less than intriguing, Jarreth Merz's polished film is a handy document to a rarely visited democracy.

Chock full of larger-than-life characters, it's an enthralling insight into a raw, bloodied world.

Charming but uneven, director Améris's film doesn't know whether to make us laugh or cry, and ends up doing neither. Still, a smart script offers plenty to keep incurable romantics happy.

Ironically, it lacks journalistic rigour but it's a fond, nostalgic look at the gilded history of the Grey Lady.

A subtle and sensual character study.

Some acute performances do justice to the novel in a quirky adaptation of the novel. Balasko steals the show as the prickly concierge with the warmer side.

An intriguing and compelling documentary that provides insight into Kiefer's artwork.

A welcome return from Hoop Dream director Steve James. Even at just shy of three hours, the format strains to accommodate such a complex, involving true-life story, but it makes a seriously impressive attempt.

A thriller that twists and turns with an understated power that will have you gripping the arm of your seat. Terrific stuff.

A slick, enthralling look at the life of Vallanzasca but fails to truly get under his skin.

A beautiful but slow moving celebration of life, stunningly photographed.

This grungy anti-musical will offend just about everyone with its attitude towards women, gays, kids, and the elderly.

Laurent's brushstrokes always feel a little too broad to capture the finer details of the legendary New Wavers, but some fascinating archive footage saves his documentary from missing the mark altogether.

A gently moving film that's always thought-provoking if at times a little slow going.

A touching and insightful black comedy that gracefully spans sixty years.

Even if Rupert Murray's film does turn out to be a hoax, there's no denying the ingenuity involved in its making.

Although not all the loose ends are tied up in the telling of this bizarre and absorbing tale of love, grief and goose-bumps, one scarcely minds at all, since the fourth-dimensional doings on offer, (underlined with a marvellously moody, haunting score by Zbigniew Preisner) are like an erotic trip into The Twilight Zone.

Once the political correctness is side-stepped, this contains classic chemistry from its two leads.

Typical James Stewart defeating bullies with integrity stuff.

Captivating and poignant portayal of life on the edge for the disregarded of our societies.

Magnificent absurdist crime drama from the master of suspense.

Bleak brilliance.

Satirical Samurai action of the highest order.

Audacious, yet sensitive, Fire may shock traditionalists but is the sort of film that ought to win Indian cinema a whole new audience.

The execution could be improved, but the sheer zip of the real life story just about carries this wartime tale along.

Hitchcock's penultimate film deals with many of his previous themes with typical grim comedy and insight into a psychopathic killer's mind.

Less audacious than A Bout de Souffle, this is, however, one of Godard's most accessible pictures. A good place to learn how much of a debt modern cinema owes him.

A classic of the weepy genre so have some toilet roll handy.

Cocteau has produced a bizarre, interesting although at times tedious movie.

Dark but beautiful.

Tautly scripted by director Per Fly and bullishly played, this is soap for the ciné-sophisticate.

For all its self-conscious pizzazz, this is irresistibly entertaining.

A positive and personal look at the Israel/ Palestine divide through the quest of one woman to maintain her own property.