David Parkinson

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

A final opportunity to see a master at work in this mischievously melancholic delight.

A sensitive, sincere and humbling profile which is truly inspirational.

An explosion of garish colour, wacky detail and surreal complications, Almodovar’s very funny, urban comedy overflows with the unexpected. See it!

Douglas' teeth-clenched, dimple-thrusting megalomaniac is among his best work, while the gossipy screenplay (another Oscar winner) is served wonderfully by Minnelli's lush melodramatics.

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.

A rose-tinted look at American history, certainly, but still a very entertaining one.

Evocative and endearing - a worthy string to the Lean bow.

A tough but deeply rewarding watch. Search it out.

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.

Bette Davis is captivating in this epic study of Southern chivalry.

This is intelligent, admirably unsentimental and utterly involving for its full three-hour running time.

Abetted by Nicolaj Brüel's prowlingly ominous camerawork and Dimitri Capuani's soul-destroying interiors, Garrone proves once again that even the lowest-rung southern Italian gangster can't afford a shred of human decency.

A typical older male mentore story...told with sensitivity and perceptiveness.

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

Making exceptional use of stillness and silence, this is a rather sad study of the passing of traditional concepts of American masculinity along with the landscape that forged them.

Tempering its flights of fancy with moments of whimsical humour and kid’s-eye realism, this thoughtful treatise on growing pains reveals a realist side of Japanimation that’s all too rarely seen.

Costa-Gravas at his hypocrisy and oppression-fighting best.

Enjoyable Hitchcock spoof with much chemistry between the leads and some cracking one-liners.

A magnificent comic performance and a film of genial hilarity.

A truly insightful art film that still manages to be easy-going and unpretentious.

A little clunky at times for contemporary audiences but still manages to truly perturb at times...

Far from an easy watch, either in terms of its hard-hitting content, seemingly haphazard structuring or its dense symbolism. But this makes sense of the political intricacies by balancing the rhetoric and statistics with everyday occurrences that give the iniquities and inadequacies a human face.

What makes this such an affecting picture is the contrast between the wonderfully aloof camels and the interdependence of the extended family, whose smiling resilience only hints at the harshness of an existence that has changed little in centuries.

Recalling the work of Jacques Tati, this is a grim but amusing and ultimately successful effort.

Filmed over 13 days in Tuscany and based on genuine Balkan Route testimony, this is an innovative, immersive insight into the migration crisis that also reveals much about human depravity.

A riveting slice of Romanian new wave drama, haunted by shadows of the Ceausescu era and never less than thought-provoking.

Unpredictable and compelling, this draws parallels between Japanese and German cultures in interesting and moving ways.

An interesting piece from Hungary with much to enjoy, only slightly dampened by the occasional clunky device.

Whether rediscovering La France périphérique or hurtling through the Louvre, Varda and JR make a surprisingly empathetic team and their collaboration is as provocative as it is poetic and poignant.

Atmospheric and engrossing, this meticulous recreation of time and place acquires an unsettling contemporary relevance through its analysis of the mindset of a mass murderer with a death wish.

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

With each subplot reinforcing the simmering sense of unease, this compelling recreation of a pernicious period soberingly exposes the ease with which morality can become a casualty of human nature.

Some may find this sprawling film hard to adjust to, but for those who can, it is a real find. With an imaginative plot and an amusing direction, this charming film is a fitting way to end Cocteau's career.

A daring, dark satire strewn with allusions to modern times.

Visually striking, intellectually challenging and emotionally harrowing.

Masterfully manipulative and bloody scary.

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

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

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

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

This director's cut might smack of self-indulgence, but it also says much about love and loss and the language of an artform that flirts with realism while remaining an illusion.

Although packed with compelling archive footage, this never quite gets into Joplin's head, heart or soul.

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

Superb star turn from Maria Alexandra Lungi but this doesn’t grip as it might.

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.

1954 musical that is woefully miscast in places and extremely dubious in its portrayal of African-Americans but does boast an on-form Dorothy Dandridge.

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

More compelling when focusing on long-serving staff and their skills and opinions

Despite its sketchiness, this offers a vivid insight into the rejuvenation of a decaying city through fury, activism and music.

This spends more time on the tensions between the dominant trio than their landmark campaigning.

Baalsrud never claimed to be a hero and the emphasis of this gripping reconstruction rightly falls on the resourcefulness, courage and self-sacrifice of those who epitomised the spirit of resistance.

A simple, elemental tale that makes breaking the heart seem like the easiest and most natural thing a filmmaker can do to his audience. Which, of course, it isn't.

The science is haphazard, the techniques gimmicky, but the point is cogently made.

Not one of Hitchcock's best, but with a few creative sequences and some sharp writing from Dorothy Parker.

Combining widescreen lyricism and neo-realist intimacy, this is a poignant reflection on the stark situation awaiting so many migrants who risk everything to reach a false paradise. The methodology occasionally feels calculating, but the intentions couldn't be more sincere, as the struggles are destined to continue once the cameras leave.

Farhadi’s gifted storytelling and direction is on show again in a damning look at Iranian society.

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

There are some poignant moments, but Steven's decision to shoot a claustrophobic movie in CinemaScope and the stage-bound feel of the whole enterprise never bring the action to life.