Sabina Dana Plasse

At its core, Come Closer is an unexpected reality check in a coming-of-age story about handling loss. Israeli writer-director Tom Nesher’s debut feature pushes emotions and reveals the underside of life, delivering a universal snapshot set in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Veiel not only provides details of letters and images throughout Riefenstahl but also constructs a story of filmmaking through his own film. He conveys the emotion of “how could she” using selective footage and placement, timed interviews, behind-the-scenes actions, and subtle narration, allowing imagery to tell a story for the viewer to decide their side.

What is clear in the overall message is that women worldwide have something to say about how they are being treated. Merlant makes this theme comedic yet scary. The film is fun-filled with great angles, set décor, acting, and timing.

Kandhari delivers a story one might never expect, lingering with you long after it ends, which is long-winded. He captures many details from set to screen with honest conviction, making them memorable within a very unusual but novel story.

A well-edited and rhythmically moving documentary, SPEAK. communicates with us and will continue to hold its own for many years to come.

The Last Showgirl is a grand moment for Coppola, which she does well, especially with Anderson and Curtis, who are fully committed to their characters and well-studied for their roles.

The intense and fascinating vision and lens through which Guan Hu observes everything makes Black Dog unforgettable and haunting long after watching.

The music is excellent, the direction is clear, and the story does not disappoint, even though it is true and sadly tragic. The acting makes sense and carries the film until the end. Perhaps what makes Girl You Know It’s True success is that you can’t believe it happened and is true.

Well-acted and primarily believable, especially in the ins and outs of London, where most of the film takes place, Midnight Taxi is encapsulating and intriguing. Although it moves steadily for suspense, maybe a bit slow at times, the end is worth the wait.

The excellent sound effects and editing build up the suspense. The well-placed visual cues — I especially enjoyed seeing a public phone — and cinematography add to the tense atmosphere. Yet, Cannon has more important themes at work.

The director creates a very candid and understandable story, offering an in-depth experience of the evolution of the artists with a great deal of artwork and amusing anecdotes. This goes well with archival materials and flurry of imagery, as well as the fun reenactments.

Modernism, Inc: The Eliot Noyes Design Story is well-crafted and educational. Its deep dive into corporate culture design is fascinating.

Gaucho Gaucho is a celebration of a community of Argentine cowboys and cowgirls who live beyond the boundaries of the modern world.

The acting and direction in Lonesome Soldier should appeal to a broad audience, not just those familiar with PTSD and military life and outcomes. In addition, the film is well-shot and scripted, and Jackson Harlow has great screen appeal in every version of himself, along with the film’s supporting cast.

The art direction and attention to detail in The Boys in the Boat are beautiful and well done, especially capturing the feathering of the rowing, the splashing and pools of water, and the creek of the rigging as the team of eight turns the oars with muscle and unison.

Portman delivers a compelling and unabashed performance, one that is award-deserving.

Connecting to humanity as a whole through reading ancient prose and writings and trying to decipher them, Mishory parallels the idea of immigration as not only progress but also survival.

Quirky and uncomfortable but hard to turn away from, Club Zero is reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster, especially because it has a tone of below-average existence masked in contemporary and forward-thinking superficialities.

Each personality comes across with honesty and humility as they encounter age, death, and performance without compromise and on their terms or stage of choice.

Plan C presents how, within a concise timeline that includes before, during, and after a pandemic and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a determined group of women, veteran public health advocates, researchers, social justice activists, and digital strategists fight to increase access to abortion pills in the United States outside of a clinical setting.

Bender’s film never really leaves one’s thoughts even well after it’s over.

A biopic like Oppenheimer allows viewers to take pause and understand how the human mind has powers that propel life and change the world forever.

The film works best on a subconscious level.

It’s a moving drama with an excellent central performance.

Although the main narrative thrust may seem redundant for the genre, this perspective makes this well worth watching. This is especially true thanks to good humor, interesting family and community dynamics, and the lead’s convictions which have been decently constructed.

Although Passion concludes with hasty acts of passion and emotion, it does connect to a more significant issue of how love is fleeting and that commitment is the foundation for moving forward in a life worth living with someone.

All the well-directed decision-making made by Affleck to present a known story reveals how screenwriter Alex Convery crafted a script where actors had the freedom to embrace their characters to the core. And adding the Affleck-Damon recipe makes it even better.

Gilford’s National Anthem offers a sense of beauty to behold and accept. It is visually stunning and a complete story everyone can understand, with great drag performances and other spectacles that make this film memorable.

The movie unfolds with an anxious pace and a consistent building of actions and circumstances.

It flows from one interview to the next seamlessly, whether it’s a celebrity, writer, or friend. The segments never overpower each other. Instead, Martin adds layers and layers of understanding to Karen Carpenter, a woman who left way too soon.

Author Judy Blume had a profound effect on many a young girl and boy’s life and adults whether you read one of her books or all of them. Judy Blume Forever is a testament to why.

Cortés’s devotion to creating a film in honor and respect of Little Richard is also one of achievement and understanding for those who have been marginalized for being who they are.

Offering beauty and strength in an oppressed and marginalized world, Eileen breaks the boundaries of perceived power.

Alchemy of the Spirit is beautifully presented even though it appears as if there’s little happening. The color, light, and lack of detail are multiple layers of thought-provoking cinema. It is an authentic experience where the art of film and visual storytelling are present and effective. To add, Berkeley’s acting is without flaw providing another layer to unpack.

The archival footage, reenactment, well-executed cinematography, and stunning wardrobe and makeup allow Framing Agnes to linger in your thoughts much past its ending. Joynt created an exquisite beauty that banishes the notions that trans is wrong or dirty and highlights how it is wildly misunderstood.

Boesten’s ability to capture the natural beauty and intense emotions revolving around family, ghetto life, drug dealing, and its consequences is exceptional and unexpected. She transforms Master of Light from a straightforward biography of a great but somewhat unknown artist into a poignant documentary that offers something to everyone of any generation.

The Book of Delights is the meeting of mindful deconstruction and visual intrigue about falling and being in love.

Clara Sola is an intriguing film ripe with symbolism and strong performances.

With Brian and Charles, Archer delivers a heartwarming and timeless film. The witty and clever screenplay efficiently sets up Brian’s quirky behavior in a touching and funny way.

It is a straightforward narrative of racism where one man’s courage and refusal to give up provides an outlet for success and reform.

An on-the-scene documentary filled with interviews, action, and archival footage, We Feed People is inspiring to watch and understand how one man can activate so many.

Although overwhelmed by the use of memes, Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets captures a voice and flavor for why GameStop, Robinhood, and WallStreetBets have a meaningful place in history.

However homespun The Fabulous Filipino Brothers might feel or even appear, the film has a certain charm, which many will enjoy.

The overarching story is outstanding and heartbreaking. An incredible amount of material was uncovered and discovered to construct the film.

Dack’s work as a director is on the screen, in the characters, and widely successful with how the actors convey her vision. Her writing and directing of Palm Trees and Power Lines will make a difference because it’s organic, original, and essential.

Perkins brings an entirely new perspective to her life and the events that lead to her untimely death.

With Nothing Compares, Ferguson captures the fire which fuels the still relevant singer. By honing in on a specific time frame but contextualizing it within Sinéad’s life, the film allows us to get to know the subject intimately.

When You Finish Saving the World offers unique insight into family dynamics in a modern society where the shallowness of a virtual world collides with real-life based on purpose and reason.

Although it is interview-heavy, a great deal of archival footage fills out the movie. Udi Aloni offers education and insight into amazing people, motivating you to learn more about them.

Son of Monarchs is a type of philosophical journey but one of beauty and mystical discovery.

The writings of Ma Feng appear to have evoked much of the themes Zhangke captures in his beautiful story and its surface simplicity and deeper subtext. Although it is a bit lengthy, Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue is a well-done and beautifully expressed film for understanding a people and their history.

The gravity and tragedy of each shooting examined are intensely felt. While the subject matter is heavy, by looking at the grassroots movements that have cropped up to fight against this injustice, the director offers a glimmer of hope that change is possible.

While a bit disjointed, the film does offer hidden beauty in a world of seemingly discontent and boredom.

The entire production is odd, and it never gives off the intended thriller vibe. Rather, the whole affair comes off as depressing and sad. Unfortunately, sparse dialogue and subpar acting do not help The Inheritance in what it lacks in story and mystery. It’s too cold and simple, leaving viewers unfulfilled.

Through countless interviews with whistleblowers, historians, and people who have survived Agent Orange, the filmmakers craft a searing portrait of unchecked government oversight and corporate greed at the expense of people’s lives.

Known for her luscious and exquisite cinematography, Cvetko presents a captivating and well-acted story with great style for a film about contemporary love and life awakening, which includes LA anti-establishment undertones and unfocused careers. The breakout performances of Rambaldi, Neyssan Falahi, and Mattia Minasi are noteworthy as the trio flows and carries one another through the end.

The beauty of Young Hearts lies in how authentic it feels.

All in all, I would say that R#J, as a new version of Romeo and Juliet, will have some appeal to its supposed Gen-Z audience, although I’m not sure they will understand it unless they read the play first. But isn’t that always the case that the book is better than the movie? If anything, do watch this film to the absolute very end.

Wright provides a film of hope and faith with extreme, challenging, and harsh realities and presents them with flawless character and a connection to nature and its healing properties.

Fran Kranz’s debut feature-length dramatic film Mass will linger in your head as you process its ability to provide solace in the face of atrocity. Perhaps the most defining quality it exudes is Kranz’s ability to evoke impressive thought-provoking drama within a bare environment of a table, chairs, and four people in an auxiliary church space, the primary location for the entire film.

What makes Breathless a masterpiece along with its style is how Godard captures the overall malcontent, which still resonates with much of modern life as we know it and ultimately leaves us all breathless.

The timing and character engagement of the entire Don’t Tell Larry cast make the film a blast of fresh-air comedy, much like the satirical Office Space and 9 to 5 office comedies of the past.