Review: Destabilised Representation in ‘Searching Eva’
Director Pia Hellenthal has provided her subject the opportunity to engage in a unique form of on-screen introspection — but it’s an approach that yields limited insight.
Read more
Cinemascopes: Aquarius
Trip out, detach (with intention), and change the world.
Read more
Review: ‘L.A. Tea Time’ Soaks up Life like a Sponge
A pair’s road trip to meet filmmaking hero, Miranda July, turns into a dreamy journey of observation and self-discovery.
Read more
Review: ‘AIDOL’ is the spawn-point of a new cinematic age, for better or worse
Part machinima, part musical; Lawrence Lek synthesises together something totally original.
Read more
Those Grey Men in ‘Leave the Bus Through the Broken Window’
A winding trip through Hong Kong’s art world digs at the cryptic muddle of art.
Read more
Review: Travel Deconstructed in ‘Tourism’
Daisuke Miyazaki questions the merit of travel as two Japanese micro-influencers document their vacation to Southeast Asia.
Read more
Review: The Beautiful World of ‘Emma.’
Autumn de Wilde’s Austen adaptation is a female fantasy, and it’s all the more better for it.
Read more
Review: Going Downriver with ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’, a Lyrical Ode to Friendship
Sophie Gibson reflects on the fascinating, frustrating story of time and place hidden in this indie dramedy.
Read more
‘The Lighthouse’ in Three Parts
Isolation, repression, two bodies, and a lingering stench.
Read more
The Unexceptional Hero in ‘A Hidden Life’
Terrence Malick’s latest opus brings to the fore the unconventional heroism of ordinary people.
Read more
Tactile Affects in ‘J’ai Perdu Mon Corps’ (‘I Lost My Body’)
After watching Jeremy Clapin’s new film in a Parisian theatre, Lauren Ironmonger reflects on the incorporeal power of touch.
Read more
‘Little Women’, ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’, and the Significance of Materiality
Indigo Bailey admires Céline Sciamma and Greta Gerwig’s visions of female artistry – of something tangible, intimate, and real.
Read more
Review: ‘Underwater’ is a theme park movie par excellence
The Kristen Stewart deep-sea disaster movie is a comforting B-movie indulgence.
Read more
Review: ‘Like A Boss’ Accidentally Argues For Its Own Irrelevance
There’s definitely a story to be told about struggling small businesses relying on charity from billionaires to succeed in an increasingly stratified financial class system, but Like A Boss isn’t interested in telling it.
Read more
What Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ Tells Us About Film In 2019
Elroy Rosenberg spotlights Scorsese’s creative ambition in the midst of 2019’s slick, focus-group filmmaking.
Read more
Review: The Quiet Wisdom of ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood’
Tom Hanks gives a miraculous performance as Fred Rogers. Unfortunately, he’s not the main character.
Read more
You Tried: Richard E. Grant in ‘Spice World’
Grant’s highly-strung manager nearly turns a 90s cinematic wannabe into girl group gold.
Read more
Review: The Blindingly White Feminism of ‘Bombshell’
This exposé on the ruthless power dynamics of Fox News has surprisingly little to say about the media corporation itself, let alone its complex real-life protagonists.
Read more
Cinemascopes: Capricorn
These glamorous GOATs are already married – to their work.
Read more
Star Wars Should’ve Let the Past Die
Madeleine McRae interrogates blockbuster filmmaking through the legacy of Star Wars and reckons with its Disneyfied future.
Read more
Let’s Fix ‘Cats’!
Eliza Janssen knows how to make 2019’s biggest critical failure less of a cat-astrophe.
Read more
Rough Cut’s Best of the Decade (2010-2019)
To mark the end of the decade, the Rough Cut crew reveal their favourite films of the 2010s.
Read more
Paris Window: An Interview with Amanda Kramer
Ivana Brehas reunites with Amanda Kramer to discuss the release of her film Paris Window.
Read more
Pedro Almodóvar and Quentin Tarantino: A Tale of Two Directors
Bina Bhattacharya reflects on two of her favourite directors’ latest films, and finds unlikely parallels between their filmmaking styles.
Read more
Review: Doctor Sleep
Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation is kinder and less focused than the Kubrick film it cribs from.
Read more
Yesterday Is Gone: Sondheim in ‘Marriage Story’ and ‘Lady Bird’
The music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim mean something to both Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig – Claire White figures it out.
Read more
Cinemascopes: Sagittarius
They’re breathtaking, they’re elegant, and they’re everywhere.
Read more
Review: Seven and a Half
This tapestry display of individual lives highlights the disparate gender inequality in Iran, but falls victim to its otherwise dry thematic explorations.
Read more
Review: Reza
There’s an empty quality to this otherwise impressive, lyrical Persian drama about life after divorce.
Read more
Not Trying to Be Beautiful: An Interview with Selina Miles
Ivana Brehas talks to Martha: A Picture Story’s Selina Miles about joyful art, documenting graffiti and working with legendary art photographer, Martha Cooper.
Read more
Disney Princesses and the Women Who Made Them
Tansy Gardam searches for a fairytale ending in Disney’s first century of female animators and characters.
Read more
Review: Judy & Punch
Mirrah Foulkes’ audacious, violent debut puppeteers together tense domestic drama with a cartoonish shock comedy.
Read more
Common Threads: An Interview with I Am No Bird’s Em Baker
Ivana Brehas speaks with director Em Baker about the myth of the bride, documentary ethics, and the resilience of women.
Read more
A Reflection on Pain and Glory
Sophie Gibson ponders Pedro Almodóvar’s latest in a series of gentle and personal reflections.
Read more
Review: Blinded by the Light
Like its starry-eyed protagonist, Gurinder Chadha’s teen film is far too obsessed with Springsteen for its own good.
Read more
Cinemascopes: Scorpio
It’s the spookiest, sexiest, silliest time of the year.
Read more
Why The Boss Still Works
In the past year, Bruce Springsteen’s music has been the subject of four films ― what is it about The Boss that still resonates with audiences today?
Read more
Guide to The Great Astor Spooktacular of 2019
From psychosexual body-horror filth to satanic panic frights, Jamie Tram steps through the line-up of Melbourne’s most anticipated Halloween filmgoing event.
Read more
Review: Beats
Brian Welsh injects this coming of age tale, set against the last hurrah of Scotland’s rave scene, with visual energy and electric nostalgia.
Read more
Video Essay: Big Duck Richie
A celebration of those times when a guy just comes into your workplace and dances.
Read more
Ride Like a Girl is an Affront to Feminism
Rachel Griffiths’ Melbourne Cup biopic ignores the cruelty through which its female protagonist achieves her so-called ‘success’.
Read more
Pubic Hair and Other Lies: The Farewell
Amidst the noise of diversity and representation discourse, filmmaker Hyun Lee reflects on why she loved The Farewell.
Read more
Review: The Goldfinch
Donna Tartt’s modern classic is adapted faithfully ― and misguidedly ― in this bloated cinematic adaptation.
Read more
Cinemascopes: Libra
Keep your ego in check, and stand up for your beliefs (if you can decide on them).
Read more
Review: Buoyancy
This urgent, authentic coming-of-age tale that takes a devastating look at the exploitative Thai fishing industry is vital viewing.
Read more
Review: The Souvenir
Joanna Hogg’s fragmentary portrait of an emotionally abusive relationship is both painful and distancing.
Read more
Finding Your Voice: An Interview with Lulu Wang
Debbie Zhou talks to The Farewell’s Lulu Wang about cross-cultural communication, building tension in a scene and coming to terms with her personal voice as a filmmaker.
Read more
Cinemascopes: Virgo
Get organised, team up, and listen to your instincts this season.
Read more
Taking Back the Culture: An Interview with And Then We Danced’s Levan Akin
Claire White speaks to And Then We Danced director Levan Akin about same-sex desire, claiming a traditional culture for your own, and the queering of John Hughes.
Read more
Review: Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America
This HBO documentary offers up some alternative perspectives on death rituals, but remains limited by its Western perspectives.
Read more