The Helen Reddy biopic is firmly formulaic and second-wave, but it still manages to inspire.
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New Cinephilia: The Rise and Rise of A24
Rhea Thomas dives deep into the independent US studio’s cleverly constructed public image, from ‘Midsommar’ merch to the reinvention of Robert Pattinson.
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Review: ‘Women Make Film’, and How, In This Epic Documentary Chronicling the Female Gaze
Mark Cousins’ gargantuan series on female directors is captivating and aspirational from every one of its 14 hours.
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Review: Death, Lesbians, and Disappointment in ‘Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt)’
It may be a meaningful step forward for Australian queer cinema, but this lesbian teen rom-com offers little outside of representation.
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Review: ‘The Tango of the Widower and Its Distorting Mirror’ is Little More Than A Fragmented Reflection of Former Greatness
Filmed in 1967 and reconstructed in 2020, Matilda Alexander ponders Raúl Ruiz’s Chilean cinépoem, which brims with visionary ambition.
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‘Ema’ and the Explosive Composite of the Dance Film
Pablo Larraín’s latest film is a metaphysical exploration that gives into the domination, submission and total openness of the senses.
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Lessons in Tenderness from ‘First Cow’
Kelly Reichardt’s quiet film offers examples of kindness amongst the exploited.
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Review: ‘Corpus Christi’ is a Clear-Eyed Drama about Faith and Fraud
There are no simple truths in this bittersweet, confronting film of a delinquent Polish youth masquerading as a Catholic priest.
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Review: The Adolescent Panic of ‘Shiva Baby’
Emma Seligman’s debut feature is an affecting examination of the pressures, anxieties and insecurities of young womanhood.
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The Slippery Substance of ‘Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets’
Matilda Dorman deciphers the hollow political and social resonances that lie with a quasi-fictional film about a bar on closing night.
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Review: Artificial Unintelligence in ‘Coded Bias’
Shalini Kantayya’s documentary is a methodical look at facial recognition algorithms which avoids being by-the-numbers.
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Review: The Dread of Waiting in ‘La Llorona’
This slow-burning Guatemalan ghost story deals with heavy questions about complicity and justice.
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Melbourne International Film Festival 2020 Shorts Round-Up: Animation
In this year’s impressive Animated Shorts line-up, three films elevate the mundane through style and tone.
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Melbourne International Film Festival 2020 Shorts Round-Up: International
In this year’s heavy-hitting International Shorts line-up, three women-centric films stand out, exploring separate facets of female isolation.
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Review: ‘The Plastic House’ Tends To A Garden of Isolation and Grief
The repetitive imagery and near silence of Allison Chhorn’s experimental film may cause pandemic-era viewers to reflect on their own daily routines.
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Review: Mortality Confronted in ‘Father to Son’
Hsiao Ya-chuan crafts a rewarding, if at times confounding tale of paternal love, politics, and temptation.
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You Tried: Uma Thurman in ‘Batman and Robin’
Thurman is the sole performer in this goofy BatFilm to not only perfectly reflect Schumacher’s weightless camp, but to enrich it.
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A Quiet Observer: An Interview with Jakeb Anhvu
James Walsh talks to the director of ‘A Hundred Years of Happiness’ about blending in as a documentary filmmaker, and using an observational approach to allow his young Vietnamese female subject to speak for herself.
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Sketch & Study: ‘A Year Full of Drama’
Marta Pulk documents a teen’s shifting sense of self, as she is tasked with watching 224 plays in 365 days.
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Review: ‘Descent’ is a Cathartic Deep Dive That Takes Your Breath Away
Nays Baghai crafts an empathetic portrait of ice freediver Kiki Bosch, exploring how the traumas of her past led her to the extreme sport.
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Review: ‘Rosemary’s Way’ Introduces Audiences to the Australian Hero We Need Right Now
It’s hard not to fall for the community spirit and gentle charms of Ros Horin’s sophomore documentary feature.
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Review: Superstition as Anesthesia in ‘Zana’
Set in the aftermath of the Kosovo war, Antoneta Kastrati explores the stigmatisation of female psychology in her unflinching narrative debut.
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Review: ‘Sea Fever’ is a Moody Deep-Sea Sci-Fi
Watery characterisation and borrowed genre tropes leave this thriller down among the dead men.
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Sydney Film Festival 2020 Shorts Round-Up: Animation
Although ‘GNT’ and ‘The Quiet’ are animated, they’re far from two-dimensional.
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Sydney Film Festival 2020 Shorts Round-Up: Live-Action
‘Her Own Music’, ‘Mukbang’, and ‘Idol’ tell their stories of adolescence and social media madness sensitively – and quickly.
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Translating Between Two Worlds: An Interview with Nays Baghai
Michelle Wang speaks with the director of ‘Descent’ about the physical and psychological journey of filming an underwater exploration of the soul.
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The Illusions of Idolatry: An Interview with Alex Wu
Ahead of ‘Idol’’s Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, Alex Wu talks about his short film, the one-take structure, and being influenced by Lee Chang-Dong and Asghar Farhadi.
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Review: ‘The Weather Diaries’ Speaks to Parenting in an Environmental Crisis
In her documentary, Kathy Drayton affectingly examines the climate crisis in Australia and its influence on her relationship with her daughter.
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Review: ‘A Hundred Years of Happiness’ is a Marriage of Unfulfilled Potential and Slow Storytelling
Jakeb Anhvu’s observational documentary can feel more like an exercise in aesthetics than the fascinating cultural study it promises.
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Fantasy and Loneliness in ‘Tremble All You Want’
Curated by Tokyo International Film Festival, Akiko Ohku’s 2017 comic romance deftly explores the dangers of idolising relationships when it halts an engagement with real-life.
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