Girlhood / Bande de Filles (2014)
★★★★☆
Set to a pulse-pounding soundtrack, Céline Sciamma’s Girlhood encapsulates the careless, giddy energy of teendom.
Female Filmmakers
Argerich Bloody Daughter (2012)
★★★☆☆
A family portrait and a fly-on-the-wall bio-doc of a great pianist, Stéphanie Argerich’s Argerich – Bloody Daughter wraps itself up in maternal knots.
The Falling (2014)
★★☆☆☆
As a wave of falling sickness takes over an all-girls school, Carol Morley’s The Falling plucks female empowerment from a maelstrom of teenage desire.
Appropriate Behavior (2014)
★★★☆☆
Directed, written by and starring Desiree Akhavan, Appropriate Behavior is a very personal New York story of the conflicting demands of love, self and family.
Selma (2014)
★★★☆☆
A powerful dramatisation of Martin Luther King’s final battle, Ava DuVernay’s Selma is a moving account of the march on racism and the man behind the movement.
Citizenfour (2014)
★★★★☆
Insightful and provocative, Laura Poitras’ firsthand account of the days preceding Edward Snowden’s explosive revelations is quietly momentous and powerful.
Serena (2014)
★★★☆☆
Caught between whip-cracking lioness and jealous femme fatale, Susanne Bier’s Serena offers a muddled portrait of the fairer sex.
London Film Festival 2014: The Wonders / Le Meraviglie
The Wonders by Mark Wilshin Following a farming family living on the brink of bankruptcy, Alice Rohrwacher’s The Wonders is a social realist study…
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Night Moves (2013)
★★★★☆
Unrelentingly tense from start to finish, Night Moves is a superbly crafted character-driven drama that maintains its stranglehold on your anxiety from start to finish.
The German Doctor / Wakolda (2013)
★★★☆☆
Uncovering Josef Mengele’s hideout in Argentina, Lucía Puenzo’s The German Doctor struggles to make a monster of the Angel of Death.
Under The Rainbow / Au Bout Du Conte (2013)
★★★☆☆
Amidst a riot of frogs, poison apples, wolves and fairy godmothers, Agnès Jaoui’s Under The Rainbow puts fairytale romance to the test.
Suzanne (2013)
★★★☆☆
An elliptical life torn apart by love and crime, Katell Quillévéré’s Suzanne offers a journey back to happiness and family through absence.
Bastards / Les Salauds (2013)
★★★☆☆
A haunting nightmare in a Parisian dystopia, Claire Denis’ Bastards is an infernal cacophony of sex, blood and broken families.
The Selfish Giant (2013)
★★★★☆
Based on a children’s short story by Oscar Wilde, Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant is a rag and bone tale of friendship de profundis.