‘Crisis Actor’ Appears Deceptively Simple
True to its deceptively simple nature, Lily Platt’s Crisis Actor is a bold and captivating reflection on addiction, albeit of a different kind.
Paul Risker
While technically an English-based film critic and interviewer, PopMatters Contributing Editor Paul Risker shows his political disgruntlement towards his homeland by identifying instead as a European writer. You’ll often find him agreeing with the late great French filmmaker, François Truffaut, preferring the reflection of life to life itself – he’ll even tell you that the cinema is more important than life. Often mistaken for a cynic, he prefers to think of himself as a disappointed idealist. Unsurprisingly he likes skulking in the sanctuary of the dark confines of the cinema.Described as "philosophically inclined", he has a broad taste in cinema. His film writing has been published by academic and non-academic publications, including amongst others: PopMatters, Little White Lies, Cineaste, DMovies, VideoScope, Eye For Film, Film International, The Quarterly Review of Film and Video, and Filmmaker Magazine. He’s also on the advisory board of Mise-en-scène: The Journal of Film & Visual Narration (MSJ), the official film studies journal of Kwantlen Polytechnic University and serves as interview editor. He regularly contributes to the Arrow Films blog, the FrightFest festival programmes and online blog.
‘The Dutchman’ Is a Fever Dream Thriller
Director André Gaines’ thriller The Dutchman is a playful meta-narrative with a strange, haunting presence that has the visceral feel of a nightmare.
‘The Incredible Snow Woman’ Warmly Embraces Its Cold Outsider
The Incredible Snow Woman takes in its difficult, dysfunctional, and quirky protagonist and warmly embraces her.
The Best Films of 2025
Like life itself in these times the visceral, the absurd, and the morbid all take their rightful place in our eclectic compilation of Best Films 2025.
‘Die My Love’ Is An Act of Self-Destruction
Die My Love is about destruction and the tearing down of things including, sadly, the film itself.
‘Keep Quiet’ Pits Inner Peace Against Social Turmoil
Crime drama Keep Quiet may seem abrupt and pared-back, but there’s confidence and depth in its study of inner peace amidst social turmoil.
‘The Courageous’ Is Necessarily a Tough Film
Similar to British and European social realist cinema Swiss film The Courageous explores the predatory forces of bureaucratic indifference, societal prejudice, and general small-mindedness.
‘Legend of the Happy Worker’ Appears Deceptively Simple
Western comedy Legend of the Happy Worker is unabashedly a message-oriented film, and its focus, like other fables and parables, is to deliver it in the least complicated way.
‘Mosquitoes’ Punkishly Reckons with Motherhood
The vivid depiction of motherhood in Mosquitoes echoes Marguerite Duras’ sentiment; mothers are “the strangest, craziest people we’ve ever met.”
‘The Birthday Party’ Depicts Ugliness Beautifully
Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s The Birthday Party is a captivating and beautiful exploration of the ugly side of human beings.
‘The Scout’ Takes the Form of a Matryoshka Doll
Paul González-Nasser’s debut drama The Scout lingers thoughtfully on the struggle and awkwardness of human connection.
Fantasia Film Festival 2025 Will Twist Your Mind
Fantasia Film Festival caters to those who will explore the darkest and most extreme corners of genre cinema, while juxtaposing milder and more traditional genre works with dramas and comedies.