‘Amrum’ Presents Wartime Distress with Visual Grace
Fatih Akin’s visually beautiful wartime drama, Amrum, turns a child’s survival into a memory handed from one talented filmmaker to another.
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‘Hamnet’, Memory and the Politics of Allegory
Zhao’s Hamnet subverts the “great man narrative” not by centering on the rising career of Shakespeare, but instead on the cost of his genius.
The Best TV of 2025 You May Have Missed
These best TV shows you may have missed include a show that’s ludicrously funny, one filled with scattershot mayhem, one that’s brutal and macabre, and a surreal comedy.
Michael Winterbottom’s ‘Shoshana’ and the Slow Death of the Prolific Auteur
Like Steven Soderbergh, director Michael Winterbottom has become very good at shapeshifting, making his work difficult to shoehorn into a genre.
‘Sirius’ Casts a Glittering Eye on WWII Hungary
The not-so-subtle commentary on Hungary’s German and Italian allies, disguised within a lavish, escapist, romantic fantasy, is only one of the surprising things about Sirius.
‘The Lowdown’ Finds Hilarity in the Lowest Places
At turns a twisty whodunit, historical drama, tender family comedy, and farcical urban safari, The Lowdown overwhelms, but never wears you down.
‘Peter Hujar’s Day’ Finds and Makes Meaning in the Mundane
Ben Whishaw achieves something close to dialectical mesmerism in Peter Hujar’s Day; his performance is simultaneously monumental and mundane.
Erich Von Stroheim and Cecil B. DeMille’s Fetishistic Films
Erich Von Stroheim’s films fetishised a scandalous poke to the public’s eye, whereas Cecile B. DeMille’s films obsessed over middle-class verities.
‘Drop Dead City’ Finds New York’s Soul at Its Lowest
Documentary Drop Dead City tells a serious story about NYC’s 1975 financial crisis with wit, gusto, and occasional profanity
In Northern Ireland, Absence Makes the Heart Feel More Deeply
Writers like Jan Carson understand that, in the absence of the Troubles, people of Northern Ireland may not know who they are, culturally or artistically, or may struggle to articulate who they are without it.
MoMA’s Film Restoration Fest To Save and Project Eyes Bad Behavior
MoMA’s film restoration fest To Save and Project eyes bad behavior with a Casanova, Western gunmen, pre-Code showgirls and drug addiction.
The Best Film of 2024
Our Best Film of 2024 commemorates intriguing films, emerging voices and celebrated doyens searching for stranger narratives and new angles on existing legends.