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Written by: Gilbert Seah

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Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 03 March 2026

FILM REVIEWS:

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS  (Icelandic: Ástin Sem Eftir Er) (Iceland 2025) ***
Directed by (Icelandic: Ástin Sem Eftir Er)

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS, written and directed by Hlynur Pálmason, stars Saga Garðarsdóttir as Saga and Sverrir Guðnason as Manus in a husband and wife relationship with their three children and pet dog, Pada (the dog has black and white colours looking like a panda).  Their relationship is still there, but they have each made the decision to separate and go their own ways.  But THE LOVE STILL REMAINS in this quiet, simple yet complicated love story

The film has a curious but somehow truthful look at how love manifests itself. Take these two examples.  When the husband says he should spend more time disciplining the kids because he loves them, the wife holds him and then says, “Now you know how it feels.  I am scolding you because I love you.  Another example happens a bit later when the horses escape from the pen.  The wife says: “If it is only someone I hated had forgotten to close the gate.  Then I would have a reason to kill him.”

The sequence of images in the film makes one think.  There is a scene of children playing with the young baby chicks, so cute and cuddly. The boy says the rooster will be fucking them if they are put together. The scenes of the chicks being cuddled are then followed by a scene where chicken wings and drumsticks are on the BBQ being cooked.

(Spoiler alert!)  The film has a rather puzzling ending that is to be examined literally and metaphorically.  One scene of a giant rooster that pecks Manus out of bed isan example of some surrealism found in the film.  One wishes that these segments be left out, as these odd segments only appear near the end of the film. It would be better if the film were clearer.  The ending suggests three core ideas that are not common in relationship-based films.

Love does not always conquer incompatibility.

Two people can care deeply for each other and still fail, which is not surprising since both have strong personalities.

What remains after love changes is nothing — it’s memory, growth, and sometimes quiet gratitude.

The love that remains is shown to be less tragic than it appears, with more acceptance and reflection on the couple than devastation.  This is what distinguishes this film as a whole, making it more thoughtful and interesting.   The three children also come into the picture, as they slowly grow in puberty and adulthood, thus adding to both problems and complicity.  The family dog Panda steals the show, demonstrating that most families should have a pet dog.

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS had its world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2025, where the lead animal actor, Panda, won the Palm Dog Award. It was selected as Iceland's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards but was not nominated.  The film opens in Toronto at the TIFF Lightbox on March 13th.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 22 February 2026

ACCUSED (India 2026) ***
Directed by Anubhuti Kashyap

 

The last time someone made a lesbian movie set in India, there were riots and protests, including the burning of a cinema.  That was the lesbian-themed movie FIRE, directed by Deepa Mehta, a 1996 Indo-Canadian romantic drama that portrays a developing love relationship between two women.  It’s one of the first mainstream films in Indian cinema to depict a lesbian relationship explicitly and sparked significant discussion and controversy upon release.  ACCUSED is a lesbian bas3d drama opening on Netflix. The Indians cannot burn down the cinema this time, unless they want to burn down their own home.

ACCUSED centres on Dr Geetika Sen, a highly respected and accomplished surgeon and gynaecologist working in London.  She is not only celebrated in her field but also seen as a rising leader — poised for even greater responsibility at her hospital.  Geetika and her partner, Dr Meera (her wife), are planning to adopt a child together. The announcement was made at a family gathering, in which the audience was introduced to everyone.  Then comes trouble in paradise.  An anonymous complaint of sexual misconduct lands in the hospital’s human resources department. This allegation brands Geetika as a “sexual predator,” sending shockwaves through her professional and personal world.

The fallout affects both Geetika’s work and relationship.  While Meera initially stands by her, as the scandal grows and rumours intensify, doubt begins to creep into their relationship. Meera wrestles with loyalty, trust, and the disturbing possibility that the person she loves might have crossed boundaries she never expected.

The film plays as a psychological mystery thriller with two issues of whether Geetika is actually guilty of the sexual predator accusation, and also whether her relationship with Meera will survive.  The film also explores how public judgment can form. and the emotional toll that serious allegations can take on someone’s life.  ACCUSED is an entertaining enough thriller, directed efficiently and moving at a fast enough pace.

ACCUSED is available to stream on Netflix starting Friday, February 27th.

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IN COLD LIGHT (Canada 2025) ***
Directed by Maxime Giroux

 

At her mandatory social worker meeting, Maya (Maika Monroe) is asked, “What do you want from all of this?  (i.e., how do you want to see your life go?).  This is the hard part.

Ava, just released from prison after a drug bust, is considering either making a new, clean life for herself or continuing with her drug-dealing business, the one she was forced to leave behind since she has to serve time.  To make matters worse, she is hunted down by a crime boss as well as the police.  She was beside her twin brother in their car when he got shot, and she i prime suspect.

IN COLD LIGHT is a fast-moving crime thriller centring on Ava and her need to manoeuvre her life after prison.  The film is at times difficult to figure out, as the story never makes that clear.  When the price first chased her during a drug bust and arrested her, the segment looks as if he was entering a drug den to make a purchase.   The reason the other drug lords want her out of the picture is also never made clear.

The film, a Canadian production shot in Alberta, features plenty of ranch and rodeo scenes.

The introduction of her deaf and mute father, Will, into the story adds a welcome difference to the story.  Like many other points in the story, the deaf and mute man is only revealed to be her father after they have already appeared in a few scenes together.  The man who picked Ava up after her prison release and hung out with her for a while is only revealed to be her twin after a cop stops them in their car and asks them for identification.  The cause of the brother’s death is also only revealed much later in the story.

The relationship between Will and Ava is emotionally complicated and marked by old wounds.

This aspect adds depth to the thriller as Will slowly becomes both an emotional anchor and a liability.  Given their complicated relationship, Ava must decide whether she can trust her family.  The story explores cycles of damage and survival.

Most of the action takes place at night.  With the neon-lit buildings and cool colours, the mood reflects the cold nature that Ava has to adapt to survive, in the cold light.

Maika Monroe is sufficiently apt inhere role of Ava.  Monroe is an American known as a scream queen, being in films like LONGLEGS and IT FOLLOWS, two highly successful horror films.  Maxime Giroux is a French Canadian director whose third feature, Félix & Meira (2014), a love story between a forty-year-old loner and a young Hasidic wife and mother, received international acclaim.  This is his first English-language film.

The film also has a mystery element.  The mystery element is how Ava will outmaneuver the forces closing in, though it is difficult to root for a druggie and former drug queen.  

Still, the film could do more of the thriller element.

IN COLD BLOOD opens in theatres February 27th, 2026.

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THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE (Iraq 2025) ***½

Directed by Hasan Hadi

In the tradition of Jafar Panahi’s 1995 Iranian film THE WHITE BALLOON, THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE has a young protagonist spending the entire film trying to find ingredients to make a cake in celebration of President Sudan Hussein’s birthday.   It is 1990s Iraq, and Young Lamia (Baneen Ahmed Nayyef) lives with her ailing grandmother, Bibi (Waheeda Thabet Khreiba), eking out an existence in a remote village where the best means of travel is by meshouf, a kind of canoe.  Disaster strikes when Lamia is “honoured” with bringing the cake for her school class’s mandatory celebration of Saddam Hussein’s birthday.  In other circumstances, this might be an innocuous responsibility, but Bibi and Lamia can’t afford the ingredients — and the last family that didn’t comply was dragged through the streets.  Director Hadi takes his audience around the poorer streets of Iraq, showing how people eke out a living, and it is not a pretty sight.  People are poor and often dishonest.  Hadi paints the wonderful innocence of children, especially of Lamia, not even knowing at the film’s start that her grandmother was selling her off for good.  The film has premiered and been lauded at Cannes.

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SCREAM7 (USA 2026) ***½

Directed by Kevin Williamson

 

  Many SCREAM aficionados are unaware of the origin of the SCREAM killer with his iconic mask.  The Scream is an art composition created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The Norwegian name of the piece is Skrik ('Scream'), and the German title under which it was first exhibited is Der Schrei der Natur ('The Scream of Nature'). 

A bit to know about the SCREAM franchise in order to appreciate SCREAM 7.  Scream is an American slasher franchise that includes seven films, a television series, merchandise, and games. The first four films were directed by Wes Craven.  SCREAM 7 is directed by Kevin Williamson.  The series was created by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first two films and the fourth.  Dimension Films produced the first four films. Spyglass Media Group took over the rights from the fifth film on, with Paramount Pictures distributing. The film series has grossed over US$910 million at the global box office.  Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Roger L. Jackson (who voices the various Ghostface killers) starred in the first five films and will return for the seventh. Cox and Jackson reprised their roles for the sixth film and are the only cast members to feature in all films to date, with Cox also being the only actress to appear in seven consecutive films of a horror franchise.  Cox and Campbell both executive-produced SCREAM 7.

The film starts with a slashing in Woodsboro, California, Scott. A fan of the Stab series takes his girlfriend, Madison, to the Macher house, where murders happened in both 1996 and 2021, noting there are rumours that one of the original Ghostfaces, Stu Macher, might have survived having a television thrown in his head. Ghostface shows up, kills Scott and stabs Madison before dousing her with gasoline and setting her and the house on fire.  This is a lively introduction that takes the audience close to 30minutes into the movie.  The intro demonstrates director Williamson in top form, with shocks and surprises, with enough humour to keep the audience attentive and entertained.

The film can be considered to be a series of horror set pieces allied together with the common tread SidneyPrescott’s killer stalking her and her daughter. There are plenty of innovative scares, including one that is guaranteed to make one jump out of one's seat.  This is the one most likely inspired by the scene in WAIT UNTIL DARK in which Alan Arkin suddenly jumps on an unsuspecting blind Audrey Hepburn. Here, the masked killer suddenly appears, jumping on his victimless, out of nowhere,

SCREAM 7 respects the franchise. Director Williamson understands slasher movies, and it shows in his direction of SCREAM 7.  There is sufficient explanation of the story details with reprisals of roles by Cox and Campbell.   The scares and shocks are both entertaining and unexpected.  SCREAM 7 is a worthwhile sequel, fun, entertaining and what every SCREAM fan expects.

SCREAM 7 opens February 27th, in theatres everywhere, including on iAMX screens.

SMOTHER (Austria 2023) ***½

Directed by Achmed Abdel-Salam

 

The story follows Michaela (“Michi”), a recovering alcoholic who has built a fragile new life with her young daughter Hanna. After the sudden death of her estranged father, Michi reluctantly returns to her childhood home to settle the inheritance.

From the moment she arrives, the house feels oppressive and emotionally charged. The visit is meant to be brief, but Michi secretly hopes the trip might help repair the strained trust between her and Hanna.

Michi spends time with her daughter alone in the house while her husband tends to a failing antique store back in town.

The psychological horror film succeeds for several reasons, primarily because director Achmed Abdel-Salam moves his film at a rapid enough pace, throwing in more surprising bits of detail into the plot as his film progresses.  The line between real and imaginary is always in question as one wonders whether Michi is suffering from a psychological horror or if the monster in the house is real.  Family drama is added with Mishsi’s daughter, Hannah, shown as a precocious child with an inquiring mind.  “Why do you never show photographs or talk about your mother?” asks Hannah to her mother.  Yet Hannah is a playful child, as children often are, as she hides in a field where her mother tries desperately to find her.

There is much sympathy that the audience can feel for the protagonist, Michi.  Michi is a recovering alcoholic, and she is trying very hard to bring her life back to a whole.

There are a few flaws in the film.  There is a funeral at the start of the film, and one wonders who the person is who has just passed.  There is a photo of the deceased at the casket, but it is never mentioned till way into the film that the deceased was the father.  (Unless I missed it, which means that others could have easily missed it too.)

The trouble starts once a disturbing discovery is made in the house by Michi.  While going through old belongings, Michi finds a childhood drawing that triggers fragments of buried memories. Strange things begin to happen in the house,e such as unexplained noises and unsettling visions, while Hanna behaves oddly, such as sleepwalking and possibly imagining things.

As the film progresses, so do the troubles.  The film gradually reveals that Michi’s childhood was marked by severe trauma, including the suicide of her mother. These memories had been repressed for years.  As the haunting intensifies, Michi’s sobriety becomes shaky as she grows paranoid and unstable, and her bond with Hanna deteriorates.  All of director Achmed Abdel-Salam's work is well-paced in a well-paced psychological mystery thriller leading to a satisfactory, compelling climax, aided by Cornelia Ivancan’s apt performance as the troubled mother.  The most disturbing segment comes in the film’s final act.

The film is called SMOTHER, as Michi smothers Hannah with her motherly love, and Michi is also emotionally smothered by her past.

SMOTHER makes its exclusive North American Premiere on INDIEPIX UNLIMITED on February 27th, 2026.

THIS IS NOT A TEST (Canada /USA 2026) **½
Directed by Adam MacDonald

This is not a test, a post-apocalyptic film with teenagers holed up in a school, is based on the young adult novel of the same name by Courtney Summers.  It is not great literature, and the source material’s shortcomings can be observed in the adaptation to the film.

The film is called This Is Not a Test to heighten urgency, evoke emergency-alert dread, and emphasise the story’s message that the characters are facing a real, irreversible crisis—not a drill.  The phrase is hear twice during the movie, first when announcements are made to the public about staying indoors and securing the safety zone that what is going on and that the announcement is to be taken in all seriousness and secondly when one of the characters say the phrase referring to g to a test that teachers give to their students, in this case Mr. Baxter.

Zombie movies are now a dime a dozen.  A zombie movie must be able to stand out above the rest.  Zombies can move about in slow motion, as in the George Romero zombie movies, or at lightning-fast speeds, as in the Brad Pitt zombie movie WORLD WAR Z.   In THIS IS NOT A TEST, the zombies move quicker than the average human being.

It all ends up with a bunch of school teens holding up in a school while the zombies are outside creating havoc and infecting everyone else.

So what happens when a group of teens is isolated together?  They argue and fight.  The two alpha males get into a fist flight with who is the one, who would take control and give the orders.  They debate on whether to stay in the school or make it out to a safe shelter that is announced on the radio.  And there is the obligatory romance that results.  All the subplots are nothing out of the ordinary and could be written by anyone who has seen a zombie movie at some time or another.

There are a few variations when Mr. Baxter shows up, who claims that he is not infected by the bite he got.  Of course, there is an argument among the students on whether this is true.  A bit of anxiety is created when Mr. Baxter proves to be a big asshole.  Another asshole in the movie is the protagonist, Sloan Price’s (Olivia Holt) stepfather.  Though he gets what he deserved, he is an abusive male who has hurt Sloan’s mother, sister, and also herself.  This is shown at the start of the movie.

The story takes a turn when the teens make it out of the school safe house and try to make it to a shelter.  But still, nothing really out of the ordinary in terms of plotting or story.

The necessary zombie violence occurs with the bashing of the zombies, particularly their heads, often shown to be a bloody mess. There is no mention in the original of the virus causing humans to transform into zombies.  The script never even tries, and what is going on with the rest of the world?

THIS IS NOT A TEST opens in theatres February 27th.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 14 February 2026

BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS (China 2025) ***`1/2
Directed by Yuen Woo-ping

 

  

Based on the comic by Xianzhe Xu, the historical action film BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS is directed by master filmmaker and action director Yuen Woo-ping; boasts an all-star cast including Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior series), who also produced the film, Jet Li (Once Upon a Time in China), Nicholas Tse (Raging Fire), Yosh Yu (Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms), and boyband sensations JUN (Wen Junhui) of Seventeen and Winwin of NCT. BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS was produced by Peace Film Production and written by Yu Baimei, Chao-pin Su, Chan Tai Lee, and Larry Yang.

Set during the Sui Dynasty under the rule of the oppressive Emperor Yang Guang, BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS follows a skilled mercenary, Dao Ma (Biao Ren), as he treks across the harsh deserts of the Western Regions. Tasked with a seemingly simple escort mission, the warrior unknowingly becomes caught in a perilous scheme that promises danger at every turn.  Dao Ma, a hardened mercenary, carries the title of the empire’s second-most-wanted fugitive. Despite his outlaw status, Dao Ma is hired for a high-risk mission:

He must escort Zhi Shilang, the number-one most-wanted fugitive, from the western desert regions to the imperial capital of Chang’an.

What appears to be a straightforward transport job quickly proves suspicious. The prisoner is mysterious, highly valuable, and wanted by multiple powerful factions.

Dao Ma accepts the job anyway—motivated by debt, obligation, or his own moral code 

The film is directed by legendary Director Yuen Woo-ping, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential martial-arts choreographers ever, with credits including:

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, THE MATRIX, and KUNG FU HUSTL,E among countless others.  His involvement signals high-quality, authentic fight choreography, which is a big selling point.  The choreography is evident in the ultra-impressive fight sequence at the film’s first 10-minute mark between a governor and Dao Ma.

BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS has been elected as the prime movie to celebrate the Lunar New Year, a time for Chinese as important as the movie Christmas season.  As this is the only wuxi film, there is little competition to this much-anticipated auctioneer.

The film is one up on Hollywood productions, as unlike many CGI-heavy films, the production prioritizes real horseback chases, practical and exciting combat with lots of actor training, and is choreographed by Yuen.  The cast includes major action names like Wu Jing,

Nicholas Tse and Jet Li.

The film boasts old-fashioned filmmaking with little AI, CGI, and prosthetics used.  To meet director Yuen Woo-ping's high standards for action scenes, all main actors had to join the crew in advance before filming began, undergoing systematic closed training including traditional martial arts, swordsmanship, and horse riding. To closely resemble the protagonist's character, Wu Jing made long-term physical preparations, growing a beard and long hair in advance, and undergoing rigorous equestrian and action training.  The film is to be praised for this and many other reasons, another being the replacement of the actress with Chen Lijun playing Ayuyah, which caused a delay in the film’s release and an increase in budget.

The film is shot on location in Xinjiang deserts with sweeping IMAX-style visuals.

Yuen Woo-ping’s BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS is set for a Chinese New Year theatrical debut opening Tuesday, February 17th.  A worthwhile action-packed film to watch, like in the good old days of cinema.

 

 

 

Trailer: 

 

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING (UK/France 2026) **

Directed by John Patton Ford

Many black comedies have been made about doing away with human obstacles by killing in order to secure an inheritance.  The new black comedy HOW TO MAKE A KILLING is one of the latest ones, inspired, according to press notes, by the film KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS and perhaps, a little by THE WRONG BOX.  But HOW TO MAKE A KILLING fails, for several reasons, the most important one being that it is not funny nor remotely credible.

Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Glenn Powell) will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.

The film goes on with the relatives being done away with one after another, with a cop and an assistant investigating.  The film is bookended with Becket in a prison cell waiting for his death, akin to Jane Fonda waiting for her hanging in Elliot Silverstein’s CAT BALLOU.  But in all films with a beginning like this, when an unexpected hero is to be saved at the last moment, just as CAT BALLOU was by her friends in one of the best comedy westerns of all time.

Glenn Powell, one of the fastest rising good-looking hunk actors of all time, is in cruise mode in this movie, showing non-emotions as well not revealing any physical attributes.  Being in romantic comedies and supporting (Clint Eastwood and Tom Cruise) roles in action films, Powell is an actor who deserves better to show his true colours.

It does not help that there are two romantic females involved with Beckett. For a black comedy, there is one action scene, quite a ridiculous one, involving Ed Harris with a rifle and Beckett with a crossbow, shooting at each other in a family mansion.  The action set-piece comes from nowhere and is as silly as it is laughable.

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING is not the sophisticated crime movie it intended to be, for the many reasons laid put already.

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING opens in theatres Friday.

Trailer: 

MEDUZA (USA 2025) ***
Directed by Roc Morin

 

MEDUZA is a many-layered film about a few subjects.  Though labelled a documentary and is actually one, it feels like a live-action fiction story.  The film is called MEDUZA as it is the Ukrainian/Russian word for “jellyfish” and also evokes Medusa from Greek mythology. The filmmakers use this layered meaning to reflect the film’s themes.

The film begins with a voiceover talking about travelling faster than the speed of light across the universe before focusing on the manufacture of ammunition in an American arms factory.  The bullets are on display, the ammunition of snipers, the sniper being the subject of this mysterious feeling documentary.

When his hometown is invaded, a Ukrainian actor who once played a sniper in a movie becomes a real sniper on the front line. Meduza follows Ukrainian artist-turned-sniper Pavlo Aldoshyn from the first days of the war in 2022.  Pavlo is from a small village near a salt lake.  The film follows the real-life transformation of a Ukrainian actor into a frontline soldier.  When Russia invades Ukraine in 2022, his life imitates art: he joins the military and becomes an actual sniper.

Through all this, the film tracks Pavlo’s journey from artist to combatant, which includes the psychological toll of war with his inner reflections as he confronts real violence

This documentary stars famous Ukrainian actor Pavlo Aldoshyn (“White Raven”), who was also a contestant on Ukraine's version of The Voice before the war. The shoot took place over two years following the invasion, with some pre-invasion footage obtained from Pavlo and his wife, Katarin. The team was Director Roc Morin and Leïla Wolf, Morin’s producer and longtime film collaborator, who passed away in January. Morin had reported on the war starting in 2014 as a print journalist, and following the full-scale invasion, flew to Poland, walked across the border, and hitchhiked to Lviv because there was no organised transportation heading into the country at that time.

Throughout the film, Pavlo's inner life connects to a range of stories around the globe, including a Japanese widower searching the ocean for his wife, and an Amazonian tribesman describing the loss of a mythical ladder connecting earth and sky.  The interwoven global stories that echo themes of loss and survival.

 The doc shows Pavlo’s unique spiritual perspective of himself in the context of the war. Witnessing Pavlo’s psychological transformation over the course of the two years of filming, and the impact of his involvement in the war on his spiritual mythology and relationships, forms the core of the film and shows the intimate costs of war. Pavlo is still fighting on the front lines for his country, even today.  Beware:  If you are not into new age beliefs, healing, reincarnation nd the like, you might consider all that is shown mumbo-jumbo nonsense.

The film was shot in the United States, Ukraine, Japan, India, and Ecuador. The film is tied to the 4th anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

MEDUZA is a slow-burning film that allows the audience to appreciate life while meditating on the effects of war and its futility.  The audience sees the world through the eyes of different characters, with a focus on Pavlo, who is an artist at heart and not really a sniper.  He says that the military is not his profession.

MEDUZA opens on digital platforms on February 20.

MIDWINTER BREAK (UK/Netherlands 2025) ***½

Directed by Polly Findlay

 

MIDWINTER BREAK is a film based on the novel of the same name by Bernard MacLaverty.  He is a Northern Irish writer who has moved to Scotland, much like the protagonists in the story of the film.  Bernard MacLaverty is regarded as one of the greatest living Irish writers.

In MIDWINTER BREAK, retired couple, Gerry (Irish actor Ciaran Hinds) and Stella Gilmore (British actress Leslie Mann), fly from their home in Scotland to Amsterdam for a long weekend—a holiday to refresh the senses, to do some sightseeing, and generally to take stock of what remains of their lives. Their relationship seems safe, easy, and familiar.  They enjoy each other's company.  But over the course of the four days, the deep uncertainties that exist between them are revealed.

Gerry, once an architect, is forgetful and set in his ways. Stella is tired of his lifestyle, worried about their marriage, and angry at his constant undermining of her religious faith.  Things are not helped by memories that have begun to resurface of a troubled time in their native Ireland.  As their midwinter break comes to an end, we understand how far apart they are—and can only watch as they struggle to save themselves.

The film, thanks to the source material, is an accurate, compassionate observation of a couple’s relationship that is a tender, intimate, heartrending story.  Yet it is also a profound examination of human love and how a couple can live together, with a lot of gives and fewer takes.

The film takes its time to unfold, but the wait is well worth it.  Both Hinds and Manville are superb, and besides the writing, performances, and direction, MIDWINTER BREAK is indeed a masterful film.

Trailer: 

 

PAVANE (South Korea 2016) **

Directed by Lee Jong-pil

 

The film PAVANE comes from the classical music piece called PAVANE, which is the favourite musical piece of the girl in the story.

Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) is a work for solo piano by Maurice Ravel, written in 1899 while the French composer was studying at the Conservatoire de Paris under Gabriel Fauré. Ravel published an orchestral version in 1910 using two flutes, an oboe, two clarinets (in B♭), two bassoons, two horns, a harp, and strings.  The Pavane lasts between six and seven minutes and is considered a masterpiece.

Pavane (Korean: 파반느) is an upcoming South Korean romantic drama film directed by Lee Jong-pil. It stars Go Ah-sung, Byun Yo-han, and Moon Sang-min. Produced under The Lamp, the film is based on the novel Pavane for a Dead Princess written by author Park Min-gyu, and it tells the story of a woman who was deemed unattractive by society and a man who sees beyond her looks. 

One would expect the film about an unattractive girl pursued by a beau who sees beyond her outside appearance to be charming and engaging.  Instead, this all-over-the-place teen romance is both dull and boring, especially running at close to two hours.  A few silly CGI segments serve to show how disorganised everything is.

The film is to be released on Netflix on February 20, 2026.

Trailer: 

THE SWEDISH CONNECTION (Sweden 2026) ***

Directed by Therese Ahlbeck and Marcus Olsson

 

Swedish Foreign Ministry bureaucrat Gösta Engzell, overlooked during WWII, rescued thousands while turning supposedly neutral Sweden into a moral force. His efforts challenged the status quo and left a lasting humanitarian legacy.

In 1942, Sweden remained neutral, though surrounded by German-occupied countries.  Sweden remained neutral, according to the film and history, by granting whatever Hitler wanted.

But when it is learnt that Jews are sent to death camps, Jews with a Swedish connection (i,e. Swedish citizenship) are then questioned if they could be exempt because of the country’s neutral status.

The film is based on little-known historical events, but it is still based on true events.

The hero of the story is a mild-mannered employee named Gösta Engzell.  Gösta Engzell (14 February 1897 – 7 March 1997) was a Swedish jurist and diplomat who is known for his activities to rescue Jews during World War II. He was the ambassador of Sweden to Finland between 1954 and 1963 and served in other diplomatic posts.  On 7 September 1942, a Latvian refugee named Gillel Storch met Gösta Engzell and informed him about the increasingly negative conditions of Jews in the German-occupied territories. Engzell then began to influence the policy of the Swedish government, which would help Jews in Nazi-controlled regions.  He initiated actions to save Jews in Norway and Denmark.  In addition, Engzell encouraged Swedish diplomats Carl Ivan Danielsson and Per Anger to take steps to protect Jews in Budapest in 1944.   As a result of the activities of Engzell and his staff, approximately 30,000–40,000 Jews were rescued.

Henrik Dorsin plays the hero Gösta Engzell.  Dorsin is a pudgy, balding family man, not the typical hero one would expect to save thousands of Jews.  The film notes that this is a timid man, at first just letting the atrocities go, until he is unable to any longer because of his conscience, especially urged on by his son, to whom he tells stories at bedtime.  The son asks his father what he does for a living, working for Hitler?  A diplomat, comes the answer.  The son takes it that when there is trouble, the father’s job as a diplomat is to offer a song and cake to calm the troubles.  But when Engzell finally stands up for the Jews, one can applaud the man for finally becoming the hero he was meant to be.

THE SWEDISH CONNECTION is based on true events and on a hero who is driven by conscience and humanity.  This is not an action film, but one that shows the difficult processes of red tape and conflict that went through for Jews to be saved.  And there are sympathetic Germans, too.  The film covers themes of how one overcomes obstacles through moral courage within a rigid system, and how the power of small bureaucratic actions can be used.  Sweden’s wartime neutrality vs. humanitarian duty prevailed.  This is quiet, non-violent resistance.

THE SWEDISH CONNECTION premieres on the streaming service Netflix, a Netflix original film from Sweden that is an important watch for historical education and also for entertainment.

Trailer: 

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 13 February 2026

Had the privilege of viewing 7 little gems screened at this year's BERLINALE, courtesy of the PR Factory.

 

Capsule Reviews of the 7 films:

CHIMNEY TOWN: FROZEN IN TIME (Japan 2026) ***
Directed by Yusuke Hirota

 

After losing his friend Poupelle, young Lucchini wanders into a mysterious realm where a clock in a tower is frozen at 11:59. To return home, he must restart it – and find the courage to believe again.  Based on the 2020 film POUPELLE OF CHIMNEY TOWN, CHIMNEY TOWN: FROZEN IN TIME follows a similar story in which Lucchini searches for his friend Poupelle as he is transported to a place where time stands still, at least for the huge clock in the clocktower between one to midnight and midnight  There is also the twin story of the clock keeper who lost Nagi, his girl and cannot accept the fate. These are two stories in different times, which pose a problem in the narrative storytelling, despite some really outstanding animation.  The film that boasts Japanese folklore and animation from Studio 4C reminds one of the Studio Ghibli animated films.  The animated feature is a blend of drama, whimsical fantasy and cuteness.

 

I UNDERSTAND YOUR DISPLEASURE (Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut)(Germany 2026) ****

Directed by Kilian Armando Friedrich

 

Heike, a customer service manager at an understaffed cleaning company, must secure more working hours and revenue for a subcontractor after she is caught trying to poach an employee from his company.  As the film follows the main character, Heike, as she goes about her troublesome and busy job, one is immediately reminded of the films of the Dardenne Brothers.  Heike, who has the job of customer service but also supervises all the cleaning after she tells her boss: I Understand Your Displeasure”, is required to satisfy interests that systematically contradict one another: low prices, maximum efficiency, and humane and working conditions of a cleaning service.  Is there any satisfaction at all for Heike in the cleaning industry, and for her to search for a moment of happiness instead of saying f*** it all?  The film also moves into Ken Loachch territory as director Friedrick tackles social issues.  The film is inGerman and Bosnian as many cleaning workers come from Bosnia.  Director Kilian Armando Friedrich shows great talent with his debut feature, with emotions felt for his characters in a situation that seems to lead to a dead end.

 

 

NARCISO (Paraguay/Brazil/Portugal/Germany/Spain/France/Uruguay2025) ***½

Directed by Marcelo Martinessi. 

 

Impressive and ambitious Paraguayan movie set in 1958, follows the sad tale of a Paraguayan rock star, known as Narciso, who is found dead at the height of his career.  Rock and rollin the U.S., with the likes of Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and the Comets, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry, is only eclipsed in Paraguay by their folk music.  Narciso is a charismatic young man who returns to Asunción from Buenos Aires, bringing rock ’n’ roll — a new and liberating musical rhythm — to his home city.

He becomes a radio personality and local sensation, captivating audiences with his music, energy, and sensual presence, and emerging as a symbol of freedom and desire in an oppressive political context.  The radio station opens its program to rock and roll, with immense popularity with the young, but leads to disaster with local politics, clamping down on gay practices of which the rock star (bisexual), Narciso, is involved.  NARCISO is a convincing period piece aided by solid performances all around.

 

PAPAYA (Brazil 2025) ***

Directed by Priscilla Kellen

 

The animated film follows a tiny papaya seed (a papaya seed is small, circular, and totally black but soft as shown in the animation) living in the Amazon rainforest who dreams of flying. Determined not to take root and become a tree, the seed keeps moving across the jungle in pursuit of freedom.  During its journey, the seed gradually discovers the surprising strength and importance of its roots. This realisation sparks a transformation that changes its world and ultimately allows it to fulfil its dream suddenly.  Because it is non-dialogue, it takes more concentration to follow the story. The film is aimed at the younger crowd, but if they can appreciate the animation seen, if the environmental message may be above them.

A RUSSIAN WINTER (UN HIVER DE RUSSE) (France 2026) ***
Directed by Patric Chiha

The film follows several friends focusing on Margarita and Yuri, who refuse to support the Russian regime and therefore face a stark choice: prison, military service, or leaving their country.  They choose exile and try to rebuild their lives abroad.  When the film opens, it is just after the Russian winter in March of 2022, and the war between Russia and Ukraine had begun.  The film shows how silly and devastating the war is, with the kids not understanding what is going on.  Yuri’s father brands him a coward for going into exile, tand he father was later killed when he enlisted in the war.  It is a quiet and slow-moving doc that might not appeal to many despite its sincerity and current importance.  The film is an intimate, character-driven documentary about a generation of Russians living in limbo after choosing exile over compliance.

 

EL TREN FLUVIAL (The River Train)(Argentina 2025) ***
Directed by Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas A. Vignale

 

A simply made yet very effective parable of a 9-year-old village boy who travels via THE RIVER TRAIN to the capital of Buenos Aires to achieve his dreams.  Nine-year-old Milo is growing up with the pressure to become a great Malambo dancer and the “perfect” son. He dreams of taking control of his life and escaping his responsibilities of washing dishes, cooking and practising the Malambo at night. Milo wants another life. He fantasises about travelling by train and exploring the city of Buenos Aires, which he has seen so many times in the movies and on television. However, in order to break free from his family and the countryside, and make his big dreams come true, he must dare to take a new journey: a journey into solitude, and the unknown adventures and pleasures of the big city.  The beginning scenes of Milo dancing the Malambo, done in one single take is nothing short of astounding.  But his father pressures Nino, and he lives unhappily in the family home.  This is an odd little movie about a boy, still too young to figure out his life, who decides to take charge anyway.  This is the beauty of the premise as the audio ones see Milo undertake the trip of his lifetime.  

 

YELLOW LETTERS (GELBE BRIEFE) (Germany/Turkey/France 2025) ***½

Directed by İlker Çatak

 

Directed by İlker Çatak, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ayda Çatak and Enis Köstepen. It follows Derya (Özgü Namal) and Aziz (Tansu Biçer), a couple of Turkish theatre artists who lose their jobs due to political persecution in Turkey.  When someone loses their job, they receive YELLOW LETTERS.  The political unrest is due to the government clamping down on democracy, which is happening in Turkey, known to be the country that persecutes journalists.  The story, however,r focuses on the marriage of an artist couple that begins to unravel after a state arbitration at their play's premiere.  The film demonstrates how familial tension arises from outside forces and how much it takes to keep a relationship together.  Director Çatak keeps his film tense and interesting with nary a dull moment, with a credible, satisfactory ending that should not disappoint.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 09 February 2026

The Live Action category is the strongest this year has two strong entries, THE SINGERS and A FRIEND OF DOROTHY'S.  THE SINGERS has the most dramatic segment I've seen so far this year, with the rendition of the song "I Need Your Love”.  JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA is the funniest, while TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING  SALIVA is one of the best!

BUTCHER’S STAIN (USA 2025) ***

Directed by Meyer Levinson-Blount.

 

This student made short at the Steve Tisch (he wrote BREAKING AWAY and won the Oscar), also won the Silver Medal there.  The film follows Samir, an Arab Israeli butcher working at a Tel Aviv supermarket.  When hostage posters in the staff break room are torn down, suspicion quickly falls on him.  Determined to keep the job he desperately needs, Samir struggles to prove his innocence while facing growing scrutiny and mistrust from coworkers and management.  His supervisor tells him he was seen by a co-worker taking down the posters.  It is good to see an Israeli film taking the side of a Palestinian. Despite the timely premise, the short is quite simply made.

 

 

 

 

A FRIEND OF DOROTHY (UK 2025) ****
Directed by Lee Knight

 

Power-açtıng in this short, especially from Miriam Margoyles including a cameo from Stephen Fry as an executor.  Dorothy, an elderly widow (her ex-husband, who happens to be gay, whose health is declining but whose mind remains sharp, lives a quiet and solitary life. Her routine is unexpectedly disrupted when 17‑year‑old JJ sends a football into her garden, leading to an unexpected connection between them.  Despite their differences in age and circumstance, the two gradually form a meaningful friendship and discover unexpected common ground.  The film’s title refers to a historic phrase used as coded slang within gay culture, and the story itself touches gently on themes of loneliness, acceptance, queer identity (of both Dorothy’s husband and JJ), and the power of human connection across generations.  Charming and touching with a touch of humour, mainly provided by Dorothy’s character.

 

JANE AUSTEN’SPERIOD PIECE (USA 2025) ****
Directed by  Julia Aks and Steve Pinder

 

This 12-minute short is arguably the funniest short of all the Oscar shorts nominated.  As in the spirit of the Jane Austen novels, the short is set in England, 1813. In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his expensive education has missed a spot.  The film gets funnier as it moves along, complete with chickens being asked to hush up as the drama intensifies.  What started as a short skit turned into a professionally made, handsome production complete with lavish sets and costumes,  A total naughty delight, as in the outrageous name of the film’s characters.

THE SINGERS (USA 2025) ****
Directed by Sam A. Davis

 

Who would think that a film made in a grubby bar with a slew of old misfits could be so engaging?  But director Davis’s film, based on a story by Ivan Turgenev Singers published in A Sportsman's Sketches an 1852 cycle of short stories. , depicts a downtrodden, improvised pub sing-off where the grand prize offered by the barkeeper is her and a hundred-dollar bill..  The first song rendered is Amazing Grace,e and as the short movies go along, the singer and the song get better till the final one tho will blow you away.  The film, featuring a cast discovered through viral videos and street casting, includes Mike Young and Judah Kelly.  Unbelievably and unexpectedly good!  Hail the power of song!  This short is also available to stream on Netflix Feb 13th.

TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA (Deux personnes échangeant de la salive)

(France /USA 2024) *****
Directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh

 

Even at the halfway mark of the short, one will be wondering what the f*** is going on.  This is the wonder and pleasure of this short, which, in my opinion, is the best of the best in its delivery, concept and entertainment. The short is not just a quirky dystopia — it’s a sharp, darkly funny allegory about: the policing of intimacy, the fear of queer love and how modern societies can normalize violence while repressing tenderness.  Narrated by Vicky Krieps, the film starring Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Luana Bajrami explores a dystopian world where kissing is punishable by death.  The setting of the story in a luxury department store brilliantly highlights how capitalist transactions replace genuine human connection.  The bond between the two women reflects the historical policing of queer love and marginalized desire.  Unforgettable!

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 07 February 2026

ANIMATED

For all the categories, the animated is the most entertaining.  Two Canadian shorts make the cut, both excellent entries.  My fav is the one from Cyprus, THE THREE SISTERS, for its unique animation, simplicity and message of hope.

FOREVERGREEN (USA 2025) ***½

Directed by Nathan Engelhardt & Jeremy Spears.

 

The film begins with what seems to be a lonely bear cub, likely an orphan, as nothing is shown of its father or mother, left to fend for itself.  It is rescued from falling off a cliff and cared for by an evergreen tree — almost like a parent figure. The cub and the tree develop a deep, emotional connection as the cub learns to survive in the forest.  The cub is much loved by the tree, but the cub, being young and naughty, is tempted and learns the hard way that there is more to life than food. As the cub grows, it becomes tempted by human trash and easy food at a campsite, which leads it into dangerous situations. The film touches key components of adult and life themes, such as exploring themes of temptation, growing up, friendship, sacrifice, and the consequences of choices — all accomplished without spoken dialogue, using stylised animated visuals including music to tell the tale.

LA JEUNE FILLE QUI PLEURAIT DES PERLES (The Girl Who Cried Pearls)(Canada 2025) ****

Directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski

 

 

Stop-motion animation, time-consuming but worth every moment, is animation art in its purest form.  In this endearing tale from Canada, in Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls.  He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more.  Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune.  The choice could damn his soul. From the Oscar-nominated team of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli), this meticulously crafted film is a testament to the craft mentioned with handmade puppets, mesmerizing narration by Canadian actor Colm Feore, and a haunting score by Patrick Watson. The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a timeless parable of desire, deception, and the price of innocence.   It helps that one can identify with a young, innocent boy down on his luck, without fate having dished out.  Watching this cautionary moral taleufold is pure delight!

 

THE THREE SISTERS (Israel/Cyprus/Russia 2024) ****

Directed by Konstantin Bronzit

 

This is my definite favourite short, and I hope it wins the Oscar for the following reasons. The animated short is fresh, simple, unique, imaginative, original, and mostly has the universal language of hope in a world of despair.  The film follows three different sisters, all of individual personalities, who experience. jealousy, love and finally happiness.  It is a story of three sisters living solitary on an island when they face challenges.  Not an easy achievement for any film!  The short combines comedy and drama,  a mixture of sad and funny. The director also has a unique animated style that is unlike anything I have ever seen.  The humour is subtle, the message universal and the effect of the short indescribable.  Ultimately, this one is the best!

 

PAPILLION (BUTTERFLY) (France 2024) ***½

Directed by Florence Miailhe

 

The 15-minute animated short begins with a man swimming the butterfly stroke in the sea.  As he swims, he reminisces about his childhood to his present life as a man.   All the memories are linked to water.  It turns out that the man is Jewish Olympic Butterfly Stroke swimmer Alfred Nakache, who has to endure anti-semitism during the Nazi years of the War.  He also loses his wife and child during the war as they are separated from him to be taken to a concentration camp.  Alfred eventually remarries and has another child.  The short is a bit confusing as one has to figure out what everything is all about, but this is more than made up for.

 

RETIREMENT PLAN (Ireland 2025) ***
Directed by John Kelly

 

In the throes of his overstimulated, energy-poor midlife, Ray fantasises about everything he'd love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time."  The bucket list includes almost everything, including hiking, paragliding, swimming every morning and caring for others.  The short achieves an impressive blend of sadness, euphoria and charm.  And there are a few funny moments, too.  The short might seem ordinary at first, but it slowly but surely grabs you.   Narrated by young Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 07 February 2026

 

All involve current world issues, with some very powerful messages

ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS (USA 2025) ***

Directed by Joshua Seftel

 

All the Empty Rooms follows Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark across the United States to memorialize the bedrooms of children killed in school shootings.   The act involves taking photos, talking to the parents, and writing an essay on the killings.  The doc is a well-intentioned, good gesture that plays on sentiment but does not shed much new light on the matter.  It does not consider the question of moving on, but rather to keep and remember the memory of the dead ones.  School shootings have increased manyfold yearly.  This problem is raised ninth doc, but it is a problem not faced in countries where there is more control than the United States, an issue that should be brought up with regard to the school shootings.

 

ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud (USA 2025) ****

Directed by Brent Renaud and Craig Renaud.

 

The film follows the story of American filmmaker and journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed on March 13, 2022, while reporting on the war in Ukraine. After his death, his brother and longtime collaborator, Craig Renaud, brought Brent’s body and his final footage back to their home state of Arkansas.  The doc features vérité footage from their reporting in Iraq with the Arkansas National Guard, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the conflict in Somalia, migration routes from Honduras to the United States, and Brent’s final work in Ukraine.   Brent often has the victims speak to the camera.  This is emotional and often very hard to watch footage.

“The way you hold your camera….  It shows you are holding it from your heart.  You and I, we can change this world.” These are the words of one injured Somalian in the hospital after his arm was blown off.  The doc is a worthy tribute not only to Brent Renaud but to all reporters who risk their lives in their duty to inform the world of the atrocities.

 

CHILDREN NO MORE: WERE AND ARE GONE (UK/USA/Israel 2025) ***

Directed by Hilla Medalia

 

Every Saturday in Tel Aviv, a group of peaceful remonstrator take to the streets for a vigil.  Every demonstrator holds up a poster of a picture of a child that re no more, killed in a way no matter which city was war rages on.  The protestors do not chant or talk to shouting, but keep in silent protest.  The short shows the organization, the demonstration protests and the impact of armed conflict on the lost children.  The film follows young people living in or fleeing war zones, capturing: Daily survival under dangerous conditions; Separation from family members; Interrupted education and lost childhoods; Emotional and psychological trauma and Resilience and hopes for the future.  Rather than presenting statistics alone, the documentary emphasizes personal stories, showing how war reshapes childhood and identity.  More of an observation piece that lacks the emotional impact of its subject.

THE DEVIL IS BUSY (USA 2024) ****

Directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton

 

After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the challenges faced by abortion clinics and the people who work to keep patients safe escalate beyond belief, with often angry protestors who only see their selfish point of view.  The film follows Tracii, the head of security at a women’s healthcare clinic in Atlanta, over the course of a single day, starting from the early morning when she is first on site. As new legal restrictions and constant protests surround the clinic, Tracii works to protect patients seeking abortions and other medical services, including routine checkups and preventive care.  The film, being shot in a cinéma vérité style, depicts both the urgency and credibility of the current problem. The documentary shows the daily safety measures taken by Tracii and the staff, making the doc more personal by showing them checking the building for intruders, coordinating with security guards who escort patients, and using numbered systems to keep identities private. Tracii also shares her own background, supports nervous patients, and deals with protestors who gather outside.  You just have to love the work Tracii and her staff are doing!

 

 

 

PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS (Canada/Chile 2024) ****
Directed by Alison McAlpine

 

Beautifully shot with an opening shot of donkeys at night, PEFRECTLY A  STRANGENESS  is a wordless meditation of technology and nature.  The subjects of the doc are 3 donkeys.  Donkeys are often depicted as abused animals in films, but in this doc, they (the dobkeys are also given star billing) have their day as they tour around an observatory, wondering what the hell is going on.  Yes, there is extreme beauty in what can be viewed in this doc. The doc was largely filmed at La Silla Observatory, a European Southern Observatory (ESO) site in Chile, with some shots filmed further north at ESO's Paranal Observatory. La Silla Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Chile with three telescopes built and operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Several other telescopes are also located at the site and are partly maintained by ESO. The observatory is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and was the first in Chile to be used by ESO.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 30 January 2026

KOKUHO (Japan 2025) ***½

Directed by Lee Sang-il

 

Directed by Lee Sang-il and starring two of Japan’s most prominent actors, Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama, Kokuho is a gripping tale of friendship and rivalry in the world of Kamigata kabuki.  The story opens in Nagasaki in 1964 and unfolds over five tumultuous decades. It follows Kikuo — the son of a slain yakuza boss — who, at fourteen, is taken in by a celebrated kabuki master and raised alongside Shunsuke, the master’s son and designated heir. Their bond — part brotherhood, part rivalry — drives an epic saga of ambition, sacrifice, scandal, and devotion, culminating in the emergence of a singular kokuho: a living “national treasure.”    The film educates the audience on the world of kabuki with all the lavishness and splendour of the disciplined choreography, costumes, makeup up and voices.  The kabuki is so controlled that all the female roles are played by males.  As such, the two male actors are extremely good-looking, with the film bearing lots of homo-eroticism.  The only problem is that the film his way too long at 3 hours, stretching the last bit way too far.  The film is a hit in Japan.

 

THE MOMENT (USA/UK 2026) ***
Directed by Aidan Zamiri

 

THE MOMENT is a satire mockumentary on the British singer/songwriter known as Charli XCX.  It is brave and innovative, sometimes too much, and it takes a while, like the first half of the film, to get its footing.  This reviewer hated the first half.  The first half is quite bad, but the second half of the film redeemed itself with its freshness as well as weirdness.

The film should come with a warning about flashing strobe lights, which can be really annoying and disturbing to those with mental issues.

Charli XCX is well known to those in the music industry.  For those unfamiliar, she is quite the force to be reckoned with.

Charlotte Emma Aitchison born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer, songwriter, and actress.  She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene.  Signing a recording contract with Asylum Records in 2010, Charli XCX released a series of singles and mixtapes in the early 2010s.  In 2012, she was featured on "I Love It" by Swedish duo Icona Pop, which became her first UK number-one and went on to achieve global success.  Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), received positive reviews but failed to meet commercial expectations.  her new film has a chance of putting her onnthe map of fame.

In the movie, Charli XCX plays a fictionalised version of herself.

The Moment is a 2026 American mockumentary film directed by Aidan Zamiri, who co-wrote it with Bertie Brandes from an original idea by Charli XCX. The film stars XCX, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Isaac Powell, and Alexander Skarsgård.

THE MOMENT premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2026, and was released in the United States by A24 on January 30.  The film has so far received mixed reviews from critics.  It opens in theatres in Toronto and in other key Canadian cities on February 6th.

Trailer:  

A POET (Un Poeta) (Colombia/Germany/Sweden 2025) ****
Directed by Simón Mesa Soto 

 

Coming right from Cannes, where A POET, in the Un Certain Regard section, won the Jury Prize, the film revolves around Óscar Restrepo, an aging poet who once had hopes of literary success but whose life has since drifted into obscurity, melancholy, and self-destructive habits.   A loser in life, but he tries to do something about it, with disastrous effects.  Nothing seems to go right!  He still lives with his mother, struggles with unemployment, and drowns some of his disappointments in alcohol.  While teaching at a secondary school, he mentors Yurlady, a teenage student with raw writing talent.  But fate is not on his side, as things go south for the poor soul.  A POET is tragedy in its most gruesome form, with Oscar brilliantly played like a monstrous troll by Ubeimar Ríos.  Dream big but achieve chaos!  One of the best of the TIFF last year and one of the best neglected international films of 2025.

QUEEN OF CHESS (USA 2025) ***½

Directed by Rory Kennedy

 

This doc/biography of the QUEEN OF CHESS arguably contains the most absorbing introduction one might ever see in a movie this year.  The intro grabs one and instills both curiosity and anticipation of how the life of a little Hungarian girl who beats all odds to become the world’s QUEEN OF CHESS.

Hungarian chess prodigy Judit Polgár challenges champion Garry Kasparov (both shown at the doc’s introduction) and her controlling father over 15 years, breaking gender barriers to become the greatest female player ever and one of history's finest.

A few sweeping statements are made in the doc, like “Geniuses are made, not born.”  Whether this one is true is questionable, but if not entirely true, it still contains some truth. Crafting genius helps, undoubtedly.

Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster, widely regarded as the strongest female chess player of all time.  She is the only woman to be ranked in the world top 10 (and one of only three to make the top 100), the only woman to achieve a rating over 2700,  and the only woman to compete in the final stage of a World Chess Championship.

Polgár’s early life was particularly interesting and emphasized in the doc. She was born on 23 July 1976 in Budapest to a Jewish-Hungarian family.  Polgár and her two older sisters, Grandmaster Susan and International Master Sofia, were part of an educational experiment carried out by their father, László Polgár, in an attempt to prove that children could make exceptional achievements if trained in a specialist subject from a very early age. "Geniuses are made, not born," was László's thesis. He and his wife, Klára, educated their three daughters at home, with chess as the specialist subject.  László also taught his three daughters the international language Esperanto. They received resistance from Hungarian authorities as home-schooling was not a "socialist" approach. They also received criticism at the time from some Western commentators for depriving the sisters of a normal childhood.

A few things, too, that non-chess experts are unaware of.  The Chess Olympiad is the Chess Olympics of the world.  Judit and her sisters got to play their first in Greece, once the communist Hungarian Government released their passports.  Then there is Linares in Spain -the Wimbledon of Chess,

What lifts director Kennedy’s doc above other docs and other films is that the film is not just a chess documentary.  Just like chess moves—it is about the moves the subject Polgár’s moves she made in her life and about determination, gender barriers, and excellence under pressure.  It celebrates not only Polgár’s technical skill but also her role in reshaping perceptions of women in competitive sports.

QUEEN OF CHESS premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and isreleased globally on Netflix on February 6, 2026.

Trailer: 

SCARLET (Japan 2025) ***

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda

 

SCARLET (Japanese: 果てしなきスカーレット, literal meaning: 'Endless Scarlet') is a 2025 Japanese animated fantasy action film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda, and produced by Studio Chizu.  The story, set in Denmark, is strange for a Japanese anime, but it becomes clear when the tie unfolds amend show it is inspired by the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet.  It follows the eponymous princess who can cross time and space on a quest of vengeance after her father is murdered.

Scarlet, a medieval-era, sword-fighting princess on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father, is the protagonist of this powerful, time-bending animated adventure.  The film begins with the princess waking up in a strange arid land, revealed to be the Otherworld.  Voiceover informs that it is a place where the dead and living exist.  But it is not heaven, nor is it hell.  The setting allows director Hosoda to impresses audience with stunning animation, one of the highlights of the film.  After failing and being mortally wounded, she finds herself in a surreal place between life and death called the Otherworld. After failing in her mission and finding herself fatally injured in a surreal world, she encounters an idealistic young man from our present day who not only helps her to heal but also shows her the possibility of a future free from bitterness and rage. When confronted once more by her father’s killer, who is her father’s evil brother who has usurped the throne, Scarlet faces her most daunting battle: can she break the cycle of hatred and find meaning in life beyond revenge?

The film explores heavy themes like vengeance, forgiveness, healing after loss, and the cycle of hatred — all filtered through a fantastical narrative inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet.  Though animated, the heavy, leaden themes would make the film unsuitable for younger audiences.  The film, however, suffers from a weak narrative.  One can predict where the film is heading - that vengeance is not everything that would satisfy the sword-wielding princess, and that she has a lot to learn about the good of mankind.

The film does away with explanations.  How does the enemy Voldemand suddenly appear in the Overworld?  The princess also has an option to climb the stairway to heaven.  Apparently, the party is guarded heavily, and there are bandits to contend with on the hornet to the staircase.  And is there an infinite land in the mountains that the stairway leads to?  Too many unanswered questions hinder the story’s credibility.  The film is also punctuated with songs that emphasise the film’s theme, as in the lyrics of the songs emphasising the colour of the heart and love.

SCARLET had its premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2025.  There, it won the Fanheart3 Award – Nave d'Argento for Best OTP.  It was released theatrically in Japan on November 21, 2025, by Toho and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan.  It opens theatrically in Canada on Feb 8th.

Trailer: 

THE STRANGERS - CHAPTER 3 (USA/Spain 2026) *
Directed by Renny Harlin

 

The latest and last (Thank God for that!) of the trilogy of THE STRANGERS reboot begins rather impressively with the song The Sound Of Silence by Paul Simon played on the soundtrack while a car is driven to the town where the action takes place.  And the act is not nice, as expected in a horror film.  The film, directed by Renny Carlin, who seems to have only made one good movie in her career (CLIFFHANGER) delivers the lowest of the low in this incoherent, unexciting,g and boring end of the cult following THE STRANGERS franchise.  The film goes downhill from there and never picks up.

The Strangers is a psychological horror franchise centred on a trio of masked, sadistic strangers who torment and kill innocent victims with no apparent motive. Originating with the 2008 cult classic, the franchise has expanded into a 5-film series, including a 2018 sequel and a new trilogy (2024–2026) that reboots the timeline. 

The masked killers appear again in the movie, and the protagonist is Maya (Madelaine Petsch), who appears in all three chapters, the sole survivor and the one who takes revenge on the masked killers.  Not that the audience remembers or cares.

Chapter 3 is designed as the conclusion of the new trilogy, wrapping up the storyline introduced in Chapter 1.

This trilogy was shot back-to-back as a single, continuous narrative, meaning Chapter 3 is expected to: Resolve unanswered questions from Chapters 1 and 2; Bring the psychological and physical terror to a final confrontation, and provide closure to the central character arc introduced in the reboot.

The film is a slow-burning dread, stalking, and inevitability, rather than lore-heavy explanations.  The violence without motive (“because the victims happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time”)—remains intact with no explanation of the killers in any conventional way.

THE STRANGERS - CHAPTER 3  opens in theatres Friday, February 5th.

 

SWAY (Canada 2024) ***

Directed by Ramelan X Hamilton

 

SWAY is a Canadian gripping thriller wannabe, but mostly a drama, which is produced by Emmanuel Kabongo and directed by Ramelan X Hamilton.  The brisk 98-minute film follows the life of a prominent young Black community leader, nicknamed SWAY, facing unexpected challenges that unravel his world.  As his brother, Cy, goes missing after losing a bet of an undisclosed amount to a shady big boss character, Sway becomes ensnared in a web of blackmail orchestrated by a mysterious woman, and a murder puts his love and loyalty to the ultimate test.  The mysterious girl first appears in his bed one morning after Sway’s last rough night, he does not remember what happened the night before or who this lady is.  Premiering in LA on Feb 8th and 10th, and in Toronto on Feb 17th, with Halifax dates to be announced in late February, SWAY promises an unforgettable cinematic experience.

The script contains a few interesting though not groundbreaking ideas.  The fight against crime is duly established and serves to be the main goal of the protagonist in the storyline: “Crime is an occupation. It just sits on the opposite side of law and order.  Crime has to be driven out of Parkwood,” and so says Sway.  The success of the film depends mostly on the script, which tends to be stage-bound.

It is important most of the time for the audience to have a likeable protagonist to side with him and also the film.  Sway’s character is shown for both sides of the coin.  On his good side, he strives to do good for the foundation, achieving what the press calls  40 under 40, which one assumes is the top 40 under 40-years of age.  He is concerned about his brother and loves his family.  The family is not seen in the film.  The film also shows his other side - short-tempered, with the frequent use of foul language.  He also screams and mistreats his employees, though one employee does deserve to be screamed at.  But there is a reason for the bad side to be shown, not to reveal any more of the plot, but some dirty goings-on are revealed to the audience about Sway at the mid-mark of the film.  The revelation occurs when his interviewer puts him in a corner when questioning an unexplained fire that occurred in one of the buildings at Parkdale.  Just when shit is about to hit the fan, the lady in his bed that morning calls him to blackmail him.  This is when the audience is forced to either take Sway’s side or do the opposite.

The film is a Canadian film shot in Toronto, though the setting is the United States. The high-rise buildings of Toronto can be seen throughout the film, with many locations recognisable by Torontonians.

SWAY premieres in LA on Feb 8th and 10th, and in Toronto last year at the Black Festival.  It opens in theatres on Jan 30th, 2026

 Trailer: 

WHISTLE (USA 2026) **½
Directed by Corin Hardy

 

A misfit group of unwitting high school students stumble upon a cursed object, an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down. As the body count rises, the friends investigate the origins of the deadly artifact in a desperate effort to stop the horrifying chain of events that they have set in motion. 

The film begins with a basketball match in which the winning score is won at the very last second by a player called Mason.  As Mason enters his locker room and then showers, he is killed by an Aztec creature that burns him to death.  His locker is then transferred to a new girl, who discovers a whistle in the shape of a skull in the locker.  The girl brings it out and takes it to class, only to have it confiscated by her teacher.  This is when the horror begins.

The new Elevation Pictures horror flick opening is entitled WHISTLE.  The whistle referred to in the film is an Aztec death whistle that a teacher in high school confiscates and researches.

The Aztec death whistle is a small ceramic whistle from pre-Columbian Aztec culture that produces a terrifying, scream-like sound—often compared to a human shriek or a howl.

The origin is in central Mexico, dating back roughly 700–1,000 years.  As shown in the film, it is as if the research is shaped like a skull or stylized human face.  When first blown by one of the characters, the others had to shut their ears.  Instead of a musical tone, it emits a harsh, chaotic wail that can sound deeply unsettling.  The purpose of the whistle is possibly linked to death, sacrifice, or ceremonies honouring gods like Mictlantecuhtli (god of the underworld).

The film blends old occult to modern day teens in high school.  The film thus feels like a FRIDAY THE 13th film where the teens are done away with one by one, starting with the most misbehaved of the lot, as parodied in the SCREAM movies.   Then the survivors try to stop the curse.  
The protagonist is a new girl to the high school, who is, as expected, the blunt of jokes by her other classmates.  She has a history of something bad, about her mother being killed by her, an incident that is later explained in the film.  She is the one who discovers the death whistle in the locker previously owned by Mason.

The film, directed by Hardy, a veteran of horror films including THE NUN, is both a survival story and a myth-infused mystery, as the characters dig into the artifact’s history to break the curse that threatens them.

WHISTLE is the typical cheesy horror teen flick that delivers its scares in the typical, yes, cliched form, including jump scares, with one huge sound that should jolt everyone out of their seats. WHISTLE opens in theatres February 6th.

Trailer: 

YOH! BESTIE (South Africa) **
Directed by Johnny Barbuzano

 

“Yoh!” is a South African exclamation (from township slang) used to express surprise, emphasis, excitement, or disbelief. Think: “Whoa!”, “Oh damn!”, “Wow!”

“Bestie” means best friend. The spelling makes it cuter, more dramatic, or more teasing.

Put together

“Yoh! Bestyie” roughly means: “Whoa, bestie!”
“OMG, best friend!” or “Girl, listen to this!”

It is also the title of the new Netflix romantic comedy from South Africa.  The film is a feature-length spin-off of the popular Netflix series Yoh! Christmas, expanding that story into a standalone movie.

The film continues the story of Thando Mokoena (played by Katlego Lebogang) and her best friend Charles (Siya Sepotokele), characters first introduced in the series.  
Thando is perpetually unlucky in love, but when her bestie returns from his travels with a fiancée in tow, she's forced to face a new emotion - jealousy.  It is obvious from the film’s first frame that Thando is in love with her bestie, so the magic question is whether she will end up with him.  The film provides enough clues as to whether her bestie is a good person.  If not,t Thando will find someone else.  The film’s ending will not be revealed as it is a major plot point.

South Africa is no stranger to romantic comedies, and Netflix has quite a few already released. African rom-coms are often a fun mix of heart, humour, culture, and local flavour — often lighter than Hollywood rom-coms, more fluff than anything else.  In fact, one of the more successful ones also deals with best friends and romance,e also starring Tiffany Bar4buzano called SERIOUSLY SINGLE in 2020.  YOU! BESTIE treads no new waters and is a mix of being too pleasant and boredom.

YOU! BESTIE opens for streaming on Netflix this week.

Trailer: 

Details

Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 24 January 2026

3 excellent films open this weekend.  SIRAT, the TFCA's choice for Best International Feature, MY FATHER'S SHADOW and PILLION, a different take on a love story.  Lots to enjoy for the Valentine's Day weekend.

 

VALENTINE'S DAY FILM REVIEWS:

 

AN AMERICAN PASTORAL (Une pastorale américaine)(France 2024) ***½

Directed by Auberi Edler

 

The future of Elizabethtown in Pennsylvania is at stake.

In a quiet Pennsylvania town, a storm is brewing over the soul of its public schools. What begins as a debate over library books quickly reveals a deeper battle -- one over religion, democracy, and the future of American education.

Set in Elizabethtown, nestled in the heart of Lancaster County, AN AMERICAN PASTORAL follows a high-stakes local school board race as it becomes a flashpoint for a national culture war. With far-right activists pushing a theocratic agenda and longtime public servants stepping down under threat, the town’s once-routine school board meetings erupt into scenes of conflict and division.

There are clearly two conflicting goals in this Vital, Gripping Doc Premiering via VOD/Digital on 2/13ps in the doc - the Republicans, who are shown as Christian Fundamentalists and the Democrats, who are fighting primarily for book freedom.  It is disturbing to see how these two groups use the first amendments, twisted often, in their arguments suit their courses.  Though director Edler shows the two different points of view, with each side given time have their say, though it is clear the side the Christian fundamentalists that Edler is against.

The doc contains many speeches that ring so true. The best of these is the one that says that in the Gospel according to St. Matthew in the Bible, it says that ‘anyone who walks in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.’  And the speech goes on to say that many would say that they will pray for you, while in truth, they want otherwise, and the speaker pleads for Christians never to say that they will pray for you.  Another speaker, a well-known writer, Alex Newman, also brainwashes his listeners about how children are brainwashed by the government. Words mean a lot, and as the doc shows, they are often misinterpreted and used to the benefit of the speaker who would twist the words to his or her favour.  One exasperated former school board member, Kristy Moore, voices her valid complaint a few times in the doc.

To forget the spew of romantic films opening on Valentine’s Day, AN AMERICAN PASTORAL, a Vital, Gripping Doc Premiering via VOD/Digital on February 13th, is a surprise thought-provoker.

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CRIME 101 (USA 2026) ****
Directed by Bill Laxton

Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, Crime 101 weaves the tale of an elusive jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose string of heists along the 101 freeway has mystified police. When he eyes the score of a lifetime, his path crosses that of a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) who is facing her own crossroads. Convinced he has found a pattern, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) is closing in, raising the stakes even higher. As the heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are faced with life-defining choices--and the realisation that there can be no turning back. Adapted from Don Winslow's acclaimed novella of the same name, the film is written and directed by Bart Layton (American Animals, The Imposter). Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nick Nolte round out the cast.

The action set pieces, especially the car and motorbike chase, are impressive.  The film gives a nod to Peter Yates' classic BULLITT as well as to THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, featuring a high-class jewel heist.

With the story focusing on the cop and the crook, one wonders how the film will end.  Will the hardworking cop, played by Mark Ruffalo, get his guy, played by Hemsworth, or will the crook pull off his heist?  The plot is reminiscent of Fred Zinneman's DAY OF THE JACKAL in which France's best cop, played by Michel Londsale puts his wits against the Jackal, played by Edward Fox, planning to assassinate de Gaulle.

One of the better action flicks opening this year, with 3 protagonists instead of one, directed by the one who made the awesome documentary THE IMPOSTOR

Trailer: 

FINCH & MIDLAND (Canada 2025) ***½

Directed by Timothy Yeung

 

Finch and L+Midland refers to Finch Avenue and Midland Avenue, two roads that intersect in Scarborough in Ontario, Canada, a neighbourhood rich with Hong Kong immigrants.  It is the setting of an anthology of 4 immigrant stories intercut together about middle-aged immigrants trying to make good, if not attaining the Canadian dream.  The characters each face mid-life struggles: a former singer trying to reconnect with his daughter; a woman searching for love while caring for her elderly mother; a single mother working in a massage parlour while studying for a real estate licence; and a factory worker confronted with job loss and shifting identity.  Through simplicity, humour, and charm, the film effectively explores themes of belonging, identity, sacrifice, cultural displacement, and the cost of chasing the “better life” in a new country, which in this case is Canada.  Each story is equally interesting, and Director Yeung connects well with his audience through his characters.

 

JOE’S COLLEGE ROAD TRIP (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Tyler Perry

 

The story centres on Joe Simmons, the gruff, no-filter brother of Medea, who is tasked with taking his grandson B.J. on a cross-country college road trip.  B.J.’s father, Brian, hopes the journey will help teach his son about the real world, Black history and life beyond his sheltered life before he starts college. What begins as a guided college tour quickly turns into a wild, tension-filled, and chaotic road trip full of misadventures, humour, and unexpected life lessons.

The new Tyler Perry film featuring Brian, his aunt Medea and father, Joe, is quite the riot.   And all three characters are played by Tyler Perry.  The film starts with the introduction of Joe.  And it is not a pretty one.  Joe swears, used to pimp, only attained third grade and would do anything, according to Medea, for a pork chop and ho.  In contrast, BJ, Joe’s grandson, is educated in a white system and knows nothing about black life.

Tyler Perry as: Medea, the sister of Joe, the aunt of Brian, and the grandaunt of B.J.

Joe Simmons, the brother of Medea, the father of Brian, and the grandfather of B.J.

Brian Simmons, the father of B.J., the son of Joe, and the nephew of Medea.

While part of the Medea franchise, it is the first film to be about her brother Joe as he accompanies his grandson B.J. on his college road trip.  Brian is convinced by Medea to let Joe take his son, B.J., on the trip.  Hopefully, they both learn from each other.

The trip begins at the 30-minute mark of the movie, where BJ travels in Joe’s car, which has no seat belts.  The reason for this is that Brian had cut out all the seat belts in his car, as Joe used to beat him with them.

Down the open road, generational differences and personality clashes lead to comedic and heartfelt moments, ultimately shaping both Joe and B.J.’s understanding of family, identity, and one another.

There’re few priceless comedic and action set pieces, like the onset in awhorehouse and the other in a primarily white bar,

The R-rated comedy about a grandfather and grandson whose road trip to visit colleges teaches them more about life — and each other — than they anticipated is entertaining enough, Medea style, with often no holds-barred material.

The question is, who can be funnier or more outrageous?  Medea or Joe?

JOE’S COLLEGE ROAD TRIP opens for streaming on Netflix Friday, February 13th.

 Trailer: 

THE LAST SACRIFICE (UK 2024) ***½

Directed by Rupert Russell

 

Directed by Rupert Russell, the son of Ken Russell (THE MUSIC LOVERS, THE BOY FRIEND, THE DEVILS, TOMMY), THE LAST SACRIFICE uncovers the real-life witchcraft killing that inspired THE WICKER MAN and birthed the folk horror genre. This unsettling true-crime interrogation unlocks the perverse cultural undercurrents that shaped the genre from its murderous beginnings to its modern-day resurrection.  This is a journey that gets under the skin of British polite society, that slays with pride, kills with prejudice, and exposes an island nation's dark heart to reveal that THE WICKER MAN is more fact than fiction.

The new horror crime drama is as intriguing and captivating as a curiosity piece.  The film is made upon a whole lot of horror films like the Hammer horror films of the past, particularly of the 60s and 70s, as well as many doc series.  THE LAST SACRIFICE is apparently about witches, which the film claims England exports.  It all started with the real-life murder of a chap called Charles Walton living in the Cotswolds in England.  

Charles Walton (12 May 1870 – 14 February 1945) was an Englishman who was found murdered on the evening of 14 February 1945 (St. Valentine's Day), at The Firs farm on the slopes of Meon Hill, Lower Quinton, in Warwickshire, England.  The foremost police detective of the era, Chief Inspector Robert Fabian, supposedly the best detective in the whole of England, according to reputation, led the investigation into Walton's death. The chief suspect for the murder was the manager of The Firs, Alfred John Potter, for whom Walton was working on the day he died. However, there was insufficient evidence to convict Potter, and the case is currently the oldest unsolved murder in the Warwickshire Constabulary's records.  The case has earned some notoriety in popular culture due to its supposed connection with the local belief in witchcraft.

On 14 February 1945, Walton left home with a pitchfork and a slash hook – a double-edged pruning implement with a sharpened straight edge on one side and a concave cutting edge on the other. Edith, Charles’s niece who was living with him,  stated that Walton had left his purse at home on 14 February. He was witnessed passing through the churchyard between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m.  It was a gruesome murder.  The murderer had beaten Walton over the head with his own stick, cut his neck open with the slash hook, and driven the prongs of the pitchfork into either side of his neck, pinning him to the ground. The handle of the pitchfork had then been wedged under a cross member of the hedge, and the slash hook had been buried in his neck.

THE LAST SACRIFICE should be seen, not only for the reason that it is quite the well put-together film, but also very nostalgic when the audience watches the old Hammer horror films that many loved and grew up with, including watching many segments involving horror masters Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

THE LAST SACRIFICE opens in Canada as a streaming premiere on Shudder on February 16, 2026. That’s when it becomes available to watch in Canada via Shudder’s service.

Trailer: 

MONTREAL, MA BELLE (Montreal, My Beautiful)(Canada 2025) ***
Directed by Xiaodan He

 

This is Joan Chen’s daring new vehicle, plunging into the role of a 53-year-old, humble, dissatisfied wife with two children, coming out to her gay leanings.   This is Joan Chen's, real age 65, film all the way, she being in almost every frame of the film.

Feng Xia (Chen), a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother living in Montreal, has spent her life shaped by duty — to her family, her culture, and a loveless marriage. But when she meets Camille, a spirited young Québécoise, a long-buried desire is awakened. In the balmy and joyful Montreal summer, Feng Xia takes the radical step of choosing herself — embarking on a journey of forbidden love and long-overdue self-discovery. Her awakening becomes a profound reckoning with identity, exile, and the steep cost of liberation.

Though explosive in its emotional material, director He keeps the tone of the film subtle and pensive, reflected by the city of Montreal, often filmed in soft hues. The film’s pace is unhurried and smooth, though never boring, as if something is not happening on screen, there is definitely emotion that is being felt by the characters.  Feng Xia’s issues are slowly brought into the picture. When the film begins, she hardly speaks French, though the audience learns soon after that she is taking French lessons and can speak rather fluid French.  Then, the family problems are introduced, with an occasionally overbearing husband who seems to enjoy sex without giving any consideration to his wife’s feelings.  One of the bedroom scenes has Feng Zia storming out of bed, screaming, “You never care how I feel,” to her husband.  The LGBT issue is then brought in when she goes on a dating app, and to one’s surprise, it is a gay app and she meets Camille, who is not without her own personal problems,  Camille ha an ex who wants to come back together, while Camille has passed that chapter in life, and has a mother who wants to reunite with her daughter, but with other reasons.  Feng Xia is caught up with all these issues, while quietly keeping a stiff upper lip.  Or she might end up doing something bad, as she confessed to her psychiatrist early in the film.  Among all this, there is the hanging issue of an immigrant being fitted into another culture.  When she meets a new group of friends, she is asked where she is from, as they cannot tell one Asian from another.

Of course, it is a matter of time before Feng Xia’s secret is discovered by her family. 

Actress Joan Chen herself is an immigrant from China, moving to America to launch her career.  She was famous after the movie TAIPAN (and later in THE LAST EMPEROR) in which she played a mistress of a caucasian and was deemed a traitor back in her country.   Chen understands the meaning of loneliness and displacement,

The film is shot in both Mandarin and French, dialogue often replaced by silence when emotions can still be expressed.

MONTREAL, MA BELLE (Montreal, My Beautiful) opens in theatres February 13th,  2026.

Trailer: 

MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN (Denmark/Czech/Germany 2025) ***½

Directed by David Borenstein

 

The doc begins with the setting in the dead of night, when a man scrambles across what might seem to be a path towards a border crossing.  He is warned by what is apparently a cell phone app to be careful with the footage he is carrying out and to discard the security messenger app right after.  He is told that what he is doing will make a big difference.  This is Pasha, the Mr Nobody of the title in his fight against Putin’s propaganda in schools.

The setting of the doc is the Russian town of Karabash.  Mr Nobody is from th town working in the largest school in the small town, mainly as a videographer, then loading all the propaganda files from the government.   The history of the town is equally interesting. A study by the Chelyabinsk Oblast's regional government in 1994 found significant negative health effects in the town, including high rates of stunted growth and birth defects.  The country's environmental ministry declared the area an environmental disaster zone in 1996. Despite this, a private company acquired the plant in 1998 and restarted its operations.  In 2004, Russian Copper Company, a private company, acquired the plant.  In 2015, a protest against the environmental and health effects of the town's copper smeltery was attended by approximately 500 people.

MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN was shot over a period of two years by Pavel "Pasha" Talankin, the videographer and events coordinator at Karabash Primary School #1.  Pasha began seriously documenting his activities after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, when the government began requiring schools to hold regular "patriotic displays" and use a state-written curriculum to justify the invasion to students.   At the same time, the government instituted a requirement to upload footage of these displays to a state-run portal to prove compliance, allowing Pasha cover to film meetings, lessons, and visitors to the school without attracting suspicion,   He initially planned to resign to avoid supporting the Russian government, however, after getting in contact with director David Borenstein, he withdrew his resignation to keep gathering footage,

Pasha secretly fled Russia during the summer of 2024, aided by his producers and Borenstein, who worked to get him asylum in Europe, following evidence of police surveillance

The danger faced by Pasha is real.  In April 2023, Putin signed a law that would punish traitors with life imprisonment.  Pasha tests the state by playing, at the school assembly, the Unite State National Anthem as sung by Lady Gaga.  His superiors warn him, saying that the school would have many enemies after.  “So what?” is Pasha’s reply.

Pasha depicts Putin as a scumbag, the same word Putin uses to scold others with.  With his well-groomed fat face, he is shown to be a complete liar, as he is, something that eludes President Trump, who also lies through his teeth.

What is seen in this docs nothing really surprising, but what is most interesting are the reactions of the students and fellow teachers.  As also expected, but must be seen to be believed, is the fear everyone experiences and the need to obey so that they do not get into trouble.

MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN opens in theatres Friday, 13th.  The film is nominated for this year's Oscar for Best Documentary.

Trailer: 

MY FATHER’S SHADOW (UK/Nigeria 2025) ****
Directed by Akinola Davies Jr.

 

Winner of the Caméra d’Or Special Mention at Cannes, MY FATHER’S SHADOW is a stunning debut set in 1993 Lagos; a lyrical, emotionally resonant story of two brothers reconnecting with their distant father over a single, transformative day.

A bit of the Geography of Lagos and Nigeria is key to appreciating the setting of the film.  Lagos, or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria.  Set against the backdrop of the 1993 Nigerian presidential election, two young brothers spend a day in Lagos with their estranged father.

It all takes place in a single day.  The sights of a third-world country's big city, with all its traffic, people, and chaos amid political turmoil, are effectively captured on film.  The inspired segment is the bus ride, where a sudden outburst of different political debate opinions emerges from the passengers on the bus.  They argue with all their differing points of view, and lo and behold!  They all have to disembark the bus as it runs out of petrol. Petrol is scarce during the political unrest.

It should be noted that the Davies brothers developed the idea for the film over more than a decade, drawing inspiration from the loss of their father when they were both very young. In 2012, Wale wrote the first draft of the script, which centres on two brothers spending a day in Lagos with their father on the day of Nigeria's historic 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as a turning point in the nation’s contemporary history.  Director Akinola Davies Jr. wrote the script with his brother, making the film autobiographical.

The film looks simple, but do not be fooled, as there is a tremendous amount of work, thought, and talent that went into this piece of work. 

The influence of a father cannot be more importantly stressed in the film.  In one scene, the father prevents one son from buying ice cream for himself unless he also buys one for his brother.  He does not, so it goes without the ice cream.  The heart-to-heart talk with one son also sends shivers down one’s spine.  The physical absence of the mother is noticeable in the film, but the father stresses the importance of family to his sons, especially for the mother, who, though never seen, is said to be loved by him, and that both of them do the most for their sons.  The father explains his absence as necessary for the family to stay as one. The scene where the two brothers share a meal on the plate with the meat, one for each sibling, is moving. 

The film had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May,  where it won the Special Mention for the Caméra d'Or.  It is the first-ever Nigerian film to be selected for the festival's Official Selection.  More notably, the film was also selected as the UK's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.

Trailer: 

PILLION (UK/Ireland 2025) ****
Directed by Harry Lighton

 

From writer-director Harry Lighton, making his feature debut, PILLION,  unconventional love story, following two men who express desire in ways rarely depicted on the big screen.  Based on the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, Pillion stars Harry Melling as Colin, a timid traffic warden from the suburbs, and Alexander Skarsgård

A pillion by definition is the seat for a passenger behind the motorcyclist.  This word is appropriately used as the title of the new BDSM gay romance film.

Colin, an introverted gay man, lives with his parents and works a menial job assigning parking tickets while pursuing his hobby of singing in a barbershop quartet.  Colin and his quartet are pretty good, as one of the performances is captured in the story’s introduction.  Yes, a musical interlude to contrast the dark BDSM theme of the romance,

The theme is one that many might not be familiar with.  This is how the definition of BDSM goes.  BDSM is an acronym for Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission, and Sadism & Masochism, representing a consensual spectrum of erotic, role-playing, and physical practices focused on power exchange, trust, and communication. It involves activities like sensation play, restraints, and role-playing, with safety and, for example, safe words being paramount to distinguish it from abuse.  For a couch, one is dominant while he otters submissive, and many activities can enhance the sexual act,

One evening at the pub, he slips a note by Ray, an incredibly handsome member of a local biker gang. The two meet on Christmas Day at a high street alleyway, where Ray wordlessly ushers Colin to perform oral sex. Despite a successful hookup, Ray says he isn't often around to see Colin again.

Trailer: n texts Ray, but receives no response for months. Eventually, Ray invites Colin to his home, where Colin is naively initiated into a strict BDSM relationship: Colin cooks, cleans, and shops, sleeps on the floor, and obeys Ray's every command. In return, Colin enjoys an intense but controlled sexual relationship with Ray. Acclimating to Ray's lifestyle, Colin shaves his head and joins the biker gang. Meanwhile, Colin's parents express worry about how little Colin knows about Ray.

PILLION is a different romantic film that opens around Valentine’s Day.  The film is described in the press notes as a romantic black comedy.   But more importantly, it is a film which rides its story outside the box, where a BDSM themed film turns both charming and still maintains its uncomfortable yet erotic sexiness.

The story in the book is set from the 70s to the present.  Colin’s parents are not the stereotyped ones found in gay films, where they either accept the son’s homosexuality with uneasiness or deny it.  In the film, they encourage it, with the parents inviting Ray over for dinner in order to know more about the biker.  But things do not go as planned.

It should be noted that the film’s ending differs from the original novel, Box Hill (on which the movie is based), where in the book, Ray does die in a motorcycle accident. The film deliberately changes that plot point, not to be revealed in the review, but the ending is an improvement, making the audience think a bit more and yes, outside the box.  PILLION is a brave and still powerful movie, a surprising first feature written and directed by Lighton.

PILLION opens February 13th.   A must for gay audiences and for straight ones, see it if you dare, and it will be a worthwhile challenge.

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SIRAT (Spain/France 2025) ****

Directed by Oliver Laxe

 

A winner of this year’s Cannes Competition Jury Prize, SIRAT (which means ‘path’ in Arabic) is at once a visceral and metaphysical excursion, in which a man desperately searches for his missing daughter amid a roving raver community in the harsh southern deserts of Morocco.

The title of the film SIRAT comes from the Sirat Bridge of the Islamic religion.  The "Sirat bridge" is a bridge in Islamic belief that every person must cross on the Day of Judgment to enter Paradise (Jannah).  It is described as a narrow path, thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword, that spans over Hell.  This sentence is flashed on the screen at the start of the film.  The speed and success with which people cross depend on their deeds; the righteous will pass swiftly, while the unrighteous will fall into Hell. 

The film begins with a large party scene in which a multitude of people dance to the tune of electronic music in a rave in southern Morocco.  A man (Sergi López) and his son give out flyers with the picture of a missing woman (their daughter and sister Mar) to the attendees of the dance party. A subgroup of ravers tells the man and the boy (Luis and Esteban) that another rave is taking place afterwards, deeper in the desert, and that the missing woman could be there. A group of soldiers dissolves the rave and orders Europeans to be evacuated. The ravers (Stef, Jade, Tonin, Bigui, and Josh) escape from the convoy line in two vans, and Luis and Esteban follow them in their smaller van together with their dog Pipa. 

The film has nail-biting edge-of-your-seat moments, which are reminiscent of two films.  One is the 1953 French film, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR, in which the characters drive trucks along rocky roads carrying dangerous explosives, a few blowing up.  The other is the 2015 Danish film Martin Zandvliet’s LAND OF MINE, in which mines are suddenly triggered and blow the victims to bits.  In SIRAT, the climactic scene where the characters are stuck in a mine field shares identical suspense and thrills.

Filming locations in the province of Teruel included the Rambla de Barrachina.  Director Laxe stated that the production team faced intense heat and sandstorms while filming in Morocco.

In that scene, the various characters set up speakers and music in the desert.  They dance; while in a trance, one of them, Jade, steps on a land mine and dies.  Another, Tonin dies by stepping on another mine while trying to reach Jade. Realising they have stepped into a minefield, the remaining group members are determined to reach a presumably mine-free rocky area nearby.  This segment is really unsettling as the situation is extremely explosive and unpredictable.

Though the film can hardly be described as entertaining, it provides a fresh, occasional, experimental, and emotional raw look at what it is to be human and how to relate with one another.  The film is in full serious mode except for one comical segment where Tonin improves a musical number using his leg stump to perform a sort of puppetry show.

A must-see, the film is the TFCA’s choice for Best International’s Feature.

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STATE OF FEAR (SALVE GERAL IRNANDADE)(Brazil 2026) ***½

Directed by Pedro Morelli

 

Brotherhood members face a crisis as key leaders transfer to maximum security prisons. Elisa, 18, the daughter of founder Edson, is kidnapped by corrupt police. Her aunt Cristina attempts a rescue while the faction orders "Salve Geral.” Salve Geral means Greetings Everyone.  The title means Greetings, everyone, Brothers!

It should be noted that the film is a spin-off of the Netflix Brazil series Brotherhood (Irmandade).  But prior knowledge of the series is not required,

The film begins with a high-profile attack at a police precinct in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  The action set-piece is heightened with a copy in the precinct having a water broken, while celebrating her pregnancy by colleagues.

As São Paulo erupts in an unprecedented wave of violence, a lawyer with underworld ties must strike a deal with the police to rescue her kidnapped niece.

Multiple stories are going on all at once.  The central issue is the brotherhood.  Apparently, according to the opening titles, the Brotherhood is an established gang that is supposed not to be all bad, and at times, fighting corrupt cops.  When riots break out across prisons across the country, as well as the precinct in Freguesia is attacked, the Brotherhood takes responsibility.

The first subjects are the pregnant cop and her beau, as they try to reach a hospital during the precinct attack.  But it appears that the delivery has to take place in the cruiser.  “Trust me.  You can do this,” he tells her.

The story shifts to the lawyer who, with her daughter, picks up her lover, an escaped prisoner.  As the daughter’s camera is snatched away, and the thief frames the prisoner because of his colour, the cops demand a ransom to release the daughter.  The aunt, who is the lawyer, gets a call about the ransom.  

As Aunt Cristina, a high-ranking member of the Brotherhood, tries to rescue Elisa.

The response of the Brotherhood is to order a “state of fear” — a coordinated wave of violent attacks on police stations and security forces that throws the city into widespread turmoil and chaos.

The multiple stories can get confusing, but it might take one to pause the film for a while (which I did) to put the whole story together, as well as to connect all the characters.

Still, STATE OF FEAR is an above average high octane action packed thriller with colourful characters and set in the exotic Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.  The film succeeds primarily for its intense visuals and sweeping single-shot sequences that heighten the urgency of the story.  The story also questions what justice means to different people.

STATE OF FEAR is shot in Portuguese and opens on Netflix, a Netflix original on  Wednesday, February 11th.

Trailer: 

STATE OF FEAR (SALVE GERAL IRNANDADE)(Brazil 2026) ***½

Directed by Pedro Morelli

 

Brotherhood members face a crisis as key leaders transfer to maximum security prisons.   The Brotherhood’s a gang organized group that operates in Brazil. Though many of the leaders are in prison, the Brotherhood still maintains power over the country, as the film demonstrates at the beginning.  Elisa, 18, the daughter of founder Edson, is kidnapped by corrupt police. Her Aunt Cristina attempts a rescue while the faction orders "Salve Geral.” Salve Geral means Greetings Everyone, in particular Brotherhood.  The title means Greetings, everyone, Brothers!

It should be noted that the film is a spin-off of the Netflix Brazil series Brotherhood (Irmandade).  But prior knowledge of the series is not required to appreciate the film,

The film begins with a high-profile attack at a police precinct in São Paulo, Brazil.  The action set-piece is heightened with a copy in the precinct having a water broken, while celebrating her pregnancy by colleagues.

As São Paulo erupts in an unprecedented wave of violence, a lawyer with underworld ties must strike a deal with the police to rescue her kidnapped niece.

Multiple stories are going on all at once.  The central issue is the brotherhood.  Apparently, according to the opening titles, the Brotherhood is an established gang that is supposed not to be all bad, and at times, fighting corrupt cops.  When riots break out across prisons across the country, as well as in a local precinct that isattacked, the Brotherhood takes responsibility.

The first subjects are the pregnant cop and her beau, as they try to reach a hospital during the precinct attack.  But it appears that the delivery has to take place in the cruiser.  “Trust me.  You can do this,” he tells her.

The story shifts to the lawyer who, with her daughter, picks up her lover, an escaped prisoner.  As the daughter’s camera is snatched away, and the thief frames the prisoner because of his colour, the cops demand a ransom to release the daughter.  The aunt, who is the lawyer, gets a call about the ransom.  

As Aunt Cristina, a high-ranking member of the Brotherhood, tries to rescue Elisa.

The response of the Brotherhood is to order a “state of fear” — a coordinated wave of violent attacks on police stations and security forces that throws the city into widespread turmoil and chaos.

The multiple stories can get confusing, but it might take one to pause the film for a while (which I did) to put the whole story together and connect all the characters.

Still, STATE OF FEAR is an above-average, high-octane, action-packed thriller with colourful characters and set in the exotic Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.  The film succeeds primarily through its intense visuals and sweeping single-shot sequences, which heighten the urgency of the story.  The story also questions what justice means to different people.

STATE OF FEAR is shot in Portuguese and opens on Netflix, a Netflix original, on  Wednesday, February 11th.

Trailer: 

THIS IS I (Japan 2026) ***½

Directed by Yusaku Matsumoto

 

THIS IS I is based on the true story of Ai Haruna.  When the film opens, she is in the contest for Miss Trans in Pattaya, Thailand.  She goes on to become the first Japanese to win the title.

Ai Haruna (born 21 July 1972) is a Japanese transgender TV personality and singer.

In October 2009, Haruna won the "Miss International Queen 2009" transgender beauty pageant held in Pattaya, Thailand, becoming the first Japanese contestant to win the title.  On 24 August 2021, she appeared at the beginning of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics.

The Japanese drama film is an honest, sincere-looking film that sympathizes with the magically different. It tells the real-life inspired story of Haruna Ai, a Japanese entertainer and transgender icon, and her journey of self-discovery and pursuing her dream of becoming an idol. The story follows her struggles with identity and societal judgment from a young age, and the deep bond she forms with a doctor, Dr. Wada, who helps her along the way. Their friendship and mutual support are central to the emotional arc of the film.

In school, she has a crush on a fellow male student, and her love letters made public class much to her embarrassment.  She tells a teacher she cannot take out any more, only to be told to act more like a man and stop so effeminately, but she does not even know the meaning of that term.  She meets Dr Wada at a restaurant where thendoctoris being ridiculed for the same reason.

THIS IS I is a film that speaks to those who have been bullied and ridiculed for whatever reason.  “I just want to be myself,” says Haruna at one point in the film.  The audience feels for her.

The film could have been just made with the promise of the rise to fame of a pop idol who happens to be trans.  Instead, the film is brave enough to include controversial issues like transgendering as well as display the underground gay culture of Osaka in the 70s.  There are insights and displays of incidents not known to Western audiences, all of which lift the film above the ordinary.  The bond between the doctor, Dr. Wafda, and Haruna is also one of the key elements in the story.

The film is especially timely since the most hated President of all time, Trump, has removed the rights of transgender Americans.  Haruna, born as Kenji Ōnishi in the 1970s, grew up dreaming of becoming a pop idol at a time when openly expressing her gender identity was met with scorn. The film arrives as part of Netflix’s expanded international slate and carries particular significance now: it shines a spotlight on LGBTQ+ experiences in Japan at a moment when conversations about representation are resonating worldwide.  The film runs a bit long at just over 2 hours, but the film moves fast due to its interesting premise.

THIS IS I opens on Netflix Tuesday, February 10th.

Trailer: 

 

“WUTHERING HEIGHTS” (UK/USA 2026) **

Directed by Emerald Fennell

 

This latest version of WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Emily Brontë’s original 1847 novel that is considered one of the greatest English novels of all time, is given a free adaptation by writer/director Emerald Fennell - the reason the title “WUTHERING HEIGHTS” appears in quotation marks.  Re-interpretation of a classic treads dangerous territory, and in the case of the 2026 film, it fails (explained in the review) in terms of what would be expected in an epic romance.  The story is set in the Yorkshire Moors, and the word withering itself is a Yorkshire slang term that means to roar or to bluster, terms that describe the stormy nature and weather of the moors.

Filming occurred at Sky Studios Elstree, with location shooting in the Yorkshire Dales, including the valleys of Arkengarthdale and Swaledale, the village of Low Row, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park.  Linus Sandgren is the cinematographer who is to be commended for classic scenes like the dark Heathcliff riding his horse in the shadows of night.

The handsome Jacob Elordi, a white actor, plays Heathcliff.   As everyone familiar with the novel knows, Heathcliff is a "dark-skinned gipsy" or "Lascar" in the novel, sparking controversy, but Elordi does a near-perfect job as the troubled lover who takes revenge on his childhood tormentors.  The important role of Nelly is played by Hong Chau, an American Asian actress best known for her breakout role in DOWNSIZING.  Margot Robbie is Catherine.

The film is a more straightforward retelling of the tale, without the layered flashbacks as told by Nelly in the book.  Heathcliff is ‘found’ by Catherine in the film, rather than brought back by the father on one of his travels.  The film is also sexually more explicit, a fact that takes away the classic feel and subtlety of the story. The Chemistry between the two leads, Margot Robbie and Jason Elordi, works well at least.

There is much cruelty and marital abuse in the story, a fact that director Fennell does not shy away from.  There is also a BDSM scene spied upon by Catherine, a scene that will make many an audience uncomfortable, not only because of the content, but because of the liberty taken to update the story.  There are also other explicit romantic and sensual scenes, including kissing and heightened physical contact, whereas in the book, there is more psychological cruelty.

The novel’s gothic tragedy, grounded in bleak moors, class conflict, obsession, and generational trauma are at least still felt in the film, despite the changes made in the simplified story.

There are original songs by British/Indian artist Charli XCX, last seen in the film THE MOMENT.

“WUTHERING HEIGHTS’ has so far obtained mixed reviews from critics.  Director Fennell has repeatedly defended her film by saying that her film isn’t meant to be a literal, faithful retelling of the novel but rather her version of it.  The film cost $80 million and was bought by Warner Bros after a bidding war.

“WUTHERING HEIGHTS” opens in theatres on Friday the 13th for Valentine’s Day.

Trailer: