A YARD OF JACKALS (Patio de Chacales) (Chile 2024) ***1/2
Directed by Diego Figueroa
A YARD OF JACKALS is a claustrophobic Kafkaesque political thriller in every sense of the word, reminiscent of the recent TWO PROSECUTORS.
It is the winter of 1978, under Chile’s military regime in Santiago. Raúl Peralta, a lonely architectural model maker, lives a quiet life with only his ailing mother and a pet canary for company. His routine is upended by the arrival of new neighbours whose sinister activities seem to hide dark secrets. Desperately clinging to the last remnants of his sanity, Raúl’s life increasingly intertwines with Guillermo, a mysterious man in dark glasses. As reality unravels, the echoes of Raúl’s past collide with the horrors of his present in a psychological thriller that leaves behind a deep, indelible scar.
The film has an authentic feel throughout, for the director Diego Figueroa did a lot of research on such cases during his studies years earlier.
The genesis of the film began back in 2014 when \the director was working on my thesis project for the Film and Television program at the University of Chile. During an in-depth investigation into the dictatorship’s repressive forces and their relationship with civil society, he came across a series of studies on private homes that had been used as clandestine centres for detention, torture, and, in some cases, extermination. This led me to conduct further research into some of these well-known locations and connect with investigative authors like Javier Rebolledo, whose research into the civilian aspect of the dictatorship and its connections resulted in his book trilogyLos Cuervos.
It turns out the neighbours are secret police agents linked to the dictatorship, and the sounds coming through the walls are interrogations and torture of political prisoners.
As Raúl listens through a stethoscope-type instrument, he becomes aware of this as he hears loud music covering screams of confession under torture.He is drawn into a nightmarish moral situation. His attempts to report or intervene are ignored—or dangerous.He tries to contact through a radio station.He becomes psychologically unravelled, haunted by what he hears but powerless to stop it.To add to the anxiety, Ray is disabled and suffers from some foreign object inns le.But he has a girlfriend who cares, but he cannot reciprocate.
The life and paranoia are effectively created and felt throughout the entire movie, a lowborn in which one can feel the heat of the burn.
One can feel and root for Raul, but things do not look too good for him.His girlfriend escapes to Paris.The film offers Raul a route of escape when his a=bedridden mother passes away, the excuse he always gives for not going out.
One can feel and root for Raul, but things do not look too good for him. His girlfriend escapes to Paris. The film offers Raul a route of escape when his bedridden mother passes away, the excuse he always gives for not going out.The only solace is his girlfriend who takes a liking to him.
The film has an ending (not to be revealed in this review) that is quite ambiguous and disturbing. The audience might not like the ambiguity, but the disturbing factor is expected.
A YARD OF JACKALS premieres exclusively on IndiePix Unlimited on May 8th, 2026.
Director Soderbergh teams up again with writer Ed Solomon to create a stylish chamber piece rich with dialogue and colourful characters set in the art world of forgery and deception.
The film centres on Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), a once-celebrated painter now reclusive and dwindling in relevance, and his estranged children who see his unfinished series of paintings ("The Christophers") as a potential posthumous windfall. They hire Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), a struggling art restorer posing as his assistant, to finish or forge these works so they can profit from them after his death. Lori and Julian begin a relationship that is both hateful and tolerant, which grows for the queerest of reasons. McKellen is excellent in delivering his lines, exhibiting black humour, pathos, and respect for both his character and for himself as an actor. Again, another small but wonderful entertainment from Soderbergh.
THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT (Australia/Mongolia/Germany 2024) *** Directed by Gabrielle Brady
THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT -- Australia’s official submission for the 2026 Academy Awards for both Best International Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature -- offers a sweeping, yet deeply personal, docu-fiction set on the Mongolian steppes, chronicling one family’s displacement after climate catastrophe.
A hauntingly intimate portrait of a family forced to confront the unraveling of their world, the film follows Davaa and Zaya, a young herding couple raising four daughters in a life shaped by tradition, livestock, and the rhythms of the land. Their quiet resilience is shattered when a catastrophic climate-driven storm devastates their herd — and with it, their livelihood. Suddenly unmoored from generations of nomadic identity, the family must join the growing wave of rural migrants relocating to the fringes of Ulaanbaatar in search of survival. Blurring the boundaries between documentary and narrative cinema, Brady crafts a deeply personal docufiction drama co-scripted with Davaa and Zaya themselves, who courageously reenact their own journey of displacement. The result is both epic and intimate: a sweeping visual meditation on climate change’s human toll and a tender study of love, pride, and parental responsibility under crushing uncertainty.
The film has a documentary feel as the camera closely follows this Mongolian family of 6 (parents and four children) who have to relocate near the city after the story's tragedies, in which the herd is lost. Born to generations of herders in Mongolia’s immense Bayankhongor region, young couple Daava (Davaasuren Dagvasuren) and Zaya (Otgonzaya Dashzeveg) are raising their four children as they were brought up: with an intimate connection to the land and the animals they share their lives with.
Pressing topics like climate change and urban migration are also drawn to the story. Director Brady’s film captures the family's plight, especially when they start talking about how they miss the animals.
THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT was shown at TIFF last year and premieres on FILM MOVEMENT PLUS April 17th, 2026.
18TH ROSE (Philippines 2026) ** Directed by Dolly Dudu
The 2026 Netflix film 18th Rose is a coming-of-age romantic drama set in the early 2000s Philippines, centred on a teenage girl preparing for a life-changing tradition—her 18th birthday debut.
The story follows Rose, a lively, free-spirited teenage girl approaching her 18th birthday.
In Filipino culture, turning 18 is marked by a grand celebration (a “debut”), symbolizing entry into adulthood.Rose dreams of having the perfect, fairy-tale debut, complete with romance, status, and validation. However, she feels pressure to make the night unforgettable.She worries she doesn’t yet have the “perfect” love story to match the occasion.
Rose makes a deal with a stranger, Jordan, a quiet, somewhat lonely newcomer.
Jordan is an outsider—socially awkward, mysterious, and emotionally guarded.Rose proposes a mutual arrangement.He will act as her date/romantic partner for the debut.
In return, she offers him companionship, inclusion, or help with his own struggles.
In summary,18TH ROSE is about a fake relationship that becomes real—
and a girl who learns that growing up means letting go of the perfect story she imagined.
For information, the 18 Roses is a traditional part of a Filipina debut that symbolises the debutante’s transition from childhood to womanhood. It involves 18 important men in her life, each offering her a rose and sharing a dance with her. This gesture represents love, guidance, and respect from the male figures who have played meaningful roles in her life.Jo..rdan is clearly the 18th ROSE
The “fake relationship turns into real love” trope is one of the most beloved in romantic films. It works because it lets characters fall in love accidentally, often while pretending not to. This also, unfortunately, means that audiences have seen this premise once too often with many classics that can be watched again or for the first time, and then sit down to watch an overlong 2-hour Filipino teen romance.A few of the best and most notable films that use this idea include THE PROPOSAL (2009), SHE’S ALL THAT, and 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (both from 1999), just to name a few.
18TH rose is an overlong teen romance that uses the once-again, all-too-familiar fake relationship-turned-into-real-love premise.There is hardly anything funny, original, or memorable, except the Filipino setting.
18TH ROSE streams on Netflix beginning April 9th.
Trailer:
BIG MISTAKES (USA 2026) ***½
Directed by Dean Holland (1st 2 episodes) and various others, including Etan Frankel and Timothy Greenberg
BIG MISTAKES is an upcoming American crime comedy television series for Netflix, created by Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott. Levy (best known from the hit Canadian series SCHITT’S CREEK) also acts as showrunner and leads the cast. The series will premiere on April 9, 2026.
BIG MISTAKES is about, obviously, big mistakes - mistakes that are almost impossible to correct.This means that the characters have to do their utmost best to deal with the consequences, which makes for a good opportunity for comedy.
The film opens in a hospital ward.The grandmother is almost about to die, which she does in the scene, but not before declaring that her dying wish is to have a diamond necklace, real or not.The daughter is constantly screaming in the hospital ward at her three adult children, two of whom, Nicky (Levy) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega) decide to go to a local store to get a present.Taylor sees a necklace in a showcase at the store, which she assumes is not real.But the store salesman, at the counter, Yusuf (Boran Kusum), is hiding real diamonds, as there is nowhere to hide something that can be displayed in plain sight.Taylor nicked it, and the necklace is put around the grandmother’s neck just before she is buried 6 feet under.This is when Yusuf shows up, threateningNicky and Morgan with a gun.
The episodes move at a manic pace, with the characters constantly screaming and arguing with each other as the events turn for the worse.As the siblings try to make do with the situation, there is plenty of suspense and opportunity of comedy.Nick also plays a gay priest, a factor that allows more insane comedy into the series.
The casting of BIG MISTAKES works well from the dynamic Chemistry (always fighting in this case) between siblings played by Dan Levy and Taylor Ortega, nothing short of outstanding.And why not get a real Turk like Boran Kuzum to play Yusuf, a Turk heavy.A Canadian is nicely cast in the role, too, Jack Innanen, who plays a lovable loser who tries so hard to make his romantic dreams come true.Elizabeth Perkins is also excellent, appearing on and off in the episodes beginning with Episode 3.
The introduction of the family members to the audience is done in a remarkable first act in which the family is all gathered, arguing in a hospital ward.No nonsense, right into the story, with the action moving fast and furious.The BIG MISTAKES arrive with more consequences, all ripe for suspense comedy, a genre that this series excels in. And an amazing soundtrack!
There are 8 episodes in all, all opening on Thursday, April 9th, Thursday, each 30 minutes in length.There was a special press screening of the first 2 episodes of the series, and judging from the first two, the whole 8 episodes should all be thoroughly entertaining.All 8 episodes are available for streaming on Netflix, which picked up BIG MISTAKES in May last year.
Trailer:
EXIT 8 (Japan 2025) *** Directed by Genki Kawamura
Mazes and maze puzzles have always fascinated people.Trying to get out of a seemingly endless puzzle is the goal.In the new Japanese movie EXIT 8,Arashi superstar Kazunari “Nino” Ninomiya plays the Lost Man, a backpacked commuter trapped in an endless, sterile subway corridor. To escape at Exit 8 — where his ex awaits his thoughts about her pregnancy — he must obey one rule: if anything looks off, turn back. Miss a single anomaly, and he’s snapped to the start, condemned to loop again. The premise becomes a taut metaphor for guilt, responsibility, and the paralysis of indecision.There is nothing really much more in the story, but Nino makes turn after turn in one corridor after corridor for the full length of the movie.Definitely a movie that is NOT to be seen twice, credit should be given at least to the filmmaker to capture the attention of audiences for a full 90 plus minutes without incident and with much repetition.No one walked out during the screening - a rare achievement. The eerie and creepy film comes with a music soundtrack of Ravel's Bolero.
Trailer:
THRASH (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Tommy Wirkola
One thing to note right away is that the film is titled THRASH, not trash, the two words obviously having two different meanings.Thrash means a violent or noisy movement, typically involving hitting something repeatedly, as the storm called Hurricane Henry does, and the word trash means rubbish, which the story could be relabelled as.Be that as it may, writer/director Tommy Wirkola knows what the film should succeed as, and the film works in a trashy kind of way, being entertainingly corny at the same time. THRASH, the film is a hurricane disaster movie + shark survival horror, where ordinary people must survive both nature’s fury and deadly predators at the same time.If you think the title is bad, the former titles BENEATH THE STORM and SHIVER are worse!
The film follows multiple characters (an ensemble cast) trying to survive as the town is submerged.These characters include:
Phoebe Dynevor as Lisa Fields: A pregnant woman trapped in a car in the middle of a hurricane, trying to get away from the raging waves and the sharks they bring
Whitney Peak as Dakota Edwards: Dale's agoraphobic niece, who at first, skeptical, dismisses the idea of a Category 5 hurricane approaching her town, but soon realizes the gravity of the situation;
Djimon Hounsou as Dale Edwards: A marine researcher trying to help people trapped in the town as they had been cut off from any rescue attempts.
Alyla Browne as Dee Olsen: Sister of a trio of foster siblings trying to survive while trapped in their own home as sharks invade and terrorize them.
Stacy Clausen as Ron Olsen: Older brother of a trio of foster siblings trying to survive while trapped in their own home as sharks invade and terrorize them;
Dante Ubaldi as Will Olsen: Younger brother of a trio of foster siblings trying to survive while trapped in their own home as sharks invade and terrorize the town.
The setting is the fictional coastal town of Annieville, supposedly inSouth Carolina (the film was shot on a lot in Australia).
Director Workload takes his trashy disaster horror flick seriously enough. It begins with a note that storms have increased tremendously since 1980, never mentioning climate change as the reason, assuming audiences are bright enough to make the deduction.The film then gets right to business, with scenes of the townsfolk rushing to leave Annieville, though a few refuse to acknowledge the forthcoming danger.The various characters are introduced into the story as done in many disaster films.The Hurricane is Category 5, nearing Category 6, though the film never explains how the categories are listed.
The film gets a bit ridiculous and over the top with segments like Lisa trying to bear a child amidst the flood waters and a family trying to keep the house door shut to stop the sharks.All this is done in good fun and R-rated style.
Director Wirkola is a Norwegian filmmaker who is no stranger to this kind of thriller, which combines horror, action, and satire, including DEAD SNOW (2009) and DEAD SNOW 2.
THRASH opens for streaming on April 10th on Netflix.
Trailer:
UNTOLD: CHESS MATES (USA 2026) ***½
Directed by Thomas Tancred
First thing to note is that one need not be interested or know anything bout chess to enjoy this chess drama documentary,
The new Netflix original doc wastes no time and gets straight to the point.The audience knows exactly what to expect within the first 3 opening minutes. The documentary starts by introducing the two main characters, and immediately the scene is set: this is an all-time great versus a young grandmaster who initially rose to fame through the world of online chess.
First up in the opening montage is Carlsen, beating people blindfolded.The Norwegian five-time world champion said: “I’ve been the definite best player in the world now for 12 to 13 years.”The doc then immediately moves to American Niemann, described as someone with an “insane level of self-confidence,” who pulls no punches. “All I did was play a chess game, and I beat him,” he says. “He’s entered a level of paranoia that’s not sane.”
The two chessmates referred to in the film’s title are Norwegian Magnus Carlsen and American Hans Niemann.As they say, a doc is as interesting as its subjects, and the two subjects are as interesting as any human being can get.They are geniuses, temperamental, and full of ego.When fitted against each other, as the doc shows, all hell breaks loose.
The first chessmate, Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen, is a Norwegian chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Champion, reigning six-time World Rapid Chess Champion, reigning nine-time World Blitz Chess Champion, and the reigning FIDE Freestyle Chess World Champion. Carlsen has held the No. 1 position in the FIDE rankings since 1 July 2011, the longest consecutive period, and trails only Garry Kasparov in time spent as the highest-rated player in the world. Carlsen's peak rating of 2882 is the highest in history. He also holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak at the elite level in classical chess at 125 games.
The second chess mate, Hans Moke Niemann, is an American chess grandmaster and Twitch streamer. He first entered the top 100 junior players list on March 1, 2019, and became a FIDE grandmaster on January 22, 2021. In July 2021, he won the World Open chess tournament in Philadelphia. He achieved a peak global ranking of No. 15 in October 2025.
After rather extensive coverage oft he two subjects, the doc focuses on the scandal.How to start, where it leads, and how it ends.Knowing the two subjects injects more interest in the scandal, making the doc even more intriguing.
“I feel it must be so humiliating for him to lose to such an idiot as me,” says Hans after winning against Carlsen.
In September 2022, Niemann became embroiled in a controversy after defeating reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the 2022 Sinquefield Cup.This is what this doc is primarily about.
The doc aims to entertain, and this it does, moving at a pace fast enough to put any chess player to shame.As a sports drama, it incorporates courtroom drama, and the result is an artistically dramatized entertainment to be totally enjoyed.
UNTOLD: CHESS MATES opens for streaming on Netflix beginning Tuesday, April 7th.
The big ones opening for Easter are the new Mario Brothers Galaxy movie and THE DRAMA. Best film opening is THE BLUE TRAIL, and best one not opening is LIVING THE LAND.
FILM REVIEWS:
AGATHA’S ALMANAC (Canada 2025) ***
Directedby Amelie Atkins
AGATHA’S ALMANAC is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Amalie Atkins and released in 2025. The film is a portrait of her aunt Agatha Bock, a 90-year-old woman who still lives a fiercely independent life revolving around her passion for gardening. The film unfolds over the course of a year, using the changing seasons as its structure—much like a traditional almanac, and hence the film’s title.
AGATHA’S ALMANAC will inevitably be compared to Chantal Akerman’s 1975 masterpiece, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, which was ranked the greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound magazine's 2022 "Greatest Films of All Time" critics poll, making her the first woman to top the poll. Both films show the subject working in real time, doing daily chores in their daily routines. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles depicts long moments of the life of Jeanne Dielman in real time, which Akerman said "was the only way to shoot the film – to avoid cutting the action in a hundred places, to look carefully and to be respectful. The framing was meant to respect her space, her, and her gestures within it.” This also holds true for Agatha in AGATHA’S ALMANAC. The main difference is that the reviewed film is all true, while in the latter, the subject sees male clients during the day, and the film ends with her committing suicide.
The doc also tells of Agatha’s personal life, which she narrates in her own voice. She tells of her men numbered 1 to 3. Her number 3 is the one who told her that two people living together can do so cheaper than one. He took her for breakfast because it is cheaper than lunch. I am not going to marry someone like that, she says. She suffers from old age ailments, like bleeding, but she is happy that she has lived up to the age of 85. Story number 3 ended up getting married, according to Agatha, but not to her, Agatha jokes. As Agatha goes on her daily chores like harvesting her fruits and vegetables, jarring them, she talks about how they are done. For example, she seals fresh strawberries in air-sealed jars, and they are as fresh and crispy 10 days later as the first day. Agatha has remained single all her life, and in her own words, with no regret, as she has always found something to do and does not get lonely.
As pristine as Agatha’s lifestyle, the film is also a very pleasant and easy watch in which one can sit back and easer its the doc. Agatha lives a lifestyle of the past, she belongs to one of the old religious groups, the Mennonites, and she is self-sufficient and also self-sufficiently happy.
AGATHA’S ALMANAC also comes away with much critical acclaim. They won the juried award for Best Canadian Feature Documentary. The film was also long-listed for the 2025 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award and was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2025.
The film opens on Apr 3rd at the TIFF Lightbox.
Trailer:
THE BLUE TRAIL (Brazil/Mexico/Chile/Netherlands 2025) ****
Directed by Gabriel Mascaro
It is a dystopian future in Brazil, and seniors are given a hard time. They are forced to stop work and leave work for the younger population. At the same time, the government is forcing them to socialize in ways they deem acceptable to them. Tereza, 77, has lived her whole life in a small industrialized town in the Amazon until one day she receives an official government order to relocate to a senior housing colony. The colony is an isolated area where the elderly are brought to « enjoy » their final years, freeing the younger generation to focus fully on productivity and growth. Tereza refuses to accept this imposed fate. Instead, she embarks on a transformative journey through the rivers and tributaries of the Amazon to fulfill one last wish (her bucket list wish) before her freedom is taken away—a decision that will change her destiny forever. This is a very funny and timely film and one of the best films about seniors in a long time, and I am not talking COCOON here. The stunning cinematography of the rivers in the Amazon is simply breathtaking.
THE DRAMA (USA 2026) *** Dieted by Kristoffer Borgli
The new romantic comedy drama is so-called for the main reason that there is constant drama occurring in almost every scene. As such, it is a compelling film, though one might wish a break might be given for the audience to take a breather.
The story follows Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson), an engaged couple preparing for their wedding. But there is drama, i.e., trouble in paradise. Their relationship is suddenly shaken days before the ceremony when disturbing truths about one partner come to light. During a gathering with friends, they play a game where everyone must reveal “the worst thing they’ve ever done.”
Each of the 4 reveal the worst thing they had done, but Emma confesses the worst thing that she actually, ironical did not do. While the others reveal cyber-buying to locking a kid in the closet, Emma reveals she once planned a school shooting but never carried it out—a revelation that horrifies everyone and destabilizes her fiancé. This confession occurs at the 20-minute mark of the film and sets the story in motion.
Emma’s shocking confession completely derails the relationship and the wedding plans, although the others also contribute to the chaos.
Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli is no stranger to personalized drama-based films, having written and directed SICK OF MYSELF in 2022 as well as working with Nicolas Case in the 2023 film DREAM SCENARIO.
One can see that director Borgli tries very hard to make his film different and distinct with the set-pieces to stand out among other romantic comedy dramas, sometimes trying too hard. The film first opens with a close-up of Emma’s stud earring before revealing that she is deaf in that ear. The sex scenes are filmed differently. The film unfolds generally in chronological order with a few jumps. For example, Charlie is shown badly beaten up before showing the fight scene. There is no need to change the chronological order of things except to try to make the film look smarter than it actually is.
On a more serious note, the film raises the big question of whether true love can conquer acceptance. The film takes the message one step further (spoilers not revealed in this review) of what happens after,
For all the boundary pushing and creativity, director Kristoffer Borgli opts out for a tacked-on, cop-out, clichéd happy ending, which goes against the flow of this otherwise original and fresh romantic comedy drama. Spoiler alert: (Though one can argue that the ending is an open one that the two attempt to start again, and not that they have agreed to part or stay together, the latter is implied from the fact that Emma sits down with Charlie at the end.)
Overall, one must give credit to director Borgli for his bravery in tackling a sensitive subject and its consequences. Though it does not always work, it is still better to watch a film that fails, though one can hardly consider this film a failure, than one that never attempted anything and comes up with nothing.
THE DRAMA opens in theatres on April 3rd.
Trailer:
LIVING THE LAND (China 2025) **** Directed by Hugo Meng
LIVING THE LAND immediately brings to mind the pastoral literature classic Pearl S. Buck’s THE GOOD EARTH, which was also adapted to Sidney Franklin’s 1937 film about poverty and a Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, living the land.This reviewer studied the novel in secondary school, and watching LIVING THE LAND is indeed nostalgic as it captures all the drama, poetry, and hardship of farmers and traditions.
The film is set in the village of Bawangtai in 1991, where time appears to have stood still. Despite the rapid industrialization happening in cities across China, everyday rural life for farming families in Henan province remains steadfastly tied to the demands of the land. 10-year-old Xu Chuang, the third-born child of one such family, is unceremoniously left with his wheat farmer uncle when his parents and older siblings set out to find work in the Southern city of Shenzhen. Cared for though unable to shake the feeling he doesn’t belong with the extended Li family, Chuang finds comfort in a young aunt, who feels similarly uneasy as she is pressured to marry, and his surly but kind nonagenarian great-grandmother. However, what is different from THE GOOD EARTH is that, as the trend of becoming migrant workers grew, the younger generation slowly departed for city life, subtly transforming the rural landscape.
The Silver Bear winner for Best Director at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival, Chinese filmmaker Huo Meng’s elliptical and elegant sophomore feature proves “a cinema of patience is also a cinema of assurance” (Indiewire). Equal parts coming-of-age tale and epic portrait of provincial life, Living the Land exists at an apex for Chinese culture in the 1990s, “a time when major reforms were transforming China from a nation of rural labourers into the industrial powerhouse it is today.”
The film also explains the culture and work ethics of the Chinese folk.Unlike their western counterparts, particularly Trump’s America, who are lazy and want everything given to them, the Chinese are willing to suffer and work hard to achieve the bare minimum for essential living, while often under pressure by an unrelenting government that would punish their citizens with re-education and sometimes death.The modern Chinese cities are a stark contrast to their countryside.
At best, the film examines and demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit of any person willing to go all out to achieve their goal in life.
LiIVING THE LAND had its world premiere on 14 February 2025, as part of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, in Competition. On 10 October 2025, it will be showcased in the Showcase section of the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival. Later, it competed in the 'Official Section' of the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival for Golden Spike. It will be presented in the 'Rising Stars - 2025' section of the 56th International Film Festival of India in November 2025.The film was overlooked by the Toronto International Film Festival and also currently has no theatrical or Digital opening.
One of the largely neglected international films last year and now finally opening is PALESTINE 36.Why 36?Because that is the year you were born, comes the voiceover.That is the year the Palestinians said enough is enough and stood united to fight the oppressors who came to steal their land.
PALESTINE 36 is a historical drama set during the 1936–1939 Arab Revolt in Mandatory Palestine, a major uprising against British colonial rule and increasing Jewish immigration.
The film follows a group of Palestinian villagers and resistance fighters as they become caught up in the early days of the revolt in 1936.A quiet rural village is disrupted by British military crackdowns.Ordinary people—farmers, families, and local leaders—are drawn into armed resistance.The story traces how personal lives, loyalties, and survival instincts change under occupation and conflict
PALESTINE ’36 is Annemarie’s decade-in-the-making fourth feature that tells the story of the Arab revolts against British colonial rule in the period 1936-39, just as Jewish refugees were fleeing Europe and arriving in the region.The revolt and fighting with the Brits takes place most ferociously at the ¾ mark of the film. Before that it is all talk, especially from Jeremy Irons playing the British Commissioner. It is a consequential period of Palestinian history that’s not as well-known as the Nakba and later chapters, but it shaped everything that was to follow and helps contextualize what’s happening in the region today. As director Annemarie said in Vogue, “One cannot understand the Nakba, the Intifada, or today without understanding how the stage was set in those years.”
PALESTINE 36 is a powerful film, though one might complain that it only takes the side of the Palestinians.The refugee Jews are also given a hard time, being displaced just before World War II, and they are just a mass of people with no sympathy given to them in the film.Why the Brits are more sympathetic to the Jews distributing land to them that belongs to the Palestinians is never explained.Jewish communities—who were also targets during the revolt—are largely absent, minimized, or portrayed as passive.The result, according to detractors, is a partial narrative rather than a fully balanced historical account.The film, instead, becomes a “morality play” emphasizing colonial cruelty and Palestinian unity.
PALESTINE 36 highlights Palestinian suffering and British brutality, while downplaying Jewish experiences, internal divisions, and key historical figures, especially the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini.This is the standing flaw of the otherwise well-shot epic that might be the reason the film failed to make the final 5 Best International Academy Award nomination list.
But the mixing of the fictional characters into the historical storytelling keeps the film compelling at an emotional level, of course, with certain dramatization used to enhance the entertainment factor, as they say.
Watermelon Pictures will be releasing renowned Palestinian writer and director Annemarie Jacir’s PALESTINE 36 – Palestine’s Academy Award-shortlisted selection for Best International Feature. The film opens in Toronto on April 3 at TIFF Lightbox.
Trailer:
THE TRUTH AND TRAGEDY OF MORIAH WILSON (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Marina Zenovich
This is a true crime documentary that thrives on emotions and attempts to relive the incidents through realistic re-enactments for artistic dramatization.
The audience is to be tapped for the full emotional weight of the tragedy from the very first frame.Moriah (Anna Moriah Wilson), the cyclist’s middle name, is first shown as a bright and energetic cyclist with everything going right for her.She is bubbly, athletic, and smart.She grows into a cyclist, winning the Time Life race, coming in Number 1.Then, tragedy strikes.
Caitlin Cash calls Austin 9-1-1 to report a fried, i.e., Moriah, lying with blood on the bedroom floor.The police arrive while she is doing CPR under instruction from the first responder.This is obviously a re-enactment (how can the camera be there during the call?), which is done so realistically that many would not even think twice about it being real at that moment.
Beyond the subject of true crime, the film also explores the life of the person, Moriah.
Raised in a family of athletes, Wilson developed a passion for cycling as a young girl, as shown in archive footage.Her parents and brother are interviewed in the doc. She was a nationally ranked junior skier, but had become a gravel cyclist. Before her full-time career as a professional cyclist, she had worked as a demand planner for Specialized. This girl has an engineering degree.
The film revisits the shocking 2022 murder of rising cyclist Moriah Wilson, combining:
police bodycam footage, interviews with friends and family, a deeper look at the investigation and trial.
It focuses not just on the crime, but on who Wilson was and the emotional aftermath for those close to her.The film works as a real-life drama with the murder and investigation slowly moving in, as the tension mounts, creating a good-paced true crime drama.The film would be more entertaining if one did not know the events of the crime. The film ultimately revisits the shocking 2022 murder of rising cyclist Moriah Wilson, combining police bodycam footage, interviews with friends and family, and a deeper look at the investigation and trial
THE TRUTH AND TRAGEDY OF MORIAH WILSON, a Netflix original true crime drama, opens for streaming on Netflix Good Friday.
Three brothers meet to discuss their octogenarian father, who has started showing strange behaviour.
Cesc is no newcomer to directing.He is known for Truman (2015), Nico and Dani (2000) and En la ciudad (2003), small entertaining little movies, just like this one.
The pleasure of 53 DOMINGOS lies in the keen observations of the family dynamics.How the family members argue, make mountains out of molehills and then get irritated and make more mountains out of molehills.The family could be called dysfunctional, but this dysfunctionality can be seen in almost every family.There is sibling rivalry and friction over how the father comes into the picture.The issues examined in the film are uni resale - an aging parent and what to do with him - to put him in a home or have one (which one?) of the siblings look after him.
Though not plot-heavy, the film is a sharp observation revealing a messy confrontation that exposes years of tension and unresolved conflict. It's humorous to see how one little remark becomes a catalyst for an out-of-control argument.
53 DOMINGOS (53 SUNDAYS) opens for streaming on Netflix on March 27th.
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AFTER THE RAIN: PUTIN’S STOLEN CHILDREN COME HOME (UK/Ukraine 2024) ***
Directed by Sarah McCarthy
AFTER THE RAIN: PUTIN’S STOLEN CHILDREN COME HOME is advertised as a powerful and deeply human documentary from director Sarah McCarthy that confronts one of the most harrowing humanitarian crises of the modern era.Set in a forest retreat on the Baltic Sea, the film follows a group of Ukrainian families as they begin the slow and painful process of healing at an animal therapy retreat in Estonia, after their children were illegally deported to Russia during the ongoing war.
At the heart of the story are the children themselves – survivors of forced separation – who begin to rediscover trust and joy through animal-assisted therapy with golden retrievers and Palomino horses. In the hands of compassionate councillors, their trauma gradually unfolds, revealing the emotional and psychological toll of displacement, fear, and resilience.
Of all the children attending the retreat, the film focuses on two of them.One is a precocious girl, Sasha, who loves to talk and is hyperactive.She and her father were stopped at a checkpoint, and her father was taken away.The father was away for three hours before she was taken away to Moscow. The father is with her at the retreat. She also lost her mother at the age of 8 months, and she is always looking for a mother.When meeting any woman, she first looks to see if there is a wedding ring of her finger before asking her if she had children or is married.The other is Veronika.She was first one to hear the overhead jet fighters in her home, sh claims.The councillor says that she smiles at almost every emotion she sees.Veronika is accompanied by her elderly grandmother, who apparently is the one who had found her. Veronika claims she spent quite a lot of days in solitary confinement, but unlike one who has spent three weeks in solitary confinement.Obviously, she is not the same after the experience.
Despite the intent and content of the doc, none would have expected something more shocking or eye-opening to take away with water the film.There are too many scenes of the children just being children, and these scenes could have been taken out of any children’s camp.
Still, the doc brings audiences to the story of stolen children, an important issue and something that should never happen in the world.Truly, Vladimir Putin should be arrested and imprisoned for this dire state of affairs.
AFTER THE RAIN: PUTIN’S STOLEN CHILDREN COME HOME, the doc NYC grand jury prize nominee, premieres exclusively in INDIEPIXUnlimited this Friday, March 27th, 2026.
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BTS: THE RETURN (South Korea/USA 2026) *** Directed by Edwin Earl Lewis
Who is BTS, and what is their new Netflix original movie about?Unless one is familiar with pop music, the name is universal, and every pop loving teen would know of this famous Korean group.
BTS: The Return is a Netflix documentary that follows the global K-pop group BTS during one of the most important moments of their career—their reunion after years apart.
Adults should also be familiar with BTS.BTS just appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon this week.BTS is a 7-member band, each of whom speaks English, though not that well.
BTS (Korean: Bangtan sonyeondan; lit. 'Bulletproof Boy Scouts'), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean hip hop boy group formed in 2010.The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Although a hip hop group, they expanded their musical style to incorporate a wide range of genres, while their lyrics have focused on subjects including mental health, the troubles of school-age youth and coming of age, loss, the journey towards self-love, individualism and the consequences of fame and recognition. Their discography and adjacent work have also referenced literature, philosophy and psychology, and include an alternate universe storyline.
On June 14, 2022, the group announced a scheduled pause in group activities to enable the members to complete their 18 months of mandatory South Korean military service, which they all completed by June 2025. Their first group album in almost four years, Arirang, was released on March 20, 2026.
This doc documents the group’s return, as they meet in Los Angeles for their reunion album, through interviews with each of the members.They begin recording a new album called Arirang while reconnecting creatively after years of separation.It disinteresting to see them trying to figure out who they are now—as a group and as individuals.
The issues should interest a branded audience more than just the teen idols of the group.
BTS: THE RETURN is not just the making of.At best, the doc covers deeper issues while demonstrating the emotional portrait of a comeback—showing BTS at a vulnerable turning point as they try to redefine themselves after years of fame, pressure, and separation.
BTS: THE RETURN is a Netflix original doc that opens for streaming on March 27th.
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A MAGNIFICENT LIFE (Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol)(Belgium/France/Lux 2025) ***½
Directed by Sylvain Chomet
When one hears of a film made about Marcel Pagnol, nostalgia comes immediately to mind. Two of the most beloved French films of all time, JEAN DE FLORETTE and MANON DES SOURCES, are based on his novels.
In 1955, 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol was a well-known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker. When the editor-in-chief of ELLE magazine commissions a weekly column about Pagnol's childhood, he sees this as a great opportunity to go back to his artistic roots: writing. Realising his memory is failing him and deeply affected by the disappointing results of his last two plays, Pagnol begins to doubt his ability to continue his work. That is, until Little Marcel - the young boy he used to be - appears to him as if by magic. Together, they will explore Marcel Pagnol's incredible life and bring back to life his most cherished encounters and memories.
Marcel Pagnol, born on February 28, 1895, in Aubagne ( Bouches-du-Rhône ) and died in Paris on April 18, 1974, is a French writer, playwright, filmmaker, and producer.
He became famous with Topaze, a play created in Germany in 1927 and then presented in France in October 1928In 1934, he founded his own production company and film studios in Marseille, then made numerous films with the great actors of the period, including Raimu, Fernandel and Pierre Fresnay, in films such as Angèle (1934), Regain (1937) or La Femme du boulanger (1938). After 1956, he withdrew from film and theatre and began writing his childhood memoirs, including La Gloire de mon père* and Le Château de ma mère. Both were also made into films. Finally, in 1962, he published L'Eau des collines, a two-volume novel: *Jean de Florette * and *Manon des Sources *, inspired by his film *Manon des Sources *, made ten years earlier and starring Jacqueline Pagnol.
A MAGNIFICENT LIFE is directed by Chomet, who has never failed to impress. In this film, wonder is everywhere, especially when he shows Paris to his audience. As Marcel and his wife arrive in Paris from Marseilles, raining and just getting a last-minute, drab room, the camera shifts to the animated lights of the night, sous les toits de Paris, beautifully animated and accompanied by classical French music. There is a certain magic in Paris that emerges from the ground. Marcel tells his wife only to hear her rebuttal about the water (the rain) that drops from the sky. Director Chomet also takes his subject through the world wars.
The film opens with Marcel in his senior days, where his writing has failed to attract audiences, though he is still respected by the readers of Elle Magazine. He reminisces about his youth, and the film goes back in time to his arrival in Paris to teach Latin. He meets Paul and begins his new career as a writer, but his wife, who hates Paris, eventually leaves him. The film’s story follows Marcel’s life closely, including his efforts to cast actor Raimu to perform his play set in Marseilles, as well as the writing of the play Topaze, originally titled The Beauty and the Beast.
The animated feature is screener here in English, spoken with an English accent. It would be more accurate to have a French soundtrack with English subtitles.
What is impressive about director Chomet’s tactic is the use of a younger Marcel that takes the older version of himself through a reflective look at his entire life. The framing device — a somewhat fading artist reconnecting with his younger self — gives the movie both emotional weight and a sense of “looking back,” making it a character study about aging, regret, memory loss, and creative doubt
A MAGNIFICENT LIFE is full of wonder and magic, with a soundtrack, animation, and dialogue that captures Marcel Pagnol’s magnificent life, doing the writer, playwright, and filmmaker justice.
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THE RED LINE (Thailand 2026) ***½
Directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri
Three women fall prey to a ruthless phone scam. To settle the score, they decide to ‘take back their lives’ by taking on the criminal network that stole their money and their dignity.But will they?This is the RED LINE that the film title refers to.The “red line” is crossed when
They stop being victims seeking justice… and become people willing to break the law to get it.
The film begins with a housewife and mother called Orn being scammed in what sounds like a typical scam that most audiences would already be familiar with. Orn loses both her and her husband’s money and her daughter’s trust educational fund.The police do nothing.“I am an idiot mother,” she tells her husband, Benz, who is a little sympathetic.But Orn lives in a nightmare, and needs to show that she is no idiot mother and smart enough to get her money back.She is the brains of the trip, a vigilante, and three female musketeers.This is also a strong, female-character-driven story.
The other two scammed are a cosmetics cream seller with her grandmother, who has lost all her savings through the scam.The third is a physical therapist (whom the other two call a doctor) who has lost all her savings for the condo that she has saved to buy.
Other characters include a hacker and Aood, the scamming crew supervisor who also steals a lot of the money that belongs to his Chinese bosses.Aood is given a loving wife and son, for the audience to feel a bit more sympathetic for this villain, who is only too glad to see the scammed lose all their money.Stupid bitches is what he calls them.
The scammers are good.This is one of the first films that has gone into the intricate scamming network, which exists internationally between the Chinese and Thai borders.The Chinese are greatly depicted as the bad guys - no surprise since this is a Thai production.The film also goes into the computer details, and how scamming accounts and hacking can also occur.This makes this Thai thriller stand out among other scam movies.The emotional element is also strong in the film, with each scammed victim losing much more than the money
THE RED LINE serves as a successful action-driven morality tale that, though running long at two hours and fifteen minutes, moves fast enough with sufficient action set pieces (climactic car chase and shoot-outs included) that it is entertaining as it is thought-provoking.
The film shows that removing the villain does not solve the problem.That person will be replaced.The system still goes on, and people will be continually scammed.The film also questions how far one would go to cross the red line.
The intriguing characters drive the narrative as well as make the movie.One of the secondary characters featured is the hacker known as OJ.OJ enables everything.He provides the technical means to track and expose the scammers.Without him, the group couldn’t act.By the end, He stands slightly apart—less emotionally invested.But he still crosses legal lines by helping them.
THE RED LINE, one of the better Thai Netflix original movies, opens for streaming on March 26th.
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TWO PROSECUTORS (France/Germany/Netherlands/Latvia/Romania/Lithuania/Ukraine 2025) ****
Directed by Sergey Loznitsa
In 1937, amid Joseph Stalin's Great Purge, Kornyev, a young Soviet prosecutor who recently graduated from law school, comes across a letter written by a prisoner in Bryansk. Believing the man to be the victim of NKVD corruption, he attends the prison and obtains a visit through his oversight role in the local prosecutor's office.
In the prison, after much unnecessary waiting, Kornyev meets Stepniak, an imprisoned Old Bolshevik and local party stalwart. He earns the old man's trust by recounting how he had attended one of Stepniak's speeches about truth and Bolshevism at his law school. Stepniak shows Kornyev torture wounds received after refusing to falsely confess and begs him to tell Stalin or members of the Politburo about the wrongful convictions and illegal actions taken against loyal citizens who learn of or resist the NKVD's corruption. After enduring a long wait, Kornyev meets Vyshinsky, tells him about the conditions in Bryansk, and shows him Stepniak's bloody letter. Kornyev also explains that he came directly to Vyshinsky because he fears the local prosecutor's office is cowed by the local NKVD. Vyshinsky tells him that without strong documentary evidence, his office cannot open an inquiry into the NKVD and sends him back to Bryansk with documents authorizing him to conduct further investigations.
TWO PROSECUTORS has a Kafkaesque (from the writer Franz Kafka), feel of unsettling, absurd, and oppressive quality—like the worlds in his novels such as The Trial or The Metamorphosis.This is where the greatest pleasure of the film lies, in the creation and delivery of this mood and atmosphere.This is often created with a static camera with almost no movement and long takes, minimal editing, resulting in an effective and cold, controlled visual composition that almost makes the film look as if it is in black and white.
The Kafkaesque absurdity if felt in many of the film’s set pieces.One is the bureaucratic nightmare in which the young prosecutor, Kornyev, faces when he enters the government building to make an appointment with the prosecutor general - a sequence that lasts 15 minutes of screen time.At the Procurator General's office, Kornyev struggles to navigate the Soviet bureaucracy but is given a chance at an appointment after an earnest plea to Procurator General Andrey Vyshinsky's secretary.When a lady worker sees him searching for the office. She asks him who he is looking for.When he replies to the prosecutor general, she replies that if he had an appointment with him, he would know where to find him.When Kornyev finally finds who appears to be the secretary, he is told that he is not only on a doubtful list of appointments.The system, especially the prison system, does not make any sense with the authority figures unreachable, vague, or arbitrary.Kornyev is trapped in this absurdist world.
The TWO PROSECUTORS of the film title are Kornyey and the Procurator General.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 14 May 2025, where it won the François Chalais Prize.The film opens on March 27th and is definitely worth a look.
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THEY WILL KILL YOU (USA 2025) ***½
Directed by Kirill Sokolov
Asia Reeves and her sister Maria attempt to flee from their abusive father but are cornered at an unnamed convenience store.Asia shoots him and is arrested, while Maria remains stuck in the custody of their father.This is the exciting introduction to the film, which sets the tone for the rest of the fast-paced film.
The basic premise of the film follows Asia Reaves, an ex-con trying to rebuild her life, who takes a job as a live-in housekeeper in a luxury New York high-rise called The Virgil.
But almost immediately, something feels wrong:
The building has a history of mysterious disappearances
The residents are secretive, wealthy, and unsettling
Strange rituals and symbols begin to surface.
She soon realizes she hasn’t taken a job… She’s walked into a trap.
The twist in the story is that the building is actually run by a Satanic cult made up of elite residents. Housekeepers (a =nd there are quite a lot of them) are being used as human sacrifices
Ten years later (from the introduction of the film), Asia arrives at The Virgil, an exclusive high-rise building in New York, posing as the new maid.She is greeted by building manager Lily, who explains that Virgil is 100 years old and occupied by the wealthy and elite. Asia goes to sleep in her quarters, where several masked intruders, including residents Kevin and Sharon, break in and attack her. They are shocked to discover Asia is armed and highly skilled at defending herself, managing to kill all of her assailants.The best line of the film is then uttered by Lily,“Who the fuck are you?”Asia confronts Lily and demands to know the location of Maria, who works at the Virgil as a maid. Asia’s attackers resurrect, and she flees into the vents.
Asia is saved by Lily’s husband, Ray, who explains that Virgil is a temple to Satan and the residents have been made immortal by performing human sacrifices. The human sacrifice allows the worshippers to be immortal.Unless they fail, and then they will die.The two travel up a floor, unaware they are being followed by Sharon’s sentient eyeball. The two meet with Maria, who reveals she is aware of what is happening at the Virgil and does not want to leave. Asia knocks her unconscious, but she and Ray are attacked by the cultists.
Besides Zazie Beetz in the title role, the film contains two heavyweights.One is Patricia Arquette as Lilith Woodhouse (i,e, Lily) and the other is Tom Felton (one of Harry Potter’s roommates, the one who is his rival) as a cult member.
With a running time of and you and a half, THEY WILL KILL YOU is an efficiently and effectively made action horror comedy that is at least original enough (it is not a sequel) besides the human sacrifice premise.The title says what the film is all about, and horror aficionados should be pleased.
THEY WILL KILL YOU opens in theatres Friday with early showings Thursday night.
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WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU (South Korea 2025) *** Directed by Hong Sang-soo
WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU is the latest film from SouthKorean director Hong Sang-soo, considered one of the most distinctive contemporary filmmakers.His films often look simple on the surface, but they have a very recognisable style and philosophy.
WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU (2025) is a South Korean comedy-drama by Hong Sang-soo about a 30-something, struggling poet named Donghwa (Ha Seongguk). He takes his girlfriend, Junhee (Kang Soyi), to meet her parents at their suburban home, where he spends a long, drunken day with them that ultimately leads to the unravelling of his romantic and artistic ideals
Hong Sang-soo’s films are deemed ‘special’ because they turn ordinary conversations and small moments into philosophical cinema—using repetition, awkward humour, and minimalist filmmaking to explore how people misunderstand each other.
The repetitive part of the director Hong is immediately noticeable at the start of the film. Junhee mentions to her boyfriend that her father built the house for her grandmother, not twice but three times. There is a lot of dialogue before Donghwa is invited to the house.
There are different ways of showing the love between a couple in a film.One is to watch a passionate kiss between the two lovers.Another is the profession of love between the two, and yet another might be an erotic sex scene.In Hong’s film, the love between Donghwa and Junhee is shown by a quiet conversation between Junhee’s father and Donghwa.The father first talks about his love for his wife, and this is followed by Donghwa saying that he loves his daughter.When the couple are shown in the film before this moment, there is not a whole lot of affection shown in one form or another.
The film unravels in unnamed chapters, 1, 2, 3 and so on, offering different stages of the evening.The film, as in all of director Hong’s other films, is a slow burn.The pleasure to be obtained is often in the observations that the audience makes and not from any action scenes.Patience is a virtue and is definitely required here to appreciate Hong’s film.But it must be said that a lot comes from the actors’ performances as well.If a character gets annoying, as Junhee’s father occasionally does, the film gets annoying too.
Whether one can enjoy Hong’s film depends on the individual.For that reason, the film WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU is given 3 stars (out of 5).There is nothing really distinctive between this film and Hong’s other films that would warrant it an extra star.Or anything really awful for the film to be considered a failure.It is a Hong Sang-soo film, and his fans will get what they expect.
WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU is in itself a question that is posed to the audience to answer as the film progresses.
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WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU screens in Toronto at the Bell Lightbox on April 2nd. Other dates and cities listed below....
MIROIR No. 3 is a character study of the subjects on screen and a moody character study at that.Though one can say that nothing much happens in terms of action, there are tons of emotional exchanges among the characters, so that what might appear to be a slow burn of a drama isn’t really one.
On a weekend trip to the countryside, Laura miraculously survives a car crash.Physically unhurt but deeply shaken, she is taken in by a local woman who witnessed the accident and now cares for Laura with motherly devotion. When her husband and adult son also give up their initial resistance to Laura’s presence, the four of them slowly build up some family-like routine. But soon they can no longer ignore their past…
The first line of the synopsis unfolds in 15 minutes with much to explore.Laura is studying piano at he universe and is travelling with her boyfriend, together with another couple, his producer and girlfriend.Laura is aloof.“There is something wrong with your girlfriend,” the producer tells the boyfriend.Laura tells her boyfriend that she is not feeling well and wants to go home.The producer lends them the car for Laura to be driven to the translation, where he remarks angrily that she should have told him earlier and that he had been planning this outing a long time.A sudden accident occurs in which he is killed, and Laura miraculously survives. Laura is still moody and requests to stay at a local woman’s.With one line, a whole story can be made up here, the source of Laura’s guilt for the death of her boyfriend.
The woman is called Betty, and the two men are Richard and Max, her son.
The details of what happens next go like this: As Laura recovers, she gradually becomes part of Betty’s household, which includes Betty’s distant husband and son.
The family dynamic feels strange and slightly off
Betty seems emotionally attached to Laura for a deeper reason
Laura begins to fill a kind of “missing role” in the family
It is a strange but that God uplifting tale, where Laura brings good into the fractured household, likegift to the family from heaven.The men are also intrigued by being able to fix anything from soldering a bike seat to modifying the speedometer (illegal though that may be) of a car,
The film works for its somewhat brilliant creation ofmood and psychology:
Grief and loss (especially unresolved grief)
Identity and substitution (taking someone else’s place)
Human connection and emotional dependency
A subtle ghost story / gothic fairy tale feeling
At the ⅔ mark of the film, the film poses he question off hotel Laura’s replacement of the deceased Yelena is helping the family or entrapping them in a web of despair.
The film is cleverly titled Mirror 3.The title refers to a piece from Miroirs, reinforcing the film’s ideas of reflection, doubling, and emotional mirroring.(Laura is repaving the woman’s deceased daughter).
Christian Pretzold is a German, internationally renowned director of acclaimed films like UNDINE and ALFRE.
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PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN (UK 2026) *** Directed by Tom Harper
Peaky Blinders is a British historical crime drama television series created by Steven Knight. Set in Birmingham, it follows the exploits of the Peaky Blinders crime gang in the direct aftermath of the First World War. The fictional gang is loosely based on a real urban youth gang active in the city from the 1880s to the 1920s. The series (lasting in total) features an ensemble cast, led by Cillian Murphy, starring as Tommy Shelby, Helen McCrory as Elizabeth "Polly" Grey, Paul Anderson as Arthur Shelby, Sophie Rundle as Ada Shelby, and Joe Cole as John Shelby, the group's senior members. Netflix acquired the rights to release the show in the United States and around the world. A feature-length film titled Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which is set a few years after the series finale, is scheduled to be released on 6 March 2026. The film also opens two weeks later on the streaming service, Netflix.
The crime drama film is directed by Tom Harper and written by Steven Knight. It is a continuation of the British television series Peaky Blinders (2013–2022), and stars Cillian Murphy in the lead alongside an ensemble cast including Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee, Ian Peck, and Stephen Graham, reprising their roles, alongside new additions Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, Jay Lycurgo, and Barry Keoghan. The bad guy is played by Tim Roth, while Barry Keoghan generally steals the show.
The film is set in Birmingham in 1940. The film begins with the real-life historic bombing and the death of the entire night shift of 53 at the Birmingham small arms factory. Amidst the chaos of World War II, Tommy Shelby (Murphy) is driven back from a self-imposed exile to face his most destructive reckoning yet. Tom Shelby’s son, Erasmus (Keoghan), is up to no good with his gangster dealings, stealing the ammo to be sold to the Germans. At the same time, the Germans are planning to flood the U.K. and Europe with counterfeit currency brining down the banking system and might lead to Germany’s victory in the War. With the future of the family and the country at stake, Tommy must face his own demons and choose whether to confront his legacy or burn it to the ground. This he does, to save the country and to forge a palace in History.
Many would have followed the lengthy TV series. This film is a new version of the story set during World War II that also serves as a direct continuation of the TV series. As stated, Tommy Shelby is in a central role. The time is more urgent. Fascism in Britain (via Mosley and his Blackshirts) becomes more dangerous. Britain is on the brink of invasion. The Shelby family would be older, wealthier, and more politically entangled.
With more at stake in the film, the film is understandably more tense with more action, intrigue, and excitement. The action set pieces are laid out mainly at the end, with some artistic jumps in time and imaginings. These could have been left out for a more linear storytelling.
PEAKY BLINDERS opens on Netflix on the 20th.
THE PLASTIC DETOX (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Josh Murphy and Louie Psuhoyos
The primary subject and main driving force of this eye-opening doc is Dr. Shanna Helen Swan, an American environmental and reproductive epidemiologist who is Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she has taught since April 2011. She is known for her research on environmental contributions to sperm count and the male infertility crisis.She is introduced at the beginning of the film, and she leads the audience right to the very last frame of the film.
The doc essentially discusses and examines the link between human infertility and plastic poisoning.
The doc takes off, occasionally with the handling of other subject terms related to global perspectives.
Many would go into the doc not knowing much about plastic detox, but will come out most enlightened on the subject and the power of human resilience.The doc is more educational than manipulative or dramatic but one cannot deny that the doc’s power lies in the demonstration of this power of human resilience.
Each couple’s infertility story adds emotional weight in terms of:
Frustration and grief over infertility
Hope tied to the experiment of going on a plastic detox and then checking for results
Lifestyle struggles (it’s very hard to avoid plastic)
At the end of the experiment, for a very big global problem
The couple’s bodies are tested again.
Some show reduced levels of plastic-related chemicals and
There are signs of improved health markers
It should be noted that, as anyone studying Statistics knows, 6 is too small a sample for any conclusive result.Though the film does NOT claim definitive proof, it presents the results as suggestive, not conclusive. Still, PLASTIC DETOX has a hopeful drive for a huge global problem.
The doc achieves several educational objectives that include the fact that plastics may be silently affecting human health and fertility, and avoiding them completely is nearly impossible
As the opuses demonstrate, small lifestyle changes can reduce exposure.As the couples change their living habits, the audience sees how the detox can be achieved by the use of glass/metal instead of plastic, avoiding heating food in plastic, choosing natural fibres, and limiting packaged foods.
And where are the plastic detox couples now?
By the end of the documentary, several couples see major drops in chemical exposure — with BPA falling to undetectable levels for many participants. And because it takes the male body roughly 70 days to produce new sperm, the 90-day window also allowed for measurable improvement in several of the men’s key fertility measures, like sperm count and concentration.
The doc leads to the conclusion that when it is revealed whether the plastic detox worked for the 6 couples, whether the female eventually got pregnant.No spoilers will be revealed in this review, though.
In the words and surprise of Dr. Swan: “And that’s what the film really shows — when these couples took action and reduced their exposure, they saw differences. THE PLASTIC DETOX opens for streaming on Netflix this week.
PROJECT HAIL MARY (USA 2026) ***½
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
The main story takes place on the Hail Mary spacecraft and is intercut with flashbacks.
Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) awakens from a coma on a spacecraft. Initially erratic with retrograde amnesia, Grace discovers that he is the sole survivor of three, and that he is light-years away from Earth in a distant star system.Grace slowly remembers, as shown in flashbacks in this non-chronological linear film. that he is a middle school science teacher and a former molecular biologist. Scientists observe the Sun dimming, coinciding with the formation of an infrared line from the Sun to Venus called the Petrova line.The dimming, caused by a microorganism known as Astrophage, will result in a catastrophic global cooling of Earth within 30 years. Government agent Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller) approaches Grace and asks him to study Astrophage in the hopes that he can defeat it.
Grace discovers that Astrophage is a cell that is impenetrable to any form of electromagnetic radiation, and that it breeds via carbon dioxide from Venus and energy from the Sun. Other scientists find Astrophage to be an effective, if volatile, fuel source. Grace learns that Astrophage has infected all nearby stars except Tau Ceti. Stratt discloses Project Hail Mary, a plan to send a crew on a suicide mission to Tau Ceti. Humanity can only produce enough Astrophage as fuel for a one-way trip, but Hail Mary will carry probes to send the crew's findings back to Earth.In the present, as Grace approaches Tau Ceti, he sees an alien spacecraft. The spacecraft approaches Grace and docks a tunnel, made of "xenonite" (solid xenon), to Hail Mary. The pilot of the other ship is a rock-like five-legged alien from 40 Eridani, whom Grace names "Rocky" after the alien's shape and Rocky Balboa.
Kudos should be given en to the film’s special effects, sound, and visual crew for the creation of a visually arresting, suspense-creating look that provides the audience suspense and scares while the only human person seen on the screen is Grace.
Once Grace meets Rocky, they form the common bond of friendship because hey she the same purpose of having to save their planets and also the universe.
The film gets unnecessarily sappy at the end when the two friends have to separate.The directors go overboard with the emotions, so one might be advised to bring plenty of Kleenex to the movie.
Both Gosling and Huller make the movie.Huller gets to sing impromptu at a Karaoke function, Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times.” This sequence is a direct nod to Sandra Hudler’s rendering of Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All which she also sang impromptu in Maren Ape’s TONI ERDMAN.After the song, Huller’s character just walks away in both films.
PROJECT HAIL MARY should be seen in IMAX because of its special visual effects and high technology. The film opens everywhere on March 20th.The film has so far garnered rave reviews and should be the year’s first full-blown hit.Looks like Ryan Gosling gets to save Hollywood’s box office at the same time.
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READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (USA 2025) ** Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
The sequel to READY OR NOT aims at louder, bloodier, and much more of the same.READY OR NOT is a 2019 American comedy horror film, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy. It stars Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Elyse Levesque, Nicky Guadagni, Henry Czerny, and Andie MacDowell. It follows a young bride, Grace, who is hunted by her spouse's wealthy family as part of a wedding night ritual to worship the Devil.
Set immediately after the events of the first film, READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME follows Grace (Samara Weaving) as she must protect her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), while being hunted by four rival elite families in a high-stakes ritual to claim a seat of ultimate power.The film begins with Grace sitting on the steps of the mansion, the ending of the original film.
Grace MacCaullay, the sole survivor of a brutal "game" that resulted in the deaths of her husband and in-laws, learns that her victory comes with a price: now, the wealthiest and most influential families on Earth have to kill her in a new game - or risk losing their power and fortunes. Grace refuses to participate at first but is left with no choice when she learns that her younger sister, Faith, has also been marked for death and must protect her at all costs.
Ready or Not = one deadly family game
Ready or Not 2 = a worldwide tournament of killers, with Grace at the centre
Despite the fact that the writers have upped the ante with two victims, Grace and Faith, providing some emotional drama in the story and the introduction of a total of 4 families instead of one, the first film had more tension, direction, and emotion.More gore in the sequel does not necessarily translate to more horror comedy.Grace and Faith are constantly on the run.
and they must outwit different families with distinct methods and personalities.The tone blends dark comedy, action, and brutal horror, as in the first film
READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME opens in theatres March 20th.
Trailer:
THE THINGS YOU KILL (Canada/Poland/Turkey/France 2025) ***
Directed by Alireza Khatami.
This review contains spoilers that are integral to the writing.The spoilers are all contained in the one paragraph in bold italics.Please skip the paragraph as deemed necessary.
If one is unfamiliar with the film THE THINGS YOU KILL before seeing it, one might wonder what language the characters are speaking at the start of the film.The film is a Canadian, Polish, French and Turkish co-production, and it is this year’s Canadian pick for the Academy Award for Best International Feature.French films from Quebec are rarely selected, a big omission since the Oscar has been won only once by a Quebec film for Canada.Last year’s Best Canadian Film was from Quebec (in this critic’s humble opinion), BERGERS (Shepherds).Instead, last year’s Canadian entry was the Iranian co-production, UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE. The language spoken in this film sounds Iranian, which I thought it was.But it is Turkish. THE THINGS YOU KILL uses dream-like sequences, symbolism (mirrors, seeds, the garden, etc), and a somewhat disorienting narrative structure - often a favourite for a country’s pick for the Best Oscar International entry.
THE THINGS YOU KILL is a psychological mystery thriller with the protagonist, Ekin Koç’s character Ali, a university professor living in Turkey (or connected to Turkey) who returns (or remains) home when his ailing mother dies under suspicious circumstances.
The film covers several issues.
One is Ali’s inability to conceive, due to his low sperm count.The fact that he hides from his wife, Hazar.It takes a toll on their marriage.In fact, the audience gets nervous seeing them being intimate.“Maybe I don’t want children,” he tells her at one point.
Another issue is Ali’s discovery of his father's abuse of his mother.He learns it only after the mother’s death.The hostility towards his father increases.
Another is his garden in the country, where he hires a gardener to care for it.The garden is a metaphor of Ali’s bliss in life.
And important too is the cause of Ali’s mother’s death.Ali thinks that she could have been killed by his father, especially after finding out that his father had a bandaged hand and that his mother was found with her face on the ground.
The Turkey seen is bleak, reflecting the characters' emotional states as they are displayed on screen.There is no sight of the beauty of the county, as in the sea surrounding the country, anywhere to be seen in the film.
In the second half of the film, director Khatami dishes out a whole bunch of metaphors to be interpreted by the audience.This is a very bold move that does not always work for as much as Khatami wishes to lift his film to a higher level; it is also quite confusing in parts.
The film ends with the saying “Kill the light”, used instead of the usual phrase shutoff the light.The sayings uttered by Ali’s father are supposedly killed earlier in the movie.Two things could have happened.Either the father did not die, or the scene is Ali’s dream sequence; most likely the latter.The gardener that Ali hires could also be interpreted as his other alter ego.
THE THINGS YOU KILL ends up a somewhat muddled but still ambitious film.Director Khatami chose not to play it straight, a decision that won his film the prize of Canada’s submission for Best International Feature at the Oscars.It did not make the nominated list.The film opens in theatres on March 20, 2026.
BEST BOY (Canada 2025) ** Directed by Jesse Noah Klein
After the death of their tyrannical, abusive father, not seen on screen, three adult children and their elderly mother return to their long-dormant summer home to take part in a bizarre, sadistic competition not done since it tore the family apart 30 years before.The mother reads the last wishes of their late father, who did not tell the solicitor that he wanted to give $100,000 to the Best Boy.The Best Boy is the one who wins the competition of sorts.Lawrence, the eldest, appears most keen to win, while Eli looks disinterested.Philip wins the first race.But there is more to this rather absurd story than the competition that one could care about.Performances are credible enough with the dysfunctional family apparently heading for some healing, though the confusing ending shows otherwise.Not a really satisfying film, but director Klein successfully creates the absent lingering presence of the dead abusive father.
JAMES (Canada 2026) *** Directed by Max Train
JAMES (Winner of the Best Film, Oldenburg '24 // Nominated Best Debut, Raindance '25) is a Hoser-Noir comedy about an East Vancouver nihilist known as James, who finds new purpose after restoring a race bicycle salvaged from the trash.When a crooked dealer, aware of the bike's true value, steals it, Jame becomes trapped in a relentless pursuit, navigating Vancouver’s underbelly to reclaim his ride—or risk slipping back into the garbage heap of nihilism.Though the film bears similarities to stolen bike films like Vittorio De Sica’s BICYCLE THIEVES or the more recent SOULEYMAN’S STORY, in which the film’s protagonist spends more than half the movie’s time trying to get his bike back.The same can be said for the film JAMES, except that in the other two films, the bike is needed for the protagonist to earn a living. While the plot revolves around retrieving the stolen bike, the film gradually reveals that the journey is really about James trying to find meaning in his life.The arthouse black and white film, which requires some patience to sit through, shows that the bike represents his purpose, self-worth, and the search for identity, which were missing before the bike existed.
LUCID (Canada 2025) ** Directed by Ramsey Fendall, Deanna Milligan
A 1990s art student uses a lucid dreaming elixir to break through her creative blocks and finds herself trapped in a surreal dreamscape where her inner demons become real-life monsters. In one key and perhaps the film’s funniest moment, which encapsulates the tone of the whole movie, a fucked up medicinal guru, in reality played by a drag queen(the film’s funniest moment), tells Laura of the LUCID pill she is about to take: Take only a bit.It is not to make you high! It is made out of Tibetan snowdrops.If you overdo it, you are fucked.It opens a door, and don’t forget to close the door!”LUCID is a fucked up film for sure, like the amazing fucked up film last year, WEAPONS.Unfortunately, LUCID does not take the audience anywhere except to dwell on its main mother-daughter issues.The extensive conclusion playing far too long is an example of craziness carried out way too freely with no purpose or reason. LUCID is a worthwhile watch in its first impressive half before moving into disappointment.
MINHEA (Canada 2025) ***
Directed by Mike Doaka
The Romanian name MINHEA is difficult to pronounce, so Minhea goes by the simpler-sounding name Mike.Mike Doaha directs himself in an earnest story, a Romanian Canadian only son navigates mental illness and identity in his last term of university.Wonder how much of the plot of the film comes from his real-life story.Minhea or Mike has an overly strict father who screams at him constantly, calling him a loser.The father forces him to drive his Uber car business while still studying to become a doctor in University.The mother is more sympathetic.Mike gets to meet a sympathetic, good-hearted girl who also likes him, a dating experience that gives the man some hope.Everyone loves to root for a likable loser, and Mike is one of the best there is in this category.MINHEA, the film does not overdo it in cheap theatrics or over-acting, and succeeds as a heart-warming family coming-of-age Canadian drama.
PLAN C (Canada 2025) ***
Directed by Scott Anthony Cabvalheiro
Siblings Clare and Danny find themselves fugitives after a bungled robbery, leading them on a perilous journey filled with high-speed pursuits, moral dilemmas, and shocking revelations in the crime thriller "Plan C.”Nothing really fresh about the story here.The goods are being given to the criminals so that they are after the brother/sister as well as the cops for the robbery. Bits of the plot are revealed as the film progresses so that the audience is in the dark for most of the time.The film contains lots of swearing, with almost all the characters speaking the same way, while angry most of the time.It is a fierce, angry, and nuanced film where there set sot be little hope in the world. Despite Claire’s love (she is nicknamed Claire-Bear by her brother) for Danny, they argue most of the time.The only good and hope comes at the very end of the film, a little too late for goodness in a story full of hate, anger, and spite.
LOS RIOS (Canadá 2025) ***½
Directed by Ryan Fyfe-Brown, and Dale Bailey
A determined Honduran mother and her three daughters are swept into the currents of the contentious migrant caravan as it pushes relentlessly toward safety, opportunity, and the United States.The mother left Honduras and never returned.Now 30-year-old Johana is escaping the country to make a long walking trek to the U>S with her two sisters Yalin and Yosselin,
The absorbing doc, aided by the telling of a personal family also making the difficult journey,covers the key issue of refugee who have to flee their country, in this case because of violence and gang oppression.The travel as a huge group of some 5,000 Hondurans, as they believe the huge number of them will save them.The film is called “The River” because with 5000 people strong, they are like water (used here as a metaphor), that cannot be stopped, except by God.
This is the second film in recent years that is a re-invention of classic literature.I am not a fan of re-inventions of classics, though one can argue that a lot of work and effort goes into re-telling of stories, so as not to offend anyone.I did not like “WUTHERING HEIGHTS’, the reinvention emphasised from the quotation marks of the film title, and in THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, the exclamation mark THE BRIDE! emphasising the fact.The film draws inspiration from the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein, which was based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein.
In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein's monster asks Dr Euphronius to create a companion for him. Together, they give life to a murdered woman known as "the Bride", sparking romance, police interest and radical social change.
This Bride of Frankenstein speaks and speaks too much, her dialogue full of vulgarities and insults of everyone, from her lovers and sex employers.And even when not, she might be better silenced.Jessie Buckley gives good performances, but one wishes it would be one that shows more of her acting versatility. Buckley redoes her boisterous role in HAMNET, where sometimes enough is enough and silence might be used with more subtle storytelling.
A lot can also be said about the performances besides Buckley’s. Christian Bale returns after a hiatus playing the titular Frankenstein (called Franky in the movie), and he is still as attractive as ever despite his makeup to look like a monster. Penelope Cruz is largely wasted as an ambitious detective supporting her boss, played by Peter Skarsgard. Academy Award Nominee Annette Bening also stands out as a doctor who supports Frankenstein. The director’s younger brother, Jake Gyllenhaal, also plays a matinee idol, Ronnie Reed. The otherwise serious and depressing nature of the film is lifted by musical numbers, as the love-lorn Frank loves to watch old romantic musicals. Uplifting musical numbers, including “Put it on a Ritz”, add a much-needed uplift to the film.
THE BRIDE! feels like BONNE AND CLYDE as the two lovers are pursued by the police.It also feels like the recent “WUTHERING HEIGHTS” for the disturbing romance between the leads.But it is a horrific film and a horrific romance, with the world not used in a favourable context. Despite all the effort expended together, what might be admired for its stunning cinematography and period atmosphere, the overlong film feels much too long and boring before its ending.
THE BRIDE! Opens in theatres this Friday, March 6th, counter-programming with Disney/Pixar’s HOPPERS, an excellent, feel-good, very funny animation feature.
Trailer:
HOPPERS (USA 2026) **** Directed by Daniel Chong
HOPPERS, the new Disney/Pixar animated feature, is budgeted at an estimated $ 150 to $200 million and, as expected from Pixar, an absolute delight.
After a group of scientists invent a way to "hop" human minds into lifelike robotic animal bodies, an animal-lover named Mabel Tanaka uses their technology to embody a robotic beaver and thwart a construction company's plot to destroy the local animal habitat, unwittingly starting an animal uprising against all humans.
It seems that the filmmakers had checked every box that makes a good film, including:
a protagonist who is female with lots of female characters, such as Dr Sam and her assistant, instead of male characters
a male villain, who is political with shades of Trump, but this one goes into a change unlike Trump
An eclectic cast of characters, like Dr Sam’s assistant, is black
humour that caters for both kids and adults
good musical numbers and an original song
(Mark Mothersbaugh composed the film's score, marking his first composition for a Pixar feature film after composing for the Toy Story Toons short Hawaiian Vacation and several Cars Toons shorts for the studio.[In addition, the film features an original end credits song written and performed by SZA titled "Save The Day”._
colourful creatures that includes insect and mammals
impressive animation that includes fire and water
a timely premise within spice-fiction and an AI robotics plot
an urgent premise involving saving the world
comedy and adventure
important current world issues like environmental commentary (corporate expansion vs. conservation)
emotional coming-of-age themes (Mabel grows from a little girl with her grandmother to an undergraduate student
The plot involves an undergrad Mabel trying to save her town glen from destruction. Mayor Jerry wants a highway through it, but if Mabel can show that wildlife is in the glen, the project will be halted. Mable waits and looks for a creature, like a beaver, to show up. A beaver shows up, but Mable trails it to a lab where she discovers the process of hopping. She becomes a hopper, taking her brain into the body of a robot beaver.
The theme of death, Mabel’s grandmother’s passing, is not shown on screen, but the death affects Mabel for the rest of her life.
Three heavyweights lend their hand to the voice characterisations, while having a lot of fun winning the princess. Jon Hamm voices the greedy Mayor Jerry, Meryl Streep the insect queen, while James Franco voices Titus, the insect queen’s son.
Director Dabile Chong has worked extensively as a storyboard artist with Disney and Pixar on hits like the TOY STORY franchise. Chong said that one of his inspirations for the films was the nature documentaries in which robot animals are placed in the animal world; "It felt like it was ripe for comedy. His sense of humour should be appreciated by kids and adults alike.
Through the theme of empathy across species, including corporate responsibility, identity and belonging and seeing the world from a different perspective — literally, HOPPERS succeeds as a feel-good sci-fi fantasy that is one absolute winner.
HOPPERS opens in theatres this Friday, March 6th.
Trailer:
PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN (UK 2026) *** Directed by Tom Knight
Review Embargoed till Thursday9am ET. Please check back later.
PEAKY BLINDERS opens in theatres on March 6th and opens on Netflix on the 20th.
STRANGERS IN THE PARK (SPAIN 2026) Directed by
The 2026 Netflix film STRANGERS IN THE PARK, directed by Juan José Campanella, is a character-driven comedy-drama about two elderly men with very different political views who form an unexpected friendship through a series of conversations on a park bench in Buenos Aires. One can complain that the film looks staged as it is based on the Argentine stage play Parque Lezama.
The film takes place mostly in Parque Lezama, a historic park in Buenos Aires. Nearly the entire narrative unfolds through conversations between two men who meet repeatedly on the same park bench over months and eventually years.The park becomes a symbolic neutral ground where strangers share memories, regrets, and political beliefs.
Their first meeting is shown at the start of the film, but through the course of frequent meetings, their relationship turns from hostility to warmth.
The hostile first meeting begins with León Schwartz (played by Luis Brandoni), an elderly Jewish man who regularly visits the park.León is blunt, politically outspoken, and somewhat grumpy. In his youth, he was a committed left-wing activist who once believed deeply in revolutionary politics.He sits beside another older man, Antonio Cardozo (played by Eduardo Blanco), who has a far more relaxed and tolerant philosophy about life.Their first conversation quickly becomes an argument. León complains about politics, corruption, and how society has abandoned its ideals. Antonio counters with a simpler view: life is too short to cling to ideological battles.
Despite the disagreement, the men begin talking again whenever they encounter each other in the park.The film progresses.
If one cannot bear listening to two old folks arguing about politics or listening to the failure of Argentina’s democracy and other political agendas, stay away from the film.But the film also contains other issues, such as aging and mortality, and the loneliness of old age as experienced by the two men. At best there is a reflection of the meaning in their lives, whether each has lived a satisfactory one, in their own eyes.
STRANGERS IN THPARK opens for streaming on Netflix Friday, March 6th.
Trailer:
BANLIEUSARDS 3 (STREET FLOW 3)(France 2026) *** Directed by Kery James and Leïla Sy
STREET FLOW 3 (Banlieusards 3)is the third and supposedly final instalment of the STREET FLOW trilogy on three brothers growing up in a tough Paris suburb.
Street Flow (original French title Banlieusards) is a French drama film series on Netflix that has grown into a trilogy with continuing storylines.
The story follows the lives of three brothers from the Traoré family growing up in a working-class neighbourhood (banlieue):
Noumouké — a 15-year-old teenager trying to find his path.
Soulaymaan — the studious brother who’s training to be a lawyer.
Demba — the eldest brother involved in street life and crime.
The story centres on Noumouké’s struggle to choose which path to follow — whether to pursue education and opportunity with Soulaymaan or get pulled into crime and danger through Demba’s world.
STREET FLOW 3 continues and concludes the story of the Traoré brothers — Noumouké, Demba, and Soulaymaan — against the backdrop of life in the Parisian suburbs (banlieue) as they face critical turning points in their lives.
The core theme of the film is choices and consequences: each brother must decide which path to follow, and those decisions will not only shape their own futures but also affect their family and community.
Noumouké has made significant progress in his music career, reaching a major milestone and gaining recognition.However, his old environment and the pull of the street world — with its temptations and dangers — threaten to derail his ambitions.
A central tension in his storyline is balancing artistic success with loyalty to his roots, and resisting influences that could undo his hard-earned progress.
Demba is building a New Life.Facing the Past, Demba has been trying to put his criminal past behind him and build a more stable life alongside Djenaba (his partner).
Despite his efforts to start fresh, past choices and mistakes reemerge, challenging the peace he’s attempting to create.His arc explores themes of redemption, responsibility, and whether one can truly escape earlier life decisions.
The third brother, Soulaymaan, deals with Law, Love, and Civic Commitment.
Soulaymaan has developed his career as a lawyer and finds romantic love again, indicating personal growth and stability.As municipal elections approach, his commitment to representing and serving the residents of his neighbourhood is tested.
The family crime drama dynamics work well in what is a tense, character-driven story with more drama than action. The story also demonstrates how one’s past will always catch up with one, and how difficult it is to change one’s path in life, especially when it is a life of crime. One can sympathise with the three brothers not for want of trying. Though this film is touted as the final instalment, there is more of the story that can be continued.
Tough Paris suburbs as a setting have been a favourite setting for tough action dramas ever since Ladj Ly’s LES MISERABLES b rose into the scene, winning it also an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature.
Trailer:
WAR MACHINE (USA 2026_ Directed by
LIONSGATE, the studio that had its heyday with the TWILIGHT and DIVERGENCE franchises, and now struggling to have a hit, joins forces with Netflix for a no-nonsense action sci-fi film, WAR MACHINE.LIONSGATE specializes in action and horror films.Their last success was THE HOUSEMAID.
The final recruits of an Army Ranger selection course face a deadly force from another world.Hence, the sci-fi component.
The film tries its best to cover all bases.The script goes into the deep reason 81 joins th range training program called RASP.The Rangers are the best of the best and are always on the fighting front lines.Alan Ritchson plays81.The recruits are given a number an don longer have a name.81 joins the Rangers because he had promised to join the training program with his brother so that they can make a difference serving America.But the brother and his unit were all killed by a surprise Taliban attack when 81 showed up to help them in the desert with a broken vehicle.Now, 81 joins the Rangers alone.He is one angry, dedicated ward machine.
The story takes place largely in a remote wilderness training zone where the U.S. Army conducts the final stage of its brutal Ranger selection program. Only the toughest candidates make it through this last 24-hour survival exercise.The trainees are led by an experienced Ranger instructor and veteran soldiers observing the test. The central character is “81”, a stoic and highly skilled combat engineer who is considered one of the strongest candidates in the program.
WAR MACHINE is an action-packed male’s wet dream.There is no female slant on doing what is right or any message championing minorities.But it celebrates men at war, supposedly doing the American good, to a fault.At best, the film mixes military realism with sci-fi action: a Ranger training mission turns into a fight for survival when a powerful alien-like machine begins hunting the soldiers.Silly but exciting enough!
WAR MACHINE is available to stream on Netflix starting Friday, March 6th.
BODYCAM (Canada 2025) ** Directed by Brandon Christensen
Two police officers investigate a domestic dispute, and there is an accidental shooting. Not wanting to be crucified by the public, the officers attempt to cover it up - only to uncover that the cameras aren't the only things watching them. The cover-up situation
This is what has been said by the D.P. of the movie:
Lots of takes. Which was afforded by the fact that every scene had a maximum of two camera angles.
So we had a camera vest with a wireless pack on it, sending it to my monitor. And we would rehearse it over and over, and the blocking had specific beats to hit to make sure they saw what we needed. They had 360-degree turning ability in any space, so we had to be far, and it gave them a real sense of being in the scene.
Then, when one angle was set, the other angle always worked faster because it was locked in.
On set, we had… Me, the DP, but he was running sound too, since he didn’t have to operate the cameras, Grip/Gaffer (one guy), Make up/Hair (one girl), production designer, a PA, and the producers (one did costumes, locations, and the other handled DIT).
Then my wife did the wardrobe from home.
It is clear that it is a labour of love from many of the filmmakers, but the result is mixed.
The film hits high expectations in the first 15 minutes when the two police officers enter a house on a call, with what is seen by the audience from what is viewed from their body cams.The film has the look of the found footage film THW BLAIR WITHC PROJECT.The images are genuinely scary, but the tactic slowly gets too familiar too soon.The segments also feel too manipulated and too jittery.
The cover-up situation at the start of the film is totally discarded by the end of the film.The story shifts to a cult that appears to be going on, but nothing is really sure with what is happening. The weak narrative hurts the film badly. No doubt there are many scary images, THE BLAIR WITCH style, but a strong story and narrative would definitely have made a more satisfactory movie.
BODYCAM is a Canadian feature.Director Brandon Christensen is a Canadian film director recognized for his distinctive contributions to the horror genre, focusing on complex familial dynamics, particularly those involving mothers and children. He began his filmmaking journey early in life, making home movies with his siblings, which ignited his passion for storytelling and cinema. Christensen's professional career includes notable works such as Night of the Reaper, Still/Born, Z, and The Puppetman - films that explore psychological and supernatural themes against the backdrop of parenting fears. His unique approach often incorporates daytime horror, challenging conventional genre norms to intensify the scare factor, showcasing his knack for crafting compelling narratives from everyday situations.
BODYCAM is a Shudder original film and opens for streaming on Shudder on March 13th.
Trailer:
BUSHIDO (Japan 2024) ***½
Directed by Kazuya Shiraishi
The new Japanese samurai movie is called BUSHIDO because it focuses entirely on BUSHIDO.Bushido, meaning "Way of the Warrior," is the ethical code of conduct for Japan's samurai class, focusing on honour, loyalty, martial skill, and self-discipline. Emerging from Buddhist, Shinto, and Confucian principles, it demands righteousness, courage, and fearlessness toward death, with its roots in the Kamakura period. There is minimal swordplay in the whole movie.But the movie is tense and compelling.
Key aspects of Bushido include: The Seven Core Virtues: Righteousness (Gi), Courage (Yu), Benevolence (Jin), Respect (Rei), Honesty (Makoto), Honour (Meiyo), and Loyalty (Chugi).
The film's central hero, Taciturn Kakunoshin, renowned for his formidable skills both with a sword and in the game of Go, embodies the purest ideals of the samurai code.
The film follows Kakunoshin Yanagida, a respected samurai living during Japan’s Edo period.After his wife dies, he is wrongly accused of theft by powerful members of his clan. Without a fair hearing, he is stripped of his status and forced to leave the domain, becoming a ronin (masterless samurai).
With his young daughter, Okinu, he moves to the city of Edo and lives in poverty. Kakunoshin refuses to abandon the principles of bushidō, the samurai code emphasizing honour, discipline, and fairness. To survive, he takes humble work and spends his spare time playing the strategy board game Go, which mirrors his disciplined way of thinking.
Years later, another accusation of theft threatens to ruin him again. As the truth slowly emerges, it becomes clear that his original disgrace was part of a conspiracy by corrupt officials. Kakunoshin must decide whether to quietly endure the injustice or reclaim his honour.
Supported by his devoted daughter, he eventually confronts the men responsible for his downfall. The story builds toward a final reckoning in which he tries to restore his reputation while remaining faithful to the ideals of bushidō.
The Go board flips, and a hellstorm of righteous vengeance follows.
The Go game serves as a metaphor for what is happening in Kakunoshin’s life.Though the game is unfamiliar to Westerners, the scenes in the game, I imagine, are similar to chess, delivered with precise accuracy and seriousness, with expert editing while exhibiting tension and anticipation.
The main themes in the film include:
Honour and reputation in samurai society - Kakunoshin remains honest and gains the reputation of the villagers.
Father-daughter loyalty - the daughter gives up her life to work in a brothel for the father to prove his innocence and get revenge for the family.
Justice versus revenge - Kakunoshin deserves both, to get deserved justice while also seeking revenge for the wrong done to him and his family
The moral meaning of the samurai code (busidō) - the 7 aspects of Bushido are the core to Kakunoshin’s way of life
The Japanese Edo era is masterfully crafted in this 2024 film, thanks to cinematographer d.p Jun Fukumoto’s excellent look.
From stoic honour to righteous hellfire, BUSHIDO, makes a triumphant return to the golden age of Japanese Samurai cinema, opening in theatres March 13th.
Trailer:
THE FORBIDDEN CITY (La città proibita) (ITALY 2025) *** Directed by Gabriele Mainetti,
When the phrase FORBIDDEN CITY is heard, what immediately comes to mind is China’s largest and most famous palace in all of Chinese history, and it is the largest preserved royal palace complex still standing in the world.This palace gained its name from its enormous scale and severely restricted access to all but the Emperor, the Imperial family, and eunuchs; hence, the Chinese term "Forbidden City" emerged. The punishment for unauthorised entry to the palace was immediate execution.But in the new WELL GO film, THE FORBIDDEN CITY is the name of a Chinese restaurant in the heart of Rome, where questionable goings-on are carried out.
From Gabriele Mainetti, director of THEY CALL ME JEEG (that was screened a few years back at the ICFF), comes the ambitious dual-language, action-packed tale of two strangers seeking the truth and vengeance. Mei arrives in Rome looking for her missing sister and, along the way, meets Marcello, who is desperate to find his father. Together, they will fight their way through the Roman underworld.
The film begins with what looks like a Chinese-made swordplay auctioneer.The setting is 1995.Yun and Mei are two sisters born in China during the one-child policy period, which lasted from 1979 to 2015. To protect Mei, their parents decide to keep her presence a secret and raise the girls with martial arts training.
In the present day, Mei arrives in Rome to find her sister, Yun. In the Esquilino Chinatown neighborhood, she finds the restaurant "La città proibita", run by the Chinese boss Wang, which is a place of prostitution and illegal dealings. Mei confronts Wang's men in an attempt to find her sister, possibly held prisoner for sexual exploitation. She discovers that Yun is no longer there and that she might be connected to Alfredo, the owner of a nearby trattoria. Mei then goes to the "Da Alfredo" trattoria and assaults his son, Marcello, who runs the place with his mother, Lorena, since his father disappeared. Marcello claims he knows nothing about his father Alfredo, as he is said to have run away with a Chinese prostitute.
Later, Marcello tells everything to Annibale, a small neighbuorhood gangster who exploits illegal immigrants, his creditor and partner, as well as Alfredo's best friend. Annibale suspects Wang, from the rival restaurant, is behind the attack on the trattoria, and threatens him with severe retaliation.
What happens following is a cross-cultural unlikely romance between Mei and Maarcello.The cliched romance feels forced, and the chemistry is questionable, not helped by the fact that one is Italian and the other Chinese, unable to communicate easily.The action and vengeance potion of the story also feels forced, but is more interesting, and this is the pattern that propels the story forward.The action fight sequences and action set pieces are impressive and make up for the uninspiring romance and the cliched storyline.Director Mainetti tries hard, but his previous film, a simpler one, THEY CALL ME JEEG, fared better.At best, the film effectively combines both Hong Kong–style martial-arts action with Italian crime drama
The film is a lengthy 140 minutes and is in both Italian and Mandarin with English subtitles. Availability:t *On DIGITAL: MARCH 17th*
On DVD, BLU-RAY, & 4K: APRIL 21st
Trailer:
The Great Arch (France 2025) ****
Directed by Stéphane Demoustier
An excellent examination of the pains and effort that go into the construction of a high-profile government architectural project. This is the real thing, unlike THE BRUTALIST, and tells the true story surrounding the Danish architect who was commissioned to build the cube in 'le defense', the business area in Paris, which was named the Grand Arch or la grande arch because one can see through the cube. The setting is 1983. French President François Mitterrand
decides to launch an international architectural competition for the flagship project of his mandate: the Great Arch of La Défense, aligned with the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. Against all odds, Otto von Spreckelsen (Claes Bang), a Danish architect, wins the competition. Overnight, this 53-year-old man, unknown in France, arrives in Paris, where he is propelled to the helm of this pharaonic project. While the architect intends to build the
Great Arch, exactly as he envisioned, his ideas quickly clash with realistic constraints and the vicissitudes of politics. The film favors architect von Spreckelsen, who champions his ideals (the cube is his life, he says, the reason for his cry distance) and does not bend toward betrayal of his client.
The film opens on March 12th at the Bell Lightbox.
LOUIS THEROX: INSIDE THE MANOSPHERE (USA 2026) *** Directed by Adrian Choa
The documentary is primarily features the MANOSPHERE.It is important to know what it is.The manosphere is a varied collection of websites, blogs, and online forums promoting masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism.Communities within the manosphere include men's rights activists (MRAs), incels (involuntary celibates),[3] Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), pick-up artists (PUA), and fathers' rights groups.[6] While the specifics of each group's beliefs sometimes conflict, they are generally united in the belief that society is biased against men due to the influence of feminism and that feminists promote misandry (hatred of men). Acceptance of these ideas is described as "taking the red pill", a metaphor borrowed from the film The Matrix.The doc highlights al the features of the manosphere while largely denouncing it.
Firstly, who is Theroux?Louis Sebastian Theroux (born 20 May 1970) is a British and American documentarian, journalist, broadcaster, and author. He has received three British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award.After graduating from Magdalen College, Oxford, Theroux moved to the United States and worked as a journalist for Metro Silicon Valley and Spy. He moved into television as the presenter of offbeat segments on Michael Moore's TV Nation series.His work includes studies of unusual and taboo subcultures, crime and the justice system, and celebrities. The majority of his documentaries are set in the United States, but he has also studied cultures in South Africa, Israel, Nigeria, and the UK. The New Yorker described Theroux's work as "a piercingly humane, slyly funny guide through the funkier passages of American culture”. In this film, he documents Harrison Sullivan and a few other male influencers.
Secondly, who is Harrison Sullivan?Harrison Sullivan (born 6 October 2001) known online as HSTikkyTokky, is a British TikTok influencer who makes fitness, crypto and dating content. He is the main subject of an upcoming documentary by Louis Theroux. On camera, he is shown to be sexist and homophobic and shows to be proud of it.He also claims that women are given a gift - their vagina.
The doc works best with the most striking scenes or confro
The film examines a network of internet personalities—podcasters, livestreamers, and influencers—who promote hyper-masculinity, “red-pill” ideology, and traditional or controversial views about gender roles.
Louis Theroux immerses himself in this world as a presenter by meeting and interviewing several well-known figures in the movement, including:
Harrison Sullivan (HSTikkyTokky)
Myron Gaines
Sneako (Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy)
Justin Waller
Ed Matthews
LOUIS THEROX: INSIDE THE MANOSPHERE features two highly popular male influencers.These two influencers are all out to make lots of money despite morals.In one way, the thesis is definitely the documentary to see on influencers -a very eye-opening and compelling watch regardless of whether one agrees with the doc’s influencers’ content.
ntations—some of them are quite revealing about how these influencers operate, and often, too, revealing who they truly are and what their ultimate goal is, which is money. This ecosystem has become influential, and what its growing popularity says about modern masculinity and internet culture cannot be ignored.
LOUIS THEROUX: INSIDE THE MANOSPHERE is a 90-minute Netflix original documentary that opens for streaming on Netflix on March 11th.
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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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MADE IN KOREA (2026) **½
Directed by Ky Karthik
MADE IN KOREA is an odd film with a Korean title but made in India and not in Korea. Though filmed there. Made in Korea is a coming-of-age drama about a woman who travels from India to Korea chasing a dream, only to be stranded and forced to rebuild her life in a completely unfamiliar world.
Shenba is from a small Indian village in Tamil Nadu, where there is no internet signal. After being in a school play, she yearns to visit and be in Korea. There is only one thing that she loves more than Korea. And that is her boyfriend, Manu. But Manu owes money and works as a bar server. But before one can draw bad conclusions about Mani, it is revealed that the debt is derived from his father. Mani grants Sheba’s wish, and both are supposed to board a plane to Korea. But he abandons her to start a business in Mumbai with a friend instead, but still has her dreams fulfilled by paying for her flight, showing him to be a sweet chap. Long story short, Shenba is left alone in a supposedly place of her dreams, but all alone. As the saying goes, be careful of what you wish for.
One can tell that this is a learning coming-of-age story in which Shenba grows into a respectable, independent woman. It is an ambitious film that does not always work. The film is charming in a way, but also naive in the way it believes that the audience will fall for the many cliches it delivers on the way. At best, it is also a unique cross-cultural film bout chasing one’s dreams regardless of consequences.
NASH THE SLASH RISES AGAIN (Canada 2025) *** Directed by Tim Kowalski
Nash the Slash is a Toronto musician/singer, and songwriter who performs his gigs with his signature bandages, top hat, and white gloves.
The "Nash the Slash" persona came from silent film, and Nash said he took his stage name from that of a killer butler encountered by Laurel and Hardy in one of their first films, Do Detectives Think? (1927).
Nash was born in Toronto. He performed with surgical bandages covering his face starting in 1979. "During a gig at The Edge in the late 1970s to raise awareness of the threat from the Three Mile Island disaster, he walked on stage wearing bandages dipped in phosphorus paint and exclaimed: 'Look, this is what happens to you.' The bandages became his trademark.
Nash's music is a complex blend of progressive rock, new wave, new age, and punk rock, using electric mandolins, violins, drum machines, and a variety of effects and sonic devices. He wrote, played, and produced most of the material on his solo albums by himself, though he also worked with producers Daniel Lanois, Steve Hillage, and Bill Nelson.
The documentary tells the story of Nash the Slash, a classically trained violinist and multi‑instrumentalist famous for blending prog‑rock, punk, classic rock, psychedelic, techno, and industrial influences long before those categories widely existed. His signature stage persona—a face covered in surgical bandages, a white tuxedo, electric mandolin and violin, and walls of electronics—made him one of Canada’s most unique performers.
The film traces Nash’s early days with the theatrical prog‑rock band Breathless, his live scoring of silent films at Toronto’s 99¢ Roxy Theatre, and his evolution into an internationally touring solo act. It also highlights his involvement in film, including composing music for early Bruce McDonald films and appearing in Roadkill.
NASH THE SLASH RISES AGAIN. The announcement of Nash’s death bookends the film.Between his life, career, rise, and fall are documented.As they say, a doc is often as interesting as its subject.True, the subject Nash the Slash is an interesting enough subject, not a great person, but one with flaws and faults.His coke addiction is also mentioned in the film, as are his anger outbursts. His friends and family also speak about the man in the doc, and he is shown with friends and family when no in disguise.
Nash’s real identity and name were James Jeffrey "Jeff" Plewman (March 26, 1948 – May 10, 2014).Better known by his stage name Nash the Slash, was a Canadian musician.b A multi-instrumentalist, he was known primarily for playing the electric violin and mandolin, as well as the synthesizer, keyboards, glockenspiel, and other instruments (sometimes described as "devices" on album notes).
The doc ends up an innovative, eccentric, and deeply influential figure in Canada’s underground music scene.It also examines warts and all, his artistry, isolation, cultural impact, and the mythos surrounding his masked persona, while celebrating the strange and electrifying world he created.
NASH THE SLASH RISES AGAIN premiered in Toronto at Hot Doc and then last October at the BITS film festival, though there is no Blood in any snow.The film opens at the Bell Lightbox on March 13th.
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.
