Movie reviews of Victor Fraga

A rural veterinary doctor has to reconcile his love for animals with the cruel and deranged behaviour of human beings, in this luminescent Iranian drama. Review

Visually arresting. Heart-wrenching. Even if a little arcane. Review

Saddam Hussein develops a paternal bond with the the young farmer who sheltered him for nearly eight months, in this unusual tribute to loyalty and endurance. Review

Barely decipherable allegorical detective drama from Ukraine sets out to comment on the nation fast-changing soul and identity. Review

Crime thriller about call-centre-worker-turned-drug-dealer inserts some grit into the squeaky clean capital of Saudi Arabia. Review

Brutally honest Korean drama mercilessly deromanticises and demystifies the experience of pregnancy and motherhood. Review

Saintagnan was just too ambitious, setting out to create elaborate settings on a shoestring, instead of using her financial handicap as a catalyst for radical experimentation. Review

Isabelle Huppert challenges and looks audiences right in the eye for nearly an hour and a half, in this epistemological and reflexive study of cinema. Review

Suicidal control freak ex-boyfriend manipulates Italian woman over the telephone, in this clunky suspense thriller from Italy. Review

Moody, inscrutable road movie provides a fascinating peak into the ice-cold and barren landscape of Northern Russia, by the Barents Sea. Review

Slow and exquisite drama elegantly portrays the fleeting connection between two very different strangers in Brussels. Review

First-time French director crafts a nail-biting, suspenseful tale of unrequited love, stolen motherhood and female invidiousness. Review

This sense of hopelessness is supported by Barbu Balasoiu’s realistic and gloomy cinematography, with few close-ups and sparse lighting, and a minimalistic music score. Review

The spicy dialogues will keep you hooked, even if the uneven script makes the story a little difficult to follow... Review

The outcome is a film that’s breezy and pleasant to watch, however mostly unmemorable. Review

Matteo Garrone’s 121-minute film is a refugee drama of epic proportions. Review

Think of Orson Welles’s unfinished It’s All True, infuse it with unabashed mysticism, and you are halfway there. Review

Teen embarks on a journey along the American Northeast, in this highly experimental, trippy and barely coherent movie about US stereotypes. Review

Goodbye Julia is a 120-minute enrapturing drama thanks to its effective script blending elements of psychological thriller, melodrama and music. Review

Violence is not fetishised, and Heroic is not a sadistic, voyeuristic endeavour. This is unlike other Mexican films, such as Michel Franco’s celebrated New Order (2020), which uses graphic violence and blood as a narrative device. A powerful ending proposes a new, shocking solution. Review

Snakes, spells, growing rocks and a flying corpse come together in this esoteric blend of fantasy drama and visual arts experiment from Lithuania. Review

Belgian-Moroccan Azabal delivers a heart-ripping performance as a strong and determined woman slowly collapsing under the unbearable weight of bigotry. Review

Idan Hubel’s sophomore feature is a very simple and straightforward drama at just 80 minutes. And it has remarkably little to say. Review

Lesbian couple contends with dark forces in order to forge a living in the remote Mongolian steppe - poignant queer survival drama. Review