Movie reviews of Filipe Freitas

Often captured with handheld camera and featuring a score that emphasizes as much the heroic as the emotional side of things, The Covenant is not earth-shatteringly exciting, but manages to trace the political and cultural scenario of the time without overstuffing things. Review

Considering the numerous traps associated with the material, this brave, funny leap into womanhood and religious consciousness stands in good stead. Review

Even if the agenda does come with good intentions, the developments are less daring than expected, making Blue Jean a shockingly dull work with which I wasn’t able to connect. Review

There’s this indelible sense of isolation, uncanniness and mystery enveloping a skimpy but relentlessly chilly mystery that ingrains the mind after it grabs the senses. Jenkin demonstrates remarkable artistry in the manner he handles the material, and will leave you guessing until the end. Review

Return to Seoul is a compellingly constructed, deeply felt drama. Review

The action tenses up by the end, and there’s a level of urgency and frustration that screams in every shot; it’s the pure magic of cinema versus the harsh pain of reality presented with simple scenarios and genuine characters. Review

The film takes its time to build, advancing steadily and surely but never expanding outside its atmospheric cocoon. Preferring the cold approach, the sharply observed Chile ’76 carries off a readable merge between the personal and the political. Review

Displaying a rare delicacy and sincerity, the film captures these childhood friends navigating the peaks and valleys of life. In their distinct paths, both find pleasant discoveries but also tremendous difficulties at some point. Review

The menacing goth score by Juri Seppä and Tuomas Wäinölä enhances the dehumanizing brutality of war in a film where any thoughtfulness that could still exist is rapidly washed away in blood. The film will likely make the day of those fond of violence, but should be superfluous for audiences expecting cleverer plots. Review

I found this unfinished nightmare to be more pretentious than gripping, yet kudos to Dafoe for the dedicated performance. Review

In his recognizable style, Mungiu knows exactly where to pinch and call our attention to the unjustified anger of ignorant people and the powerlessness of those who care. Review

Narrative-wise, though, Air doesn't have an original bone in its body - the film falls into typical American standards of emotional tension - but, being entertaining and informative, it succeeds at bringing an usually forgotten part of sports history into the minds of today's audiences. Review

Even dwindling in intensity in the last quarter, the film will leave you prostrated with its thoroughly wired reality, making for a heartfelt alternative to the more traditional documentary-style approach. Soundtrack and cinematography are added values. Review

Godland is filled with sensations that come from the physical world and from the soul. You’ll feel the poetic, sometimes magical realism on one side, and the fear, transgression and fatality on the other. This rare reflection on the colonization of the Far North deserves visibility. Review

Sometimes Rye Lane wanders, almost with a carefree zeal, following a plot that, even sagging, has no decline in amusement. The viewers’ expectations are ultimately met, making us wonder what Allen-Miller is planning to do next. Review

Nothing really motivates us, both emotionally and scenario-wise, and many will throw in the towel. Adonis, maybe it’s time to really hang up the gloves! Review

The predominant wistfulness in Stolevski’s film is curdled underneath, resulting in a stunted effort with plenty of lachrymose regrets and a few other problems. What started off promising ended melancholically pointless. Review

The Braggs inject a few drops of acid into what would be a simple story, turning it somewhat cartoonish but seductively amusing. Pinball won’t be among your standard biopics but rather a favorably low-key portrait whose well-oiled mechanisms intend to divert as much as inform. Review

By turns moving and horrifying, Revoir Paris might not be a massive hit but manages to carve out an identity. Review

Narrative cleverness and adroit editing sustain us through a story that, being irremediably elemental, simple and light, succeeds in its efforts as it is also graced with a typically super performance by Merlant and an effective direction by Garrel. Delivering that pure pleasure of cinema we thought already lost, they will put a smile on your face. Review

All the rest of it is more of the same in a tiresome film that suffers from an extended duration, repetitive messages, and clichéd dialogues. Review

It’s easy to say that writer-director Justin Lerner and the pair of young actors showed dedication to the material, but it’s unfortunate that the tactlessness of most of the scenes hinders the final product. Review

The dialogue goes from philosophical and poetic to sloppy and banal, while the characters don’t pull enough truth from a story that really happened but surely with a lot more intensity than it’s presented here. Review

The young actors project a special authenticity that engages the viewer in an emotionally resonant story of true friendship and hope for a dignified, honest life that ends tragically. Review