Filmrecensies van Filipe Freitas

Vapid at times, and with a deft camerawork refusing to cope with the story's confined temperament, the film is full of artifice to the point of absurdity. But that may just be the point of Cavalli, who keeps the humor, the drama and, let's face it, the goofy undertones that make this portrait of Italian bourgeoisie more derisive. Recensie

Reality is well-made but depends almost entirely on the acting. And neither the lead nor the supporting actors let it down, providing merciless authenticity through crisp performances. Recensie

The centre fails to hold, lashed around in an intellectual straitjacket, so the plot never wraps up appropriately. Although crossed by some beautiful cinematic imagery, Leonora Addio hardly seems more than an experimental exercise. Recensie

The talent of the young actors is obvious as they reflect teen life and confused feelings with impressive accuracy. Recensie

By trading brains for bullets and characters for puppets, the director made the worst possible choices for this exhausting fourth chapter. Recensie

With warped sounds enhancing the industrialism of the setting, this twisted fairytale is pretty darn hypnotic. Recensie

Even if you’re not tech savvy, Johnson puts it all in fascinating context. Aiming for greatness and not quite making it, he, nonetheless, discloses a vital, engaging part of technology history while guaranteeing absolute fun by effectively mixing serious and comedic tones. Recensie

The beauty of the story lies precisely in how to overcome fragility, doing it with both realistic and supernatural quests that will take you out of your comfort zone. Recensie

Profoundly human and saddled with a mix of somber and limpid energy, More Than Ever is, in some measure, a slightly conventional work that could have explored its characters a bit deeper. Recensie

Winter Boy is stilted, with deficient dynamics and questionable choices of monologues in front of the camera and explanatory voice-over. Recensie

Dupieux’s antics are provocative, psychedelic and unapologetic. His film, so well titled, so funny, so pathetic and so bizarre, is also so memorable for all that. Recensie

Moll and his regular collaborator Gilles Marchand co-wrote the film with seriousness, making it less immediately stunning and sometimes hardly pleasurable to watch. Recensie

The emotional waves are never allowed to erode the unflinching truthfulness of the film’s insights. Accordingly, with intelligent nuance molding storytelling, this is a drama that, in the end, reaches our hearts. Recensie

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. Recensie

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

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. Recensie

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. Recensie

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

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. Recensie

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. Recensie

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. Recensie

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. Recensie

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

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. Recensie