Movie reviews of Victor Fraga

Ugly problems surface when dysfunctional family goes on holidays in dejected seaside town, in British dirty gem starring Sadie Frost and Billie Piper.

Eerie sci-fi travels to a near-future and uncovers a Brazil intoxicated with bizarre evangelical practices.

The sensibility and the inventiveness of Brazilian director Marcelo Gomes are extraordinary.

A stern and yet ingenious documentary. The camera is entirely static, allowing viewers to reflect upon the topics at length. And the interview style is entirely unique.

Biopic of Brazilian revolutionary Carlos Marighella is very audacious in its content and yet very conservative in its format.

Israeli film set in France mocks nationalism from both nations with an absurdist tone reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos.

Audacious Brazilian film examines queerness at old age with a tender and empathetic tone, while also revealing that solitude is powerful venting outlet.

The real story of two Spanish women who married with one of them posing as a man almost 120 years ago is a superb piece of filmmaking, excelling both in technical and in dramatic terms.

The story is both riveting and plausible, with strong performances by the three leads. There is an important message about the failure of capitalism driving young people to religious fundamentalism. But there is also a very significant political issue with Farewell to the Night.

Italian gangster movie set in Naples has flavours of Neorealism and portrays a disturbing type of masculinity negotiated at a very young age...

Christian Bale is very convincing in the skin of a cold, calculating, arrogant, selfish, unrepentant and unscrupulous politician.

Parable about departure and family allegiances set in a rural village on the Anatolian mountains of Turkey has a stupefying cinematography...

Fatih Skin's serial killer saga is a bizarre tribute to faith and ugliness, and it's absolutely dirtylicious in its unabashed wackiness.

Espionage drama about undercover Mossad agent working in Tehran has enough stamina to keep you hooked for two hours, and it's not a piece of Israeli propaganda.

Overall, Out Stealing Horses is an effective and moving drama. However, I did struggle to follow the numerous characters and twists, and to work out the subtle cultural differences between Sweden and Norway.

The story relies almost entirely on the horrific fits. The narrative arc is rather flat, with a climax every two minutes and very little respite.

Wang Quan’an’s Ondog is one of those sensory filmic experiences where the narrative is extremely slow and seemingly secondary.

Francois Ozon is best remembered for his psychological dramas, psychosexual thrillers and twisted comedies. He has now moved into an almost entirely new territory: Catholic faith and paedophilia. The outcome is nothing short of magnificent.

Cold and soulless: this blend of thriller and dark comedy starring a lethargic Liam Neeson has very little to offer other than the occasional Colorado wintry landscape.

Bleak, unoriginal and very violent: how the latest American sci-fi movie produced by James Cameron & co left me mostly numb and cold.

Biopic of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a fitting tribute to gender equality, if also a little romanticised.

Irish horror about mother convinced that her son isn't her son anymore recycles old suspense tropes, and is effective enough to keep you hooked for 90 minutes.

A feelgood tearjerker with an upbeat ending.

While the director deserves credit for being respectful and non-exploitative, the film lacks a little ingeniousness and imagination.