Movie reviews of Victor Fraga

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

Loose biopic of Spanish saint Teresa of Avila is dogged by a contrived script and cliches, and misses the opportunity to provide real insight into the life of a subversive reformer. Review

A bulimic university student gets admitted to a creepy dietary institution, where her life descends into unfathomable horror - completely bonkers Japanese film. Review

A peace-loving "madman" communicates with the dead in a mortuary, in this exuberant Indian drama with a touch of Weerasetakul's magical realism. Review

Belgian fantasy drama about a literal magnetic man is doused in charm and nostalgia, while also paying an ode to the wacky performance acts of yore. Review

Extraordinary French drama based on a real-life story questions the limits of consent, freedom of expression and transgression without lapsing into sexphobic cliches. Review

Two misfits (a Dutch man and a Russian woman) embark on a journey of self-discovery, in this quirky art film about complicity and friendship. Review

This lighthearted comedy is a mockery of old-fashioned tradition and protocols. Review