Movie reviews of Victor Fraga

Parasite is a fast-paced comedy of the absurd with few ingredients of a thriller thrown in.

The outcome is a tedious, partly formulaic and mostly unremarkable movie.

The camerawork is lacklustre, the script is bland and contrived, the climax is lame, and the acting is just about ok.

Aspiring actress has to grapple with lewd and manipulative filmmaker, in cleverly multilayered psychological drama from China.

The story of two Brazilian sisters separated by a twist of fate in a country infested with sexist attitudes is one of the finest Brazilian melodramas ever made.

While its premise is interesting and thought-provoking, Share isn’t entirely accomplished from a cinematographic perspective. The camerawork is rather uninspired and the performances lack vigour.

The enfant terrible of French is back, this time with a tortuous and torturous featurette about the menacing (male) filmmaker and the vulnerable actress.

At 78 minutes, it will likely please both die-hard fans keen to see and hear their idol and those less familiar with his filmography.

Fugitive thriller set in a gloomy and despondent China excels in visual excellence and technical wizardry, yet its plot is tedious and banal.

Pedro Almodóvar bares his soul in his most personal movie yet, about an ageing and ailing filmmaker searching for inspiration inside his own frail existence.

Senegalese film by first-time director blends an exquisite photography with strange traditions and eerie superstitions.

A delivery man struggles to meet his inhumane targets, in Ken Loach's latest exposé of Britain's failed capitalism.

French animation follows two young lovers in Taliban-occupied Kabul, portraying life under the oppressive regime in a colourful yet frank light.

Brazilian filmmakers deliver ultra-violent and wacky sci-fi ornated with historical allusions and spiced with political flavours.

Wilfully wacky Icelandic comedy about radical environmental activist waging a war against the local aluminium factory has some delightful moments.

Austrian drama about female sailor confronted with a wrecked boat full of perishing refugees raises urgent and pertinent moral questions.

Ultimately, JT LeRoy is a finely acted and crafted study of the relationship between artistry and identity.

Giallo-inspired and brazenly gay serial murder story from France features a magnetic Vanessa Paradis in the lead and an electrifying music score.

It’s rather formulaic and conventional, an average spy drama doused in saccharine and filled with two half-baked romances. On the other hand, Red Joan contains a very urgent message that world peace must prevail above national allegiances, and that nationalism can be an arrogant and exclusionary notion.

This 59-minute documentary is informative enough for those (like myself) who are little familiar into the world of intersex. A good starting point.

It’s effective and riveting enough to keep you hooked until the end. The performances are convincing, too. The script, however, insistently delves into petit bourgeois afflictions, and some people might find it a little pedantic. I still enjoyed it, though.

3 Faces returns to the old tradition of Iranian cinema of the 1990s, in its narrative/formal wizardry. It’s meditative, lyrical and cryptic, a lot like The Taste of Cherry.

We The Animals is a gentle yet harrowing tale about a premature coming-of-age in a fractured home, mainly seen from the perspective of the child. It’s very honest and brutal, without slipping into cliches.

All in all, Water Makes Us Wet is still refreshing enough to watch. Just don’t expect too much depth.