Movie reviews of Eric Hillis

The journey to that no doubt divisive ending is always engaging, if often unbearable in its unflinching look at how narcissism can make even the most good looking people seem ugly. Review

If Arcadian were a TV pilot it would be a perfectly serviceable set-up for a world to explore over several episodes. But as a movie it just doesn't get into the meat of its story quickly enough. Review

While Afsim ensures we like these people, he doesn't sugarcoat how they react to their victimisation. Review

For anyone who has had to bite their tongue or clench their fist for the sake of keeping a job they can't afford to lose, Ana is a protagonist to get behind. Not all heroes wear capes; some wear aprons. Review

That Hart manages to meld elements of social realism, black comedy and psychological thriller into such a satisfying concoction is a remarkable feat for such a first-timer. His script is cleverly constructed and filled with so many satisfying pay-offs that it could be taught in screenwriting classes as an example of low budget storytelling. Review

The film's strengths come from Bechir's performance, which ranges from avuncular and cuddly to disturbed and threatening, and the moody setting of its misty, wind beaten island. The latter gives Beacon a visual edge over most movies that employ this premise as it allows the drama to open up to the outdoor elements. Review

It's very slickly made and has the polished urgency of a prestige TV show. It may rely on a series of melodramatic contrivances, but Andersen displays a command of this sort of tabloid filmmaking, keeping things moving at a pace that prevents us from thinking too much in the moment about the cheap manipulation of it all. Review

It's a horror movie about the day you wake up to your first grey hair, when you realise that occasional pain in your lower back isn't going away with time after all. It's a body-horror in the truest sense of the term. Review

Writer/director Sonja Prosenc has fashioned a social satire that is superficially effective in getting its not so novel ideas across, but Family Therapy is ironically as soulless as the elitists at its centre. Review

Lena and Ilya are easy to get behind, unless your're a fascist that is, but the film is only interested in what they represent rather than who they are. Review

Unlike the pristine pies its heroine uses to get information from salivating shopkeepers, Arzé is a little overcooked in places and relies too heavily on filling in backstories through soapy speeches. Review

I'm not entirely sure Don't You Let Me Go entirely "worked" for me, but I'm in no doubt its directors got something from this venture, and in a project of such intimacy, that's probably what counts. Review

Griffin in Summer is a subtly scathing film but it's wrapped up in a layer of sweetness. As its young anti-hero negotiates his place in the world as both a young gay man and a budding artist, it's ultimately heartwarming and hopeful in its suggestion that all outsiders need to stop feeling like outsiders is to come across some others who feel like they don't belong. Review

A significant portion of the audience will likely bail on Yang's film before it reaches its conclusion, but there are some rewards here for those willing to indulge Some Rain Must Fall. Review

Nesher dares to make her protagonist narcissistic and practically sociopathic at points, but Eden is always profoundly human, and Elalouf does a striking job of ensuring we never forget it. Review

For its first hour, Hunters on a White Field is an effective slow burn character study. Things take an unwieldy tonal shift in a final act that plunges the drama into the realm of the absurd. Review

On a superficial level The Watched certainly looks the part, and Ishana shows an eye for a moody image, but her movie lacks the human touch that distinguishes her father's best work. Review

Underneath the breezy rom-com trappings lies a dark undercurrent that the movie never grapples with... Review

As great as The G is when it comes to cleverly playing with western tropes and finely sketching the sort of characters usually painted with much broader strokes, it suffers from some messy storytelling. Review

Aside from the pristine direction and the supreme performances, what impresses most about Ghostlight is how measured the film is, both in terms of its gradual narrative and eventual emotional reveals. Review

Regardless of the thematic ambiguity, Murray certainly shoots his film in the manner of a horror movie. Review

Cronin does a fine job of economically mythologising the land in a way that means even those viewers unfamiliar with its place in fiction and true crime will immediately understand the dark hold it has over Claire. The Moor suffers from serious pacing issues however... Review

As a director, Mortensen makes great strides with his second film, displaying a knack for placing and moving his camera subtly so as to embellish the human drama rather than distract from it. Review

Birthday Girl engages in the nuanced character building of great European cinema while also delivering the sort of adult-oriented thrills that were once Hollywood's stock in trade. Review