Filmrecensies van Filipe Freitas

If we're making picks for the most eccentric and anarchic flicks of the year, my enthusiastic vote goes to the hyped up Triangle of Sadness, even if the final result is not particularly satisfying. In this case, Östlund wasn’t smart enough to take some possible good ideas to better conclusions, preferring a cinema that is coarse, drastic and with no consequence. It can be funny at times, though. Recensie

Too busy crushing his excellent actors under the period mise-en-scène, Russell doesn’t seem to know how to make this story interesting, setting a trap for himself. Recensie

Dos Estaciones is not flashy nor imposing, but its purpose and meaning rings loud, providing one of those experiences where honesty and heaviness can’t be dissociated. Recensie

The director’s depth of feeling in reconstructing Hasna’s terrible teenage years, guilt, and dilemmas deserves praise as well as her clear view and poignant depiction of the subject. Recensie

It’s OK to stop by here, but not so much for what it presents visually or narratively. In summary: an unambitious legal drama that doesn't make the message any less true. Recensie

This is a gut-wrenching look at the depressing and vicious ramifications of war. The suspense increases gradually and new discoveries are unveiled at every step of the investigation, culminating with a decent twist. Recensie

With demonstrative humanity, this is not the kind of trip you'll return to multiple times, but one that you look back on fondly. Recensie

D’Ambrose’s style is less detailed and conversational than Richard Linklater's but more expeditious. The Cathedral is by no means incompetent; it's just almost pathologically elementary, floating with nostalgia and a few painful moments that could go even further in its narrative purpose. Recensie

It’s a shame that, despite a flawless characterization, the storytelling sometimes gets stranded in dispensable details and unlikely resolutions. Recensie

Even discreet and imbued with some strangeness, The Box still digs its own path within this particular drama subgenre. It caused me to ponder on the nature of each human being by making simple emotions complex, and complex questions impossible to answer. Recensie

This admirable aesthetic sense coupled with the cultural and climate change subjects makes Utama one of those films that, holding steadfast to its realism, sticks with you till the very end. Recensie

Lindon is just perfect; we see him and we believe it. His performance is well supplemented by TV and radio journalist Marie Drucker as a cold and intransigent boss. A successful first theatrical appearance for her. Another World is another product of Brizé’s mature social observation. Recensie

The direction of Andrew Dominik has some flashes of inspiration but is not to die for, while the script portrays the star almost as a dumb, without penetrating the woman's heart. Recensie

The film carries a mechanical melancholy that becomes trivial after a while. By looking deeper into the author's approach, it’s not impossible to find a certain artlessness in his work. Recensie

As subtle and delicate as an affectionate embrace, this is a beautiful film, whose story provides a heartbreaking insight into the different roles people may have in one’s life. Recensie

Unidentified is exactly like its protagonist: too serious to make us laugh, and too laughable to be taken seriously. A strong sense of incredulity grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. The result, an attempted mixture of adrenaline, madness and despair, never managed to keep me on the edge of my seat. Recensie

Disseminating helplessness and dread in the last minutes, at the sound of an ethereal Requiem composed by Sune Kolster, this dismal film will teach you to never trust strangers. Recensie

With a tone that teeters between delicate and affected, this fantasy drama has no claws to be of more than passing interest. Basically, it fails to achieve what it tries to claim: the power of a deeply engaging narrative. Recensie

LaBute sacrificed the narrative and characters in the name of a few formal coups, making House of Darkness a painfully unnecessary experience. Recensie

God’s Country plays a minimalist pitch and puts all the emphasis on tone to achieve a sort of hypnotic enchantment. The message and feelings are there, and the picture plays more like a poignant indie drama rather than a rural western-style epic. Recensie

Pearl felt more confessional than disturbing, occasionally managing to give us the chills, like in a scene where Pearl chases her next prey with an axe in her hand. It’s a shame that the script doesn’t unpack more of these moments for the actress who co-wrote the script with West. Recensie

In her feature debut, Gaysorn Thavat knits the drama with serious and sobering observation, whereas the script by Sophie Henderson had some margin to improve. Recensie

Between the comic and the monstrous, the final scenes are the best. But, again, everyone seems too cool in the face of evil, a relatively frustrating glimpse of what the whole film could have been. Recensie

The stirring beauty of Graf’s drama comes from the genuine feelings transmitted by the leads, who, together with the editor Claudia Wolscht, contribute to the furiously cinematic outcome. Recensie