Movie reviews of Filipe Freitas

Puiu was never more obstinate and futile than in Manor House. Review

Expect a strong central performance by Maeda, whose character completely transfigures while working in front of a camera, and an interesting shift into the minor key from Kurosawa, who typically embraces a tension-filled style. Review

It’s a moderately diverting film with plenty of awkwardness and a gossipy tone that can be occasionally teasing as well. Review

With both the camera work and the atmosphere recalling the works of Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Andrei Tarkovsky, Atlantis is a rough film to sit through, but those who really pay attention to its existentialist musings will be rewarded. Review

The film, impeccably edited by Jaroslaw Kaminski, unfolds as an effective nightmare that is suitably appalling in its historical context and extremely heartbreaking in terms of the family perspective. Review

Sun Children might not be among Majidi's best known works such as Children of Heaven (1997), The Color of Paradise (1999) and The Song of Sparrows (2008), but its visual acuteness together with the powerful message makes it a ride bound to be taken seriously. Review

The young Brummer delivers a top-drawer performance, giving the character the reserved posture, emotional complexity and subdued charm that allows us to connect. Thus, whatever didn’t work here it wasn't not his fault. Review

Some might find the subject too grim and the uncertainties frustrating, in a film that sets its mood through a permanent human melancholy and the natural misty atmosphere that characterizes this part of the Galician landscape. Even if they have a point, I can’t help recommending it for the profound impression it leaves. Review

Lux Aeterna is a shamefully underdeveloped charade whose uncomfortable viewing says absolutely nothing relevant in the end, apart from those quotations from directors such as Dreyer, Fassbinder and Godard. Review

This fantasy is intimately linked to a painful reality, and leaves its mark. It’s likable, with tiny imperfections and a constant rhythmic beat of its own. Although not investing in any sort of climax, it provides unwavering entertainment throughout. Review

Provocative yet unconvincing, Enforcement will serve more the interests of unconditional enthusiasts of the action genre than actually entertain those looking for a well-calibrated story. Review

If you’re a fan of fast-paced, violent drama-thrillers, then this is not your dish. See it only if you like the genre to be served with prolonged sharp-tasting notes. Review

Anything but commercial, and featuring a cast of non-professional actors, this portrayal of romantic disillusion still resonates with a good slice of honesty in defiance to an imperfect editing and some forgivable structural irregularities. Review

Economic inequality and critical social gaps, modernization and gentrification, emotional dilemmas and complex family relationships, all these aspects are funneled into a system of satirical criticism, in a fluid, funny film that also plays with visual flamboyance, a relevant soundtrack, and cunning acting to make its point. Review

There’s an undeniable originality in the making of this film, an entrancing prison drama centered around never-before-seen codes and rituals, and with a sharp political bite amidst the chimerical fragments. Review

Although exuding a pleasing old-fashioned appeal, the film owes less to the course of its plot than to the authentic performances. Review

More entrancing than unsettling, this thriller is sort of dismissive of its audience, promulgating style over substance while apparently unaware of the emotional shallowness that emanates from the observant dispassion of Yinan’s lens. Review

Contradicting a recent tendency in the independent drama genre, Fourteen has a darker edge to it, but refuses to fall into immoderately lugubrious places, often plunging the inner disquietness of each character into an apparent tranquility and dissolving it in the daily life routines. Review

The slowly emerging details about the characters and their relationships keep us going, but both Soderbergh, who competently handles the photography with natural light, and the screenwriter Deborah Eisenberg could have used more mordant tones and humor to pepper it. It’s a pragmatic yet rippling navigational episode rescued by the performances. Review

Undine is not just an imaginative fairy tale; it’s also a love letter to Berlin and its urban development. Highly recommended. Review

Ford gives us a sincere, balanced account of a devastating situation, in a heart-rending drama whose conclusion leaves a terrible taste in the mouth. Complementing her focused camera work, the performances of the two leads proved to be determinant, and the film sticks with you after the credits roll. Review

The Mauritanian is a disarticulate, time-consuming, and nearly anesthetized drama thriller that’s not worth investing time in. Read the book instead. Review

No one should expect something clever from a sloppy round trip from Zamunda to America that comes relentlessly burdened with clichés of all stripes. Review

Without being flashy, the animation is workmanlike at best, and the fantastic story has a lot to like. Just sit back and enjoy, because this is not just a delightful film but an important one. Review