Movie reviews of Filipe Freitas

With a compelling narrative and a surprising, heartbreaking finale, The Garden Left Behind satisfies as a whole. Yet, it couldn’t hide a couple of less effective scenes... Review

Never haunting or hypnotic, the film basically relies on self-obsession to succeed, and any interest in Ahmed as a character may evaporate in no time. The conclusion is more ludicrous than shocking. Review

Although Vitalina Varela is not his best film, it feels like a classy lesson in introspective cinema. It’s a relentlessly grim tale of immigration, suffering, and loneliness that deserves to be contemplated. Review

Sadly, the positive atmospheric set-up terminates abruptly with the first death. The film never fulfills the potential offered by a farcical yet mysterious inception. Review

Balanced in tone and devastating in its conclusion, Clemency provides a refreshing alternative to the death-row-themed movies, addressing the problem from an uncommon angle. Review

Queen of Hearts is a scandalous guilty pleasure that works so well because it’s patiently build with methodical accuracy and brutal authenticity. By focusing on a woman whose exploitative voluptuousness she coldly accepts, el-Toukhy provides us with a tough viewing, but not a superficial experience. Review

As expected, the romance was not as wild as the action, and the lurid aesthetics never compensate the overstuffness of the plot. It’s a visceral experience, nonetheless. Review

Intermittently interesting at an early stage, the film keeps oscillating between solid and patchy, and eventually grows in disappointment as climaxes and thrills are taken to a minimum. Review

The wit is mordantly dark and one just has to settle back and let this tremendous account do the rest. Expect to be knocked out by a devastatingly potent finale. Review

Bait is a tenacious, chillingly blunt, and unsentimental examination of a current topic that is getting out of control. It packs a punch by offering equal doses of fascination and disquietness, and deserves praise for combining extraordinary visuals captured by a vintage hand-cranked Bolex camera, a captivating intriguing mood, intelligent filmmaking techniques, and compelling performances. Review

Driver’s lean and tight performance is what keeps the story minimally fueled, even when the movie stalls at its most frustrating passivity. In truth, what the film lacks in cinematic flair it makes up for in the one man’s unshakable determination to find the truth. Review

Mutating into a documentary-style approach, Ozon has a talented cast helping him stabilize the narrative disproportion whenever the film goes up and down in tone. Sometimes, we have the feeling that the story doesn’t go anywhere, but what the film lacks in the tension department, it compensates in exposing an uncomfortable truth that led Preynat to attempt blocking the release of the film in court. Review

The title is multivalent, the storytelling keeps us hooked, the direction is uncomplicated, and the members of the cast deliver performances that are as raw, brave, and tough as the characters they play. Sorry We Missed You might not be Loach’s best film, but it’s a damn good one. Review

More interested in surface flash than character depth, Freaks is a powerless surreal lunacy overstuffed with trivialities. It's a freak of a movie that grows busier than mysterious, and for this reason, will unlikely create a positive impact. Review

Disarmingly simplistic at a first sight, Monos has its fine moments of raw intensity, hiding more complex nuances in between the lines. It’s intriguing enough to worth a look, but in the end, not much of it sticks with us. Review

The rawness of the images combines with the poignancy of the story in a honest examination of a young life shattered by several social problems. Although scripted with plenty of incident, Socrates presents a mediocre conclusion. However, that aspect doesn't undermine the severity and importance of the topics addressed. Quite strong are the first appearances from young actors Malheiros and Ordakji. Review

Never veering into excessive sentimentality, this absorbing courtroom drama denounces pure racial disdain and cynical manipulation of facts. It can be utterly uncomfortable. Review

Polemics aside, the director, prompted by an immediate and fluid storytelling, mounted some scenes that not always feel authentic. However, he makes a clear-eyed look about the failings and transgressions of American law enforcement agencies in their urgency to find a culprit. Hauser fuels this uneven account with an excellent performance. Review

It’s a terrifying, grim look at war, filled with devastating post-battle scenarios, pushing-forward energy and acute tension. Review

Painful to watch, the film is permeated with angst, shallow hope, and an inner emptiness that is quite disturbing. It’s like if you, by observation of the two leads, could feel years of real misery and suffering. Review

Waves doesn't work in its entirety, but when it connects, it’s powerful and uncomfortable. Review

Opting for a non-exploitative presentation, Malick gets it right in the end, but at the expense of a lot of patience from the viewers. A Hidden Life is disconcerting both for the right and the wrong reasons. Review

This refreshingly smart take on Little Women reaches the dimensions of a new classic. It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest movies of 2019. Review

One can’t pretend that this Dolemite doesn't incorporates clichés, but we also can’t deny it’s an extremely entertaining exercise and an uplifting reference to this particular side of the African-American filmmaking culture. Review