Movie reviews of Ulkar Alakbarova

Night Raiders is a solid dystopian post-war film with quality and visual effects that do not go far from big-budget films. Review

It is a slow burning drama with a running time short enough for you not to get bored. I should also note the performance of the Sanz sisters, who I personally will follow if they decide to continue their acting journey. Review

The beauty of this film is that it does concentrate on Luisa’s mental health alone. It tries to show who she really is. Review

The Good House is a heartwarming but gut-wrenching film about addiction and the hard path towards acceptance. Review

What starts as a charming film turns into a nightmare, and that is a compliment. Review

Silent Night is a bizarre horror comedy about friends and family members who come together for Christmas Eve. Review

Based on true events, Charlotte follows the titular character, Charlotte Solomon, an enigmatic, extremely talented Jewish painter from Germany. The animated film provides a rich story of her unfortunately short life which will result in more than thousands of paintings she drew, sketching them out of memory. Review

It’s an appalling and heartbreaking story that the director was able to translate onto the silver screen. Review

It’s not an ideal coming of age story you would like to watch. Director Joaquin del Paso cleverly unveils the dark side of a man that’s not born as an adult, but as a teenager, and if left unchecked, God knows what will happen when they grow up. It’s a scary movie to watch. Review

Based on true events, director Evan Jackson Leong recreates a dark underground place in New York’s Chinatown, showing the danger of people like Dai Ma, who looks at illegal immigrants as if they were cargo. Review

Wolf is far from a comedy and there is nothing hilarious about characters you meet throughout... Review

Sundown is the most bizarre film I’ve seen this year or any other. The most surreal, strange and unthinkable. Review

The film questions the aspect of Africa’s colonial history, as Tsidi questions her mother’s motives while Mavis continues serving her white boss with such dedication and fear, as if she was living during the enslavement period. Review

Three Floors is another flawless Italian drama coming from director Nanni Moretti. Review

Set in the 19th century, it’s a powerful story of love, family, friendship and self-sacrifice. Review

Costa Brava, Lebanon is an impressive family drama. It dives deep into family issues, corrupt government, unconstitutional and unauthorized construction right behind the Badris’ fence. Review

Aloners is an extremely juicy character-driven film that examines the life of one young woman in her twenties. Review

What started as an innocent and very moving story about a girl that must make an important decision, turns into a Hitchcockian suspenseful thriller with a premise you won’t see coming. Review

The slow-burning drama steadily builds up the narrative, keeping you intense throughout as you attend the Thanksgiving dinner of a lifetime, trust me, you probably would not like repeating again. Review

The Other Tom is a poignant story delivered in a naturalistic way as if you were a bystander watching someone’s life unfolding right before your eyes. Review

The sublime performances from Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi put them on a much higher level than they were before. Don’t get me wrong, they have always been great. But in this film, they embodied the characters they portray, giving the most honest and transparent portrayal of a man, who was a genius of his time. Review

Spencer is one of the toughest films I’ve seen in a very long time. Review

There are many films that talk about the beauty of religion, of culture and the wonderful things it brings. But there are enough featured pieces that talk about the other side of the coin, and Medusa manages to describe it perfectly. Review

The Electrical Life of Louis Waine perfectly recreates the Victorian era where the costumes and amazing make-up turn this film into an absolute joy to watch. Review