Movie reviews of Victor Fraga

The Triangle of Happiness is an effective comedy, is a little too long at 140 minutes, with some very good moments but also a mostly redundant ending. Review

This is a beautiful film that could have done with more audacity on tarmac and a little more circumspection in its final denouement. Review

Spanish psychological thriller keeps audiences questioning the sanity of a female detective, in a fine and elegant literary adaptation. Review

The only scary thing about this highly disjointed and pointless J-horror is that it has reached a prestigious film festival on the other side of the planet. Review

The outcome is a far less visceral drama, more concerned with the collective issues of a community than with the subtle nuances of each character, and the psychology of the leads. What both films have in common is the outstanding performance from the non-professional child actors, and a palpable sense of rural realism. Review

Festival darling Hong Sang-soo presents a meditation on the life of the filmmaker; his style remains as conversational and spontaneous as ever. Review

Biopic of obscure Chinese writer intends to celebrate female empowerment but instead slips into tawdry regime propaganda... Review

A profoundly pretentious and downright boring movie. You are welcome to try and milk some deep philosophical meaning, yet you may might end up succumbing to filmic malnutrition. Review

The story is almost entirely narrated from the perspective of the manifold victims, in talking heads style. Review

The young Quilez is outstanding in the skin of the troubled young mother, and she could easily win the Best Leading Performance Award at this year’s San Sebastian Film Festival. Review

The tone of the film becomes far more thoughtful and reflective. Perhaps a little too meditative even. Review

Mexican film about dispassionate porn actor and "sex influencer" is mostly as lifeless and formulaic as the film industry it purports to portray. Review

It is very fascinatingly uncomfortable to watch, yet it is unlikely to make a significant contribution to the debate around xenophobia and immigrant working conditions. The wilfully monstrous characters and imagery are just too exaggerated for that purpose. What you get instead instead is a darkly lyrical film... Review

The Beasts is a gripping rural thriller with a duration of 130 minutes that fly by very quickly. That’s thanks to the effective script, powerful dialogues and sterling performances. Review

The life of Czech composer Josef Mysliveček is turned into a lavish film about the rise and tragic downfall of the artist who influenced Mozart. Review

All in all, an enjoyable little movie. Review

Mia Hansen-Løve's tale of a young widow, her married love and and her ailing father is bursting with humanity and sensibility. Review

Diego Lerman’s seventh feature film boasts a magnificent cinematographer signed by Wojciech Staron. The images are dark and yet never gloomy. The suburbs of Buenos Aires exude the poetry of the ugly, the aesthetics of urban chaos. Review

Austria's enfant terrible Ulrich Seidl punches San Sebastian in the stomach with a depiction of paedophilia that's tender and grotesque in equal measures . Review

This is a very conventional and easily digestible film. One that will stay with you for a duration of time inferior to Julia’s short-lived romances. Review

American indie about young woman in rural America grappling with her father's death is so deeply sombre and austere that it left me feeling lifeless and cold. Review

The emotional journey of this small Danish family has failed to enrapture me. Review

The American dreams morphs into a nightmare, hallucination or mere "bullshit", as marginalised citizens recall their experience - heartfelt doc. Review

Kenneth Branagh remembers the Troubles and the pain of departing from his birth city at the age of just nine, in this lukewarm childhood memoir. Review