Movie reviews of Victor Fraga

Loose biopic of Spanish saint Teresa of Avila is dogged by a contrived script and cliches, and misses the opportunity to provide real insight into the life of a subversive reformer. Review

A bulimic university student gets admitted to a creepy dietary institution, where her life descends into unfathomable horror - completely bonkers Japanese film. Review

A peace-loving "madman" communicates with the dead in a mortuary, in this exuberant Indian drama with a touch of Weerasetakul's magical realism. Review

Belgian fantasy drama about a literal magnetic man is doused in charm and nostalgia, while also paying an ode to the wacky performance acts of yore. Review

Extraordinary French drama based on a real-life story questions the limits of consent, freedom of expression and transgression without lapsing into sexphobic cliches. Review

Two misfits (a Dutch man and a Russian woman) embark on a journey of self-discovery, in this quirky art film about complicity and friendship. Review

This lighthearted comedy is a mockery of old-fashioned tradition and protocols. Review

Warm and tender South Korean movie sets out to challenge the norms of conventional storytelling. Review

Rugged granny gets kidnapped and tortured by sadistic pension fraudsters, in this all-American, Coen-ish revenge thriller. Review

Italian prostitutes raise a mentally handicapped man as if he was their baby, in this raw and tender tale of motherly affection in the most unlikely of places. Review

Fifteen-year-old Spanish girl seeks paternal affection, in this quietly moving tale of family secrets and abandonment. Review

Forty-four-year-old Dutch filmmaker Jaap van Heusden’s fourth feature film is a carefully crafted and mostly auspicious drama. It contains a few tiresome philosophical platitudes and a rather awkward ending, however it never slips into unwarranted didacticism, leaving viewers instead to make up their own mind. Review

The little-known history of Crimean Tatars is the backbone of this disjoined tale of romance and political dissent. Review

Creepy allegory of Soviet authoritarianism and political delusion is aesthetically and narratively compelling. Review

It is impossible not to be moved by octogenarian Hopkins, who delivers an honest and tear-inducing performance. Review

Road toll worker slips into a life of crime in order to pay for her son's gay conversion therapy, in this spectacularly dirty Brazilian piece of absurd realism. Review

At times, the script is disjointed and barely coherent. It is ironic that a movie about dementia lacks a little lucidity. Review

Gabriel Byrne stars as Irish writer Samuel Beckett, in this concise yet very conventional and contrived biopic of a literary genius. Review

Victor Erice returns to filmmaking after a three-decade hiatus, crafting a protracted, moody and profound reflection on memory, cinema and reconnection (with a twist). Review

This very effective revenge thriller deconstructs toxic masculinity without resorting to platitudes and cliches. The story is mostly credible. Review

French military families prepare to depart from Madagascar in the early 1970s, in this disjointed, irritating and misfiring tale of decolonisation. Review

A lone widower freezes his dead wife in the hope of keeping her company into eternity, in this Taiwanese piece of slow cinema (with a social twist). Review

Maria has to juggle seafood harvesting, midwifery and illegal abortions, in this dark and sullen drama set during the 1970s in rural Galicia, Northwestern Spain. Review

Philosophy professor fights to preserve his position and his legacy, in Argentinean lighthearted comedy with distinct political flavours. Review