Movie reviews of Victor Fraga

Petty thief holds the family of a beautiful baker hostage inside their own apartment, in John Garfield's very final film role. Review

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre becomes a proxy for the nuclear American family and the American Dream, as this superb doc dissects the entrails of the horror genre. Review

The ethics of solidarity are put to the most brutal test conceivable, as a Palestinian family resists Israel's 75-year-old occupation. Review

Bullied boy reconnects with his young and rebellious mother, in this beautifully shot yet muddled tale of community alienation from Armenia. Review

Vaguely disjointed yet amusing experimental sci-fi. Review

Desperate Afghan mother resorts to extreme measures in order to find her missing son, in this clumsy tale of two crossdressers. Review

The visuals, which are signed by the director alongside Dušan Husár, are much closer to the dreamy and metaphysical than to the documental. A film that will stay with you for a long time, for sensory and philosophical reasons alike. Review

Lesbian singer confronts Iranian censorship with her voice, in a movie that sets out to break (nearly) every conceivable film taboo. Review

Devoted teacher falls for asylum seeker of her daughter's age and with a very dangerous secret, in this scrumptious blend of refugee drama and psychosexual thriller. Review

Very long, slow and thoughtful Catalonian drama dissects the anatomy of sexual abuse and gender relations. Review

This is quiet, warm and very conventional little film. Review

Lithuanian migrant in Norway struggles to reconnect with his birth nation as he returns in order to sell his family property, in this quiet and observational drama. Review

Sad and sensitive young man seeks an old flame and instead finds darkness, in this charming nostalgia-fest from Portugal. Review

Obscure demon exerts full control over a motley crew of Hungarian outcasts, in this inventive yet inconsequential horror mockumentary. Review

Timid Karolinka struggles to fit into the girls choir, in this slow burn, finely acted and tender Czech-Slovakian drama. Review

This is a hyper-metatextual short movie aimed primarily at fans on Jenkin and cinephiles. It is charming and amusing to watch, yet not as mesmerising and hypnotic as Brexit drama Bait and folk horror Enys Men. Review

Russian aggression defaces Ukrainian landscape and wildlife, in his non-narrative, sensory and hypnotic doc. Review

While the story is very interesting, the script is often contrived, and the two child actors are not on a par with the far more skilled adults. Review

While not a realist film, The Baltimorons is a palpable and humanistic affair. Review

Iranian documentarist captures her video interactions with young photographer trapped in Gaza, in a historical register that's both heartwarming and harrowing. Review

Warm and tender tribute to passion through music has all the ingredients of a romcom (or rather, a bromcom), and is guaranteed to put a smile of your face. Review

The director of Sex and Lucia returns with a hyperbolical allegory of Spanish history, populated with charming characters. Review

Malta Story is an effective war movie, a propaganda film, a love letter to a colony, and a well-intentioned tribute to the resilience of a people. It’s just not very Maltese. Review

The first half of this film is charming and endearing. The humour of the second half, however, is a little stale, as the story becomes dogged by pointless twists and the repetitive CGI... Review