Film-Forward

About Rania Richardson

Rania Richardson is the communications manager for a philanthropic nonprofit in New York City and a freelance writer specializing in film, culture, and business. She came of age in Cambridge, MA, and began her career at Time magazine. Her favorite film is Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, and her mission is to champion the best in world cinema. She is a contributing editor to this site.

Case 137 | Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2026

A dogged cop pursues justice for a young man severely harmed during the Yellow Vests protests.

By |March 4th, 2026|Festivals, French|0 Comments

Father Mother Sister Brother

Three bittersweet tales of shifting identities speak to how individuals adapt within families in Jim Jarmusch’s latest, poignant, and subtle work.

By |December 22nd, 2025|Family drama, Top Picks|0 Comments

The Secret Agent

A soulful Wagner Moura stars as a fugitive from the corrupt dictatorship of 1970s Brazil in writer/director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s latest film, a gripping political thriller.

By |November 26th, 2025|Thriller, Top Picks|0 Comments

The Currents | NYFF 2025

A woman's plunge off a pedestrian bridge into the currents of the Rhône sets off a phobia of water in this elegant festival discovery.

By |November 16th, 2025|Festivals, South American|0 Comments

When Fall Is Coming

With an all-around excellent cast, prolific French director François Ozon has crafted an intriguing puzzler.

By |April 3rd, 2025|French, Top Picks|0 Comments

Three Friends | Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2025

Emmanuel Mouret's, sharply written, breezy, and engaging chamber piece opened the annual festival.

By |March 7th, 2025|Festivals, French, Top Picks|0 Comments

All We Imagine as Light

An entrancing depiction of life in contemporary Mumbai.

By |November 12th, 2024|Festivals, Top Picks|0 Comments

Kinds of Kindness

A macabre triptych in the style of director Yorgos Lanthimos's earlier work.

By |June 21st, 2024|Top Picks|0 Comments

Poor Things

A Frankenstein fable that becomes a coming-of-age saga exploding societal conventions, particularly the physical kind. Nudity, explicit sex, and grotesqueries abound.

By |December 7th, 2023|Fantasy, Sci-fi, Top Picks|0 Comments