Film-Forward

Foreign

To Kill a Man

Written and Directed by Alejandro Fernández Almendras Produced by Eduardo Villalobos Pino, Guillaume de Seille Released by Film Movement Spanish with English subtitles Chile/France. 81 min. Not rated With Daniel Candia, Alexandra Yanez, Daniel Antivilo, Ariel Mateluna, and Jennifer Salas Inspired by real-life events, To Kill a Man has honorable intent. It wants to put […]

Starred Up

Directed by David Mackenzie Written by Jonathan Asser Produced by Gillian Berrie Released by Tribeca Film UK. 106 min. Not rated With Jack O’Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, Sam Spruell, Anthony Welsh, David Ajala and Peter Ferdinando Starred Up, written by real-life prison psychiatrist Jonathan Asser, feels like necessary corrective medicine for our cultural obsession […]

Miss Julie

Written and Directed by Liv Ullmann, based on the play by August Strindberg Produced by Synnove Horsdal, Oliver Dungey and Teun Hilte Released by Wrekin Hill Entertainment USA. 129 min. Not rated With Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, and Nora McMenamy Creating a film version of a three-character 19th-century play for modern audiences is […]

Zero Motivation

Written and Directed by Talya Lavie Produced by Eilon Ratzkovsky, Yossi Uzrad, Guy Jacoel, and Yochanan Kredo. Released by Zeitgeist Films Hebrew with English subtitles Israel. 101 min. Not rated With Dana Igvy, Nelly Tagar, and Shani Klein From the opening sounds of copy machines, staple guns, ringing telephones, and dial-up modems, Zero Motivation sets […]

The Sleepwalker

Directed by Mona Fastvold Produced by Karin Julsrud and Turid Oversveen Written by Fastvold and Brady Corbet Norway/USA. 98 min. Not rated With Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, and Stephanie Ellis Unspoken secrets and untold rage permeate this debut feature from Brooklyn-based, Norwegian-raised filmmaker Mona Fastvold. The writer/director impresses with her shaping of disquieting […]

Bad Hair

Written and Directed by Mariana Rondón Produced and Edited by Marité Ugás Released by Cinema Tropical/FiGa Films Spanish with English subtitles Venezuela/Peru/Germany. 93 min. Not rated With Samuel Lange, Samantha Castillo, Nelly Ramos, and María Emilia Sulbarán Gunshots, screeching tires, barking dogs, police sirens: noises that are often indicative of imminent peril are as commonplace […]

Why Don’t You Play in Hell?

Written and Directed by Sion Sono Produced by:Takeshi Suzuki, Takuyuki Matsuno, Sadai Yuji Released by Drafthouse Films Japanese with English subtitles Japan. 130 min.  Not rated With Jun Kunimura, Fumi Nikaido, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Hiroki Hasegawa, and Gen Hoshino Right away you know that Sion Sono—previously of Love Exposure and Cold Fish—isn’t going to play it […]

Viva la Libertà

Directed by Roberto Andò Produced by Angelo Barbagallo Written by Andò and Angelo Pasqune, based on the novel Il Trono Vuoto by Andò Released by Distrib Films Italy. 94 min. Not Rated With Toni Servillo, Valerio Mastandrea, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Michela Cescon, and Anna Bonaiuto This shape-shifting political drama-cum-satire begins in a staid, stately fashion […]

The Way He Looks

Written and Directed by Daniel Ribeiro Released by Strand Releasing Portuguese with English subtitles Brazil. 96 min. Not rated With Ghilherme Lobo, Fabio Audi, Tess Amorim, and Isabela Guasco Stories of sexual awakening are abundant, but by creating a blind protagonist, writer/director Daniel Ribeiro has added a thought-provoking twist. Concerning desire, Ribeiro asks, in an […]