Category Archives: Indie

East of Wall review — Shaggy docudrama looks good, at least

April 28, 2026 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Kate Beecroft | 97 min | ▲▲ | Netflix A unique amalgam of documentary and drama, this picture works as a snapshot of a community — the horse people in the Badlands of South Dakota — and is shot with a lot of care to the landscape by DP Austin Shelton.…Read More

Mother Mary review — A song of bloody absolution

April 25, 2026 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by David Lowery | 112 min | ▲▲▲1/2 As a filmmaker, Lowery is tough to pin down. He doesn't stick to a lot of recognizable themes or genres, but instead bounces around. The indie western Ain't Them Bodies Saints was probably the first time I took note of his work, and while…Read More

For Worse review — Divorce, California-style

April 5, 2026 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Amy Landecker | 90 min | ▲▲▲ | VOD Lauren (Landecker, a triple-threat here) is a 50-something realtor divorcing fairly amicably, raising a little girl and trying to get back to her first love, acting. In a class for commercials she meets Sean (Nico Hiraga, a Booksmart veteran), a 20-something guy…Read More

Father Mother Sister Brother review — Families untied

March 1, 2026 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch | 110 min | ▲▲▲ | on VOD This is more Night On Earth than, say, Paterson. We’re not getting the quirky intensity of Down By Law or the dark grandeur of Only Lovers Left Alive, probably my favourite of all Jarmusch's work. Father Mother Sister Brother may be a…Read More

Pillion review — Wheelies of love and adoration

March 1, 2026 flawintheiris

Directed by Harry Lighton | Written by Lighton, based on the book Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones | 106 min | ▲▲▲▲ Colin (Harry Melling) is a quiet, queer young man who lives with his parents, Douglas and Peggy (Douglas Hodge and Lesley Sharp) in suburban Bromley, South London, and sings with Douglas in a…Read More

In Cold Light review — Gritty Alberta thriller delivered by performances

February 28, 2026 flawintheiris

Directed by Maxime Giroux | Written by Patrick Whistler | 96 min | ▲▲1/2 I'm not the first to say it, but Maika Monroe should be a bigger star. She brings a rarely felt authenticity to every role she chooses, from The Guest and It Follows to Longlegs — that's certainly the case here where…Read More

When The Light Breaks review — Beautiful Icelandic film explores love and grief

February 24, 2026 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson | 82 min | ▲▲▲▲ | On VOD An earlier version of this review appeared on FITI during the Atlantic International Film Festival 2024. Here's a film that came and went in the 2024 festival season, but never got a theatrical release here in Nova Scotia. More's the shame…Read More

Is This Thing On? review — Divorcing dad stands up

January 18, 2026 flawintheiris

Directed by Bradley Cooper | Written by Cooper, Will Arnett, and Mark Chappell | 121 min | ▲▲▲1/2 This film had the whiff of Oscar bait — from actor-turned-director Cooper, whose potent first two efforts were lauded with nominations — but this one has been ignored this season. Maybe it's too intimate, not universal enough.…Read More

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You review — A portrait of maternal stress

January 9, 2026 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Mary Bronstein | 113 min | 113 min | ▲▲ | on VOD, Hoopla The awards season is in full swing, and this movie — which I missed in theatres, it's now available to rent — has been given a lot of approbation due to a rawer than raw performance from…Read More

Summer and Fall 2025 Season at Carbon Arc Cinema

December 25, 2025 flawintheiris

What a year it's been at Carbon Arc Cinema. This independent, Halifax art house, bringing to the big screen the best in international, independent, Canadian, and documentary film, has seen a huge increase in the number of people through its doors since 2024. That's largely due to the hard work of staffers Kenny Lewis and…Read More