Category Archives: International

All That Breathes, Holy Spider reviews #AIFF22

September 22, 2022 flawintheiris

All That Breathes | Directed by Shaunak Sen | 97 min New Delhi is one of the world's largest, and most polluted cities. Its denizens — human and animal alike — have to live with its uncontrolled growth and overpopulation and the city's poisoned air and water. This is an astonishing film, a look at…Read More

No Bears, The Fabelmans, The Lost King reviews #TIFF22

September 18, 2022 flawintheiris

No Bears aka Khers Nist | Written and Directed by Jafar Panahi | 106 min On a recent episode of the podcast I cohost, LENS ME YOUR EARS, we watched and talked about a number of Iranian films, including a couple by activist filmmaker Jafar Panahi, The White Balloon and Taxi. I very much appreciate…Read More

Causeway, The Eternal Daughter, and Decision To Leave reviews #TIFF22

September 17, 2022 flawintheiris

Causeway | Directed by Lila Neugebauer | Written by Luke Goebel, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Elizabeth Sanders | 92 min This lean, even austere New Orleans-set drama is from a first-timer, and sees the return of Jennifer Lawrence — who's taken a little time away from her acting career recently — giving a surprisingly embodied performance, all angular…Read More

One Fine Morning, Broker reviews #TIFF22

September 16, 2022 flawintheiris

One Fine Morning aka Un Beau Matin | Written and Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve | 112 min Having enjoyed Hansen-Løve's Things To Come and most recent Swedish set, Bergman Island, I was still unprepared for how much I adored her brand new picture. It's unabashedly French with its Paris locations and story of a modern…Read More

Queens of the Qing Dynasty, Catherine Called Birdy reviews #TIFF22

September 13, 2022 flawintheiris

Queens of the Qing Dynasty | Written and Directed by Ashley McKenzie | 122 min McKenzie, while still fond of the small visual details of characters' bodies, broadens her storytelling palate on Queens with a dose of dryly absurd humour. It's the story of teenaged Starlet, or "Star" (Sarah Walker), in a hospital ward following…Read More

The Swimmers, The Grab reviews #TIFF22

September 11, 2022 flawintheiris

The Swimmers | Directed by Sally El Hosaini | Written by El Hosaini and Jack Thorne | 134 min One of Netflix's big features at this year's Toronto International Film Festival was also the Opening Night Gala — a story based on the actual experience of Syrian sisters Sarah and Yusra Mardini (played by actual…Read More

Three Thousand Years of Longing review — A flawed, fascinating little bottle of a movie

September 2, 2022 flawintheiris

Directed by George Miller | Written by Miller and Augusta Gore, based on The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A S Byatt | 108 min | ▲▲▲△△ | In Cinemas The wild critical and commercial success of Miller's last feature, Mad Max: Fury Road, earned him plenty of rope with whatever he chose to do…Read More

Men review — Twisted folk horror is a lot to take

August 24, 2022 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Alex Garland | 100 min | ▲▲▲△△ | On Digital and VOD Novelist-turned-screenwriter-turned-director Alex Garland has become a spectacularly singular voice in fantasy and science fiction in recent years. Consider his scripts for 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go, and Dredd, and his work as a writer-director on Ex…Read More

The Forgiven review — Morality tale finds guilt and grief in the desert

July 30, 2022 flawintheiris

Directed by John Michael McDonagh | Written by McDonagh, from a novel by Lawrence Osborne | ▲▲▲△△ | VOD The Hennigers, Jo and David (Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes), are a brittle and bickering couple who've arrived in Morocco looking to attend a high society party out in the desert. David's particularly unbearable, an alcoholic…Read More

Mothering Sunday review — Love and despair in post-war Britain

June 30, 2022 flawintheiris

Directed by Eva Husson | Written by Alice Birch, adapting a novel by Graham Swift | 110 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | VOD An earlier version of this review appeared on Flaw In The Iris in September 2021 during the FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival Mothering Sunday is a lyrical, gorgeous, and deeply melancholy British drama.…Read More