Aug 31, 2025

Best Premiere Viewings of August 2025

1. Szabad lélegzet / Riddance (Márta Mészáros, 1973)


Cementing my love for the work of Márta Mészáros is a compassionate exploration of class, gender and generational conflict through a story of an independent factory girl fresh out of an abusive relationship who falls for a university student with snobbish parents. Also posing as a (feminist) portrait of youthful idealism, Riddance (or translated from Hungarian, To Breathe Freely) grabs the viewer’s attention by virtue of Lajos Koltai’s stunning cinematography, particularly when it comes to the framing of faces (Mészáros’ trademark), often telling more than any words would. Also praiseworthy are natural performances from the entire cast led by Erzsébet Kútvölgyi, sparking strong chemistry with her partner Gábor Nagy (also excellent!) in her confident big screen debut.

2. Szindbád / Sinbad (Zoltán Huszárik, 1971)


‘He was a strange, curious person, he wanted the life and he didn’t want it, finally committing suicide.’ This peculiar (and to this writer, somewhat relatable) detail from the bio of the leading actor Zoltán Latinovits (1931-1976) delineates – in a certain way – his stellar, melancholy-imbued portrayal of Sinbad, a Don Juan-like character reminiscing his ‘romantic escapades’. A sinuous stream of the protagonist’s memories tears the boundaries between the past and the present, forming and simultaneously de-forming a hazy, dreamlike narrative in which the wistfully lyrical, subtly sensual and painterly seductive images defy spoken words and weave the verses of sparkling sublimity. And though Thanatos incessantly breathes down Sinbad’s neck, the film appears to be gravitating towards the (purely cinematic) elimination of not only death, but time as well, with Huszárik, his cinematographer Sándor Sára, and co-editor Mihály Morell operating as a single entity, one whose presence is felt throughout eternity...

3. Moetsukita chizu / The Man Without a Map (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1968)


Beginning as an investigation of a missing person case, The Man Without a Map gradually transforms into a profound reflection on one’s own identity and place in an increasingly alienating universe, with the urban jungle posing as the labyrinth of existential crisis. The central puzzle goes nowhere near its solution, leaving both our unnamed detective hero (a superb performance from Shintarō Katsu) and ourselves wandering from one dead end to another, as red herrings incessantly multiply. In his final collaboration with (screen)writer Kōbō Abe, multi-hyphenate director Hiroshi Teshigahara (Pitfall, Woman in the Dunes, Face of Another) skillfully employs (distorted) reflections, frames-within-frames, solarized dream sequences, jarring details in primary colors and whatnot to amplify the viewer’s bewilderment, often reaching for the farthest recesses of the subconscious mind. Bleak and inscrutable, his metaphysical mystery is also a thing of beauty, dignified in its portrayal of pathetic human condition.

4. Shéhérazade / Scorching Sands (Pierre Gaspard-Huit, 1963)


Anna Karina embodies truth, wisdom, courage, forgiveness, persistence, defiance and hope as the titular heroine in Pierre Gaspard-Huit’s heightened period melodrama that exoticizes Oriental culture to the point of sheer fetishization. Adorned in gorgeous costumes matched by a stunning production design, she IS the film, her strong, magnetic presence felt even when she’s not gracing the screen. Partnered by Gérard Barray and Antonio Vilar as knight Renaud de Villecroix and Caliph Haroun-al-Rashid, respectively, who are vying for Scheherazade’s love, she also epitomizes the idealized pulchritude we often encounter in fairy tales. The romantic adventure she’s the very heart of is sweeping and rapturous, its mythologized reality wonderfully captured by the camera of Christian Matras (Lola Montès, Thérèse Desqueyroux) and André Domage. 

5. Clash (Raphaël Delpard, 1984)


“Why not live behind the shadows?”

A simple if risky job of money smuggling turns into a living and breathing nightmare for Martine (Catherine Alric) doing favor for her thief (boy)friend, Bé. Even before she arrives at the hiding place – an abandoned factory inhabited only by mannequins, she begins seeing visions, the first one being of her younger self with leech-shaped blood clots over eyelids. Once an eerie, tight-lipped stranger (Pierre Clémenti) appears out of nowhere, things go from bad to worse, or more precisely, from pretty weird to deliriously bonkers. Quite possibly inspired by the rampant irrationality of Italian horror cinema, and at times channeling some proto-Lynchian-woman-in-trouble vibes, actor turned director Raphaël Delpard abandons every bit of logic in the barrel-infested backyard of the said factory, because throwing it out of the windows seems impossible, as they prove unbreakable. Thus leaving the viewers to solve the puzzle(s) as they please (or not!), he paints an absurd portrait of fear and guilt (and broken childhood?); a surrealistic fever dream beautifully framed by versed cinematographer Sacha Vierny (Last Year in Marienbad, Belle de Jour, L'hypothèse du tableau volé).

For a double dose of utter WTF-ery, I recommend Jean-Pierre Mocky’s 1982 feature Litan as a companion piece.

6. Bayn al Remal / Within Sand (Moe Alatawi, 2022)


In equal measures breathtaking and unwelcoming, the desert of the Neom area is more than a setting – it is a whimsical character in its own right, as well as a reflection of the mental and emotional state of the film’s hero. After he leaves the caravan, young tobacco-merchant Snam (Ra’ed Alshammari) is ambushed by a trio of thieves and later joined by a big, one-eyed wolf on his way home where his pregnant wife Halla (Adwa Fahad) waits for his return. The account on his survival amidst the dunes and rocky mountains is ‘based on a true story that’s engrained in Saudi culture’, in the director’s own words, and marks a few milestones for the nascent cinema of Saudi Arabia. Gorgeously framed and graciously paced, Within Sand never appears like the work of an inexperienced filmmaker – Moe Alatawi’s grip rarely loosens, and his control of both human, largely non-professional actors and the beast is admirable. The addition of hallucinatory visions and dream sequences enriches the folk tale-like adventure, and in a way, softens the harshness of the landscape, all the while amplifying its borderline-surreal nature.

7. Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-Ni-Shō: Hinezumi /
Mononoke the Movie Chapter II: The Ashes of Rage (Kenji Nakamura & Kiyotaka Suzuki, 2025)


Returning to the Ōoku quarters of the Edo castle, Kenji Nakamura – this time assisted by Kiyotaka Suzuki – delivers another visually arresting phantasmagoria which appears as if it absorbed all the colors, shapes and patterns of the world, alchemically transmuting them into an overwhelming, über-psychedelic smörgåsbord for the senses. As jaw-droppingly gorgeous as its predecessor (and as its successor will certainly be!), with the traditional and electronic music in a time-bending fusion, Chapter II of the planned Mononoke trilogy explores jealousy and familial conflicts, as the characters climb the social ladder, elbowing whomever they deem a threat (thus awakening demonic forces). However, the story is of secondary importance here, not to mention that it’s quite a challenge to follow it with your eyes glued to the screen, and mind blown by what they witness. Did I mention how astonishing the artwork is?

8. Maléfices / Where the Truth Lies (Henri Decoin, 1962)


If the English version of the title were a question, we would all know the answer – not in the mouths of our leaders. Politics aside, Where the Truth Lies could be described as an atmospheric blend of dysfunctional marriage (melo)drama and adultery thriller, with hints of black magic thickening the air of mystery which envelopes the proceedings. An affair between a village vet (Jean-Marc Bory) and an enigmatic, African-born woman (Juliette Gréco) who keeps a pet cheetah (!) dissolves the image of the guy’s seemingly harmonious relationship with his wife (Liselotte Pulver), as Decoin tosses a whole school of red herrings that point at the possibility of ‘evil spells’ which is the literal translation of Maléfices. Where his film shines brightest is the striking use of Marcel Grignon’s highly expressive B&W cinematography that wouldn’t feel out of place in a gothic horror, as well as the visuals’ strong synergy with Pierre Henry’s discordantly foreboding score that underlines the dark side of love.

9. Souvenir (Michael H. Shamberg, 1996)


In the only feature offering from Michael H. Shamberg (1952-2014) – best known for producing New Order music videos, singer turned actress Miranda Stanton plays Orlando, a reticent, expatriate American sports journalist who lives and works in (deglamorized) Paris. Haunted by the memories of her abusive childhood, she is the benevolent heart of a dreamy, stream-of-consciousness narrative that brings together ghosts of the past and prospects of the future into the sullen present dissolving under the weight of the trauma. Fragments of her everyday life are often intertwined with the imagined conversations of teenage Orlando with her late brother, Charles (voiced by Christina Ricci and Adam Hann-Byrd, respectively), that hint at their incestuous relationship, and further blur the boundaries between the real and imagined. Add to that bizarre computer sessions featuring graphics created by the acclaimed experimentalist Chris Marker, and you have yourself a lyrically outré portrait of an emotionally scarred woman, and simultaneously, a formal challenge that sees every technique, from soft focuses to slow motion to tracking shots to handheld montages, employed as an asset for externalizing the heroine’s innermost workings. Supporting Stanton in what feels very much like a deeply personal project are Kristin Scott Thomas as Orlando’s superior, and Melvil Poupaud as Charles.

10. Nemo / Dream One (Arnaud Sélignac, 1984)


Read my review HERE.

11. La fuga / The Escape (Paolo Spinola, 1965)


“The day on which man manages to control his subconscious as he controls his conscience will be the dawn of a great era...”

There’s a thick air of mystery surrounding Giovanna Ralli and Anouk Aimée in their bravura portrayals of two women, Piera and Luisa, who get involved in a lesbian relationship, once the former realizes she’s stuck in an unhappy marriage (with a nuclear physicist), all the while weighed by a childhood trauma triggered by her parents’ separation. Both of them have long been searching for meaningful affection, and Spinola – in his psychosexual or rather, psychoanalytical debut – strives to understand his heroines, primarily focusing on Piera, and telling a story in a non-linear fashion, though flashbacks, dreams, diary-like and psychotherapy sequences. Subtle in achieving palpable erotic tension, he elicits eloquent looks and gestures from the leads, their beautiful faces magnetically captured in stark B&W by Marcello Gatti, with Piero Piccioni’s smooth, atmospheric score accentuating the mesmerizing and all-pervading elegance.

12. Redenção / Redemption (Roberto Pires, 1959)


The abrasive textures of both image and sound – due to the original stock heavily deterioration, and despite the restoration – lend a certain charm to Roberto Pires’ feature debut. Directed with a penchant for pulpy fiction, and – no doubt – influenced by Hollywood noirs, Redemption almost effortlessly sucks you into its shadow-infested world, and elicits sympathy for the deeply flawed characters (played by firsttimers and non-professionals) coping with unsparing reality. A pioneering example of ‘Igluscope’, the film is shot through the lenses which the author himself developed in his father’s optics shop, providing each frame with slight distortions at the edges, and thus reinforcing the notion of cinema as a dream. It may not be a groundbreaker, but it is a commendable effort nonetheless.

13. Oh, Hi! (Sophie Brooks, 2025)


“We need to cut the shit and turn to witchcraft.”

And turning to witchcraft is only one phase of Iris’s ‘going to absurd lengths’ plan to make her boyfriend Isaac love her during a romantic getaway that goes awry. What initially appears like a match made in heaven situation gradually glides into a silly micro-hell for poor Isaac who spends a good deal of the film’s running time handcuffed to bed. He’s a ‘classic softboy’ deserving of a sweet torture which writer/director Sophie Brooks employs to explore Millennials’ gender dynamics, poking fun at both young men and women, all the while demonstrating a keen sense of tonal shifts and wry humor. Behind a rather banal title that significantly lowers one’s expectations, she conceals a charming anti-romantic comedy that primarily works by virtue of good chemistry within the small, yet playful cast, with big-and-sad-eyed Molly Gordon in the lead being an affection-hungry standout. 

14. Almost Blue (Alex Infascelli, 2000)


Married to an atmospheric rock score, with Elvis Costello’s song Almost Blue posing as an aural leitmotif, a stylish, closeup-fetishizing cinematography by Arnaldo Catinari helps create a strong sense of discomfort in Alex Infascelli’s giallo-esque feature debut revolving around a self-mutilating, identity-shifting psycho who terrorizes Bologna. In a slight subversion of the said subgenre, victims are largely male students, and a profiler in charge of the case is a woman, Grazia Negro (Lorenza Indovina), who will be assisted by a blind hacker, Simone Martini (Claudio Santamaria), unwittingly becoming one of the next targets. Inexperienced yet ambitious, our heroine faces not only a difficult assignment, but also the prejudice of her colleagues, and the mental strain she’s under throughout the investigation is often reflected in Catinari’s framing, as well as in the use of soft focus, and visual barriers. Infascelli elicits solid performances from his cast, with Rolando Ravello making the most of the limited screen time to instill some dread as the killer. 

Honorable mention: La sorcière / The Witch (Andrzej Żuławski, 1958)


Andrzej Żuławski’s exquisitely framed (and surprisingly reserved) 7-minute debut created at IDHEC (Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques).

Aug 19, 2025

A Selection of Recent Artworks: MONO (III)

In times of extreme vulnerability, amped-up stress and ever-increasing anxiety, creativity and its fruits should act as a sort of a cure - a placebo, at least - but even that is called in question when the creators, in their helplessness, face destructive forces whose animosity spreads through the air, and just like the virus, infects not only the proponents of evil, but its opponents as well. The thoughts of the darkest nature just keep accumulating, intent to absorb the last remnants of beauty, and yet the artist still chases some foolish ideal in futile attempts to escape utter madness. Meanings seem to have been lost in the great labyrinth of what they call life, and the spirit, its bareness striving to appease reality, desperately falls for death...


Light in the Crypt


Hero's Dawn


Knowledge Unknown


The Contact


Zero Faith

Aug 18, 2025

Nemo / Dream One (Arnaud Sélignac, 1984)


“In this land, all of us are alone, and far from home, and we must comfort each other and make the best of things... This is a strange country. In the day, it is always twilight, and in the night, you can hear the roar of the stars... Only those who are truly lost can find their way here.”

Arnaud Sélignac’s directorial debut is a quirky animal, akin to those you can find in children’s drawings, its naivety laced with peculiar charm. Told from the dream-perspective of a boy, Nemo (Seth Kibel and Jason Connery, respectively, as a kid and teen versions of the hero), it is a decidedly outré mélange of various, oft-incongruous influences, from Luis Carroll to Jules Verne, lifted from bedtime stories.


A plushy comes to life as an albino, organ-playing ape (Dominique Pinon, unrecognizable in the fur-suit). Harvey Keitel jumps into the role of a Zorro-like hero, Mr. Legend. Mathilda May makes her ethereal big-screen debut as Princess Alice of Yonderland. Carole Bouquet – of That Obscure Object of Desire fame – is perfectly cast as a female alien, Rals-Akrai. Katrine Boorman (Excalibur) purrs with a thick accent as a Russian countess, Duchka, amplifying the gleefully high campiness of it all. And sharing his wisdom with a bunch of characters lost in what can be described as one of the weirdest and pulpiest coming-of-age tales is ‘the poet laureate of television’ turned actor Nipsey Russell as Mr. Rip.

Anything seems to go in this fantasy which pays a loving homage to early talkies in its B&W prologue, only to put a spell on you with the magic of lighting and quaint, meticulously designed studio sets by Gilles Lacombe and Nikos Meletopoulos who would collaborate with his namesake provocateur Papatakis on The Photograph (1986) and Walking a Tightrope (1991). Further elevating the viewing experience – a throwback to the age of innocence – is wonderful cinematography by Philippe Rousselot and evocative score by Gabriel Yared, both of whom previously worked alongside Jean-Jacques Beineix on his delightful drama The Moon in the Gutter (1983).


Aug 16, 2025

A Selection of Recent Artworks: MONO (II)

Under the weight of accumulated anguish, colors have dried up again, their deceptiveness now shrouded in shadows, scorned by light. In small flocks, the echoes of Truth travel from an ungraspable distance, falling unto lost, despondent souls. Silently and intuitively, they transform into the whispers of demonic wisdom, between the purity of Image, and Eternity inscribed in concrete...


Memorial


Rite of Passage


Glittering Dust


A Nameless Cave
feat. actress María Casares (1922-1996), who played Death in Jean Cocteu's Orphée (1950) and Testament d'Orphée (1960), and physical culture proponent Bernarr Macfadden (1868-1955)


S.o.S.o.S. (Sailing over Sea of Sorrow)


Dear Charon...


Babylonian Delight
dedicated to Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) and José Saramago (1922-2010)

Aug 9, 2025

A Selection of Recent Artworks: MONO

Thirteen randomly picked pieces from the recently conceived series MONO which poses as BIANCO/NERO's spiritual sequel whose chapters are imagined as the shots from some lost / non-existent film(s), with both the melancholy and Brutalist character of its predecessor deepened.

Under the weight of accumulated anguish, colors have dried up again, their deceptiveness now shrouded in shadows, scorned by light. In small flocks, the echoes of Truth travel from an ungraspable distance, falling unto lost, despondent souls. Silently and intuitively, they transform into the whispers of demonic wisdom, between the purity of Image, and Eternity inscribed in concrete...


Tear Collectors


The Grip


Comforting Darkness


Invitation


Sky Citadel


Lucifer's Innocence


Gentle, Gentle...


An Elephant's Advice


The Dreamer's Construct


Widow's Will


Burden


Damned Summer


Resisting...

Aug 1, 2025

Best Premiere Vieweings of July

1. Feng yue / Temptress Moon (Kaige Chen, 1996)


A film of both disciplined and dashing direction, finely chiseled performances, delicate sensuality, opium-high melodramatics, and awe-inspiring visuality, its opulent set and costume designs stunningly captured in noirish cinematography by unmistakable Christopher Doyle, Temptress Moon is an intoxicating (or rather, toxic) romance that pulls the viewer in a cleft between reactionary forces of tradition, and many temptations of modernity, portraying the battle of the sexes in a fashion so poetic that even the withered roses take your breath away moments before they’re replaced by the fresh ones.

2. Corazón azul / Blue Heart (Miguel Coyula, 2021)


“I am not going to say anything new. You all know how corrupt this government is... You all know that there are dictatorships where they engage in actual murder and you also know that in this one psychological death predominates. You know everything and you tolerate it. That’s why you are also guilty. Small minded beings who sacrifice their integrity for a comfortable and mediocre life...”

Shot and re-shot over the course of ten years, Blue Heart is not only a labor of love, but also a testimony to its authors’ continual resistance against multiple threats by the Cuban security agents. A powerful example of guerrilla filmmaking, it is a formally challenging, politically charged experiment that poses as an often direct attack on dictatorial ideologies, so it comes as no surprise it has stirred some controversy in countries such as Belarus. Set in an alternate reality where Fidel Castro turned to genetic engineering to create New Man for the sake of socialist utopia, the heavily fragmented story is presented in a mind-and-genre-bending blend of various formats, from found footage referencing Soviet cinema to fictitious anime to talking-head documentary to artistic pornography to newsreel montages. Speaking of the latter, the writer / director / cinematographer / VFX artist / animator / composer / producer Miguel Coyula demonstrates impressive editorial skills, delivering a cinematic equivalent of a tightly controlled fever dream which brims with beautifully framed imagery largely captured on cloudy days and thus, underscoring the all-pervading dread. His ‘partner in crime’, actress Lynn Cruz, plays one of the key roles in a manner that thickens the air of mystery surrounding the goings-on, as well as the cipher-like characters.

Available @ Vimeo on Demand

3. Yumenoshima Shōjo / Dream Island Girl (Shōichirō Sasaki, 1974)


A mood piece of hypnotizing, soul-healing quietude, Dream Island Girl exists somewhere between a secret and a reverie, in the haze of half-remembered memories of soft yet raw, proto-Jarmanesque textures, and poetic inwardness that anticipates the works of filmmakers such as Isao Yamada and Shunji Iwai. Largely told in flashbacks that often tear the boundaries between the dreamed and real, with dialogues significantly toned down in favor of lyrically composed images, it so wonderfully captures the melancholy of yearning, (im)possibility of love, intricacies of life, and vulnerability of the titular heroine (Sachiyo Nakao, then a high school senior, charmingly reserved in her debut), who seems to be lost in / shackled by a patriarchal society. Directed with a freewheeling ease, and shot with a keen if somewhat gazey eye, a plethora of wistful close-ups amplifying the emotional brooding, this experimental, stream-of-consciousness drama far surpasses its made-for-TV format, making for a shiny gem from the obscure side of Japanese cinema. 

4. Mina ni ko are / Best Wishes to All (Yūta Shimotsu, 2022)


Even before the cards of Yūta Shimotsu’s (promising) feature debut are laid on the table, ‘Are you happy?’ sounds like one of the most ominous questions your own grandmother may ask you. Dealing with the price of happiness, generational decay, the dichotomy of selfishness vs. selflessness, and (the lack of) empathy in a dehumanizing society, Best Wishes to All transforms the family home and its pastoral surroundings into a setting for a nightmare of false normalcy that seems impossible to awaken from. Laced with cynically dark humor, and soaked in ‘something feels off’ atmosphere right from the get go, the film serves as a constant reminder of how twisted reality tends to be, especially when you’re striving for kindness, like the unnamed protagonist sympathetically portrayed by lovely Kotone Furukawa. There’s no place for the meek here, and the bleak prospects are accentuated by Yuma Koda’s unnerving string score, and Ryuto Iwabuchi’s austere cinematography somewhat reminiscent of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s works, not to mention the freaky bits of utter irrationality that amplify the psychological tension.

5.1. Antes, o Verão / Before, the Summer (Gerson Tavares, 1968)


A fragmented, flashback-punctuated story of the upper middle class disintegration, Before, the Summer feels like a cross between a piece of La Nouvelle Vague cinema, neo-noir, and Antonioni-esque meditation, charged with sexual tension. Revolving around a successful middle-aged man, Dr. Luiz (Jardel Filho), who conceals his insecurities behind the alpha male disguise (and gets his share of objectification), the film is set in and around a Cabo Frio summer house which poses as the extension of the protagonist’s personality. The glance-exchanging episode with his two teenage sons’ older friend, Roberto, and the mysterious hit-and-run in the vicinity of the resort portend the crumbling of Luiz’s marriage, and his own integrity, metaphorized through the ‘invasion’ of salt, sand and wind on his cozy (or rather, showy) cottage. The second of only two features Tavares helmed, this existential drama sees stellar performances from both professional actors and first-timers matched to assured direction, with the exquisite blocking and framing – laced with sensual, jazzy music – betraying the author’s background as a painter.

5.2. Amor e Desamor / With Love and Without (Gerson Tavares, 1966)


“I’m not sure whether I’m running from life or if life’s running from me.”

Existential melancholy and disillusionment seem to populate virtually every frame of Gerson Tavares’ debut feature – a chamber drama at once intimate and alienating, cold as modern edifices of Brasilia, yet deeply personal, and on a subconscious level, affecting. Focused on an architect and former university professor, Alberto (Leonardo Villar) – quite likely, the author’s alter ego, the film is set over the course of one night of whiskey, cigarettes, weighty discussions and (meaningless) sex, examining the (im)possibility of a genuine relationship. Only two more characters appear – a flirty freethinker, Norma (Leina Krespi), and somewhat shy, prudent Selma (Betty Faria), the latter of whom occupies Alberto’s memories in a series of flashbacks skillfully interwoven into the narrative, along with a cinematically engaging and psychologically revealing dream sequence. The minimalist cast delivers superlative performances, with the slightest of their gestures beautifully captured in stark, high-contrast B&W by cinematographer Hélio Silva whose imagery is elevated by Rogerio Duprat’s experimental score of elegant, oneiric dissonances.

6. Icare / Icarus (Carlo Vogele, 2022)


A co-production of Luxembourg, France and Belgium, Carlo Vogele’s feature debut is a lovingly crafted re-telling of Icarus and Minotaur myths, refracted through the prism of the friendship (or dare I say, bromance) between the boy who flew too close to the Sun and Asterion, the kind-hearted ‘monster’ who was abused by his royal step-father blinded by the thirst for revenge. Briskly paced, and featuring beautiful artwork – a stylized blend of 2D and 3D animation complemented by charming voicework and enchanting score, the 70-minute film brings a bittersweet, larger-than-life-or-any-kingdom tale of embracing otherness, staying true to oneself, and saving the last embers of humanity, even if it means defying the authority.

(BTW, Vogele and his artists team don’t shy away from undressing Ariadne and Theseus.)

7. O Menino e o Vento / The Boy and the Wind (Carlos Hugo Christensen, 1967)


A missing piece between Rashomon and Call Me by Your Name, with the elements of magic realism, noir, and Italian modernism permeating the proceedings, The Boy and the Wind is a peculiar queer drama, one with a poetic soul that may not be evident right from the get-go. Its emotional core – a gentle tale of the bromance between a young engineer and an adolescent boy who share the passion for the winds – gets fully revealed in the second half, through a flashback posing as the protagonist’s testimony during a somewhat Kafkaesque trial. Ênio Gonçalves (in a TV-to-big screen transfer) and Luiz Fernando Ianelli (unaffected in his debut) both bring subtlety and intuitive intelligence to their leading roles, as Antônio Gonçalves’ camera captures their handsome faces with great affection. The epilogue is, simply put, wonderful.

8. Das kalte Herz / Heart of Stone (Paul Verhoeven, 1950)


A Faustian fairy tale with a socialist moral, Heart of Stone is a loving adaptation of the eponymous story that was first published in 1826. Starring Lutz Moik as a young man who sells his heart to become filthy rich, and Hanna Rucker as his innocent sweetheart, this Agfacolor flick is a delight to look at, partly due to its pretty leads, but largely by virtue of the superb art direction. Even though some of its practical effects hasn’t aged well, the magic hasn’t been lost – it still manages to reach the viewer’s inner child, keeping it in a state of wide-eyed curiosity. There’s a lot for film buffs to appreciate here as well, such as a long tracking shot at the fair, or simple camera tricks that solidify the cinematic illusion. (And of course, its director is not the Paul Verhoeven we all know.)

9. Əlaqə / Contact (Jahangir Zeynally, 1989)


Nothing says exotic quite like Jhangir Zeynally’s only feature, reportedly the first of its kind in Azerbaijani cinema. Revolving around an unnamed student (Ilqar Hasanov) in search of the affordable accommodation, Contact blends psychological drama/thriller and sci-fi with surrealist, if uneven results, ending on a ‘love letter to Kubrick’ note. Largely set in an apartment on the 20th floor of a building everybody seems to avoid, it falls under the ‘losing grip on reality’ category, with bizarre dreams and vivid, occasionally eschatological hallucinations invading the protagonist’s mind, causing spatio-temporal paradoxes, and raising a number of questions. Is it stress that is taking a serious toll on the young man’s life, or is it an alien entity probing the limits of his self-control by affecting his psyche? Whatever the answer may be, Zeynally manages to capture and stimulate the viewer’s imagination, notwithstanding the over-reliance on inner monologue, and delivers some neatly composed, mystery-infused pictures married to a haunting score.

10. Bring Her Back (Danny & Michael Philippou, 2025)


In the sophomore feature from the Philippou brothers (Talk to Me), grief is possessed by evil under bizarre, ambiguous circumstances that involve a Russian VHS tutorial for a soul transfer (?) ritual. Many questions remain unanswered (because sorrow needs no explanation?), as the things go from nasty to nastier, and no one is spared, a couple of squirm-inducing scenes leaving deep, permanent scars in the viewer’s memory. The characters’ traumas feel palpable, yet – unlike the news regarding the escalation of police brutality in the rotten state of Serbia – they never feed suicidal thoughts, and the black bleakness that permeates the film, with a tendency to get under your skin, isn’t as stressful and hurtful as the current reality. Surprisingly, there are sparse, but welcome moments of poetic beauty to be found amidst the supernatural (and human) threat, making the nightmare slightly more bearable. The Philipous elicit excellent performances from their cast, young Jonah Wren Phillips being the standout on his way to the Pantheon of creepy kids of horror cinema.

11. Else (Thibault Emin, 2024)


Focusing on a couple of jarring opposites and weird chemistry, impulsive Cass (Edith Proust) and prudent Anx (Matthieu Sampeur), Else – Thibault Emin’s promising feature debut – chronicles a bizarre pandemic that takes metamorphosis to a whole new level of merging with one’s own possessions and surroundings, be it a cellphone, sidewalk, apartment walls or satin sheets. Themes of adaptation, evolution, identity (or rather, the loss thereof), oneness, trauma and love are explored through a bold if uneven, fever dream-like mélange of romantic dramedy, Tsukamoto-esque body horror, and surrealistic sci-fi, with psychological elements thrown in for good measure. A somewhat unbridled, experimental narrative with slight pacing issues evokes the lockdown memories as it glides towards the implosively abstract coda, whereby Léo Lefèvre’s excellent camerawork intensifies the sense of claustrophobia, striving to find the beauty in macabre mutations. Garish colors gradually fade into velvety B&W, signifying changes that occur not only to the characters’ flesh, but minds as well, with a possible influence of Eraserhead betrayed in the process... 

12. High Tide (Marco Calvani, 2024)


Marking directorial (feature) debut for its author, High Tide is a pleasant and meticulously crafted, if rather conventional queer drama which chronicles a summer fling turned romance between a Brazilian immigrant, Lourenço (Marco Pigossi, low-key in powering the emotional core), and an Afro-American nurse, Maurice (James Bland, unaffected, and not bland at all). For better or worse, Calvani mostly plays safe, both as the writer and the director, yet he creates a bunch of colorful (albeit stereotypical) side characters, one of them lovingly portrayed by always reliable Marisa Tomei. The sandy beaches of Provincetown where the story is set make for some beautiful long shots, courtesy of cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiménez, whose camera also has a knack of capturing the slightest of changes on protagonists’ faces.

13. Ars Amandi / Art of Love (Walerian Borowczyk, 1983)


The meandering or rather, incoherent nature of the narrative – set in ancient Rome, and framed by lessons on love from none other than Ovid (portrayed by veteran actor Massimo Girotti) – makes sense once the time-jumping twist is introduced. However, it is not the story but rather the successive slidings of sensual visions that provide a (titillating) viewing pleasure. Captured in often glimmering light, the gauzy scenes of delicate eroticism (minus a few bizarre and not-quite-necessary, borderline-hardcore intrusions) compensate for the film’s duller parts, shot with equal care, and also permeated by decidedly campy vibes. Art of Love comes off as almost chaste when compared to certain works from Borowczyk’s oeuvre, but it is the very restraint that makes it, in a way, refreshing.