Arthouse cinema

In spite of it's title, Valeska Grisebach's Western takes place in Bulgaria; an area that was once a frontier of sorts for Germany during a brief and particularly dark moment in history. The German workers sent to build a power plant in the…

Japan would not be the animation powerhouse it is today without Isao Takahata. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli defined the Japanese anime style and guided its evolution through his poignant, beautiful and unflinching work. His films tackled…

One of my favourite openings to a movie ever is the first scene of 2001 Taiwanese coming-of-age drama Millennium Mambo. In a long take, lead actress Shu Qi walks at night through a tunnel, holding a cigarette, dressed-up. It’s a simple…

As a title, Michael Inside has a double meaning. Granted, it literally refers to the fact that the film’s lead character is behind bars for much of the runtime, but it also speaks to that same character’s complex interiority. The inner…

O’Brien spoke to Headstuff about the festival’s special guest, it’s inclusiveness and why one of its’ screenings is making ripples in the film community. To listen to the interview, follow the link below the article As Wes Anderson’s…

For those who are aware of the works made by filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, an eyebrow might be raised upon seeing the title of his latest offering. Kore-eda is widely known for his social dramas that explore the nuances of familial discord,…

Ruben Östlund's last film, 2014's brilliant Force Majeure, unflinchingly scrutinised a middle class Dad and his family coming apart after one huge fuck up. It's heightened cringe comedy came from the director's ability to relentlessly…

Sweet Country, by Indigenous Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton, is a movie with brutality at its heart. Set in 1929, it tells the story of Sam, an Aboriginal stockman, forced to kill in self-defense a violent white landowner. Much…

For French-Canadian director Xavier Dolan, music often acts as a character itself. It steps in and says the unsayable, allowing characters to communicate through their bodies instead of their words. When he was still in his teens, his…