Canada

Locarno 2025 Review: “Mare’s Nest”

© Ben Rivers Ben Rivers’ Mare’s Nest is a thought-provoking and deeply imaginative post-apocalyptic eco-film that dares to put the future of humanity entirely in the hands of children. Featuring a cast composed exclusively of child actors, the film follows Moon Guo Barker, in an impressive performance as the character Moon, through a series ofContinue reading “Locarno 2025 Review: “Mare’s Nest””

Visions du Réel 2025 Review: “Shifting Baselines”

Shifting Baselines by Julien Elie is a visually stunning, dystopian-like documentary that examines the environmental and human consequences of industrial development in Boca Chica, Texas. The arrival of SpaceX’s Starbase facility has altered the landscape and reshaped the daily lives of the people living nearby. Elie constructs his film with an assured holistic vision, letting both architecture, people involved, and nature tell the story.

TIFF 2024 Review: “Measures for a Funeral”

Over the past eight years, director Sofia Bohdanowicz and actress Deragh Campbell have created a fascinating cinematic partnership centered around the character of Audrey Benac. In “Measures for a Funeral”, their latest collaboration, they explore the blurred lines between biographical and semi-autobiographical storytelling, merging the legacy of a forgotten Canadian violinist, Kathleen Parlow, with their own artistic reflections. The result is a film that is meta and captivating, oscillating between a portrait of Parlow and a meditation on the act of preserving and interpreting history, art, and personal identity through the former two.

Berlin 2024 Review: “Who by Fire”

“Who By Fire,” the third feature film by Canadian director Philippe Lesage, delves into the various dynamics of relationships against the isolated backdrop of a Canadian wilderness lodge, with seventeen-year-old Jeff at the narrative’s core. Invited for a holiday by his friend Max to director and family friend Blake Cadieux’ home, Jeff is introduced to a set of complex relationships, leading to life-altering revelations and events.

Berlinale 2024 Review: “Who Do I Belong To”

Following her 2018 Oscar-nominated short “Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur’s debut narrative feature, ‘Who Do I Belong To,’ is a sensitive and emotionally charged examination of a Tunisian family torn apart by radicalization. Through a lens that is both intimate and deeply affecting, Joobeur explores the limits of a mother’s love, faced with the harrowing realities of her son’s actions. Amplified by Joobeur’s strong directorial decisions the film delivers a narrative that’s deeply embedded in the complexities of familial bonds and the pain of disillusionment.