Ivana Mladenović’s Sorella di Clausura is a darkly comic portrait of obsession, delusion, and the strange collisions between celebrity culture and everyday survival. Featuring a fearless performance from Katia Pascariu as the unforgettable Stela, alongside Cendana Trifan and Miodrag Mladenović, the film builds its own mad energy from the very first moments. A bright red title card declares, “If you thought you were going to watch a film based on true events, you are wrong and possibly paranoid,” setting the tone for a story that oscillates between satire, melodrama, and tragic comedy. Adapted from Liliana Pelici’s autobiographical manuscript, the film reshapes her personal testimony into a wild narrative that keeps viewers laughing, cringing, and thinking in equal measure.
Tag Archives: Directed by women
Locarno 2025 Review: “God Will Not Help”
God Will Not Help, the sophomore feature from Croatian director Hana Jušić, is a poetic work on grief, faith, and the universal experiences of women within a patriarchal society. Led by powerful performances from its two stars Manuela Martelli as Teresa and Ana Marija Veselčić as Milena, the film explores how solidarity between the oppressed is able to form even in silence and cultural differences, and how it becomes their only shield against subjugation.
Locarno 2025 Review: “Donkey Days”
Dutch director Rosanne Pel’s sophomore feature Donkey Days, a Dutch-German co-production filmed in Germany with a predominantly German cast, is an intense and ambitious film that examines the tensions within an all-female family of three, using both realism and surreal elements. It examines the power dynamics between two adult sisters and their mother, demonstrating how conditional affection and criticism can define relationships over a lifetime. Pel balances a detailed depiction of domestic conflict with a confident and unique style, resulting in an upredictable, intense, and occasionally funny work.
Cannes 2025 Review: “Nino”
Pauline Loques’ Nino unfolds in a compressed stretch of time, yet feels expansive in the weight and emotions it carries. The film follows a young man whose life is suddenly redirected by a serious medical diagnosis, depicting it through an educational, emotional yet unsentimental angle. Loques keeps the camera close to her character, allowing us to read shifts in breath, posture, and glance. The pace is quick in terms of events, but the emotional register is slow and deliberate, leaving space for the viewer to absorb the weight of the narrative.
Cannes 2025 Review: “Love Me Tender”
Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Love Me Tender is a radical portrait of the extent to which one’s attempt to free herself from heteronormativity is punished by society. Drawn from Clémentine Autain’s autobiography, it holds onto long stretches of the source text, letting the film’s voice stay personal, reflective, and grounded in lived detail. Vicky Krieps empowers the masterfully written screenplay with a transformative, unshowy performance that registers every shift in power and loss.
Cinema du Réel 2025 Dispatch: Jessica Sarah Rinland, James Benning, Lee Anne Schmitt & More
Cinéma du Réel, the esteemed international documentary film festival held annually in Paris, France, has long been celebrated for its commitment to showcasing non-mainstream, intellectually, and artistically stimulating documentaries. The competition of the festival’s 2025 edition, running from March 21 to 30, continues this tradition by presenting a diverse program that blurs the lines between feature-length films and short shorts, treating each with equal reverence and attention. This egalitarian approach highlights the festival’s dedication to exploring the myriad forms and expressions within non-fiction cinema, providing a platform for both emerging and established filmmakers to present their unique visions.
Rotterdam 2025 Review: “And the Rest Will Follow”
IFFR And the Rest Will Follow, Turkish director Pelin Esmer’s first fiction film in seven years, explores the relationship between personal aspiration, storytelling, and artistic creation. The film introduces us to Aliye, portrayed by Merve Asya Özgür, a 25-year-old housekeeper in the small Turkish town of Söke. Dissatisfied with her monotonous life and a stiflingContinue reading “Rotterdam 2025 Review: “And the Rest Will Follow””
Rotterdam 2025 Review: “Orenda”
IFFR Pirjo Honkasalo’s Orenda, which premiered at the 2025 International Rotterdam Film Festival, invites viewers into a world both intimate and wide in thematical scope. It’s a meditation on grief, guilt, faith, and identity, wrapped in a narrative that unfolds with deliberate pacing and quiet intensity. While it may not appeal to those seeking immediateContinue reading “Rotterdam 2025 Review: “Orenda””
Rotterdam 2025 Review: “John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office”
IFFR In John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office, directors Michael Almereyda and Courtney Stephens closely into the enigmatic life of neuroscientist John C. Lilly, whose unconventional experiments with dolphins, humans and psychedelics sought to expand the boundaries of human consciousness. Narrated by Chloë Sevigny, the film uses archival footage, cultural clips, and interviewsContinue reading “Rotterdam 2025 Review: “John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office””
Rotterdam 2025 Review: “I Shall See”
With I Shall See, Dutch director Mercedes Stalenhoef presents an immersive exploration of sudden loss and resilience in her first fiction feature. The film follows 17-year-old Lot, a passionate diver who dreams of becoming a maritime archaeologist, traveling, and living independently. Her life takes a devastating turn on New Year’s Eve when a firework failsContinue reading “Rotterdam 2025 Review: “I Shall See””
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