Tag Archives: Queer

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: “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.

Visions du Réel 2025 Review: “Afternoons of Solitude”

Albert Serra’s Afternoons of Solitude is a provocative, and unsettling documentary that explores the ‘art’ of bullfighting. While the ethicality of bullfighting hovers constantly over the film, Serra resists direct moralizing. He offers a raw, sensorial exploration of masculinity, performance, and spectacle, letting the audience sit with their own judgments. It becomes a strange, gorgeous character study of one man, bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey, and the hypermasculine, flamboyant culture that celebrates and consumes him.

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.

Berlin 2025 Review: “No Beast. So Fierce.”

Burhan Qurbani’s No Beast. So Fierce. is a daring contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare’s Richard III, transforming the classic tale of ambition and treachery to the story of a woman among the gang-controlled streets of Berlin. The film centers on Arab lawyer Rashida York, portrayed with mesmerizing intensity by Kenda Hmeidan, as she maneuvers through a patriarchal underworld to seize power. ​

Rotterdam 2025 Review: “Blind Love”

IFFR Julian Chou’s Blind Love presents an affecting intersectional critique of patriarchal family structures, queerphobia, and the suffocating effects of societal expectations. Adapted from a short story by celebrated Taiwanese writer Essay Liu, originally centered on a daughter’s forbidden love with her father’s ex-boyfriend, Chou’s adaptation reimagines the narrative through a gender swap. By shiftingContinue reading “Rotterdam 2025 Review: “Blind Love””

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””

Locarno 2024 Review: “Toxic”

“Toxic,” the directorial feature debut by Saulė Bliuvaite and winner of the Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno Film Festival, is a holistic look into the realities of a community in a Lithuanian industrial town. The film centers on 13-year-old Maria (Vesta Matulyte), who, after being abandoned by her mother, is left to survive a harsh world with only her grandmother as a guardian. This isn’t a story about easy resolutions or hopeful escapes; it’s about survival and the fleeting connections that offer some semblance of comfort amidst the turmoil of life in a bleak lower-class industrial village. The film’s portrayal of a community trapped in cycles of poverty and exploitation feels authentic, particularly through its focus on Maria’s evolving relationship with Kristina (Ieva Rupeikaite), another girl her age with dreams of becoming a fashion model.

Cannes 2024 Review: “When the Light Breaks”

In Rúnar Rúnarsson’s latest film, “When the Light Breaks,” Una and Diddi, two young Icelandic art students and band members, are deeply in love. They find themselves lost in the mesmerizing dusk, their thoughts drifting away as they smoke joints together. They dream of traveling, ultimately choosing Japan as their destination. When the sun rises, Diddi will break up with his girlfriend, Klara, allowing him and Una to openly embrace their relationship. The future seems bright for the couple, but their hopes are shattered dashed by a tragic event.