Young CriticLa Bola Negra
Los Javis' historical epic is a poetic modern classic. A sweeping, formally daring meditation on queer erasure, historical memory and the cost of repression, anchored by a revelatory Guitarricadelafuente.
Reviews tagged: foreign language
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Young CriticThe Beloved
Rodrigo Sorogoyen's heartwrenching latest delivers two masterful performances. Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo are extraordinary in a father-daughter drama that refuses the comfort of reconciliation.
Young CriticBitter Christmas
Almodovar Turns the Camera on Himself yet Again Pedro Almodovar has an incredibly distinct style, in both his narrative tone, which plays with the melodramatic, as well as with his visuals and sets, which are vibrant and
Young CriticThe Voice of Hind Rajab
A harrowing portrait of innocence, bureaucracy, and the human cost of war The recent war in Gaza was bound to spark art attempting to grapple with the horrors and devastating loss it has caused. One of the most potent st
Young CriticLos Tigres
Alberto Rodriguez's latest thriller is his best in years The film noir had its height in the mid-century, and shortly revived in the 1970s anti-system surge of independent young filmmakers, where they delivered perhaps t
Young CriticIt Was Just an Accident
Jafar Panahi's latest grapples with the morality of vengeance Iran is producing some of the best modern filmmakers working today, yet sadly, it is not reaping its artistic rewards. Many of these directors are choosing to
Young CriticRomeria
Carla Simon's third feature continues her exploration of memory What is history if not memories compiled, and what is memory, if not multiple individual narratives of singular pasts, and yet what is that individual memor
Young CriticThe Captive
Alejandro Amenabar's latest is confused in its structure “Don Quijote de la Mancha” is considered the most-read novel in the history of mankind, surpassed only in readership and circulation by religious texts like “the B
Young CriticUndercover
This Spanish thriller delivers an unforgettable lead performance The ETA terrorist group disbanded officially in 2018, albeit their violent attacks had stopped in 2010. Spain, however, had been living with this internal
Young CriticEO
This Polish film tilts more to cynicism than cuteness Using an animal to tell a picaresque story is something that filmmakers have successfully done from Au hasard Balthazar (1966) to War Horse (2011). The rather neutral
Young CriticAnother Round
A bold and deft exploration of alcoholism Due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2020’s Cannes Film Festival turned out to be a subdued and restrained affair, with films being distributed for viewing through online portals and no
Young CriticTrain to Busan Presents: Peninsula
The sequel to the vastly successful zombie flick proves to be an embarrassing failure Train to Busan (2016) proved to be not only a surprise hit in the crowded zombie-genre, but a worldwide financial and critical phenome
Young CriticPortrait of a Lady on Fire
While love is a subject that has been explored infinitely in various art forms, its actual representation and portrayal are quite hard to achieve. The rom-com genres have produced millions if not billions in profit for s
Young CriticAn Officer and a Spy
Roman Polanski has had a life that is eventful enough to be made into a film. The director was one of the hottest filmmakers in the late 60s with the great success of Rosemary’s Baby (1968), however, only a year after th
Young CriticWhile at War
The Spanish Civil War has been brought to screen by Spanish filmmakers innumerable times; after the return of democracy in 1977 it seemed to be a necessary atonement and exploration of a horror that still echoes 80 years
Young CriticThe Farewell
Death is a difficult subject to broach, on film, in literature, or even in everyday life. It seems surprising that this aspect of life should be so dense for us, as Benjamin Franklin said, “… in this world nothing can be
Young CriticCold War
In order to tell an epic tale you don’t necessarily need to have a long runtime. A two hours plus movie doesn’t necessarily grant an approval of being a good film, and yet many filmmakers and Hollywood seem to think the
Young CriticShoplifters
The concept of family is one that has become incredibly flexible and redefined over time. Director Hirokazu Koreeda has always been fascinated with analyzing what families are in his films. His latest project, Shoplifter
Young CriticSelfie (2017)
The indie genre is being rediscovered little by little. We recently got Moonlight , last year’s Academy Award Best Picture winner, which was made for under $1 million dollars (in comparison, “indie” films of today can hi