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In “To the Ends of the Earth”, a young girl observes, and is observed

To the Ends of the Earth
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Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s state-sanctioned drama elevates itself beyond its cultural mandate to explore more universal notes to the human condition.

Soham Gadre Posted on December 28, 2020December 28, 2020

June DVD Releases: “Etruscan Smile,” “Watchmen”, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

DVD Releases June
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Powerful indies and revisionist superhero series dot some of June’s most addictive home video offerings.

Alonso Duralde Posted on June 30, 2020June 30, 2020

“Tigertail” Is an Unassuming, Deeply Personal Immigrant Tale

Tigertail
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Master of None co-creator Alan Yang interrogates his father’s move to America in a slow, but gentle debut.

Clint Worthington Posted on April 10, 2020April 10, 2020

Sundance 2020: Thomas Buelens on Bringing “Jumbo” to Life

Thomas Buelens Jumbo
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The cinematographer of Sundance favorite Jumbo talks about transforming a tilt-a-whirl into Noémie Merlant’s living, breathing lover.

Clint Worthington Posted on February 14, 2020February 14, 2020

Levan Akin on the Queer Visibility of “And Then We Danced”

And Then We Danced Levan Akin
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The director of the queer folk-dance drama talks about homophobia in Georgia and the long, protest-filled road to getting the movie released.

Clint Worthington Posted on February 10, 2020February 10, 2020

The 2020 Oscar-Nominated Shorts, Reviewed

Oscar Nominated Shorts
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From live-action to animated to documentaries, we flip through the Academy Awards’ shorts offerings to see what we think should win.

Clint Worthington Posted on February 2, 2020February 2, 2020

Sundance 2020: “Cuties” Tries to Find Freedom for Its Young Girls

Sundance Cuties
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Maïmouna Doucouré has a lot on her mind, but digs uncomfortably into oversexualization.

Andrea Thompson Posted on February 2, 2020February 2, 2020

Sundance 2020: “Jumbo” Kisses a Tilt-A-Whirl and Likes It

Jumbo
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Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s Noémie Merlant gets sweet on a theme park ride in this charming, if conventionally quirky dramedy.

Clint Worthington Posted on January 25, 2020January 25, 2020

Sundance 2020: “The Painter and the Thief” Finds Activity in Passivity

Painter and the Thief
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Benjamin Ree documents the budding, murky friendship between a painter and the man who stole her painting.

Matt Cipolla Posted on January 24, 2020July 2, 2020

“Weathering With You” Is an Animated Ray of Sunshine

Weathering With You
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Makoto Shinkai’s followup to Your Name is another charming coming-of-age tale with a supernatural twist.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on January 18, 2020January 18, 2020

The Good Liar Review: Looking for Love in All The Con Places

The Good Liar
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Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen elevate an otherwise warmed-over thriller as two people wrapped up in a late-life romance gone terribly wrong.

Marshall Estes Posted on November 13, 2019November 13, 2019

CIFF 10/24: “Seahorse”, “First Rainbow Coalition”, “Vast of Night” & More

CIFF Seahorse Rione Sanita August Rainbow Coalition Vast of Night
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Seahorse, The First Rainbow Coalition, and debut feature The Vast of Night highlight our last day of CIFF capsule reviews.

Matt Cipolla Posted on October 25, 2019July 2, 2020

CIFF 10/23: “Wild Sparrow”, “And Then We Danced”, “Knives Out” & More

CIFF Wild Sparrow And Then We Danced The Prince Knives Out
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Our penultimate CIFF dispatch breaks down Rian Johnson’s star-studded caper Knives Out, the Georgian queer drama And Then We Danced…, and more.

Matt Cipolla Posted on October 24, 2019July 2, 2020

CIFF 10/22: “Painted Bird”, “Just 6.5”, “By the Grace of God”, “Hypnotist”

CIFF Painted Bird By the Grace of God Just 6.5 Hypnotist
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The Painted Bird, Just 6.5, Francois Ozon’s By the Grace of God, and the documentary The Hypnotist dominate today’s CIFF coverage.

Matt Cipolla Posted on October 23, 2019July 17, 2020

CIFF 10/20 Dispatch: “The Sleepwalkers”, “Present.Perfect.”, and More

CIFF Sleepwalkers Present.Perfect. Cordillera of Dreams The Wild Goose Lake
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Sunday’s CIFF dispatch includes takes on Argentine drama The Sleepwalkers, live-stream doc Present.Perfect., Chilean doc Cordillera of Dreams, and more.

Matt Cipolla Posted on October 21, 2019July 2, 2020

Parasite Review: Pitch-Perfect Class Critique Crawls Out of the Woodwork

Parasite
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Bong Joon-ho’s latest is a twisty, turny, crackerjack class thriller.

Clint Worthington Posted on October 20, 2019October 20, 2019

CIFF 10/18 Dispatch: “The Apollo,” “Adoration”, “Our Mothers”, “Hala”

CIFF Apollo Adoration Our Mothers Hala
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Friday’s CIFF Dispatch talks up Harlem doc The Apollo, dark fairy tale Adoration, Guatemalan drama Our Mothers, and Minhal Baig’s coming-of-age story Hala.

Matt Cipolla Posted on October 19, 2019July 2, 2020

NYFF 57: “Vitalina Varela” Offers No Comfort in Sorrow

Vitalina Varela
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Pedro Costa’s minimalist, based on real events drama is short on plot and long on the relentless weight of living.

Gena Radcliffe Posted on October 9, 2019September 24, 2019

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