Matthew Joseph Jenner finds something deeply personal and profoundly moving in Karin Pennanen's DAYS OF WONDER, an intimate voyage into the life of a man whose entire raison d'être was to create by any means necessary #PÖFF29 buff.ly/oiLIZ2d

Matthew Joseph Jenner experiences child labor in Sarah Goher's HAPPY BIRTHDAY, a film of profound authenticity whose impact left is the result of a director working to create something memorable buff.ly/7Z9aCYN

Matilda Hague explores a recurring subject in cinema, fatherhood, in Ronan Day-Lewis' ANEMONE, a film whose biggest draw is its insistence that fatherhood, however fraught, is the point where history finally demands acknowledgment #NYFF63 buff.ly/j54j01k

John Lynn circumnavigates the world in Lav Diaz's MAGELLAN, a gorgeous, hypnotic, and contemplative epic about conquest, conversion, mythmaking, and family #NYFF63 buff.ly/L7XEATL

John Lynn finds something rare in Masao Adachi's ESCAPE, a film about the erosion of conviction under the weight of time, and one that insists revolution is not a historical event but a lifelong condition #NYFF63 buff.ly/1QOIfxb

John Lynn develops a fear of water in Milagros Mumenthaler's THE CURRENTS, a film with Hitchcockian tension and hypnotic, dream-like rhythm #NYFF63 buff.ly/pUfLdQy

John Lynn explores the realities of queer life in Lucio Castro's DRUNKEN NOODLES, a film about the moments that don’t have closure, the friends and lovers who drift in and out of our lives, and about how memory holds them all #NYFF63 buff.ly/Sw407nF

Milani Perera drives the backroads of Iran in Hassan Nazer's WITHOUT PERMISSION, a film that proves that when you're not allowed to speak, sometimes the only way forward is to film in secret and hope the world is listening #BIFF2025 buff.ly/t4qGRTJ

Matilda Hague sees masks slip in Hong Sang-soo's WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU?, a film whose visual approach deliberately blurs cultural detail into something recognizably human: the comedy, and the terror, of being seen #NYFF63 buff.ly/QWWrlzL

Matthew Joseph Jenner is profoundly moved by Joachim Trier's SENTIMENTAL VALUE, a film that never abates in its willingness to challenge conventions through its subtle, poetic approach to the human condition #NYFF63 buff.ly/tYRNwbO

John Lynn kicks a ball in Alexandre Koberidze's singular DRY LEAF, a meditative, beautiful, and deeply moving film about the unpredictability of life, the changes of culture, and the persistence of play #NYFF63 buff.ly/QZGhH0y

Marc van de Klashorst enjoys the rollercoaster ride that is Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, a film that makes light of a serious issue, while lacking the satirical bite to make the audience look past the laughter buff.ly/ErxmKij

John Lynn hangs with the animals in Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani's BOUCHRA, one of the most intimate and political animations of the year that insists on new forms and a new cinematic language #NYFF63 buff.ly/A1uOkUj

Matthew Joseph Jenner clucks his way through György Pálfi's HEN, the sincerity of which is the strongest reason why the film is so endearing #73SSIFF buff.ly/hZpbehq

Walter Neto goes to summer camp in Emilie Thalund's WEIGHTLESS, a film that circles around the idea that a body deemed undesirable is still a body full of desire #73SSIFF buff.ly/2idUcMd

John Lynn analyzes the human soul in Eugène Green's THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, premiering @fantasticfest, and says it's another essential chapter in one of contemporary cinema’s most spiritual and singular oeuvres buff.ly/MWJit0b

John Lynn wonders what happens when rehabilitation becomes indistinguishable from submission in Goran Stanković's OUR FATHER, an unsettling, provocative, and ambiguous film that lingers #TIFF50 buff.ly/rm3FuMB

Matthew Joseph Jenner balances on the boundary between passion and madness in John Skoog's REDOUBT, a quiet meditation on existence that is both intimate and sprawling in vision and execution #73SSIFF buff.ly/UCeP0Cy

Abby Laing goes to St. Tropez in Joachim Lafosse's latest, SIX DAYS IN SPRING, an amiable drama saved by its ensemble's naturalistic performances that give the film much of its charm #73SSIFF buff.ly/2TamSlg

Marc van de Klashorst finds out the grass isn't always greener on the other side in Frederik Sølberg's HANA KOREA, a muted Korean drama that tackles its subject matter with an almost touching sincerity #BIFF2025 buff.ly/W8hxYQf

Marc van de Klashorst shifts between identities in Lucía Aleñar Iglesias' impressive debut FORASTERA, a blend between coming-of-age drama and ghost story that goes in unexpected and exciting directions once it has ensnared you #TIFF50 buff.ly/PFehbez

John Lynn tries to get into the rhythm of Valentyn Vasyanovych's TO THE VICTORY!, a film of ambition, complexity, and cultural commentary that is diluted by its insistence on stretching every gesture #TIFF50 buff.ly/QsidLkM

John Lynn goes sleuthing in Haifaa Al Mansour's UNIDENTIFIED, a film that feels trapped between wanting to be political and wanting to be a glossy crowd-pleasing thriller. In the end, it is neither #TIFF50 buff.ly/lG3qrLJ

John Lynn sees that Kirk Jones' I SWEAR is not just a film about Tourette's, but also about dignity, about difference, about what it means to live in a world that would rather deny you than understand you #TIFF50 buff.ly/JPs54az

Latoya Austin attends a tumultuous wedding in Philippe Falardeau's LOVELY DAY, an amusing portrayal of a day in the life of a groom that also tackles the pressure faced by Lebanese migrants to Canada #TIFF50 buff.ly/YSZfBoF

John Lynn hits all the right keys in Arnaud Desplechin's TWO PIANOS, a film whose complexity, beauty, and emotional depth make it one of Desplechin’s most affecting works #TIFF50 icsfilm.org/festivals/to...

Matthew Joseph Jenner see a mother trying to do what she can to protect her son in Zain Duraie's SINK, an empathetic and moving film that builds itself around a delicate balance of deeply human drama and complex sociocultural commentary #TIFF50 buff.ly/jE3Fx7z

Douglas Johnson trades political backrooms and financial corridors for an analysis of a steadfast man at the threshold of ruin in Mathieu Denis' THE COST OF HEAVEN, an intimate, slow thriller that builds equity through thrift #TIFF50 buff.ly/Gs11kUY

John Lynn finds something deeply personal in Tim Mielants' STEVE, which is not only a moving film but an essential one for the rights of differently abled people #TIFF50 buff.ly/rwjj4uF

John Lynn is fenced in by Claire Denis' THE FENCE, a chamber piece bound by space but expansive in theme, and a sensuous, riveting, and deeply political work #TIFF50 buff.ly/PXpPQp1

Marc van de Klashorst is groping in the dark in Rhayne Vermette's singular LEVERS, an enigmatic work from a singular director with a sensual touch to her visual style #TIFF50 buff.ly/vzdLx6J

Matthew Joseph Jenner caps off our #Venezia82 coverage with the closing film, Cédric Jimenez's CHIEN 51, in which clean, solid direction and a strong cast anchor the film buff.ly/nahugCI

Marc van de Klashorst goes looking for Franco Maresco in his mockumentary UN FILM FATTOR PER BENE, a strong entry in the body of work of Italy's most irreverent director #Venezia82 buff.ly/ng0VFLF

Matthew Joseph Jenner wonders if it is possible to divide love in Antonio Capuano's L'ISOLA DI ANDREA, a poignant and achingly beautiful exploration of fractured love #Venezia82 buff.ly/N2fXUGa

John Lynn sees that Cato Kusters' JULIAN is not simply a film about rights, but about presence, in which two actresses create a portrait of intimacy so convincing that it transcends performance #TIFF50 buff.ly/WdtKclx

Less than an hour until the official awards ceremony of #Venezia82 starts. But what did our ICS Critics Panel think were the best films on the Lido? Here is our definitive grid, with Ildikó Enyedi nabbing victory on the last day. Many thanks to our panelists for participating! buff.ly/ZmzRwoK

Cláudio Alves finds a dead body in Nicolás Pereda's COPPER, a film whose most incisive observations are sculpted into the negative space of the viewer’s experience #TIFF50 buff.ly/asKgYr5

John Lynn goes to court in Lucrecia Martel's NUESTRA TIERRA, a film that is both an ethnography and a political act, an act of remembrance and resistance #TIFF50 buff.ly/8btev8U

John Lynn finds himself in a ghost story in Nadia Latif's THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT, a haunted elegy of inheritance and repentance, where the sins of history echo in every room #TIFF50 buff.ly/0OAQUtQ

Marc van de Klashorst hugs a tree in Ildikó Enyedi's sensory sensation SILENT FRIEND, a film that is just as political and as vital as the films that try to show us the horrific reality of human connection failing #Venezia82 buff.ly/uJh7WaQ

Matthew Joseph Jenner is hypnotized by Hilal Baydarov's SERMON TO THE VOID, a free-form visual essay on the search for spirituality and the experience of existing in a world where our very birth is a scientific marvel #Venezia82 buff.ly/vTEJUlk

Matthew Joseph Jenner is left frustrated by Cai Shangjun's THE SUN RISES ON US ALL, a bundle of hopelessly dull and uninteresting artistic decisions that are puzzling #Venezia82 buff.ly/KeyYVUl

Marc van de Klashorst is let down by the ending of Akihiro Hata's GRAND CIEL, a promising first feature that could have used a bit more ambiguity, but shows a talent at the helm #Venezia82 buff.ly/JSPlL7j

Marc van de Klashorst sees Julia Jackman channel Sheherazade in her imaginative fairytale 100 NIGHTS OF HERO, a film in which she shows great panache as a filmmaker and proves to be a great storyteller #Venezia82 buff.ly/a5payuK

A sad day has come, the last day of #Venezia82. Only three more films have to shoot for the stars on our ICS Critics Panel. Can one of them take the top spot away from good ole' Jim? Keep an eye out for it. buff.ly/ZmzRwoK

Matthew Joseph Jenner seeks the gates of eternity in Mamoru Hosoda's SCARLET, a deft blend of fantasy, romance and adventure by a director whose curiosity about the human condition has once again manifested in compelling ways #Venezia82 buff.ly/noUtbb6

Marc van de Klashorst investigates the human psyche and its flaws in Leonardo di Costanzo's ELISA, a film about the reasons people do unspeakable evil that should be seen for Barbara Ronchi's masterful performance alone #Venezia82 buff.ly/9LJAEUF

Matthew Joseph Jenner tries to embrace a more free-spirited existence in Valérie Donzelli's AT WORK, a solid effort from a director who seems to be finally finding her voice as a storyteller #Venezia82 buff.ly/CkoO7cE

Matthew Joseph Jenner hits the road in David Pablos' deeply immersive EN EL CAMINO, a hauntingly strange and provocative work of socially-charged filmmaking #Venezia82 buff.ly/XoYLrZK

Matthew Joseph Jenner delves into Taiwanese actress Shu Qi's directorial debut GIRL, a subtle, poetic drama that moves with a careful, deliberate pace #Venezia82 buff.ly/mQPf989