Lav Diaz (Venice 70: Future Reloaded), a director proclaimed as a strong practitioner of slow cinema, decided that, for his next film, he would bring his visual, hypnotic talents to the life of a legendary explorer. Part of The Criterion… Read More ›
It’s not unusual for an actor to write and direct, a director to write and act, or some other configuration of the three (and sometimes all at once on the same project). Being versatile not only permits someone to find… Read More ›
In Islamic scripture, the word “Sirāt” means a bridge or pathway that connects paradise and hell that only the righteous can cross. In the opening credits of director Oliver Laxe’s (Mimosas; Fire Will Come) film Sirāt, he tells us that… Read More ›
“The day the world almost ended at 8 p.m., a tree fell down. No one heard it, but later I saw it.” – Andrew J. Eisenman No one knows what to do with the film spoken of as “Bi Gan’s… Read More ›
There is something about potty humor and potty horror that, if done right, works, and if it misses it by the slightest of margins, it becomes something irredeemable. Somehow, director Grégory Morin (Ultimate Zombie Feast) and screenwriter David Neiss (Noir… Read More ›
Heritage is a strong example of how found-footage filmmaking can still feel fresh when handled with restraint and intention. From its opening moments, the film carries a quiet confidence that immediately recalls the tonal playbook of the Coen Brothers, not in… Read More ›
In this Meet me at the Movies/Screen Scene spotlight interview, Noel T. Manning II talks with Oscar nominee Wagner Moura about his acclaimed performance as Marcelo/Armando in The Secret Agent. Moura discusses the atmospheric impact of this 1970’s infused international… Read More ›
The world of physical media is constantly changing and evolving, impacting the way collectors gather movies. Criterion is occasionally regarded as the benchmark of the crème of the crop for collectors, however, with them continuing to dip their toes into… Read More ›
In the opening shot of Magellan (2025), an Indigenous Malaysian woman walks into a stream, filling a vessel. Suddenly, she spots a white man past the fourth wall of the proscenium and takes off running. She shouts through her village… Read More ›
Born in Paris, French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski initially planned to be a teacher and graduated from École Normale Supérieure before earning an Agrégation higher degree in literature. Then she joined the screenplay department of La Fémis and met several students… Read More ›
When the world first stopped to hear the voice of Hind Rajab, the little girl from Gaza hiding from bullets in her family’s car, Kaouther Ben Hania was standing frozen in the airport. Now, she’s delivered a masterpiece that asks… Read More ›
EoM Contributor Andrew J. Eisenman recently spoke with filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania about her latest film, The Voice of Hind Rajab. They discuss where Kaouther was when she first heard about Hind Rajab, making a film about helplessness, how to… Read More ›
Mira Nair’s first narrative feature, the Indian Hindi-language drama Salaam Bombay!, is as much a documentary as it is a narrative of Bombay’s (now Mumbai’s) loud and chaotic street life. Even though its story and characters are crafted by Nair… Read More ›
Before he brought us the polarizing 2024 crime musical Emilia Pérez, the Palme d’Or winning 2015 Dheepan, and the 2009 critically acclaimed gangster film A Prophet, director Jacques Audiard brought us the complex romance thriller Read My Lips in 2001…. Read More ›
Writer/director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau) is back with The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto) starring Wagner Moura (Civil War). A harrowing story of escape and refugee sanctuary, it feels more like a less comedic version of a serious take on… Read More ›
Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is known for many a tale from The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and, of course, The Little Mermaid. One title that’s well-known in the U.S. is his… Read More ›
Audiences connected with the last outing by Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt as writers and Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) in a lead role in a meaningful way. Back again in the same roles, the trio brings… Read More ›
Sometimes a title is crucial to the integrity of the movie, giving audiences an idea or an exploratory idea of what they’re about to get themselves into, and sometimes the title is something that feels like it could mean more… Read More ›
Trigger Warning: Much of this black-and-white film features a flickering that is more noticeable in non-white/mostly-grey or dark sequences. This may prove triggering for photosensitive viewers. Stories of hubris are as old as time. Whether it’s literary figures like Lex… Read More ›
Back in 2013, Director Jerusha Hess brought to life the silly world of Shannon Hale’s novel Austenland. In it, Jane Hayes (Keri Russell), a 30-something fangirl for the works of Jane Austen, travels to a British resort themed to the… Read More ›