カテゴリー: Drama films
Rotterdam film festivalA set of shorts by film-makers from Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, Syria and Somalia are shocking, funny and mysterious in equal measureWith considerable chutzpah and elan, and in her capacity as producer and UNHCR Goodwill ambassad…
Tibetan directors, who all live outside Tibet, deliver a quartet of films that explore the pain of separation and migrationThe wrench of exile is the theme of this quartet of short films from Tibetan directors, who themselves all live outside Tibet. Th…
This story of emancipated young women escaping draconian social strictures brims with enthusiasm and features a cameo from Phoebe Waller-BridgeBased on a true story, Bill Guttentag’s rousing drama attests to the resilience of women who dare to dream de…
Neeraj Ghaywan’s film benefits from excellent lead performances, strong cinematography and an apparent mentorship from Martin ScorseseHaving screened earlier this year at the Cannes film festival, this Indian drama has already drawn inevitable comparis…
Inspired by a true story, this feelgood Indian film is about some Bollywood superfans making their own movies with a cheeky but admirable DIY ethosHere is a thoroughly enjoyable, big-hearted movie about building a better life through showbusiness. It i…
Preeti Panigrahi is excellent as Mira, a prefect dealing with first love and, unusually, sex, as she navigates the patriarchy in 90s north India ‘Some teachers thought a girl wasn’t up to it,” says a veteran female teacher with a weary roll of the eye….
Janhvi Kapoor plays a medical student with the prospect of a pro career in the game, with Rajkummar Rao as the husband who coaches herHindi cinema has thus far spent 2024 in retreat, its commercial failures compounded by a successful run of south India…
Cannes film festivalPayal Kapadia’s glorious Cannes competition selection is an absorbing story of three nurses that is full of humanityThere is a freshness and emotional clarity in Payal Kapadia’s Cannes competition selection, an enriching humanity an…
Vidya Balan shines in this witty remake that sees a married couple, both cheating on each other, on the verge of breaking upThe algebra of love is a multiple-choice conundrum in Shirsha Guha Thakurta’s debut, a witty remake of Azazel Jacobs’ romance Th…
Kapoor plays the scion of a wealthy family whose violence is the result of a craving for love and validation, in a regressive Bollywood blockbusterAlready topping the box office in India, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s bombastic action film is high on shock tac…
Director Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov’s debut feature about two young brothers attempting to find their errant father is a deeply humane story about family and responsibilityThere’s a marvellous freshness and gentleness to this 1991 movie, a little like earl…
While the premise – an awful man learns from his much better wife – is serviceable, the plot, centring on a tour around second world war sites is woefully misjudgedMuch of this almost wondrously misjudged Bollywood film is perfectly palatable: the tale…
A tense, state-of-the-nation drama set in Covid-era India successfully exposes how the caste system underpins much of the country’s division and strife ‘No one ever plans for the poor,” says a young police officer in this tense, painful pandemic drama …
Adaptation of a nightmare true story about a woman whose children were removed by the Norwegian state gets passionate too lateThis epic Hindi-language testament to tenacious maternal love has been neatly timed for release over the UK Mother’s Day weeke…
A trainee teacher’s dreams of becoming a singer are interrupted when he is posted to the world’s remotest school in Pawo Choyning Dorji’s gentle dramaThis gentle, sweet-natured movie is the debut feature from Bhutan-born and US-educated film-maker Pawo…