In-depth studies
We loved these films so much, we dedicated 5+ articles, ebooks, or resource pages.
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Jasmila Žbanić’s harrowing Oscar-nominated drama about the Srebrenica massacre is one of the best films of 2021. Our resource page provides everything you need to appreciate the film: historical context, analysis, interviews, and further reading.
First Cow
Kelly Reichardt’s 1820s story of entrepreneurship and male friendship in the American west is one of the best films of 2020. Our ebook goes deep on how it was made through interviews with the whole creative team and explores its themes through essays.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Céline Sciamma’s gorgeous, heart-wrenching Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a queer period romance that upends cinematic stereotypes of the artistic muse. This is a big film with big ideas, one that will reward rewatches, rethinking, and in-depth analyses.
The Souvenir
Set in the 1980s, The Souvenir tells the story of a film student who gets into a difficult romantic relationship that simultaneously feeds her creativity and shakes her self-confidence. Based on Hogg’s personal experiences as a film student, it even features an exact replica of the apartment she lived in at the time. We wrote a book about the film
Peterloo
Mike Leigh’s Peterloo is a rare story about the fight for a fairer democracy: one of carnage rather than triumph, one that ends with tragedy and unfinished labour rather than success and social change. We wrote a book exploring how the film was made.
Leave No Trace
Debra Granik’s fourth film stars Ben Foster and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie. We published three interviews and four essays on the film.
Lean on Pete
Andrew Haigh’s adaptation of Willy Vlautin’s novel about a homeless 15 year old who steals a racehorse. We published four interviews and two essays on the film.
On Chesil Beach
Dominic Cooke’s Ian McEwan adaptation stars Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Billy Howle. We published seven interviews on the film.
You Were Never Really Here
Lynne Ramsay’s fourth feature and first genre film puts you inside the head of a hitman with PTSD. We interviewed the core creative team and published two essays on the film.
Thelma
Joachim Trier’s fourth feature and first foray into genre filmmaking still features Trier’s trademark exploration of family, identity, and putting thought patterns on screen. We published five articles on the film, including essays and interviews with its core creative team.
Call Me By Your Name
Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name was one of the best films of 2018. We published seven essays on the film and both of its lead performances.
God’s Own Country
Francis Lee’s debut feature is a great romance. We published 5 articles on the film, including interviews with the cast and crew.
Personal Shopper
Olivier Assayas’ Cannes prize-winning Personal Shopper melds horror and arthouse sensibilities and showcases Kristen Stewart’s acting chops. We published 5 essays on the film, Assayas’ previous work, and star Kristen Stewart.
A Quiet Passion
Terence Davies’ Emily Dickinson biopic is a film about poetry, family, female empowerment, and the life of a writer. We published six pieces on the film and its ties to Davies’ previous work.
Louder Than Bombs
Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs is formally inventive and emotionally involving. We published 5 essays on the film, including interviews, and an Oslo, August 31st comparison.
A Bigger Splash
Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash is one of the sexiest films of the decade. We published a review, an interview with Guadagnino, and essays on three of the leads.
A Closer Look
Films we loved so much, we dedicated at least two different pieces — written or podcast — to them.
Mouthpiece
The best movie of 2019, Mouthpiece, is Canadian, set in Toronto, and written and directed by women and about women. The film’s innovative conceit is that the main character, thirty-something Torontonian Cassandra, is simultaneously played by two actors, Nostbakken and Sadava. This dual performance, where the actors sometimes mirror each other and sometimes diverge or even conflict, allows them to represent two sides of a complex woman who is constantly in conflict with herself.
Birds of Passage
The Oscar-nominated Colombians filmmakers behind Embrace of the Serpent have made a fable that follows the rise and fall of a drug family and observes the devastating effects of capitalism on a culture and its soul.
Transit
Christian Petzold’s modern-day holocaust drama explores the bureaucratic trauma of being a refugee, forever waiting for your life to begin in the midst of imminent danger.
Evelyn
A moving, eye-opening documentary in which the director director and his family talk about the suicide of his brother Evelyn.
Free Solo
A documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold’s landmark ascent of Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan — without ropes.
The Party
Sally Potter’s darkly witty film follows seven characters, in real time, at a house party where secrets are revealed and allegiances tested.
