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Articles by Orla Smith

Orla Smith is the former Executive Editor of Seventh Row, a regular contributor at The Film Stage, and a freelance writer with bylines at JumpCut Online, Cinema Year Zero, and Girls on Tops. In her free time she makes movies.

A still from DASHCAM, of a blurry figure in red, seem in the dark through a car's front window. The text on the images reads, 'TIFF Review'.

Orla Smith / September 14, 2021

TIFF Review: DASHCAM is a wild, gory ride

Host director Rob Savage returns with DASHCAM, a new pandemic horror film, featuring a main character as evil as the creatures attacking her.

A still from Good Madam, in which Tsidi, a Black woman in her thirties, holds out a tray of tea. The text on the image reads, 'TIFF Review'.

Orla Smith / September 14, 2021

Good Madam review: A haunted house in post-Apartheid South Africa

In Jenna Cato Bass’s horror film, a Black family’s domestic servitude to a white family is the stuff of nightmares.

A still from Mad Women's Ball, in which two women stare each other down in a dimly lit, dingy hospital room.

Orla Smith / September 12, 2021

TIFF Review: The Mad Women’s Ball is a shallow look at ‘female hysteria’

Mélanie Laurent’s The Mad Women’s Ball suffers in comparison to Alice Winocour’s Augustine (2011), which tackles the same story with more psychological complexity.

A still from Scarborough in which three young kids lie down on a colourful floor, gazing happily at the ceiling. The text on the image reads 'TIFF Review'.

Orla Smith / September 10, 2021

TIFF Review: Scarborough is one of the festival’s most stirring crowdpleasers

Scarborough, from directors Rich Williamson and Shasha Nakhai, is a big-hearted portrait of families in a low-income neighbourhood.

A still from Aloners, in which a young woman sits at a table, her head downturned, her face passive. The text on the image reads 'TIFF Review'.

Orla Smith / September 10, 2021

TIFF Review: Aloners is a melancholy ode to society’s loners

South Korean filmmaker Hong Seong-eun’s Aloners is a low-key film about loneliness and how capitalism takes advantage of depressed people.

A headshot of Oslo, August 31st production designer Jørgen Stangebye Larsen in front of a still from the film. The text on the image reads, 'Oslo, August 31st at 10', written with white text in front of a purple background.

Orla Smith / August 31, 2021

Designing a journey through Oslo

Jørgen Stangebye Larsen, Oslo, August 31st’s production designer, discusses crafting a geographically realistic portrait of the city.

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