Patient poignance in Pat Collins’ That They May Face the Rising Sun

Patient poignance in Pat Collins’ That They May Face the Rising Sun

Director: Pat Collins Starring: Barry Ward, Anna Bederke, Lalor Roddy, Ruth McCabe, Phillip Dolan, Sean McGinley Running Time: 111 minutes As Ireland’s cinematic reputation rises internationally into awards darlings and sexy superstars, it’s important to remember where we’ve come from. Both from the talented filmmakers who spent their time in the pre-Element trenches, and for…

An unsettling set in The Settlers

An unsettling set in The Settlers

Director: Felipe Gálvez Haberle Starring: Camilo Arancibia, Mark Stanley, Benjamin Westfall, Mishell Guaña, Alfredo Castro Running Time: 97 minutes Though it can be challenging sometimes to place international cinema in the national context that it’s aiming to come from, viewers from Ireland especially don’t require a deep knowledge of Chilean history to get the angle…

Is Ridley Scott’s Napoleon dynamite?

Is Ridley Scott’s Napoleon dynamite?

Director: Ridley Scott Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby Running Time: 157 minutes Is it important for a film to be historically accurate? Ridley Scott’s belligerent press tour for Napoleon suggests an emphatic no, where some directors aim for painstaking accuracy in every detail, the veteran director is operating on a more youthful just-vibes vibe, painting…

A forensic fall from grace in Anatomy of a Fall

A forensic fall from grace in Anatomy of a Fall

Director: Justine Triet Starring: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaund, Milo Machado-Graner, Samuel Theis Running Time: 152 minutes Though inevitable, it comes out of nowhere. In the uninviting ski lodge home of a quarrelling couple, tension cuts through the air more bitter than any cold. Loud music blares, voices raise, everyone wants to flee the hostile space…

Nolan builds & burns Oppenheimer’s Pro-Me Thesis

Nolan builds & burns Oppenheimer’s Pro-Me Thesis

Director: Christopher Nolan Starring: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Bennie Safdie, Kenneth Branagh, Dane DeHaan, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Tom Conti Running Time: 180 minutes The mega-blockbusters of Christopher Nolan have always been works of ambition, and contradiction. Cold crowd pleasers, IMAX on…

A walk through a scandal in Ann

A walk through a scandal in Ann

Director: Ciaran Creagh Starring: Zara Devlin, Eileen Walsh, Ian Beattie, Senna O’Hara, Frank O’Sullivan, Joe Mullins and Sean T. O’Meallaigh Running Time: 100 minutes It’s an important endeavour to use art to try and reckon with your country’s past, particularly when your country is intent on ignoring it. For decades Ireland’s attitude to abortion was…

Finely tuned mourning in One Fine Morning 

Finely tuned mourning in One Fine Morning 

Director: Mia Hansen-Løve Mia Starring: Léa Seydoux, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory, Nicole Garcia Running Time: 112 minutes  Grief is an emotion unbound by tense and time. One can grieve something that hasn’t fully happened yet, or something in the moment of inevitable motion, just as strongly as the pains of the past. Léa Seydoux’s Sandra in One Fine…

Don’t do what Lukas Dhont does in Close

Don’t do what Lukas Dhont does in Close

Director: Lukas Dhont Starring: Eden Dambrine, Gustav de Waele, Émilie Dequenne Running Time: 104 minutes Though Belgian director Lukas Dhont’s debut feature Girl brought plenty of praise, it also prompted questions about his approach. Was his depiction of a young transgender girl going through her transition handed sensitively? Moreover, was it handled sensibly? Those same…