In 2010, police arrested the celebrated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi on fabricated charges of ‘anti-government propaganda.’ After a brief imprisonment at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, he staged a hunger strike to protest his detention, which drew global outrage. He was released and placed on house arrest with a[Read More…]
Tag: film review
‘Lovely Day’ brings Alain Farah’s autobiographical novel to the screen
Lovely Day (Mille Secrets Mille Dangers), directed by Philippe Falardeau and based on an autobiographical novel by McGill’s own Alain Farah, weaves together Farah’s past as a young Lebanese Montrealer with the climactic moments of his wedding on the steps of St. Joseph’s Oratory. Although it starts and ends on[Read More…]
‘Le Train’ is a dream-filled Quebecois coming-of-age film
This October, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma wrapped up its 54th edition, featuring a robust program of 200 films over 12 days. The Montreal-based film festival prides itself on showcasing diverse international features and short films, while spotlighting a strong selection of Canadian films. This edition’s closing film, Le Train, is[Read More…]
‘One Battle After Another’ and the never-ending need for resistance
Holding on tightly to its place at the top of the box office since its release on Sept. 26, Paul Thomas Anderson’s new action thriller One Battle After Another continues to captivate and delight viewers. With it, Anderson maintains his standing as one of cinema’s best and brightest filmmakers. Inspired[Read More…]
Zacharias Kunuk’s new film reclaims Inuit myths for Inuit Voices
At the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 14, Inuit filmmaker and co-founder of Isuma Productions, Zacharius Kunuk, received the Best Canadian Feature Film Award for his latest work, Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband). This award recognizes his career’s continued influence—defined by innovation, community, and cultural reclamation. Over two decades after his[Read More…]
The biblical mediocrity of The Phoenician Scheme
Wes Anderson is widely distinguished for his aesthetic style—features ranging from striking symmetry to eye-level points of view, pastels to vibrant hues. Highlighting ordinary objects in otherwise distinctive ways, viewers have even begun to excavate these aspects in their everyday lives. @Accidentalwesanderson on Instagram has amassed nearly two million followers,[Read More…]
‘Universal Language:’ A frostbitten Canadian comedy
If you’re from Winnipeg, you may be familiar with the Rod Peeler bench. For the uninitiated, Rod Peeler is a real estate agent whose distinctive bench ads—plastered with the phrase “I never sleep”—are considered a local legend. When the bench made its cameo appearance in Universal Language, several audience members[Read More…]
‘White Bird:’ A heartbreaking tale of courage and kindness in the face of mass destruction
How is it that we can enter a theatre dry-eyed and fresh-faced and emerge several hours later, eyes glistening with tears? It is not simply violence or harm that touches our soul. To elicit such a visceral reaction, something more is required: Injustice. Harm inflicted upon the innocent and kind[Read More…]
The poison drips through in ‘The Zone of Interest’
Minor spoilers for The Zone of Interest How would you depict an atrocity onscreen? What would you show, and perhaps more importantly, what wouldn’t you? In Jonathan Glazer’s new five-time Oscar-nominated film, The Zone of Interest, these choices are put at the forefront of the narrative. The result? Nothing short[Read More…]
Massimadi Festival highlights Black queer stories
From Feb. 15 to 18, the Massimadi Foundation held its annual Afro LGBTQ+ Arts and Film Festival at the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal. In honour of Black History Month, this special edition of the festival, themed “Transcendence,” highlighted Black queer stories that are not often seen or heard by[Read More…]
