Category: NON-HOLLYWOOD

Everybody Knows [2018] ★★★

I read somewhere that this movie was a “disappointing step back” for writer director Asghar Farhadi. But how do you top movies like “A Separation”, “The Past” and “The Salesman”? “Everybody Knows” may not be Farhadi’s best and most compelling work, but it has an intriguing story to […]

The Hater [2020] ★★½

This polish thriller currently streaming on Netflix juggles a lot of ideas at once, and at 135 minutes, it can be a bit too much, but it’s not a complete waste. In fact, it’s still entirely watchable, thanks to a solid performance by Maciej Musialowski, who plays a […]

The Occupant [2020] ★★½

The synopsis for this Spanish thriller doesn’t do it justice, at least the one being shared online. When I found it streaming on Netflix, I had to see for myself. As a result, this wasn’t half bad. In fact, if you enjoy films that move at a deliberately […]

Roma [2018] ★★★

“Roma” doesn’t look or feel like any other movie I’ve seen in 2018, and not just because it was shot in black and white. It has a distinct atmosphere, and that’s obvious from the very first shot. Director Alfonso Cuarón transports us back to his childhood neighborhood in Mexico […]

Capharnaüm [2018] ★★★

It took one film back in 2007 to put Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki on the international map permanently. Now she’s back with a new film that’s unlike anything she’s done before. “Capharnaüm” is Labaki’s third feature film as a director, and she shot it in documentary-like fashion, making […]

In Syria [2018] ★★★½

 “In Syria” is a devastating drama that further reaffirms the fact that Diamand Bou Abboud is one of the best Lebanese actresses in the industry. Belgian director Philippe Van Leeuw shot the entire film in an apartment building to depict the lives of a group of Syrian people […]

The Insult [2017] ★★★½

Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri needs no introduction, having directed a series of successful films over the years. While “West Beirut” will forever remain my favorite movie, his latest effort, “The Insult”, further confirms his skill as a talented storyteller. In short: it’s one of the most intense Lebanese […]

Germany Year Zero [1948] ★★★½

Roberto Rossellini’s “Germany Year Zero” is a frightening portrait of post-WWII Berlin, from the point of view of 12-year-old Edmund, who lives with his family in terrible conditions. The war may have ended, Hitler’s third Reich has fallen, but Berlin has never been more miserable. Edmund’s only concern […]