About the Author

Laks says: “I had only just seen the trailer (regrettably, because it gave faaaarrr to much away) for BUGONIA last night and was very grateful for your review soon after. I jumped straight of bed this morning and went straight

Michael says: “Nice positive story about growing up trans with a supportive family. Co-written and directed by Amy K. Jenkins the family’s mother, there is an intimacy that might otherwise have been lacking. Still, I felt the overall film was

Chris says: “Given our current tendency to document just about everything (especially ourselves) with our smartphones, will younger and future generations retain a seemingly infinite treasure trove of recorded media to reference, look back on and cultivate into living histories?

Michael says: “A young woman orphaned as a child, seeks information about her birth parents off the coast of Spain in order to apply for educational grants. She discovers a large family on her father’s side, with dark secrets that

Julie says: “THE LAST YZTARI tells the story of Mary Dague, a woman who lost both arms while diffusing bombs in Iraq (to protect a school), and her struggle to heal and redefine herself. She tried for many years to

Peter says: “Standing outside in the long film festival line for Gregg Araki’s latest film, inevitably, passersby would ask those in line, ‘What is this line for?’ And you could feel the immediate discomfort on their face when “I Want

Eliza says: “From the beginning, I wasn’t sure what the audience was supposed to feel. I first thought it was solely a think-piece on gender. A sort of glimpse into life if one’s gender identity simply wasn’t questioned by others,

Cassian says: “The Khalil brothers take us through a deeply emotional decades-long journey of reburying the remains of their ancestors through the process of indigenous repatriation. This documentary follows MACPRA (Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance), a unified group

Cassian says: “A mysterious fishing boat reappears after 30 years. A young father and a mysterious drifter join the fishing crew in hopes of prosperity but things take an unexpected turn when they get stuck in a time loop. “What

Peter says: “The closing night of IFFBoston is always a bittersweet affair – it’s the official capping off of what to me is basically film nerd summer camp. My volunteer friends of 10+ years were so excited to have gotten

Peter says: “Winning the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the Sundance Film Festival, Filipiñana is that kind of slow-moving art film you might need to pinch yourself a few times to keep from nodding off. “The film primarily

Peter says: “Last year, I traveled internationally for the first time, and part of my European excursion involved visiting the Vatican. It was easily a highlight of the trip due to the sheer magnitude of the art and architecture, but

Brett says: “There once was a guy from Soho  Who wrote a book long forgotten, oh no A bunch of young wannabes Invite him into their coterie  But is acting your age more important than FOMO?  “Director Kent Jones brings

Brett says: “SCHOOL FOR DEFECTORS is an insightful look into a single school in particular that is one of multiple schools in South Korea set up for transitioning children who have defected from North Korea. The result is a collection

Peter says: “I just recently finished teaching Fahrenheit 451, and unfortunately, this documentary is proof that Bradbury’s warnings are as relevant as ever. “In 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took over the ultra-liberal New College in Sarasota. It’s the sort

Peter says: “I had the interesting experience of seeing The Last Critic – a documentary about legendary music critic Robert Christgau – seated amongst a crowd of film critics in the audience! “Christgau, over many decades, seemed to perfect the

Peter says: “Never did I realize just how equalizing the telephone is for blind people. It’s true: we’re all ‘blind’ on the phone. It’s for that reason that Joe Engressia, aka ‘Joybubbles,’ became an obsessed ‘phone phreak’ – using the

Brett says: “AS I AM is a well-meaning narrative feature from director/writer Pourya Azerbayjani Dow in which a former solider in the Iran-Iraq War seeks to rekindle a flame from forty years in the past, with emphasis on the word

Peter says: “I’m not sure if other countries experience anything similar, but Girl Scout Cookies are a BIG DEAL in America. Hordes of wee little girls station themselves outside of grocery stores and local businesses, selling boxes upon boxes of

Brett says: “I LOVE BOOSTERS, the latest from Boots Riley, brings many of the same stylings as his earlier film SORRY TO BOTHER YOU in that the audience is eased into what is clearly a satire in the first act

Chris says: “Jude’s take on the venerable Bram Stoker character is gleefully profane and maybe the best possible use of AI (i.e.–satirically.) Split into a dozen or so vignettes, at nearly three hours, it didn’t need to be longer than Do

Brett says: “It may be fitting for this film to have two words in its title with the second word mimicking the first since the premise contained within is nothing new in itself either. A con man rolls up into

Peter says: “In one of the most famous social experiments in American history, primary school teacher Jane Elliott, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, decided to teach her students about discrimination in a radical way. In her Brown

Peter says: “This archival documentary, featuring newly uncovered footage, puts you right into the middle of a truly transformative moment in music history: the origin of the Newport Folk Festival. For fans of music history, this invaluable document shows everything

Peter says: “It’s not bad having your debut feature film released on the prestigious Janus Films label, showing in the historic Brattle Theater where Janus Films was born nonetheless – but Sophy Romvari’s delicately heavy drama is definitely worthy of

Peter says: “It’s a familiar story: A grieving, cynical novelist retreats to remote lodgings, only to become ensnared in a violent, supernatural spook session. With strong shades of 1408 and THE SHINING – even lifting an overhead car shot in homage to

Chris says: “Someone, someday may produce a definitive film about Russia’s war on Ukraine, perhaps a historical drama or a painstakingly researched expose of the country’s corrupt government. It likely won’t be as visceral or affecting as this five-and-a-half hour

Michael says: “Gorgeously shot and beautifully directed, this adaptation of Camus’ The Stranger is a challenging film that grapples with a way of thinking that from some viewpoints can be sociopathic. That said, some very powerful moments were well played

Diane says: “I think I made a mistake in choosing to see TOW instead of THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER. While it has some impressive casting (Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, et al.), TOW has an uneven screenplay and some leaden acting. “Byrne plays an