CineVue

★★★☆☆ Consume and conform, worship and prey, is there really any difference between organised religion and consumerism? In Something, Anything (2014), Paul Harrill’s sombre observation of sleepy Middle America, the pressure to abide by societies norms result in an unconventional love story about overcoming grief and having the courage to take a different direction. A…

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★★★★☆ “We began before words, and we will end beyond them.” So begins Peter Krüger’s mesmerising N: The Madness of Reason (2014), a spiritual journey through the memories and regrets of Raymond Borremans, a freewheeling Parisian musician turned encyclopedia enthusiast for whom Africa was his destiny – its heat his home. Borremans moved to Africa…

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★★★☆☆ American independent director David Gordon Green’s first three films, George Washington, All the Real Girls and Undertow, were each deeply rooted in the poetic realism of classic American storytelling. Adept at presenting marginalised characters and imbuing their hopes and dreams with the bewitching atmosphere of their rural surroundings, Green was soon heralded as the…

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★★★★☆ Myanmar-born, Taiwan-based director Midi Z’s third feature, Ice Poison (2014), completes a trilogy of intimate portraits of contemporary life in Burma. Combining a sparse narrative with an intimate visual style, the director presents the moral dilemmas that accompany the drastic economic hardship of his homeland. Everything is getting more expensive except for the crops…

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★★★★☆ Originally filmed during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Niki Karimi’s Final Whistle (2011) makes its UK premiere four years later. A courageous critique of class and gender inequality in Iran, Final Whistle is an against-the-clock drama that plays out against the backdrop of a male dominated sporting event currently under the scrutiny for allegations…

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★★★☆☆ When Hong Kong reverted back to Chinese sovereignty on 1 July 1997, many thought that the removal of colonial education systems would lead to a gradual shift towards a stronger identification with China. Attempting to reconcile the past to build a brighter future, the city finds itself with something of an identity crisis, an…

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Edinburgh Film Festival Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara has announced the full programme for this year’s 68th incarnation. Boasting 156 features from 47 countries, highlights include the UK premiere of Control and The American director Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man (featuring one of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final performances), Gia Coppola’s James Franco-starring Palo Alto and,…

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