Ben Nicholson

★★★☆☆ The very notion of a movie featuring giant robots trading blows with Godzilla-esque monsters across the world’s major cities is likely to induce as many groans as it is cheers. However, those disillusioned by the premise may find themselves perked up at the prospect of Mexican director Guillermo del Toro bringing his signature flourish…

Continue

★★★★☆ There’s something quietly enthralling about Heike Bachelier and Andy Heathcote’s observational trip to a small Sussex dairy farm. Having premièred at Sundance London back in April, The Moo Man (2013) has procured its marketing budget through online crowd-sourcing ahead of this week’s release. A brief foray into the world of dairy production, this is…

Continue

★★★★☆ There’s a sense of restless dormancy beneath the quiescence of Scott Graham’s intimate Highland drama, Shell (2012); the director injecting his debut feature with a fascinating undercurrent that transforms an apparently simple coming-of-age tale into all the more imperative viewing. Exquisitely shot and perfectly considered, it’s a real British gem with exceptional performances across…

Continue

★★☆☆☆ A great way to keep costs low, the single location setup has long been a keen ally of the no-budget filmmaker. The key, however, is to find a credible reason for people not to leave. It’s a theatrical device safe in the hands of Tobias Tobell, as at home directing for the stage as…

Continue

★★★★☆ To the uninitiated, they may resemble an attempted ‘swede’ of the feisty girls from Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers (2012), but the balaclava-clad protagonists of lively documentary Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013) are anything but. The news in 2011 that Vladimir Putin would seek a third term as President inspired these disillusioned young women…

Continue

★★★☆☆ William Lustig’s 1980 sleazy shocker Maniac saw the American director compile a serial killer narrative not from the point of view of a pursuing detective, but that of the murderer himself. In updating said original nasty, screenwriters Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur have gone one step further and sought to place their audience directly…

Continue

★★★★☆ Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan has explored a wealth of recurring motifs throughout his career thus far. These include repeated inspections of identity, performance and voyeurism amidst wider contexts such as familial anxiety and immigration. The first flex of his distinct voice can be found in his more than capable feature debut, Next of Kin…

Continue

★★★★☆ Taking place behind the high walls and security gates of an affluent district in the Brazilian city of Recife, Neighbouring Sounds (O Som ao Redor, 2012) is a taut social drama brimming with urban anxiety. It’s a fantastically assured debut from Kleber Mendonça Filho, who dexterously combines visual and aural manipulation to create a…

Continue

★★☆☆☆ Existential malaise has long been a tenet of contemplative European cinema, and Turkish filmmaker Muzaffer Özdemir has embraced the tradition in his first feature as director, Home (Yurt, 2011). In this instance, the reflection is seemingly brought on by a mid-life crisis, but soon extends to frustration with the apathy exhibited in the direction…

Continue

★★★★☆ Averting his gaze from the picturesque yet familiar refinement of Venice, Italian director Andrea Segre has discovered a more subtle beauty in the neighbouring fishing village of Chioggia. After several years spent as a documentary filmmaker, the Italian has now turned his hand to narrative features with serenely paced debut Shun Li and the…

Continue