Zoe Margolis
-
Film Review: Jungle
★★★★☆ Based on Yossi Ghinsberg’s memoir, Jungle tells the true story of a man’s survival when he became lost for almost three weeks in the Amazon. It’s a thrilling tale, and amazing to know Ghinsberg managed to stay alive on his own, against all odds.21-year old Israeli Yossi Ghinsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), has finished his mandatory…
-
Film Review: The Glass Castle
★★★☆☆ Based on journalist Jeannette Walls’ bestselling memoir, director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term 12 follow-up The Glass Castle is a sensitive story of a troubled, dysfunctional family, but this real-life portrayal feels more appropriate for the small screen.The film’s title comes from a promise made by Jeannette’s father Rex Walls (played intimidatingly by Woody…
-
Film Review: Brimstone
★★★☆☆ Set in the unforgiving American West at the end of the 19th century, Brimstone – the first English language film written and directed by Dutchman Martin Koolhoven – is a tale of one woman’s quest for survival and retribution.Liz, superbly portrayed by Dakota Fanning, is a young woman whose life is spent on the…
-
Film Review: My Pure Land
★★★★☆ Offering a rarely-seen perspective on Pakistan – particularly in the West – Sarmad Masud’s My Pure Land could be described as a ‘feminist western’, but it is richer and deeper, both politically and psychologically, than the genre usually allows.Based on a true story, teenager Nazo Dharejo (Suhaee Abro), alongside her mother Waderi Jamzadi, and…
-
Film Review: Patti Cake$
★★★★☆ Patti Cake$ is an inspiring film full of heart and with a banging soundtrack. Chronicling an underdog’s quest for fame, this isn’t so much about one person’s success as it is about overcoming adversity in the pursuit of happiness.Patricia Dombrowski AKA Killa P. AKA Patti Cake$ is a young working-class woman living in Bergen…
-
Film Review: Detroit
★★★★☆ An historical drama based on real-life events using a mix of documentary footage alongside fictional re-enactment, Kathryn Bigelow’s long-awaited Detroit is a no-holds-barred depiction of police brutality and racism set amid the 1967 riots.Opening with a beautiful animation based on Jacob Lawrence’s paintings of The Great Migration, overlaid with text detailing the racism in…
-
Film Review: Quest
★★★★☆ Quest director Jonathan Olshefski spent nine years befriending and filming the Raineys, beginning at the dawn of the Obama presidency, and ending with the ascendancy of Trump; inauspicious bookends marking a tumultuous decade.The finished documentary is a meditative study in the everyday realities of poverty, gun crime, and racism, whilst offering a moving portrayal…
-
Film Review: Step
★★★★★ Shot in Baltimore, the inspirational Step documents the true-life story of a high-school step dance team and follows the hopes and struggles of a group of young women fighting to achieve their goals and realise their dreams, amongst a backdrop of poverty.The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, an all-girl, public school for low-income…