RICHARD’S BLOG

Category: Film Review

  • REVIEW: The Stranger ★★★★★

    The Stranger (French: L’Étranger) is a 2025 drama film written and directed by François Ozon, based on the 1942 novel by Albert Camus. It had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September (where it was nominated for the Golden Lion) and was released in the UK on 10 April. Existentialism is…

  • REVIEW: Stand By Me (re-release) ★★★★☆

    Stand By Me is a 1986 American coming-of-age drama film, directed by Rob Reiner, based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella The Body. It has recently been re-released in the UK to mark its 40th anniversary, and perhaps to celebrate the life and work of Reiner who, tragically, was murdered last December. The film is set in the…

  • REVIEW: Midwinter Break ★★★☆☆

    Midwinter Break is a 2026 drama film directed by Polly Findlay, from a screenplay by Bernard MacLaverty and Nick Payne, based on MacLaverty’s 2017 novel of the same name. It was released in the UK on Friday, 20 March. One Christmas Eve, Stella (Lesley Manville) books a mini-break to Amsterdam as a surprise joint-present for her architect husband Gerry…

  • REVIEW: Father Mother Sister Brother ★★★★☆

    Father Mother Sister Brother is a 2025 anthology drama written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August, where it won the Golden Lion, and was released in the UK on Friday, 10 April. There are three apparently unrelated vignettes in Father Mother Sister Brother, though there are several recurring…

  • REVIEW: A Pale View of Hills ★★☆☆☆

    A Pale View of Hills is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Kei Ishikawa, based on the 1982 debut novel of Kazuo Ishiguro. The film is a UK/Japanese/Polish co-production and is part in Japanese and part in English. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was released in the UK on Friday, 13…

  • REVIEW: La Grazia ★★★★☆

    La Grazia is a 2025 Italian drama film produced, written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. It had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in August, was shown at the London Festival in October, and went on general release in the UK on Friday, 20 March. ‘La Grazia’ is a pun: in translation to…

  • REVIEW: The Love that Remains ★★★★☆

    The Love that Remains is a 2025 Icelandic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Hlynur Pálmason. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May (where the family dog, Panda, won the Palm Dog award) and was released in the UK last Friday, 13 March. It is a gentle comedy-drama, exploring a…

  • REVIEW: Sounds of Falling ★★★★☆

    Sounds of Falling is a 2025 German drama film, directed and co-written by Mascha Schilinski (with Louise Peter). It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May (where it won the Jury Prize) and was released in the UK on 6 March (although disappointingly it took a week to get as far…

  • REVIEW: Sirat    ★★☆☆☆

    Sirat is a 2025 Spanish road film, directed and co-written by Óliver Laxe (with Santiago Fillol). Its many co-producers included Pedro and Agustin Almodóvar, which may be what drew me to it in the first place. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was released in the UK on…

  • REVIEW: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You ★★★☆☆

    If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a 2025 American drama film, written and directed by Mary Bronstein (her second directorial feature following a seventeen-year gap). It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025 and was released in the UK in February 2026. Linda (Rose Byrne) is stretched to…