Jameson: when love becomes a permanent existential hell
John Humber, “Jameson” (2018) A man living an apparently secluded life off the grid in a cabin he built himself in the middle of a deep…
North American Films
Reviews of films made in Canada and United States including all films made by Hollywood.
ChromoPHOBIA: a message about how we treat (or don’t treat) mental illness well
Keith Adams, “ChromoPHOBIA” (2019) Based on a short story by B Evenson, this dark horror fiction short focuses on mental illness and its treatment, and unconscious…
Bombshell: film on sexual harassment bombs out for its superficiality
Jay Roach, “Bombshell” (2019) The plot is very basic enough: a female television personality employee at Fox News is sacked by the big boss for questionable…
Slut: a highly accomplished student film on teenage sexual awareness and the danger it attracts
Chloe Okuno, “Slut” (2014) Set in the 1970s, this cheesy morality tale is a meeting of Little Red Riding Hood and Southern US small-town Gothica in…
Carnivore: American Psycho meets Agatha Christie in an elegant and minimalist thriller
Constance Tsang, “Carnivore” (2018) Elegant in style and minimalist and understated in its narrative, this is a very wry satire on the culture of the cut-throat…
Future Boyfriend: a sweet sci-fi romantic comedy offering a second chance of life
Ben Rock, “Future Boyfriend” (2016) Adapted from a play written by A Vincent Ularich for a science fiction theatre festival, of which its full-length romantic comedy…
Psychosis: character study of techno-paranoia under computer surveillance
Ben Feldman, “Psychosis” (2019) The shorter of two films based on the short story of the same name by Matt Dymerski posted to the short horror…
Bad Peter: the panopticon police state controlling an individual life to an astonishing degree
Zach Strauss, “Bad Peter” (2017) At first rather amusing but then quickly becoming sinister and horrific, this nine-minute short presents smart-home artificial intelligence (AI) as an…
Metta Via: a story of personal transformation with a strange power and attraction
Warren Flanagan, “Metta Via” (2017) Visually stunning and ambitious in its concept, this Canadian short work is possessed of unusual power. Superficially it lacks an obvious…
What if Wendy: a sparse and painful character study of denial and grief
James A Sims, “What if Wendy” (2017) Here is a sparse and minimalist character study of a woman in denial about her grief at the death…