Brazilian Films | Portuguese-language Films
O Agente Secreto: confronting past crimes and suppressed history and memory to heal trauma
Kleber Mendonça Filho, “O Agente Secreto / The Secret Agent” (2025) Folks anticipating a fast-paced
No Other Choice: how late-stage global capitalism moulds its victims to turn on one another
Park Chanwook, “No Other Choice” (2025) Behind a convoluted plot in which a paper industry
Round-up of Films seen in 2025
Round-up of Films seen in 2025 Dear USE Readers, The good news is that I
French and French-language Films
En Fanfare!: celebrating the power of community action and support against hostile corporate and government forces
Emmanuel Courcol, “En Fanfare!” (English title: “My Brother’s Band”) (2024) Initially the advertising for “En
Japanese Films | North American Films
Rental Family: a heartfelt film on loneliness and connection in a socially conservative society
Hikari, “Rental Family” (2025) Beginning in the 1990s, rental family services offering actors to stand
The History of Sound: a slow-burning story of loss, regret and the preservation of memory
Oliver Hermanus, “The History of Sound” (2025) Based on two short stories by US writer
Kokuho: a sumptuous work weakened by a patchy plot
Lee Sang-il, “Kokuho” (2025) An ambitious and sumptuous work, paying homage to Japan’s kabuki theatre,
Nuremberg: a simplified and shallow portrayal of the Nuremberg trials
James Vanderbilt, “Nuremberg” (2025) Combining elements of the psychological and legal thriller genres, James Vanderbilt’s
Two Prosecutors: portraying 1930s Soviet society as repressive, stifling and absurdist
Sergei Loznitsa, “Two Prosecutors” (2025) An earnest historical drama, based on a short novel by
Bugonia: lampooning American social fragmentation, alienation and the role of disinformation in maintaining class warfare
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Bugonia” (2025) A remake of the South Korean sci-fi / black comedy film