Knives Out: superficial examination of class and privilege in crime comedy whodunnit
Rian Johnson, “Knives Out” (2019) At times playing like a spoof of the classic whodunnit
Hybrids: a hybrid short film of too many cliches and stereotypes
Patrick Kalyn, “Hybrids” (2013) This sci-fi live action short seems to have been made as
Pain and Glory: a self-referential film of an artist entering a winter of discontent
Pedro Almodovar, “Pain and Glory” (2019) A film investigating how creation can be inspired by
Farming: fictional biographical drama ignores its wider social context
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, “Farming” (2018) “Farming” is a fictional biographical drama based on actor / director
The Kid: minimalist proof-of-concept short that raises intriguing questions about its themes and issues
Nicholas Wenger, “The Kid” (2018) “The Kid” is a six-minute proof-of-concept film made to demonstrate
British Films | North American Films
Official Secrets: a modest fictional dramatisation of a whistleblower’s ordeal
Gavin Hood, “Official Secrets” (2019) As fictional dramatisations of real events go, “Official Secrets” passes
Arabic-language Films | North American Films
Seam: an action thriller SF allegory of societies under siege from government and global oppression
Elan Dassani, Rajeev Dassani, “Seam” (2017) An excellent little film that could serve as a
French and French-language Films
Royal Madness: a fun cartoon on finding a new purpose in life
Mriganka Bhuyan, Romain Couderette, Eunbyeol Ko, Sean Lewis, Milan Salmona, Wenkai Wang, “Royal Madness” (2019)
Custom Order: a thin plot and equally thin characters in a story on commodifying identity
Will Lowell, “Custom Order” (2017) Looks like I hit a dud sci-fi short for once
Australian and New Zealand Films
Colony: a stereotyped sci-fi horror treatment of colonisation and possession
Catherine Bonny, “Colony” (2018) Partly informed by the history of early European settlement in Australia,