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The first images in Top Gun, the 1986 hit about Naval aviators that made Tom Cruise a superstar, build a montage that has the energy of a soft drink commercial. Against the opening credits, a ground c...
Critics often praise horror movies for their ability to fold genuine emotions or social issues into frightful symbolism. If a movie’s masked killer, demonic spirit, or grotesque creature can represent...
In a familiar technique by Asghar Farhadi, the opening shots of The Past use loaded symbolism to establish the film’s thematic framework. Marie (Bérénice Bejo) picks up her husband Ahmad (Ali Mo...
In Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman, the Iranian filmmaker crafts a moral dilemma to which there is no solution. Those familiar with his cinema will recognize his tactic and usual narrative framework. He...
Everybody Knows opens on clock gears in a church belfry. Long ago, lovers etched their initials, “L” and “P,” above the two benches near the wheels and pinions. Now the space b...
Our bodies tell stories. Every bruise alludes to an action. Each scar describes a trauma. Inside, blood and DNA chart family history and imply a heritage, the knowledge of which may draw us closer to ...
Fresh skewers the modern dating scene. In the first sequence, Noa, played with lovelorn cynicism by Daisy Edgar-Jones, endures a dating app dinner with a toxic dope (Brett Dier). Within minutes, he of...
Spider is among Canadian director David Cronenberg’s most underseen, underrated, and yet sophisticated pieces of filmmaking. Released in 2002 and mostly overshadowed as of this writing, the film marks...
In The Worst Person in the World, Renate Reinsve plays Julie, the titular role. With only a few minor credits on her résumé, Reinsve gives a remarkable performance as a young Norwegian woman capable o...
