If there’s a filmmaking style that truly embodies the magic of cinema, it’s stop-motion animation. Every frame matters when creating the illusion of motion: puppets, plasticine figures, and everyday objects are subtly repositioned between thousands of individual photographs. Those images, stitched together, bring inanimate things to life and tell moving stories. The technique is painstaking … Read more
The Quiet Girl / An Cailín Ciúin (2022) Director: Colm Bairéad Screenwriter: Colm Bairéad Starring: Catherine Clinch, Carrie Crowley, Andrew Bennett, Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Michael Patric, Joan Sheehy Quiet and unassuming, Colm Bairéad’s film The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin) quietly earned international recognition, including numerous nominations at the Irish Film & Television Awards and … Read more
Andrea Riseborough possesses a commanding presence that seizes attention whenever she appears on screen. Her performances consistently defy expectations, and she resists being pigeonholed into any single type of role. With a versatile approach to character work, Riseborough continually reinvents herself, delivering performances that are quietly intense, emotionally complex, and often unsettling in the most … Read more
Triangle of Sadness (2022)Director: Ruben ÖstlundScreenwriter: Ruben ÖstlundStarring: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Woody Harrelson, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Buric, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness arrived during a season when satire aimed squarely at wealth, privilege and the absurdities of modern capitalism was especially visible. The film joins a wave … Read more
God’s Creatures (2022)Directors: Saela Davis, Anna Rose HolmerScreenwriter: Shane CrowleyStarring: Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Aisling Franciosi In recent years, Irish cinema has produced an impressive run of films and television that have captured international attention. From acclaimed performances and awards recognition to distinctive storytelling and powerful visuals, the Republic of Ireland has become a fertile … Read more
Girl (2023)Director: Adura OnashileScreenwriter: Adura OnashileStarring: Déborah Lukumuena, Le’Shantey Bonsu, Liana Turner, Danny Sapani Adura Onashile’s debut feature, Girl, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and later opened the 2023 Glasgow Film Festival. Set in Glasgow, where the film had its UK premiere, Girl centers on Grace (Déborah Lukumuena), a migrant mother living with severe … Read more
Cinephiles sometimes lament the decline of theatrical cinema as more films are produced primarily for streaming platforms and mass-market consumption. Yet every year a number of filmmakers defy that trend, preserving the idea of film as an art form. Among today’s younger auteurs, one director stands out for his consistent talent and devotion to cinema. … Read more
Call Me Chihiro (2023)Director: Rikiya ImaizumiScreenwriters: Rikiya Imaizumi, Kaori SawaiStarring: Kasumi Arimura, Lily Franky, Jun Fubuki, Hana Toyoshima, Tetta Shimada Rikiya Imaizumi’s 2023 Netflix original, Call Me Chihiro, adapts Hiyoyuki Yasuda’s manga into a contemplative chamber piece about reinvention, loneliness, and the fragile bonds we form to survive. Kasumi Arimura plays Chihiro, a woman who … Read more
Cocaine Bear (2023)Director: Elizabeth BanksScreenwriters: Jimmy WardenStarring: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Ray Liotta In 1985, Andrew C. Thornton II — once a narcotics officer and later involved in drug trafficking — piloted a plane carrying a large shipment of cocaine across the southeastern United States. During that flight, … Read more
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022)Directors: Peter Baynton, Charlie MackesyScreenwriters: Charlie Mackesy, Jon CrokerStarring: Jude Coward Nicoll, Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne The BBC and Apple TV+ animated short film The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse adapts Charlie Mackesy’s bestselling illustrated book into a gentle, hand-drawn cinematic … Read more
