The Film Stage

Filipino writer, director, editor, production designer, and cinematographer Lav Diaz is over 25 features deep into a three-decade-long career, and he continues to one-up himself. With Magellan––a biopic that couldn’t be less biopic, and one of the year’s greatest surprises––he...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2025, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists. In a year where my favorite films are dominated by international and independent features, I cannot deny...

Christian Petzold’s Miroirs No. 3 will arrive stateside via 1-2 Special nearly a year since its Cannes debut. Which might be the minimum length of time needed to unpack this film, perhaps the German master’s most perplexing and withholding yet....

In Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, a father tries to reconnect with his estranged daughters through a film he wants to make. Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), a noted director, returns to Oslo after the death of his wife. His daughters Nora (Renate...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2025, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists. To exemplify my year in one horrific-turned-hilarious example: I broke my hand in a moped accident on...

One of the most revelatory retrospectives I had the opportunity to experience was dedicated to Luchino Visconti, taking place back in 2018 at Film at Lincoln Center. Across 14 features, his filmography begs to be experienced on the big screen,...

After breaking out with the impressive directorial debut Pig, Michael Sarnoski dabbled in franchise filmmaking with A Quiet Place: Day One, and now he’s returning this year with a new take on Robin Hood. Starring Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer, Bill...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2025, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists. Each year in my annual top ten I attempt to diagnose global trends in cinema and, as...

Celebrating his 86th birthday a few months back, Marco Bellocchio is one of Italy’s most accomplished directors and the rare filmmaker who has stayed quite prolific in his late career. Following Kidnapped, he’s now returning with Portobello, a six-hour, six-part...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2025, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists. Like many who will be reading this, 2025 was a… let’s say tumultuous year for me. The...