The Film Stage

NYFF Review: The Love That Remains is a Cathartic, Impressionistic Portrait of Love and Loss
||
Hlynur Pálmason’s fourth feature marks a soft, Malickian left turn for the man behind the icy-bleak dramas Winter Brothers, A White, White Day, and Godland. Up against the rest of Pálmason’s oeuvre––which weighs viewers down with a grave obstinance, whether...
continue reading
NYFF Review: Below the Clouds is a Delicate Look at Life Under Mount Vesuvius
||
With Mount Vesuvius looming over southwestern Italy’s idyllic region of Naples, both in history and imagery, one might reasonably think Gianfranco Rosi’s Below the Clouds is about the storied volcano, active and enormous. Yet the title announces Rosi’s focus clearly:...
continue reading
NYFF Review: The Currents is an Intimate Portrait of Fractured Identity
||
The Currents begins with a curious, impulsive act. Lina (Isabel Aimé González Sola) is being recognized for her work in Switzerland when, suddenly, she completely disassociates. She can’t absorb the applause or adulation. Lina walks out of the event and wanders...
continue reading
NYC Weekend Watch: The Unknown, João César Monteiro, Robert Downey Sr. & More
||
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings. Brooklyn Center for Theatre ResearchMy Dylan-scored cut of Tod Browning’s The Unknown has one more screening on Saturday. Museum of Modern ArtA complete João César Monteiro retrospective begins (watch our exclusive trailer...
continue reading
Charlie Kaufman and Eva H.D. on the Creative Freedom of Short Films, Unproduced Scripts, and Staying Challenged
||
From just his scripts alone, Charlie Kaufman is certainly one of the most distinctive voices in American cinema, be it Being John Malkovich or Adaptation. Ever since 2008’s Synecoche, New York, he’s turned to directing, realizing his visions of neurosis...
continue reading
BFI London Review: Left-Handed Girl is a Striking Drama Told Through a Child’s Eyes
||
The neon-lit alleyways of Taipei’s night markets have never looked quite so vivid as they do through a child’s eyes. Shot on an iPhone to emphasize the sheer wonderment of a five-year-old’s POV, where every mundane backstreet is filled with...
continue reading
NYFF Review: Scarlet Finds Mamoru Hosoda Simplistically Adapting a Timeless Tale
||
Across two decades of crafting animated features, director Mamoru Hosoda has made both intimate dramas like Wolf Children and high-concept films like the science-fiction spectacle Summer Wars. In 2019, his family fantasy Mirai was nominated for an Academy Award, becoming...
continue reading
New to Streaming: Mr. Scorsese, The Perfect Neighbor, and My Big Bold Beautiful Journey
||
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here. My Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Kogonada) If there’s a thread running through Kogonada’s films...
continue reading
The Mastermind Review: Kelly Reichardt Crafts a Low-Key, Bressonian Heist Drama
||
Note: This review was originally published as part of our 2025 Venice coverage. The Mastermind opens in theaters on October 17. For the second time in three years, Cannes’ competition ends with a film in which Josh O’Connor plays a...
continue reading
Frankenstein Review: Guillermo del Toro Crafts an Intricate World and Rhythmically Off-Kilter Adaptation
||
Note: This review was originally published as part of our 2025 Venice coverage. Frankenstein opens in theaters on October 17 and arrives on Netflix on November 7. In the rather niche academic field of monster studies, the common understanding of...
continue reading