Contributions from Anton Bitel | Little White Lies

Contributor Anton Bitel

A person lying on the ground with their eyes closed, their long hair spread out on the floor.
Review

Saint Maud

by Anton Bitel

A pious young nurse experiences an extreme crisis of faith in writer/​director Rose Glass’ arresting psychodrama.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Image shows a young Asian person wearing a dark suit and tie, with a small rectangular object on their forehead.
Home Ents

Discover this gentle Japanese drama about an eccentric family

by Anton Bitel

The Taste of Tea marks an intriguing departure from director Katsuhito Ishii’s earlier Tarantino-esque capers.
Image shows a person lying on colourful, patterned bedding. Their face is visible but their identity is not discernible.
Home Ents

Discover this anarchic ’90s portrait of youthful despair

by Anton Bitel

Director Fruit Chan’s 1997 indie Made in Hong Kong captures a group of characters – and a city – in transition.
Woman in a yellow hooded jumper carrying a metal pot, with a man in a black jacket walking behind her in a hospital corridor.
Review

Barking Dogs Never Bite

by Anton Bitel

Bong Joon-ho’s wryly funny social commentary is released for the first time in the UK courtesy of Curzon.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Man in dark coat standing near a burning fire in a mountainous landscape.
Home Ents

Discover this era-spanning yakuza epic and its contemporary remake

by Anton Bitel

Kinji Fukasaku’s Graveyard of Honor and Takashi Miike’s 2002 update redefined the postwar Japanese gangster flick.
Person peeking out from blue tent in grassy field.
Review

Koko-di Koko-da

by Anton Bitel

A grieving couple embark on a camping trip in writer/​director Johannes Nyholm’s folkloric psychological horror.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Close-up portrait of a man smiling widely, displaying prominent teeth. Dramatic black and white image.
Home Ents

How The Man Who Laughs redefined early horror cinema

by Anton Bitel

Paul Leni’s 1928 chiller, starring Conrad Veidt as a grinning carnival performer, is one of the most important films of the late silent era.
Bald man in red robe, helmeted figure in black armour.
Home Ents

Why Flash Gordon remains a singularly joyous comic book adaptation

by Anton Bitel

With its camp aesthetic and winking humour, Mike Hodges’ swash-buckling space romp is undeniably a product of its time.
Two people with long dark hair, faces partially obscured, in front of blurred lights.
Review

Make Up

by Anton Bitel

A Cornish caravan park provides the backdrop to a young woman’s sexual (re)awakening in Claire Oakley’s impressive debut.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two individuals wearing black clothing, one male and one female, standing close together against a backdrop of a blurred scene.
Home Ents

Why The Game remains David Fincher’s trickiest thriller

by Anton Bitel

The director’s 1997 film contains a sly parody of the capitalist ideals underpinning the American Dream.