Contributor Leila Latif

Woman in a blue headscarf and floral dress standing near the sea.
Festivals

After Love – first-look review

by Leila Latif

Joanna Scanlan plays a Muslim convert who discovers a secret about her husband in Aleem Khan’s moving drama.
Silhouette of person with dreadlocks facing water at sunset
Festivals

African Apocalypse and the painful legacy of ‘Heart of Darkness’

by Leila Latif

A new documentary gives a voice to the silenced natives in Joseph Conrad’s colonialist novel.
Two individuals, a woman with long dark hair and a man with blonde hair, standing together in a dimly lit room near a window.
Review

Body of Water

by Leila Latif

Lucy Brydon’s bold debut charts a woman’s struggle to rebuild her life while in recovery from an eating disorder.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Colourful illustration featuring three intricate, stylised faces with patterns of curving lines and shapes in shades of red, orange, and yellow.
Interviews

Riz Ahmed and Bassam Tariq on the personal journey of Mogul Mowgli

by Leila Latif

The actor and director discuss the shared experiences that inspired their bittersweet love letter to their spiritual home.
Young woman with dark hair wearing headphones, smiling at the camera.
Review

I Am Woman

by Leila Latif

Pop music and women’s liberation come to the fore in director Unjoo Moon’s slight biopic of Helen Reddy.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Young Asian woman in a red robe, holding a sword, with wind-swept dark hair.
Review

Mulan

by Leila Latif

Disney’s live action remake ditches the kitsch and catchy songs – and is arguably weaker for it.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A group of people wearing backpacks and hiking gear walking through a grassy field at sunset.
Review

Da 5 Bloods

by Leila Latif

Spike Lee tackles black trauma, white saviourism and the ingloriousness of war in this searing Vietnam epic.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a man in a grey suit and a woman in a white blouse, standing in an elevator.
Women In Film

A take-down of movies about nice guys who pester women

by Leila Latif

Exploring the rich and disturbing cinematic history of benign stalking. Whoever said nice guys finish last?
Man in a dark suit sitting in a dimly lit room, gazing thoughtfully.
Not Movies

Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone is a worthy successor to Rod Serling’s original

by Leila Latif

The Get Out and Us director has delivered a fresh set of sci-fi nightmares.
A woman with long hair screaming in fear, her mouth wide open and eyes tightly shut.
Women In Film

Mommie Dearest: The changing face of maternal horror cinema

by Leila Latif

A Quiet Place and Hereditary are the latest films to challenge idealised notions of motherhood.

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