Contributions from Matthew Eng | Little White Lies

Contributor Matthew Eng

Elderly man with long grey beard wearing a red and black checked shirt and black hat, sitting in a cluttered workshop or shed.
Review

Peter and the Farm

by Matthew Eng

This warts and all doc casts a light on a tru­ly com­pelling char­ac­ter: a rag­ing, binge-drink­ing, eco-con­scious farmer.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A man wearing a hat and holding a camera in a natural setting.
Festivals

The Lost City of Z – first look review

by Matthew Eng

James Gray returns with a decep­tive­ly tra­di­tion­al and won­drous­ly trans­portive cin­e­mat­ic odyssey.
Three Asian individuals, two women and one man, standing in a hallway lined with metal lockers.
Review

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

by Matthew Eng

Steve James cap­tures an upset­ting instance of Amer­i­can insti­tu­tion­al oppres­sion in com­pelling fashion.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Man with beard in a body of water, wearing an expression of contemplation.
Festivals

The Ornithologist – first look review

by Matthew Eng

But­ton-push­ing auteur João Pedro Rodrigues returns with a work of tan­ta­lis­ing, twisty spirituality.
Two people of colour embracing outdoors, a woman in a pink top and a man in a yellow top.
Review

Southside with You

by Matthew Eng

Barack and Michelle Obama’s fat­ed first date is retraced in this mod­est roman­tic dra­ma from writer/​director Richard Tanne.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Three adults, two men and one woman, standing in a formal setting. The man in the centre wears a dark suit and tie, while the other two people are also dressed formally.
Review

The Lovers and the Despot

by Matthew Eng

Two film­mak­ers are forced to work for Kim Jong-il in this utter­ly bizarre true story.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A large yellow school bus parked on a grassy area, with a child running towards it.
Review

Newtown

by Matthew Eng

An emo­tion­al, vital account of the trag­ic 2012 mass shoot­ing from doc­u­men­tary mak­er Kim A Snyder.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A bearded man wearing a black hat and brown jacket, standing in a grassy field.
Review

Men Go to Battle

by Matthew Eng

Zachary Treitz’s lo-fi Civ­il War com­e­dy offers an admirable, inven­tive take on a stodgy subgenre.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two Asian people sitting on a wooden bench in a dimly lit room, woman wearing a scarf and man wearing a jacket.
Review

Right Now, Wrong Then

by Matthew Eng

The lat­est from South Korea’s Hong Sang-soo is a romance so love­ly it needs to be told twice.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Scholarly man in a library, pensive expression, surrounded by rows of books on shelves.

Is this the most disturbing film ever made about Orthodox Judaism?

by Matthew Eng

Israeli dra­ma Tikkun rais­es vital ques­tions about the rela­tion­ship between faith and family.