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.

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