Contributions from Rafa Sales Ross | Little White Lies

Contributor Rafa Sales Ross

Two people, a young man and woman, with serious expressions, looking intently at each other.
Review

Romería review – beautifully captures the intricate fabric of familial relationships

by Rafa Sales Ross

Catalan filmmaker Carla Simón delivers another heartfelt exploration on the joys and pains of extended family.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Review

Rose of Nevada review – a gorgeous Cornish time-travel yarn

by Rafa Sales Ross

Mark Jenkin’s third feature film, starring George MacKay and Callum Turner as fishermen whose lives go awry, is a moving tale of personal versus communal sacrifice.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Man in dark suit speaking on phone in formal interior setting, with blurred figure in background.
Review

The Wizard of the Kremlin review – ludicrous and self-aware, with Jude Law as young Putin

by Rafa Sales Ross

Olivier Assayas’ mad and maddening take on the mastermind behind Putin never quite lands a proper punch.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A man with a beard wearing a white shirt and holding a red telephone in front of a wall covered with old newspaper clippings.
Review

The Secret Agent review – Mendonça Filho’s most refined, outright-auteurist work yet

by Rafa Sales Ross

An undercover agent discovers he can’t escape his troubled past in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s gripping new drama about the height of Brazil’s military dictatorship.

5
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Man in striped shirt speaking on mobile phone, looking distressed with bloodstains on white vest, ornate building visible through window.
Review

Ballad of a Small Player review – a wispy, neon-hued gambling drama

by Rafa Sales Ross

Colin Farrell dons a pencil moustache as a down-and-out in Macao frittering away his money in the local casinos.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Black and white aerial view of urban sprawl with mountain silhouette in distance under dramatic cloudy sky.
Venice Film Festival

Below The Clouds – first-look review

by Rafa Sales Ross

Gianfranco Rosi’s study of Italy’s legendary Mount Vesuvius is a beautiful but occasionally stagnant portrait of life near an active volcano.
Man in dark suit speaking on phone in formal interior setting, with blurred figure in background.
Venice Film Festival

The Wizard of the Kremlin – first-look review

by Rafa Sales Ross

Olivier Assayas’ mad and maddening take on the mastermind behind Putin never quite lands a proper punch.
Two men walking outdoors, one in dark leather jacket carrying clothing, other in green jacket and pink cap, mountains in background.
Venice Film Festival

Rose of Nevada – first-look review

by Rafa Sales Ross

Mark Jenkin’s third feature film, starring George MacKay and Callum Turner as fishermen whose lives go awry, is a moving tale of personal versus communal sacrifice.
Festivals

The Wave – first-look review

by Rafa Sales Ross

Sebastián Lelio’s musical take on Chile’s MeToo movement is a misjudged gum-smacking mess.
Festivals

Romería – first-look review

by Rafa Sales Ross

This semiautobiographical drama from Golden Bear-winner Carla Simón makes for a heartfelt exploration on the joys and pains of extended family.

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