Contributions from Rógan Graham | Little White Lies

Contributor Rógan Graham

A woman with dark hair and eyes, wearing a patterned blue and yellow blouse, sitting on cushions against a background of red and beige patterns.
Review

Last Swim review – fresh blood in British film!

by Rógan Graham

A‑Level results day gives way to a com­pelling look at late teen­hood in Sasha Nathani’s Lon­don-set debut feature.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Vibrant portrait in shades of red and orange, featuring a human face with curly hair and serious expression.
Interviews

Mati Diop: ‘We’re witnessing an awakening of consciousness’

by Rógan Graham

The mak­er of the remark­able prizewin­ning docu-essay hybrid, Dahomey, on the film’s urgent anti-colo­nial message.
Review

Blitz – A vital fragment of the Steve McQueen saga

by Rógan Graham

A moth­er and son reunion takes place on the bomb-shat­tered streets of World War Two-era Lon­don in this sweep­ing his­tor­i­cal melodrama.

5
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Assorted fabric, chairs, and stool in a market stall; blue and red elements create a visually striking composition.

Inside Atlas Cinema, the space democratising film exhibition

by Rógan Graham

Nes­tled beneath a rail­way arch in Brix­ton, a group of cura­tors and com­mu­ni­ty activists come togeth­er to share cin­e­ma free of pro­hib­i­tive tick­et prices and think beyond the con­straints of the British film industry.
Illustration of three masked individuals, with one wearing an orange and white mask. Stark colours and contrast, emphasising the masked figures.
Interviews

Kneecap: ‘There was no word for cocaine in Irish’

by Rógan Graham

Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Pró­vaí, bet­ter known as Kneecap, (plus direc­tor Rich Pep­pi­att) give the low­down on the cre­ation of their rau­cous qua­si-biopic, which cap­tures the for­ma­tion of their rap trio in Belfast and the ongo­ing fight to save the Irish language.
Two women standing on a balcony overlooking a cityscape, one wearing a dark blue top and the other wearing a black top.
Review

Bye Bye Tiberias review – gets under your skin and stays there

by Rógan Graham

Lina Soualem’s poignant new doc­u­men­tary traces the sto­ries of four gen­er­a­tions of Pales­tin­ian women in her family.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two men in casual clothing sitting on the grass next to a vintage motorcycle against a background of trees.
Review

The Bikeriders review – a slow but enveloping saga

by Rógan Graham

Jeff Nichols’ dra­ma based on Dan­ny Lyon’s pho­to­book about a 1960s Chica­go motor­cy­cle gang final­ly cruis­es into cinemas.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A woman with dark hair and a flower in it, wearing a black top, performing on stage.
Review

Back to Black review – a pointlessly cruel hash of Amy’s life

by Rógan Graham

This mis­er­able biopic claims to cel­e­brate the life and music of Amy Wine­house, but instead serves as a ghoul­ish encap­su­la­tion of every­thing wrong with the music indus­try and fame machine.

1
Anticipation
1
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
Cracked portrait of a Black man with a beard against an orange and blue background.
Interviews

Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares: ‘Gentrification is hard to dramatise’

by Rógan Graham

Old pals and cre­ative col­lab­o­ra­tors Daniel Kalu­uya and Kib­we Tavares team up to present their vision of a near future where Lon­don’s last social hous­ing estate stands up against the oppres­sive régime.
Two men, one riding a dark-coloured motorcycle, the other standing on the pavement, in front of a building with glass windows.
Review

The Kitchen review – vindicating and explosive

by Rógan Graham

Daniel Kalu­uya and Kib­we Tavares’ fea­ture debut is a kinet­ic, pre­scient thriller about gen­tri­fi­ca­tion and iso­la­tion in a near-future ver­sion of London.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Man wearing a black T-shirt in a room with framed artwork.
Not Movies

The bleak, blistering end of Bill Hader’s Barry

by Rógan Graham

The black com­e­dy series about a hit­man pur­su­ing an act­ing career end­ed with blood­shed and a damn­ing appraisal of the true crime indus­tri­al complex.
A curly-haired, dark-skinned woman wearing large hoop earrings against a pink and red background.
Interviews

Chinonye Chukwu: ‘I felt that the camera cannot be a voyeuristic lens’

by Rógan Graham

The direc­tor of Till speaks about the chal­lenges of por­tray­ing a trau­mat­ic piece of Amer­i­can Black his­to­ry on screen.