Contributor Sophie Monks Kaufman

Mural of a large grey goat on a wall, with two people sitting in front of it.
Review

Faces Places

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Agnès Varda hits the road with French photographer and muralist JR in this singularly charming social document.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Serious-looking person with short, dark hair wearing a black leather jacket.
Festivals

Destroyer – first look review

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

A committed Nicole Kidman slums it in this by-the-book detective noir from director Karyn Kusama.
Man holding child in front of colourful fairground rides at night.
Review

A Northern Soul

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Sean McAllister’s documentary is a welcome antidote to the many grim representations of the poor.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Man with a beard playing guitar, accompanied by a woman, in a car.
Review

The King

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Eugene Jarecki’s Elvis-inspired road movie doubles as a eulogy for the American Dream.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Young woman in long brown dress, sitting on a gravestone and reading a book.
Review

Mary Shelley

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Elle Fanning’s central performance aside, there’s little to stir the blood in this biopic from Wadjda director Haifaa Al-Mansour.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A woman with dark curly hair and a pensive expression, wearing a white lace-trimmed blouse and lying on a velvet sofa.
Review

The Happy Prince

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Rupert Everett hams it up in this uneven biopic about the final years of Oscar Wilde.

4
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Smiling woman wearing a red-spotted dress
Review

That Summer

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

This evocative prequel-of-sorts to the seminal documentary Grey Gardens is well worth a look.

2
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two young children, a boy and a girl, seated on a wooden crate against a dilapidated wall. The boy has dark curly hair and is wearing a blue jacket, while the girl has straight hair and is dressed in a striped top and trousers.
Festivals

Capernaum – first look review

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Nadine Labaki’s Lebanon-set fable reveals the everyday heartbreak of child poverty.
A man in a navy jumper intently examining a miniature architectural model on a table.
Festivals

The House That Jack Built – first look review

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Lars von Trier, provocateur at large, returns to the fray with a mad, bad and dangerous serial killer opus.
Person in red coat and another person in the background on rocky terrain.
Festivals

Happy as Lazzaro – first look review

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Alice Rohrwacher brings a touch of rustic magical realism to Cannes with an enigmatic film about a young Italian farmhand.

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