Contributions from Yasmine Kandil | Little White Lies

Contributor Yasmine Kandil

Young boy in a blue shirt sitting in a blue, glowing boat on a dark, shadowy lake, with a small white creature floating nearby.
Review

Elio review – a touching treaty on the search for belonging

by Yasmine Kandil

A socially awkward young boy discovers alien life in Pixar’s sweet new intergalactic adventure.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Black dragon-like creature with horns and green eyes resting on sandy ground.
Review

How To Train Your Dragon review – never quite catches the updraft needed to soar to uncharted heights

by Yasmine Kandil

Dreamworks’ first foray into the world of live-action remakes is fairly unremarkable despite occasional sparks of magic.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two men wearing sunglasses and red jackets seated in a car.
Festivals

Once Upon a Time in Gaza – first-look review

by Yasmine Kandil

Arab and Tarzan Nasser’s thriller transports us to 2007, where two friends running a drug dealing business out of a falafel cart soon come into conflict with a corrupt police officer.
Three young men in casual clothing, one smiling broadly, engaged in lively conversation.
Festivals

Météors – first-look review

by Yasmine Kandil

A reckless act of youthful troublemaking sends two best friends on a downward spiral in Hubert Charuel’s drama.
Two female characters in tropical setting, surrounded by palm trees and water.
Review

Moana 2 review – a tidal wave of joy on the big screen

by Yasmine Kandil

Although it doesn’t quite soar to the heights of the original, there’s a lot to enjoy in this delightful sequel.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people on a motorcycle, a man and a woman, riding along a rural road.
Festivals

Leurs Enfants Après Eux – first-look review

by Yasmine Kandil

A wayward teenager in a struggling French town comes of age and experiences first over in Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s stirring melodrama.
Two young women, one with blonde hair and the other with brown hair, posing together outdoors wearing casual clothing.
Festivals

Trois Amies – first-look review

by Yasmine Kandil

A group of friends navigate the intricacies of their relationship when one faces a devastating loss in Emmanuel Mouret’s meditation on the nature of love.
Woman's face partially obscured by branches in a lush, green forest.
Festivals

Good One – first-look review

by Yasmine Kandil

India Donaldson’s feature debut is a naturalistic portrait of the tensions between young women and their fathers as a teenager takes a hiking trip with her dad and his best friend.
Two individuals, a woman with red hair and a bearded man, sit in a dimly lit room with a framed artwork on the wall.
Review

Memory review – a frustratingly shallow character study

by Yasmine Kandil

Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard star in Michel Franco’s dour drama about high school classmates who unexpectedly reunite amid painful circumstances.

2
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A woman with long red hair wearing a green jacket, standing in a forested area.
Festivals

Memory – first-look review

by Yasmine Kandil

Michel Franco’s drama about the chokehold of the past boasts star power in Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, but never quite delivers on its emotional premise.