Features

Woman standing in a traditional Chinese room bathed in deep red light, surrounded by glowing lanterns and candles, with scattered items on the floor.

The colour of confinement in Raise the Red Lantern

by Angel Sun

Zhang Yimou’s 1996 drama utilises a spectrum of colours to reflect the domestic prison that a young woman finds herself in.

Long Read

TikTok Cinema: Inside AI Microdramas

by Yalda Kesh

As AI-generated dramas flood our screens, what does their extraordinary rise reveal about the future of storytelling and our insatiable appetite for content?

Illustrated portrait of an elderly man in a brown fedora and orange patterned shirt, set against a wavy orange and red halo on a brown background.

In Conversation

John Malkovich: ‘Good comedy is based on pain‘

by David Jenkins

The acting legend on channeling decades of personal passions into the role of a melancholy hitman in Wild Horse Nine.

Illustration of a moustachioed man holding a vintage film camera, wearing a brown shirt, against a wavy orange, yellow and brown retro background.

In Conversation

Sam Rockwell: ‘Really good actors are terrible liars‘

by Leila Latif

An alumnus of Martin McDonagh’s stage and screen work picks apart one of his funniest and most heartbreaking turns.

Illustrated portrait of a bearded man with white hair and blue eyes, wearing a red shirt, against a teal background with olive and amber silhouettes.

In Conversation

Martin McDonagh: ‘Avoidance of sentiment is always paramount‘

by Hannah Strong

Writing a follow-up to his beloved The Banshees of Inisherin was always going to be a tough task. Yet the playwright turned filmmaker has unearthed more cinema gold in his Easter Island-set CIA comedy Wild Horse Nine.

Two men on a bed with blue duvet — one sitting upright looking away, one lying back with hands behind head. Grey aerial map background.

In Praise Of

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands: Weekend at 15

by Emily Maskell

Andrew Haigh’s queer romance is made all the more special for taking place outside of the capital.

Three men rendered in teal/cyan tones against an orange-brown background, arranged in a collage-style composition at varying scales.

Acting Up

Pete Postlethwaite's Leaps of Faith

by Will Palmer

On the occasion of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and Mark Herman’s Brassed Off turning 30, we reflect on the late actor’s gritty integrity and steadfast dedication to what’s right.

Three women lit in pink-red tones against a purple background; one hugs a child, another holds a baby wrapped in a towel.

Small Screen

Carrie, Crystal Lake and the Price of Conformity

by Angelika May

As the wider shift towards conservative values champions increasingly restrictive ideals of femininity, how can the “monstrous feminine” transform female rage into rebellion?

Illustrated portrait of a man with dark curly hair and round brown glasses, light skin, slight smile, on a textured yellow background.

In Conversation

Lance Oppenheim: ‘The line between criminal enterprise and entertainment has become so fragile’

by Hannah Strong

With Primetime, the non-fiction specialist switches to drama for a discomforting exploration of a lurid US TV sensation.

Deep Cuts

The Macabre Convergence of FW Murnau's Art and Life

by Ryan Finnigan

On the centenary of his silent masterpiece and the release of ‘The Faust Bible’, we examine FW Murnau’s mastery of supernatural cinema and its lasting cultural impact.

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