Documentary Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Documentary

Two people taking a selfie in front of a "Welcome to Texas" sign.
Review

Will & Harper – a charming but impersonal road trip movie

by Juan Barquin

Will Fer­rell and his best friend Harp­er Steele embark on a cross-coun­try road trip, reflect­ing on Steele’s expe­ri­ences as a recent­ly out trans woman, in Josh Green­baum’s mean­der­ing but sweet documentary.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Bearded man in colourful clothing holding a framed painting in a wooded area.
Review

Clandestina review – fails to do Tengarrinha’s story justice

by Maes Kerr

Maria Mire directs this inno­v­a­tive doc­u­men­tary about Mar­gari­da Ten­gar­rin­ha, a mem­ber of the Por­tuguese Com­mu­nist Par­ty dur­ing António de Oliveira Salazar’s premiership.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Large satellite dishes and several men in traditional Afghan clothing standing in a barren outdoor setting.
Review

Hollywoodgate review – a fascinating, chilling, if limited study

by David Jenkins

An aban­doned CIA base in Kab­ul becomes a play­ground for the resur­gent Tal­iban in Ibrahim Nash’at’s intrigu­ing piece of doc­u­men­tary reportage.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two men talking by the ocean, one wearing a green jacket and the other a blue plaid shirt and cap.
Review

blur: To The End review – flails for a sense of narrative closure

by Callie Petch

The lat­est doc­u­men­tary about the Brit­pop come­back kings sad­ly does­n’t reveal much that we did­n’t already know from pre­vi­ous film outings.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two individuals, a man wearing sunglasses and a boy with a ruffled collar, in an indoor setting.
Review

Orlando, My Political Biography review – a dive into the collective trans consciousness

by Esmé Holden

Span­ish philoso­pher Paul B Pre­ci­a­do makes his fea­ture doc­u­men­tary debut with an inno­v­a­tive homage to Vir­ginia Woolf’s sem­i­nal 1928 novel.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
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
Group of people gathered around antique camera equipment in dark room
Review

Made In England: The Films Of Powell & Pressburger review – a delicious whirlwind tour

by David Jenkins

A rous­ing per­son­al jour­ney with Mar­tin Scors­ese through the films made under the icon­ic ban­ner of The Archers.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person with pink hair making a silly face while holding a hamburger, wearing a T-shirt with cartoon images.
Review

Fantastic Machine review – there’s way too much going on here

by Savina Petkova

Max­im­i­lien Van Aertryck and Axel Daniel­son set out to inves­ti­gate the impli­ca­tions of the cam­era, from its inven­tion to the present day, with mixed results.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Greyscale portrait of an elderly man wearing glasses, with a serious expression.
Review

Opus review – gorgeous document of a supreme artist

by Xuanlin Tham

Neo Sora cre­ates a beau­ti­ful por­trait of his late father, filmed just before he passed away from can­cer in 2023.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
High-rise buildings in the background, with a person standing in a grassy field in the foreground.
Review

The Last Year of Darkness review – a wild ride through Chengdu’s queer scene

by Katherine McLaughlin

Ben Mullinkos­son cap­tures the agony and the ecsta­sy of Chi­nese club kids in this ode to one of Cheng­du’s under­ground queer spaces.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect