Drama Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Drama

Two women in red and black outfits conversing, with a man in the background.
Review

Eileen review – an impressively crafted noir

by Katherine McLaughlin

A shy young prison guard devel­ops an infat­u­a­tion with her work­place’s new psy­chi­a­trist in William Oldroy­d’s twisty new thriller.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two men sitting at a bar, one wearing a green jacket and the other a red jacket, while a band plays on stage behind them.
Review

Fallen Leaves review – the Finnish legend returns

by David Jenkins

Anoth­er gor­geous tragi­com­ic farce from Finnish mae­stro Aki Kau­ris­mä­ki, a heart­felt cinephile ode to the pos­si­bil­i­ty of love among the work­ing classes.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people embracing on the ground, wearing dark clothing.
Review

Lost In The Night review – violent drama hampered by convention

by David Jenkins

Mex­i­can provo­ca­teur Amat Escalante makes a half-cocked bid for main­stream respectabil­i­ty in this intrigu­ing tale of a young man’s tor­rid search for his miss­ing mother.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Person in floral dress holding cake in ornate hallway.
Review

The Eternal Daughter review – double your Tilda, double your pleasure

by Catherine Bray

Til­da Swin­ton plays both moth­er and daugh­ter in Joan­na Hog­g’s eerie and effec­tive explo­ration of par­ent-child relationships.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A man relaxing in a wicker chair on a balcony, reading a book. The scene features stone walls and a rural landscape in the background.
Review

Saltburn review – gorgeous, lurid, shallow and frustrating

by Hannah Strong

A work­ing-class stu­dent finds him­self thrust into a new world in Emer­ald Fennell’s styl­ish but under­whelm­ing sec­ond feature.

4
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Woman in floral dress, armed soldier in background.
Review

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – lopsided prequel

by David Jenkins

Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth head up this ser­vice­able fran­chise pre­quel that dive­bombs into ignominy and obscu­ri­ty dur­ing its pro­tract­ed final act.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
Two young women wearing dresses, standing in front of a lake with a tree in the background.
Review

May December review – a frothy psychodrama with a lurid bite

by Hannah Strong

Todd Haynes’ deli­cious­ly dark melo­dra­ma sees Julianne Moore and Natal­ie Port­man go head-to-head as a house­wife and the woman tasked with play­ing her in a film.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person in a suit standing in a courtroom or similar formal setting.
Review

Anatomy of a Fall review – Sandra Hüller is one of the finest to ever do it

by David Jenkins

A woman has to stand tri­al after her hus­band dies in sus­pi­cious cir­cum­stances in Jus­tine Tri­et’s com­pelling court­room drama.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people, a woman with red hair and a man, conversing in a dimly lit room.
Review

Fingernails review – lightly effective despite a flawed premise

by David Jenkins

The bar­room love-tester is God in this gen­tle sci-fi com­e­dy with Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buck­ley as work­ing stiffs at a sci­en­tif­ic insti­tute for love.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A young woman with long, dark hair wearing a green, low-cut top stands in front of a pink, hazy background.
Review

How to Have Sex review – a striking, unsettling debut

by Hannah Strong

A group of teenage girls embark on a wild post-exam hol­i­day in Mol­ly Man­ning Walk­er’s evoca­tive fea­ture debut.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect