Drama Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Drama

Two young men sleeping, their arms wrapped around each other, partially covered by a blanket.
Review

Lie with Me review – a spiralling queer portrait of ardent memory

by Emily Maskell

A suc­cess­ful author returns to his home­town, only to unlock mem­o­ries of a clan­des­tine love affair in Olivi­er Pey­on’s adap­ta­tion of Phillippe Besson’s crit­i­cal­ly-acclaimed autofiction.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people sitting on concrete steps, a man and a woman, wearing casual clothing.
Review

L’Immensità review – infuriating hash of sentimentality

by David Jenkins

Pené­lope Cruz is in glam­orous ​’70s matri­arch mode in this patchy Ital­ian fam­i­ly saga which tries to deal with themes it doesn’t ful­ly understand.

4
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Four individuals wearing robes and headpieces in a dimly lit room with a decorative curtain and framed artwork.
Review

Haunted Mansion review – feels more like a product than a story

by Leila Latif

Justin Simien attempts to breathe life into Dis­ney’s lat­est ride-based fran­chise starter, but despite a fine cast the results are a lit­tle scattered.

2
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Illuminated Eiffel Tower at night with person riding motorcycle on road in foreground.
Review

Paris Memories review – a poignant mediation on personal trauma

by Hannah Strong

Alice Winocour draws on her brother’s expe­ri­ences of the 2015 Bat­a­clan attack to cre­ate a dra­ma about recov­er­ing from trauma.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Woman seated at bar, contemplating with glass of wine in hand, atmospheric lighting creates warm, intimate mood.
Review

You Hurt My Feelings review – slight but charming marital comedy

by Hannah Strong

Nicole Holofcener reteams with Julia Louis-Drey­fus for a gen­tle com­e­dy about a writer who dis­cov­ers her hus­band does­n’t like her work.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people sitting in a vehicle on a beach at sunset, one wearing a patterned scarf and sunglasses, the other looking out the window.
Review

The Damned Don’t Cry

by Marina Ashioti

Fyzal Boulifa’s sec­ond fea­ture bears wit­ness to the the dys­func­tion­al bond between a moth­er-son duo as they drift through urban Morocco.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A woman in glasses and a black coat, standing amidst a group of people wearing white and red uniforms.
Review

La Syndicaliste

by Lillian Crawford

Isabelle Hup­pert stars as the head union rep­re­sen­ta­tive of a multi­na­tion­al nuclear pow­er com­pa­ny in Jean-Paul Salomé’s cor­po­rate drama.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A group of three Black children sitting on a bus, looking out of the window. The children appear to be engaged in conversation.
Review

Mother and Son

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Annabelle Lengronne gives an excel­lent per­for­mance as a sin­gle immi­grant moth­er fight­ing for sur­vival in Léonor Serraille’s sec­ond feature.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Woman in blue boxing gloves in fighting stance on boxing ring.
Review

Small, Slow but Steady

by Josh Slater-Williams

A young hear­ing impaired box­er finds her hopes of going pro under threat due to the Covid-19 pan­dem­ic in Shô Miyake’s loose adap­ta­tion of Keiko Oga­sawara’s autobiography.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Close-up of a person with dark, windswept hair and intense expression, conveying a sense of emotion or distress.
Review

Stars at Noon

by Jourdain Searles

Claire Denis adapts Denis Johnson’s 1986 nov­el about love in a time of rev­o­lu­tion, with fas­ci­nat­ing results.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect