Drama Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Drama

A young man wearing a white shirt and braces, reading a book while standing on a beach.
Review

Mr Burton review – elevated by a dynamic performance

by Lucy Peters

A gen­tle, fic­tion­alised for­ay into stage and screen leg­end Richard Burton’s Welsh childhood.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A close-up portrait of a young man with short brown hair, a thoughtful expression, and piercing blue eyes.
Review

Sebastian review – bland character study

by Marina Ashioti

A young, Lon­don-based writer begins a dou­ble life as a sex work­er in Mikko Mäkelä’s queer psy­cho­log­i­cal drama.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Family gathered around digital tablet, looking contemplative.
Review

Four Mothers review – canny crowd-pleaser

by Mike McCahill

Dar­ren Thorn­ton’s remake of Mid-August Lunch sees a nov­el­ist on the brink of break­ing out tasked with car­ing for his ail­ing moth­er and her friends.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A woman with dark hair and eyes, wearing a patterned blue and yellow blouse, sitting on cushions against a background of red and beige patterns.
Review

Last Swim review – fresh blood in British film!

by Rógan Graham

A‑Level results day gives way to a com­pelling look at late teen­hood in Sasha Nathani’s Lon­don-set debut feature.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person dressed in a long black cloak standing in a field, with a wooden building in the background.
Review

The Woman in the Yard review – forgettable ghostly horror

by Hannah Strong

A griev­ing fam­i­ly find them­selves with an unwant­ed house guest in the lat­est under­whelm­ing thriller from jour­ney­man direc­tor Jaume Collet-Serra.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Elderly woman tenderly caring for sleeping man, likely a relative, in a home setting.
Review

Misericordia review – Chabrol would have approved

by Thomas Dawson

Alain Guiraudie defies neat cat­e­gori­sa­tion with his shapeshift­ing eighth fea­ture about moral­i­ty, crime and queer desire.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two women working in a commercial kitchen, one woman serving a plate of food to the other.
Review

La Cocina review – powered by Raúl Briones’ manic performance

by Hannah Strong

Ten­sions flare between front of house and kitchen staff in Alon­so Ruiz­pala­cios’ Times Square restau­rant-set drama.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two elderly women walking along a gravel path through an autumnal woodland, carrying baskets.
Review

When Autumn Falls review – another year, another Ozon

by David Jenkins

This light­weight Chabro­lian coun­try dra­ma from François Ozon sees an elder­ly retiree with a com­plex past try­ing to do right by her family.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Woman with messy dark hair, wearing a blue top, standing against a yellow wall.
Review

Sister Midnight review – a droll, strange, cool freak of a film

by Anton Bitel

Karan Kandhari’s film about a mis­an­throp­ic new­ly­wed giv­ing into her fer­al impuls­es is an unpre­dictable, genre-bend­ing delight.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Young person standing in a cluttered bookshop, looking pensive.
Review

On Falling review – Solidly-made slice of Loachian miserablism

by David Jenkins

The dire lot of a low-paid fac­to­ry work­er is the sub­ject of this rig­or­ous if hard­ly rev­e­la­to­ry char­ac­ter study from debut direc­tor Lau­ra Carreira.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect