Drama Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Drama

Intense portrait of a young man with a serious expression, set against a dark green background.
Review

Monster

by Flora Spencer Grant

Kelvin Harrison Jr goes on trial in this well-intentioned but melodramatic look at America’s racist legal system.

2
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Man riding a tricycle in a skatepark ramp, wearing a black jacket.
Review

Apples

by Hannah Strong

This stylish first feature from Greek writer/​director Christos Nikou fails to build on its intriguing premise.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, sitting on the grass in a wooded area. The man has a beard and the woman is wearing a striped jumper. The background shows trees and shrubbery.
Review

Cowboys

by Cheyenne Bart-Stewart

Steve Zahn brings his usual laid-back charm to this homespun drama about a father and his trans son.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person's back facing a sunset, with a dark jacket and hood against the orange and yellow sky.
Review

Homeward

by David Jenkins

This brooding Ukrainian road movie shows major promise for its first-time director, Nariman Aliev.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A woman with long, dark hair wearing a red top, staring directly at the camera with a serious expression.
Review

Black Bear

by Ben Nicholson

Aubrey Plaza plays an indie filmmaker who seeks inspiration at a lake house retreat in this ambiguous slow-burner.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Woman in pink Hollywood t-shirt, neon green sunglasses, smiling at camera.
Review

I Blame Society

by Josh Slater-Williams

A filmmaker turns serial killer in this lively meta mockumentary from writer/​director Gillian Wallace Horvat.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Darkly lit face of a person, bathed in blue light, with visible smoke or mist around them.
Review

Sequin in a Blue Room

by David Jenkins

There’s a touch of Gregg Araki about this formally ambitious LGBT+ drama about sex in the digital age.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person on a white horse in a rural setting at sunset.
Review

Songs My Brothers Taught Me

by Ella Kemp

There’s poetry in the mundane at every turn in Chloé Zhao’s impressive debut feature from 2015.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A man seated at a table, wearing a white top, with a serious expression on his face.
Review

The Mauritanian

by David Jenkins

Kevin Macdonald’s based-on-a-true-story Guantanamo Bay drama too often loses its dramatic footing.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A person with curly red hair wearing a black jacket, standing in front of a busy, abstract background with various shapes and colours.
Review

Undine

by David Jenkins

Paula Beer plays a woman with a supernatural secret in this unconventional modern-day fairy tale.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect