Drama Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Drama

Two people, a man and a woman, conversing in an autumn park setting with colourful foliage.
Review

By the Stream review – burrows under your skin

by David Jenkins

Kore­an direc­tor Hong Sang-soo returns with this play­ful study of cre­ation, per­for­mance and why films don’t need audi­ences to be successful.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Diverse group of people in 1970s attire gathered in a crowded indoor setting.
Review

Saturday Night review – unappealing nepo baby triumphalism

by Mark Asch

Jason Reit­man pans back to 1975 and Lorne Michaels’ ambi­tious plans for a live broad­cast sketch show in his fan­fic­tion retelling of SNL’s inception.

2
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
A serious-looking Black woman with braided hair, wearing a green jacket, speaking on a mobile phone.
Review

Hard Truths review – incredible in small, measured strokes

by Mark Asch

Reunit­ing with Mar­i­anne Jean-Bap­tiste, Mike Leigh makes a wel­come return to con­tem­po­rary film­mak­ing with a sear­ing por­trait of a woman on the brink.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
A young woman in a red hooded top stands in a dimly lit room, with blurred figures in the background.
Review

Presence review – an enjoyably swift chiller

by Manuela Lazic

Steven Soder­bergh plays with the cin­e­mat­ic form to craft a com­pelling sto­ry about fam­i­ly dynam­ics and grief.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A man in a checked shirt sitting on the grass, writing in a notebook under a tree in a lush, green garden.
Review

The Brutalist review – gorgeous, capital-C Cinema

by Hannah Strong

Adrien Brody is phe­nom­e­nal in Brady Cor­bet’s sub­lime three-and-a-half hour dra­ma, as a Jew­ish archi­tect arrives in post-war Amer­i­ca to a hos­tile new world.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two people embracing in a cosy room filled with furniture and decor.
Review

Here review – a forgiving and open mind is required for this one

by David Jenkins

This con­cep­tu­al­ly-intrigu­ing fol­ly sees Robert Zemeck­is reteam­ing with Tom Han­ks for an effects-dri­ven every­man tale that nev­er gets off the ground.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A person sleeping peacefully in a dimly lit bedroom, surrounded by a wooden headboard and delicate floral branches.
Review

Emmanuelle review – anticlimactic and unerotic

by David Jenkins

Audrey Diwan’s cold take on the infa­mous erot­ic soft­core French nov­el leaves a bit too much to be desired.

4
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A group of people seated around a table, eating a meal together in a dimly lit room with a window overlooking a garden.
Review

Vermiglio review – a hushed yet effectively emotive drama

by Natasha Jagger

Set in 1944, Mau­ra Delpero’s Ital­ian dra­ma presents a com­plex famil­ial por­trait against the back­drop of a remote Alpine village.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and fur-trimmed coat, gazing pensively.
Review

Maria review – a tender eulogy for a remarkable talent

by Hannah Strong

Angeli­na Jolie has nev­er been bet­ter as the leg­endary opera singer Maria Callas, cap­tured in the final week of her life by Pablo Lar­raín’s ele­gant bio­graph­i­cal drama.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Black-and-white crowd scene, people wearing hats, one woman's face in the centre.
Review

The Girl With The Needle review – politically pertinent Gothic horror story

by David Jenkins

Mag­nus von Horn brings sub­tle­ty and empa­thy to the ser­i­al killer genre in this extra­or­di­nary true-life yarn.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect