Drama Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Drama

Two young women cuddling on a sofa, one woman resting her head on the other's shoulder. The women are wearing casual clothing in warm tones of grey and burgundy.
Review

His Three Daughters review – fires on all pistons

by David Jenkins

Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen play estranged sisters reuniting to care for their ailing father in Azazel Jacobs’ affecting chamber drama.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people in red jackets riding a motorcycle together against a cloudy sky.
Review

Girls Will Be Girls review – sympathetic to teendom

by Natasha Jagger

Shuchi Talati’s sensitive Sundance sensation focuses on a teenage girl in North India who experiences first love amid clashing with her mother.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people seated at a wooden table in a cosy, dimly lit room. Warm-toned walls, shelves, and decor visible in the background.
Review

My Favourite Cake review – a charming slice-of-life film

by Fatima Sheriff

An elderly woman discovers romance again in Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s touching dramedy.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A smiling man with a beard wearing a red and black checked shirt, looking through a wooden doorway.
Review

Speak No Evil review – an effective game of cat and mouse

by David Jenkins

James McAvoy is a blast as the overly-friendly patriarch who invites unwitting tourists back to his west country stack for fun and games.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Portrait of a man with a serious expression, his face illuminated by dim light against a dark background.
Review

In Camera review – a star is born in Nabhaan Rizwan

by Hannah Strong

Naqqash Khalid’s inventive feature debut is a spiky take on navigating the British film industry as a non-white actor.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people in a cluttered room, one gesturing while the other appears on a TV screen.
Review

The Queen Of My Dreams review – exceptionally pleasant

by Grace Dodd

Fawzia Mirza’s joyful, Bollywood-inspired debut feature explores a tumultuous mother-daughter relationship.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Person blowing out candles on birthday cake in a kitchen setting.
Festivals

The End – first-look review

by Mark Asch

Joshua Oppenheimer returns with an ambitious, post-apocalyptic musical whose thematic flights of fancy are always just a little too strident.

2
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Young Black man sitting on kerb outside building, looking thoughtful
Review

Rebel Ridge review – Aaron Pierre delivers the goods and then some

by Kambole Campbell

Jeremy Saulnier returns with a flinty, restrained crime-conspiracy thriller exploring small town police corruption and the one guy who they should never have messed with.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A man with long brown hair lying on the rocky ground, looking pensive. Muted tones of grey, brown, and black dominate the image.
Review

Starve Acre review – all texture and no teeth

by Michael Leader

Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark play a couple who move to an isolated Yorkshire Dales estate in Daniel Kokotajlo’s folk horror.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Three children sitting on a pavement near a grassy area, one girl with curly hair and two boys, one wearing a patterned shirt.
Review

Paradise is Burning review – chaotic and wonderfully tense

by Grace Dodd

Rage, tenderness and no small amount of laughter combine in this nuanced portrayal of the Swedish working-class from writer/​director Mika Gustafson.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect