Romance Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Romance

Two people, a man and a woman, in a warehouse holding a gun.
Review

First Love

by Anton Bitel

A young romance blooms one wild night in Tokyo in direc­tor Takashi Miike’s high-ener­gy caper.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A young couple laughing happily together in a field, dressed casually in bright colours.
Review

Plus One

by Max Copeman

A pair of sin­gle­tons hatch a plan to get them through wed­ding sea­son in Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer’s spir­it­ed rom-com.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Three women in period costumes standing outdoors on a grassy pathway, with a brick building in the background.
Review

Little Women

by David Jenkins

Gre­ta Ger­wig deliv­ers one of the great mod­ern lit­er­ary adap­ta­tions with her sec­ond fea­ture as writer/​director.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
A young woman with long, red hair wearing a blue patterned dress sits amidst a field of flowers.
Review

Ophelia

by Maria Nae

Daisy Rid­ley stars in this bold but ulti­mate­ly con­fused melo­dra­mat­ic update of Shakespeare’s ​‘Ham­let’.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, standing in front of a Christmas tree with lights.
Review

Last Christmas

by Adam Woodward

This mis­judged yule­tide rom-com does a gross dis­ser­vice to George Michael’s musi­cal legacy.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
A woman wearing a vibrant, patterned scarf stands by a window, looking thoughtfully outside.
Review

Non-Fiction

by David Jenkins

Juli­ette Binoche is reunit­ed with writer/​director Olivi­er Assayas for this sharply observed satire of the pub­lish­ing industry.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, having a picnic on a chequered blanket in a park. They are surrounded by a wicker basket, thermos, and other picnic items.
Review

The Souvenir

by Hannah Strong

Joan­na Hogg explores her own mem­o­ries to cre­ate a frag­ile, fas­ci­nat­ing por­trait of romance in both bloom and decay.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, wearing sunglasses and standing together in a crowded urban setting, captured in a black and white photograph.
Review

Leto

by Iana Murray

A Leningrad rock star takes cen­tre stage in Kir­ill Serebrennikov’s Sovi­et-era tale of youth in revolt.

2
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, standing in a room with tiled flooring and walls covered in colourful posters and decor.
Review

Photograph

by David Jenkins

The romance between a street pho­tog­ra­ph­er and his unwill­ing sub­ject plays out in this low-key Hin­di charmer.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two women and a boy reading together outdoors, surrounded by greenery.
Review

Tell It to the Bees

by Ella Kemp

Anna Paquin and Hol­l­i­day Grainger star in Annabel Jankel’s emo­tion­al­ly-strained sap­ph­ic romance.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect