Documentary

One to One: John & Yoko review – another day, another Beatle doc

By Michael Leader

Macdonald and Rice-Edwards immerse in the famous power couple’s lives in NY, but this estate-approved doc struggles to deliver intriguing insight.

review

The Stimming Pool review – a unique, enchanting experience

By Alex Hopkins-McQuillan

The Neurocultures Collective and Steven Eastwood present a world perceived through autism in this wonderfully experimental, hybrid endeavour.

review LWLies Recommends

Dig! XX review – the original version is still the best

By David Jenkins

Ondi Timoner revisits her classic 2004 rock doc with an extended version that doesn’t add much to the greatness of the original.

review

Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other review – a portrait of love and resilience

By Marina Ashioti

The beautiful, complex bond between acclaimed photographer Joel Meyerowitz and writer/artist Maggie Barrett is the subject of this artful doc.

review

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found review – a vital piece of cine-portraiture

By Lucy Peters

Filmmaker Raoul Peck unearths the searing social realist photographs of an artist whose work was thought to be lost.

review LWLies Recommends

I Am Martin Parr review – a one-sided artist portrait

By David Jenkins

An unapologetic hagiography of the famed British photographer whose work chronicles working class leisure time.

review

Architecton review – taps into the short-order nature of modern construction

By David Jenkins

Viktor Kossakovsky takes us on a journey through the concrete and stone that makes up much of our modern world.

review

Merchant Ivory review – an affectionate yet shallow biodoc

By Marina Ashioti

Stephen Soucy delves into the creative and personal partnership of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory which produced some of Britain's greatest literary adaptations.

review

Favoriten review – a moving exploration into the artistic potential of children

By Jordan Cronk

Over three years, Ruth Beckermann documents school life in a multicultural working class district of Vienna.

review LWLies Recommends

Grand Theft Hamlet review – all the world’s a stage

By Marina Ashioti

A production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in online world of Grand Theft Auto became these two actors’ answer to the pandemic’s enforced lockdowns.

review

The Contestant review – discomforting and totally immersive

By Barney Nuttall

Clair Titley's doc tells the outrageous story of a Japanese man who was left naked and trapped in a room for over a year, unwittingly becoming a reality TV star.

review

Witches review – leaves you wowed, wounded and educated

By David Jenkins

This vital and deeply personal essay doc carefully dissects and dismantles age-old representations of witches.

review

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat review – a sprawling geopolitical tapestry

By Phil Concannon

Johan Grimonprez's documentary explores the circumstances that led two American jazz musicians to crash the UN Security Council in protest against the murder of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba.

review

No Other Land review – a microcosm of Palestinian resistance

By Fatima Sheriff

Calling for a free Palestine, this vital doc chronicles the resilience of the Masafer Yatta community and the occupation’s atrocities in the West Bank.

review

Dahomey review – a blueprint for anti-colonialist action

By David Jenkins

Mati Diop offers a creative and moving guide to discussing anti-colonialist action in her very fine follow-up to 2019’s Atlantics.

review LWLies Recommends

A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things review – effusive ode to Willie Barns-Graham

By Marina Ashioti

Mark Cousins’ lyrical exploration into the life and work of a little-known modernist painter from Scotland.

review

Milisuthando review – an intimate, nuanced cine-essay

By Marina Ashioti

This documentary artfully explores familial love, race and belonging through the complex framework of South African history.

review

Little White Lies Logo

About Little White Lies

Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.

Editorial

Design