Documentary

Opus review – gorgeous document of a supreme artist

By Xuanlin Tham

Neo Sora creates a beautiful portrait of his late father, filmed just before he passed away from cancer in 2023.

review LWLies Recommends

The Last Year of Darkness review – a wild ride through Chengdu’s queer scene

By Katherine McLaughlin

Ben Mullinkosson captures the agony and the ecstasy of Chinese club kids in this ode to one of Chengdu's underground queer spaces.

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High & Low: John Galliano – a superior profile doc

By David Jenkins

Kevin Macdonald gives his subject enough rope in this slippery documentary about how we project a sense of regret.

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Four Daughters review – successfully bypasses the traps of the gratuitous

By Rafa Sales Ross

The latest documentary from Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania centers a quartet of young women whose lives are changed forever when two of them join ISIS.

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Occupied City review – a staggeringly ambitious feat of emotional stamina

By Sophie Monks Kaufman

Steven McQueen provides a haunting examination of Amsterdam under Nazi occupation in contrast to its present in his documentary adapted from Bianca Stigter's book of the same name.

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Your Fat Friend review – heartfelt, clear-eyed filmmaking

By Hannah Strong

Jeanie Finlay profiles writer and activist Aubrey Gordon, whose eponymous blog unexpectedly led her to become an online sensation.

review LWLies Recommends

This Blessed Plot review – a rough-hewn Brit ghost story

By David Jenkins

The latest from British non-fiction filmmaker Marc Issacs offers an ethereal cross-cut of working class lives in deepest Essex.

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Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer review – shine on you crazy German

By Adam Woodward

Thomas von Steinaecker flips the camera on one of Germany's favourite filmmaking sons, investigating his long and far-reaching career.

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The Disappearance of Shere Hite – a profile doc with hidden depths

By David Jenkins

The life of the idiosyncratic US sexologist is parlayed into a story of rank misogyny and violent moral conservatism.

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Scala!!! review – an exhaustive and lively document of a cult scene

By David Jenkins

An affectionate new documentary celebrates one of London's most beloved cinema institutions and the patrons who made it mythological.

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Anselm review – a perfect combination of director and subject

By David Jenkins

Wim Wenders’ luxe 3D portrait of the flame-thrower wielding conceptual artist Anselm Kiefer is a dreamy delight.

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The Eternal Memory – Intimate, meandering doc

By David Jenkins

A sentimental docu-portrait of a Chilean journalist, famed for his reporting on Pinochet's atrocities, whose own memory is leaving him.

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On the Adamant review – A hushed, humanistic, prize-winning doc

By David Jenkins

French documentarian Nicolas Philibert returns with a gentle, deeply moving chronicle of a floating hospital in Paris.

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Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed review – gossipy, entertaining look at a mythological man

By Patrick Sproull

Stephen Kijak speaks to Rock Hudson's friends and lovers to build a loving – but perhaps a little one-note – portrait of a Hollywood star.

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Smoke Sauna Sisterhood review – one to reflect on in the bath

By Saskia Lloyd Gaiger

Anna Hint’s intimate, drowsy documentary observes a group of women cleansing their bodies and sharing secrets in a traditional smoke sauna.

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20 Days in Mariupol review – brave piece of frontline journalism

By Marina Ashioti

Ukrainian Associated Press journalist Mstyslav Chernov chronicles the the invasion of the port city of Mariupol.

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A Life On The Farm review – pays worthy tribute to its subject

By Carly Mattox

A film enthusiastic attempts to piece together the life of an eccentric farmer-turned-amateur filmmaker in Oscar Harding's conventional but charming documentary.

review

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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.

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