Drama Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Drama

Two women sitting at outdoor café table under umbrellas, one in dark top, one in white shirt, Spanish flag visible on wall behind.
Review

Hot Milk review – never properly gels

by David Jenkins

Rebec­ca Lenkiewicz adapts Deb­o­rah Levy’s best-sell­ing nov­el, but the result is lacklustre.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people playing sitting at a table, bottle of drink on the table, warm lighting from window.
Review

From Hilde, With Love review – too staid to make an impact

by Laura Venning

Andreas Dresen’s Nazi Ger­many-set biopic on resis­tance fight­ers Hilde and Hans Cop­pi fails to do their sto­ry justice.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two men walking together, one wearing a navy suit and the other in a yellow jacket and jeans.
Review

F1 review – speed is king, subtlety is yellow-flagged

by Adam Woodward

Brad Pitt is in scin­til­lat­ing form in this shame­less PR exer­cise, which also hap­pens to be one of the year’s most pure­ly enter­tain­ing cin­e­mat­ic experiences.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person in a dark grey cloak holding a sword stands in a forested area with tall trees.
Review

Tornado review – tries a bit too hard to be different

by David Jenkins

John Maclean aims for Ser­gio Leone and Aki­ra Kuro­sawa, but this 18th cen­tu­ry samu­rai west­ern leaves only a super­fi­cial impression.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two people lying on grass against mountainous backdrop.
Review

Falling Into Place review – Sally Rooney-core for the big screen

by David Jenkins

Aylin Tezel writes, directs and stars along­side Chris Ful­ton in this meet-cute roman­tic dra­ma set between Lon­don and the Isle of Skye.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Three people, a woman in a headscarf covering her mouth, a woman with a concerned expression, and an older man with a beard, sitting together in a dimly lit room.
Review

The Ritual review – fails to scare, entertain or convert

by Billie Walker

Al Paci­no and Dan Stevens can’t save this awful excuse for an exor­cism thriller.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
Turquoise and white vintage convertible car at night, with two people sitting inside.
Review

Along Came Love review – an intimately epic love story

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Katell Quillévéré’s poet­ic French peri­od dra­ma is pow­ered by an under­stat­ed chem­istry between Anaïs Demousti­er and Vin­cent Lacoste.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, standing on a beach with grassy hills in the background. The man is wearing a colourful graphic T-shirt and a teal cardigan, while the woman is wearing a patterned, multi-coloured coat.
Review

The Ballad Of Wallis Island review – relishes in daft physical comedy

by Katherine McLaughlin

Come­di­an col­lab­o­ra­tors Tim Key and Tom Bas­den co-write and co-star in James Grif­fiths’ pleas­ant bro­mance flick.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A person, presumably a woman, sitting in a dark car, with an intense, worried expression on their face.
Review

Hallow Road review – heavily signposted horror

by Katherine McLaughlin

Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys nav­i­gate parental fears in Babak Anvari’s grip­ping yet shaky psy­cho­log­i­cal thriller.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A young woman in a yellow top stands close to a large brown and white horse against a backdrop of green foliage.
Review

Magic Farm review – Amalia Ulman has plenty up her sleeve

by Emily Maskell

Amalia Ulman flex­es her satir­i­cal writ­ing chops, but her lat­est would have ben­e­fit­ted from more Chloë Sevi­gny and Simon Rex.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Dark, moody interior scene with bold, contrasting colours of green, red, and blue. Human figure sits hunched in the foreground, partially obscured by the cluttered environment.
Review

It’s Not Me review – an innovative homage to Carax’s main muse

by David Jenkins

Leos Carax delves through his own per­son­al archive in this glo­ri­ous essay film that’s in thrall to Jean-Luc Godard.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two individuals, a man and a woman, conversing in front of a neon "BAR" sign in a dimly lit setting.
Review

Motel Destino review – a sleazy stay in a neon nightmare

by Rafa Sales Ross

A young enforcer for a Brazil­ian gang­ster finds him­self hid­ing out at a sleazy sex hotel in Karim Aïnouz’s neo-noir.

5
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect