LWLies Recommends | Little White Lies

LWLies Recommends

Person floating on back in blue water, surrounded by hills and trees.
Review

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.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Scenic lake surrounded by forested hills, with a group of people sitting on the grass in the foreground.
Review

The Zone of Interest review – a towering, awful masterwork

by Hannah Strong

Jonathan Glaz­er’s stark film about the domes­tic rou­tine of the Höss fam­i­ly next door to Auschwitz is a colos­sal, pro­found­ly dis­turb­ing achieve­ment in filmmaking.

5
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Silhouetted figure in multicoloured, reflective waters; abstract cityscape in background.
Review

Samsara review – a quiet, radical masterwork

by Neil Young

Lois Patiño trav­els from Laos to Zanz­ibar via the bar­do in this unique and jaw-drop­ping tale of bod­i­ly transcendence.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Three men in a lift, wearing casual clothing.
Review

All of Us Strangers review – a supernova of a film

by Hannah Strong

Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal are elec­tric in Andrew Haigh’s twist on the mod­ern ghost sto­ry, adapt­ed from Taichi Yamada’s cult novel.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two men, one riding a dark-coloured motorcycle, the other standing on the pavement, in front of a building with glass windows.
Review

The Kitchen review – vindicating and explosive

by Rógan Graham

Daniel Kalu­uya and Kib­we Tavares’ fea­ture debut is a kinet­ic, pre­scient thriller about gen­tri­fi­ca­tion and iso­la­tion in a near-future ver­sion of London.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people standing in a snowy outdoor setting, one wearing a brown coat and the other wearing a blue and black coat.
Review

The Holdovers review – the most scintillating festive movie in years

by Lillian Crawford

A cur­mud­geon­ly teacher, a griev­ing cook and a petu­lant young stu­dent find them­selves thrown togeth­er for the hol­i­days in Alexan­der Payne’s excel­lent Christ­massy dramedy.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person with long dark hair wearing a yellow shawl, facing a person wearing a brown jacket in a wooded area.
Review

Poor Things review – Lanthimos at his most playful and comedic

by Savina Petkova

Emma Stone gives a career-defin­ing per­for­mance in Yor­gos Lan­thi­mos’ opu­lent provo­ca­tion about the human body as a nexus for plea­sure and pain.

5
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Woman reading a magazine on a sofa, wearing a red dress.
Review

Priscilla review – subtle and sensational

by Hannah Strong

A star is born in Sofia Cop­po­la’s bio­graph­i­cal dra­ma based on the rela­tion­ship between Priscil­la and Elvis Pres­ley, with Cailee Spae­ny deliv­er­ing a remark­able performance.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two anime characters - a young boy and a creature with a large nose - seated at a wooden table in a rustic interior scene with a green door and windows.
Review

The Boy and the Heron review – poetry, philosophy, pure emotion

by Mark Asch

Less a swan­song and more a heron­song from the Japan­ese mae­stro Hayao Miyaza­ki, a mys­ti­cal and ambi­tious mes­sage of hope for the future.

5
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Young woman reclining in car at sunset, wearing white shirt and jeans
Review

Earth Mama review – new talent arrives on the scene fully-formed

by David Jenkins

Seek out this very spe­cial debut fea­ture from Savanah Leaf about a woman nav­i­gat­ing the bureau­crat­ic hell of the child ser­vices system.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect