LWLies Recommends | Little White Lies

LWLies Recommends

Woman with curly hair wearing a black suit and white blouse, posing against a purple background.
Review

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

by David Jenkins

A measured, lightly poetic look at the life and work of one of the great modern storytellers.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Dark, brooding figure seated in dim lighting.
Review

Vitalina Varela

by Mark Asch

Portuguese master Pedro Costa charts a Cape Verdean émigré’s journey through the outskirts of Lisbon.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Cluttered office with stacks of boxes and a man on the phone.
Review

Dark Waters

by Hannah Strong

Mark Ruffalo takes on a giant chemical company in Todd Haynes’ gripping procedural drama.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two men seated in a dimly lit vehicle, one wearing a blue jacket, the other looking concerned.
Review

Midnight Family

by Matt Turner

Luke Lorentzen’s timely chronicle of a family-run ambulance service makes for engrossing viewing.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Person wearing face mask in greenhouse surrounded by rows of red flowers.
Review

Little Joe

by David Jenkins

A botanist develops a revolutionary new plant in Jessica Hausner’s sci-fi tinged social parable.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person walking alone on a beach, with discarded clothing on the sand in the foreground.
Review

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

by Katie Goh

Céline Sciamma’s sumptuous, quietly radical 18th century love story is one of the year’s very best.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
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
Two young males, one with short dark hair and the other with longer hair, face each other intently with serious expressions against a blue background.
Review

Daniel Isn’t Real

by Anton Bitel

A traumatised man summons his former imaginary friend in Adam Egypt Mortimer’s knotty psychological thriller.

3
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
A person with colourful, dyed hair reclining on a surface covered in multicoloured fringes and accessories.
Review

Birds of Prey

by Hannah Strong

Margot Robbie brings anarchy and attitude to the DCEU in Cathy Yan’s pop-punk ode to womanhood.

2
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, facing each other. The woman has long dark hair and is holding her finger to her lips, appearing thoughtful.
Review

Parasite

by Hannah Strong

Bong Joon-ho’s class-clash black comedy will burrow under your skin and stay there.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect