LWLies Recommends | Little White Lies

LWLies Recommends

Two people sitting on a sofa, man wearing grey vest and woman wearing yellow top.
Review

Hoard review – proudly strange and provocative

by David Jenkins

Seek out this stun­ning, empa­thet­ic and rad­i­cal British debut from first-time British film­mak­er Luna Carmoon.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Group of people gathered around antique camera equipment in dark room
Review

Made In England: The Films Of Powell & Pressburger review – a delicious whirlwind tour

by David Jenkins

A rous­ing per­son­al jour­ney with Mar­tin Scors­ese through the films made under the icon­ic ban­ner of The Archers.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A man with curly hair and a beard, wearing a light-coloured jacket, sitting on a bench and holding a small white dog.
Review

La Chimera review – shows new ways a movie can be

by Esmé Holden

Alice Rohrwach­er cre­ates a mag­i­cal fairy­tale about a group of tomb raiders, anchored by a soul­ful per­for­mance from Josh O’Connor.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two women sitting on floor in gym, surrounded by weights and equipment.
Review

Love Lies Bleeding review – hot, dirty, fast, combustible

by Hannah Strong

Kris­ten Stew­art and Katy O’Brien are on fire as star-crossed lovers who get into a sweaty mess in Rose Glass’s lurid ​’80s throw­back thriller.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Three young adults, two men and one woman, sitting on a wooden floor and conversing in a cosy indoor setting.
Review

Challengers review – everything is sex, except sex, which is power

by Hannah Strong

Zen­daya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist play a trio of ten­nis play­ers whose lives are inex­tri­ca­bly con­nect­ed in a com­pli­cat­ed love triangle.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two people lying together on a red surface against a dark background.
Review

Opponent – a searing, psychological immigrant drama

by David Jenkins

An Iran­ian immi­grant in Swe­den seeks solace in their nation­al wrestling team in this riv­et­ing sto­ry of inter­nal torture.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
An older man sitting at a desk, reading from papers by the light of a desk lamp in a dimly lit room.
Review

Close Your Eyes review – Erice only deals in masterworks

by David Jenkins

The leg­endary Span­ish film­mak­er returns with his first fea­ture film in 32 years, which cen­tres on the strange case of an actor who dis­ap­peared under mys­te­ri­ous circumstances.

5
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Young person wearing a blue and grey striped hat and a blue winter coat, looking thoughtful.
Review

Evil Does Not Exist review – beautifully precise

by Xuanlin Tham

Ryû­suke Ham­aguchi’s dra­ma about a moun­tain vil­lage threat­ened by a new devel­op­ment is a haunt­ing depic­tion of the gulf between cap­i­tal­ism and environmentalism.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two women, one with long dark hair and the other with long blonde hair, standing side by side outdoors.
Review

Silver Haze review – messy in a lifelike, truthful way

by David Jenkins

A men­tal health nurse strug­gling to come to terms with trau­mat­ic events from her past falls in love with one of her patients in Sacha Polak’s tough but hon­est drama.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Greyscale portrait of an elderly man wearing glasses, with a serious expression.
Review

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.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect