Past Lives (2023) ****

Wonderful, very understated and de-dramatized film about human relationships. 

Poor Things (2023) ****

Emma Stone gives the greatest performance of her career as a a young woman in Victorian era London who, after being crudely resurrected by a scientist following her suicide, runs off with a debauched lawyer to embark on an odyssey of self-discovery and sexual liberation. A masterpiece of steampunk cinema, with amazing art direction and eccentric cinematography.

American Fiction (2023) ****

Excellent film about an African-American writer.

Asteroid City (2023) ****

Another brilliant and self-reflexive masterpiece from Wes Anderson.

Perfect Days (2023) ****

A Japanese film directed by Wim Wenders.

Barbie (2023) ****

Definitely not for kids, this is a rather cynical satiric comedy about feminism and patriarchy. Many jokes try very hard for a second or even a third degree, but don't always succeed. In fact, by subverting everything and refusing to take anything at face value in the first half of the film, "Barbie" might confuse some viewers in the second half, when it suddenly strives for some first degree humour with decidedly mixed results. For instance, if Barbieland is supposed to be a mirror image of the real world, as the first half of the film suggests, then logically, in the second half of the film, the feminist revolt led by all the Barbies could be interpreted as encouraging men in our world to revolt against the feminists who are, after all, trying to do exactly the same things as the Kens in Barbieland.

A Brighter Tomorrow (2023) ****

Nostalgic film about Italian Communists in 1956 slowly realizing the totalitarian nature of the Soviet system of government.

Perdidos en la noche (2023) ****

Constantly surprising Mexican drama directed by Amat Escalante.

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023) ****

In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies and regaining their strength through a sense of communion. Feminist cinema at its best.

Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World (2023) ****

Brilliant satiric comedy from Romania.

Oppenheimer (2023) ****

Brilliant film about the genesis of the Nuclear Age. Fascinating characters, complex narrative structure, striking visuals and unpredictable turns of events.

Le Festin boréal (2023) ****

Darwinian drama set in the Canadian wilderness.