Author Carmen Paddock

A panicked young man runs through a forest, moments ahead of an unseen assailant and heavily hampered by a broken leg. The view then abruptly cuts to two days earlier, when his brother’s high school...

There is always that friend at parties who tells the same joke on repeat – one which delights them more than the listeners and gets endlessly rephrased with diminishing returns. This is the personification...

In the final minutes of Alexandra McGuinness’ soul-searching narrative, one of the protagonists is told that "every sin is an attempt to fly from emptiness". While She’s Missing evocatively captures this...

Hot Fuzz meets Trainspotting in this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival opener: a farce that weaves every throwaway gag and ridiculous scenario into a raucous, joyous paean to youthful...

After beginning life as a 13-minute short film, Thunder Road arrives in UK cinemas this week. The original depiction of a police officer awkwardly yet poignantly mourning his recently deceased mother through...

Love pours from every frame of Brian Walsh’s latest feature: tried and tested friendships, nascent romances, and passion for the music and community that drives the underground raves of 1994 Scotland. His...

While there seem to be no taboo subjects left in 2019, the tranquil opening shot of Rehana Rose’s documentary immediately teases out UK society’s collective discomfort around the business of death....

This historical romance’s most striking, well-rounded quality is its immediate sense of place. While the setting was moved from Yorkshire to southern Scotland in the adaptation process, the small-town...

Twenty years ago Heath Ledger danced his way down some bleachers and into film legend with an enthusiastic rendition of ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’. Its lack of vocal finesse coupled with a total...

Dumbo hits UK cinemas this week, and it promises a stellar cast, some tear-jerking animation, and a hopeful return to form by Tim Burton. While judgement cannot yet be passed on the film itself, the most...

After an extraordinarily troubled pre-production and subsequent Netflix distribution, Triple Frontier may have been best left in the drawer. The action thriller follows five ex-special forces friends who...

This article discusses plot points of Benjamin, out in cinemas on Friday, and generalises freely about the lives and habits of young adults in the US and UK. Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade – out in the UK in...

Many films have explored the physical, mental, and emotional toll of starting a new life – whether by choice or force – in a foreign country. Joining this particular brand of coming-of-age story is...

Sports documentaries have been done to death, but when a compelling, relatable tale of athletic redemption meets an expert storytelling team, the result is a surefire hit. Ringside – following two teenage...

Similar to last year’s exceptional Waru, One Thousand Ropes deals with the intergenerational trauma of domestic abuse in New Zealand’s most disadvantaged groups without glossing over facts or showing...