Author Joni Blyth

Any film named after the protagonist just isn’t gonna work without a home-run performance, and Nora El Koussour certainly lives up to the challenge in her big-screen debut. As Layla, she handles outrage,...

After a disorienting burst of intensity to kick things off, Chameleon slows down and takes its time to set up some dominoes. Jorge Riquelme Serrano’s direction doesn’t waste time on the serenity of the...

Seeing the Netflix logo up on the silver screen is a little jarring, but have no fear, Christopher Guest fans - Mascots is a typical slice of surreal mockumentary fun from the legendary satirist. Netflix have...

After some ropey exposition - necessary to set up the chessboard - The Worthy dives headfirst into a cracking game of cat-and-mouse. Director Ali F. Mostafa’s tight hand on the reins ensures that the film...

Wùlu smartly explains its title at the outset - Wùlu is the final stage of tribal development, where a man is enlightened to a place in society. So what happens if you realise your role is to traffic...

While jarring at first, Barakah Meets Barakah doesn’t waste time gently ushering you into a culture miles from our western sensibilities. Instead it cracks right on, putting a unique perspective to good use...

Despite the weighty subject matter, Train Driver’s Diary doesn’t shoot for anything too profound. Rather than derailing into an ethics debate on moral culpability and manslaughter, Train Driver’s Diary...

Between Us goes straight for the jugular, offering an acerbic, brutal, and insightful look at a modern-day relationship. With a strong script and two enthralling central performances, this drama is a must-see...

Before it overstretches itself, A Double Life is a poignant drama anchored by great performances and an impressive debut from director Yoshiyuku Kishi. However, in an ironic example of life imitating art, A...

The 1983 World Cup theft is the kind of larger-than-life true story that would make a great film in the hands of any director - but Caito Ortiz manages to take things to another level in Jules and Dolores,...

While there are a smattering of laughs across Prank!’s mercifully short running time, as a whole the "jokes" fall flat. On a few occasions this must be intentional - Prank! has to understand that none of...

The Maltese Island of Gozo has seen a lot in the last 7000 years; the imprisonment of Odysseus by the nymph Calypso, Daenerys Targaryen’s marriage to Khal Drogo, and the foreshadowed destruction of...

After struggling to establish a narrative in its early stages, Life is a Trumpet finds a groove and settles into it - resulting in a sweet comedy-drama that keeps things light and inconsequential. Writer and...

Ice Guardians has its work cut out for itself - it’s a tough sell to argue that the enforcer role in hockey is necessary and ethical, particularly after you’ve shown off a (hopefully atypical) training...

The setup of In Circles is promising - crop circles are an undeniably intriguing phenomena, and the film sets up a slew of interesting characters bringing their own preconceptions out to the West Country...