Directed by Erika Cohn, The Judge is a documentary that gives a unique perspective on the concept of Sharia Law, through the eyes of the first woman judge in the Middle East’s religious court. (FEA: 5/5) Review by FF2 Intern Farah Elattar Kholoud Al-Faqih is part of a modern-day movement that aims to challenge religious…
Day: April 10, 2018

NANA (2016): Review by Eliana Levenson
Despite a powerful & impressive centerpiece for her story, Serena Dykman’s Nana documentary fails to add a new voice to the cannon of Holocaust documentaries and finds itself struggling to break free of a school project type feel. (EML: 3.5/5)

THE RIDER (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker
Zhao has woven a story that is delicate and visually gorgeous, based on real ambitions and pains in the lives of Jandreau and his family and friends. (AEL: 5/5)

SUBMERGENCE (2017): Review by Malin Jornvi
Submergence is a perfect example of a story that would have been better served by not employing Hollywood stars. Resisting the attraction of the many close-ups on the stunningly made-up Vikander, or McAvoy’s tantalizing and immensely blue eyes, perhaps the washy story would have stayed longer on the drawing table and a more focused rewrite…

TRUTH OR DARE (2018): Review by Brigid Presecky
From director Jeff Wadlow and three co-writers including Jillian Jacobs, Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare is a basic teen horror movie without many thrills. Despite its occasional scares and attempted commentary on the danger of both secrecy and blatant honesty, there’s nothing truthful or daring about this cringe-worthy film. (BKP: 2.5/5) Review by Managing Editor Brigid…

'Zama' is a waste of Lucrecia Martel’s directorial talent
In Lucrecia Martel’s film, Zama, based on the novel by Antonio Di Benedetto written in 1956, a Spanish officer of the 18th Century is stuck in Asunción (now Paraguay). Through a non-linear plot structure, Martel tells the story of Don Diego de Zama as he awaits his transfer to Buenos Aires and the obstacles he…