RITA DI SANTO assesses the winners of the most politically charged festival to date
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Bordering on the brilliant
MARIA DUARTE sees a breathtakingly surreal Scandi-noir fantasy
KATARZYNA KOSMALA introduces a retrospective by one of the most significant figures in contemporary US photography
MAYER WAKEFIELD is entertained but let down by an audacious production that, sadly, doesn't ring true
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script
New releases from Sam Carter, Spell Songs and Les Thomas
Border (15)
Directed by Ali Abbassi
THIS is one of those rare films that the less you know about beforehand the better so that you can experience its breathtaking uniqueness and ingenuity. It’s one of the most surreal films of the year and takes Scandi-noir fantasy to a whole new bizarre level.
It’s based on the short story Grans by John Ajvide Lindqvist — who wrote Let the Right One In — and like the latter, Border plays around with the genre, providing plenty of surprises.
The film centres on Tina (an extraordinary Eva Melander), a Swedish customs guard who can literally sniff out fear and guilt on those crossing the border.
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MARIA DUARTE recommends that this dramatic reconstruction of one instance of the Israeli killings in Gaza be seen as widely as possible