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A heartbreaking and powerful experience that should be considered one of the year's most essential watches. Its commitment to authentically tell an all-too-common story only adds to its power.
Audiences certainly feel that there is hope, but the gaps along the way are too frequent to feel any genuine satisfaction. Go for the acting masterclass, stay for the gorgeous seaside.
For a film about a man ruining his life over (possibly) a great literary fraud, this is a surprisingly sophisticated and light-hearted crowd-pleaser.
With the main plot wrapped up 40 minutes in, the rest is padded out with bland, forgettable drama. The focus of the film should be on the relationship between the brothers (Sam Neill & Michael Caton).
A comedy gem done in a way that only the New Zealanders seem to be able to do, and do so well. It will strike quite the nerve with both men and women, doing so with a wink and a smile and many laughs.
Featuring some beautiful images of the Polish countryside, this is a powerful story of sacrifice and redemption.
It has an engaging enough premise aided with a decent cast that is worth checking out - just don't expect to be blown away or fully invested in this one.
Despite the incredible and comedically gifted cast and filmmaker, 'Irresistible' is... well, boring. It's interesting as a political commentary but as far as laughs, it's pretty much a snooze.
On the surface, it's an equally fun and bleak look at a young man driven to insanity by his own hubris. It's just a shame the surface is all there is to it.
The film asks the audience to embrace two lost characters who eventually go to the edge of the earth to find themselves. But, for us, they remain strangers to the end.
Bill Murray comes alive in his childlike playfulness, charm and charisma. Unfortunately, that relegates Rashida Jones' character to the background, even though this is her story.
Although it doesn't reinvent the wheel, this is an effective monster flick that touches upon human nature and the moral choices people have to make when it comes to life and death.
The filmmakers took one of the most horrific periods of American history and, via exceedingly clumsy execution, unintentionally made it into a joke.
You could do a lot worse than 'The High Note' for a light two hours when there's nothing else to watch; it's just unfortunate that its charismatic cast can't save an off-pitch script.
The rom-com of the year. It succeeds on every level, thanks to its colour-blind approach to characters and some hilarious and heartfelt writing. Grab whoever you can and enjoy this much-need film.
When you have a team that cares about the project at every level, you end up with not only a fun kid's film, but one with a powerful message.
It offers a compelling story, but as soon as it's set up, it loses steam. Once we come to terms that the outcome can only be one of two possibilities, we are waiting for the film to show us its cards.
Its greatest assets are Seth Rogen's performances and first-time director Brandon Trost, who shows great potential, but it has an uneven flavour, where the many ingredients don't come together.
What it lacks in comedy and childlike wonder, it does make up for in interesting takeaways. It will be great for young kids stuck at home, running out of things to watch and searching for adventure.
An unlikely mash-up of 'John Wick'-style violence and 'Home Alone' hijinks, one that's best enjoyed when common sense is left at the door. If only its writing and plot were as well done as its gore.
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For an emotional, moving and sensitive narrative, this film generally hits the right notes, and even when it doesn't, the calibre of performances make it a worthwhile viewing experience.
Arthur Jones tells an absorbing story about how something as simple as a cartoon frog can be easily co-opted and corrupted to become a symbol of pure malevolence.
A fever dream, delivering unsettling violence, thought-provoking creativity and remorseless direction. Its revelations about the monsters within have a lasting resonance.
While unlikely to revolutionise the wuxia genre, the film is a satisfying mystery with a handful of sequences that seem almost musical in their graceful choreography and composition.
It only flies high thanks to its incredibly strong cast, and although the narrative misses dramatic beats, still packs an emotional punch while adding to the conversation about legalised euthanasia.
The SWITCH team have collected the best of the best from this year's festival - check out our reviews in one convenient location!
Win one of five double passes to see 'Rams' in cinemas.
'How to Build a Girl' is an engaging yet average film, but will perhaps disappoint those hoping for something more from Beanie Feldstein's next move.
Matteo Garrone pulls off something more captivating than a run-of-the-mill Disney-fied bedtime story - his 'Pinocchio' effortlessly fuses adventure, humour and moral instruction through magic realism.
A well-crafted movie can bring us closer to nature and inspire us to protect it. Despite boasting some scarily relevant themes, the lumpy screenplay of '2067' makes it hard to recommend.
Mixing the beautiful and lurid, this documentary provides audiences with plenty of food for thought. It's filled with moments that thwart stereotypes, revealing the naked heart of its subjects.
Not for everyone. But if you're in the right mood, it's a science fiction film that provides the framework for your imagination to run wild.
An engrossing mystery, this film deserves credit for trying to deal with issues that affect adults, with the talented cast and carefully modulated performances as considerable bonuses.
Across 11 days, BIFF celebrates contemporary international and Australian screen culture. The SWITCH team has checked out the festival's best films - so take a look at our reviews from the line-up!
Despite the intimidating narrative, the film presents an interesting knot of a character for the audience to unravel as they watch the confessions of a traitor revealing the mafia's darkest secrets.
This atmospheric thriller touches on some current themes, but leans too heavily on both its cinematic influences and cheap "boo" scares.
After 10 years, this is a teen comedy classic that's also an incredibly important look into how female sexuality can be controlled and governed by others from teenagerhood.
Kids love to be scared, and 'The Witches' is the perfect scary children's film; it has everything you could want, and has been a stable in kids' horror for 30 years now.
It isn't looking to be a critical darling, it knows its market and goes for it. You could pick apart its terrible script and bad acting - but it's hot trash, and that's all it needs to be.
Josh Boone's relic from the defunct 'X-Men' franchise, unceremoniously dumped in cinemas in the middle of a pandemic, takes a step in a potentially interesting new direction.