SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2023

SWITCH is joining the celebrations for this year's 70th Sydney Film Festival!

Running from the 7th to the 18th June 2023, the festival will play host to 239 films over 12 days from 67 countries. You could not sleep for 12 straight days... or you could let us help you pick the best of the best from this year's line-up!

The SWITCH team have gathered reviews of SFF's biggest and best offerings - so peruse them before you hit the festival - and make sure you check back as we add more!

SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2023

Program launch to kick off its 70th year

It's stunning to think that the Sydney Film Festival is celebrating its 70th year. We've collected our favourite offerings from this year's mighty line-up - but we can't wait to explore these as well as the little gems that await us when the festival runs between the 7th and 18th June!

THE PIANO

Celebrating an unforgettable cinematic masterpiece

'The Piano' is a film you experience, one that you feel, a visceral bodily poem that resonates long after the credits roll.

THE POWER OF THE DOG

Jane Campion returns with a magnificent epic on the human heart

An animalistic passion runs through every fibre of this remarkable film, with its desperate longing and its unexpected eroticism. Jane Campion has delivered one of the finest films of the year.

PAST LIVES

There's more than one path to love

This film speaks volumes with so little, and it's a marvel. Celine Song showcases Seoul and New York in beautiful new ways.

ASTEROID CITY

Wes Anderson does sci-fi

Another delightful film in the wacky world of Wes Anderson. While it doesn’t necessarily push the bar any further than his previous films, for Anderson fans this is destined to be one fun trip.

RUN RABBIT RUN

A thumping good Australian thriller

A terrific Australian slow-burn thriller, allowed to leap by its wildly talented cast. As horrifying as the idea of otherworldly figures can sometimes be, it's what people can do to each other that induces the true horror.

BIOSPHERE

Life finds a way

As far as buddy comedies go, 'Biosphere' is one of a kind. It's unpredictably outrageous, in the best way possible. As a comedy, it's one of the most unique and preposterously gleeful cinematic experiences you'll ever experience. As a statement, it's cleverly handled and offers just enough levity among the silliness to open up some serious conversation.

ELEMENTAL

An uninspired mess of ideas in Pixar’s latest misstep

The problems with 'Elemental' are foundational and extensive - it's a flimsy premise rendered into one of the most frustrating and unsatisfying Pixar films we've seen yet. The synopsis doesn't even scratch the surface of the multiple plot threads running through the film, tangling themselves up into a mess.

SCRAPPER

A father-daughter story like no other

Charlotte Regan has created a beautiful and soulful story. She's exhibited her skills, however green yet earnest, and has entered the game as a director to watch.

THE WRATH OF BECKY

Bloody but brief with a strong political message

While Becky’s methods are extreme, the film urges us to remember that complacency in these dark times is as pointless as compliance.

CHEVALIER

An untold history comes to life

A successful Black man in 1700s France is a story that deserves to be told; it's just a shame the package as a whole isn't stronger.

SHIN ULTRAMAN

Charmingly retro superheroic fun from Japan

It looks great, it's funny, the performances are fantastic, and the frantic pacing of the story makes the film feel tighter and shorter than it is. Bring on 'Shin Kamen Rider'!

BEYOND UTOPIA

A gripping documentary detailing escapes from North Korea

Splicing together shaky phone footage, hushed phone calls and more, Madeleine Gavin presents a harrowing and suspenseful documentary on escaping North Korea.

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING

Ladies and gentlemen, the father of rock 'n' roll!

There are skeletons and darkness to Little Richard's life that she doesn't shy away from in search of truth, honesty and understanding. It's what he deserves when the world didn't deserve him.

TOTAL TRUST

A chilling look into a life where every step is monitored

A gripping and thought-provoking watch about life under technology many may simply deem as futuristic technology - which may not be so futuristic after all.

SHORTCOMINGS

Randall Park's directorial debut is a delight

The film proves Randall Park's director status with a fun comedy that sells us on unlikeable leads with realistic problems.

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY

Farewell to cinema's favourite archaeologist should remain a relic

For all its problems, 'Crystal Skull' still felt like an 'Indiana Jones' adventure - a bad one, but still had the energy and atmosphere of those previous titles. 'Dial of Destiny' feels like the skin of those films - the parts are there for a great adventure but it never comes together.

COBWEB

Laughs and breezy satire from a South Korean great

It may not be as harrowing, explosive, challenging or feature Arnold Schwarzenegger, like some of Kim Ji-woon's previous movies, but it is a very amusing and watchable mediation on the craft of filmmaking.