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Film Reviews

Explore my portfolio of film reviews, articles, podcasts and interviews, featured across a range of publications, magazines, and media outlets.

Dublin International Film Festival •

Pineapple with ham on toast and a sprinkle of second-wave feminism in Pierre Monnard’s feel-good biopic Hello Betty

Every year Dublin International Film Festival selects a different country for their section “Country in Focus” to showcase new films, retrospectives and Irish co-productions, bringing more light to worldwide projects that might not have had the chance to shine for Irish audiences yet.Among those films was Pierre Monnard’s Hello Betty, which screening was followed by a Q+A with producer Peter Reichenbach, sharing his own memories of the national icon that is Betty Bossi and who, prior to the scre...
Dublin International Film Festival •

Gore with glitter in Tina Romero’s “Queens of the Dead”

if the real monsters were the humans all along, as well as avoiding the use of the wordcolours and glittery outfits are one of the reasons the film seems so fresh as it gives its gorehas stated before that he uses horror as an allegory and that zombies are more aboutto the modern audience, scavenging for something eccentric and funny to see. It’s also nicefor once to have a nepo baby embracing their “heritage” without running away from it or

if the real monsters were the humans all along, as we...
Dublin International Film Festival •

"Meet the Parents” meets “Parasite” in Zoe Pepper’s debut “Birthright”

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” had a crossover with “Meet the Parents”? The result would be something similar to Zoe Pepper’s feature film debut “Birthright” that, after its world premiere at Tribeca, has now joined the shortlist for the Avolon World Cinema Award at this year’s Dublin International Film Festival edition. This Australian black comedy with satirical undertones puts us in the shoes of Cory (Travis Jeffery) whose situation couldn’t be worse. He...
Anfa Collective •

The Charm of “non-biopic” Biopics and the Consequences of Ruthless Ambition in “Marty Supreme” 〣 Anfa Collective

Josh Safdie’s unconventional sports drama is a thrilling take on a fatigued genre elevated by a stellar ensemble cast.

There are certain genres that scream “Oscar-bait” and every year multiple films emerge on the horizon in a fierce competition of who is gonna take a prestige award home and who is gonna vanish into oblivion. One of those genres is the biopic, especially the music ones. In the past 20 years over 30% of the lead acting (both male and female) category has been won for a performanc...
Anfa Collective •

The Blessing and the Curse of Sisterhood in Ariane Labed’s "September Says" 〣 Anfa Collective

In her feature debut the actress-turned-director Ariane Labed dissects up close the intertwined bond between sisters and takes an intriguing path to explore generational trauma and guilt.

Sisterhood is definitely one of those tropes in films that seems overly used, yet is seriously underrepresented, at least in its purely authentic form. Most of the time in the media the relationship between siblings, especially sisters, is diminished to being one dimensional whether it’s portrayed as perfectly...
Anfa Collective •

"Bring Them Down" Review 〣 Anfa Collective

Chris Andrews‘ directorial debut is a raw and tense tale of revenge and generational trauma, spiralling into ruthless violence that at times might feel too outdated in its brutalism.

I had the chance to catch Bring Them Down earlier this month during a press screening that, frankly, left a slightly bad aftertaste in my mouth. From the opening scene the film establishes itself as a heavy watch not very suitable for a 10 am screening. We’re first introduced to one of our two protagonists – Michae...
Anfa Collective •

"Beating Hearts" Review 〣 Anfa Collective

In November, I had the chance to catch a few of the screenings during the IFI’s French Film Festival. Shown there was Gilles Lellouches’s highly-anticipated sort of musical epic, originally titled L’Amour ouf (literally translated to Crazy love), but internationally distributed as Beating Hearts.

The film with its big budget and star-studded cast first premiered in May, out of competition, at the Cannes Film Festival and ended up dividing the public and the critics as being labelled as both an...
Anfa Collective •

"Anora" Review 〣Anfa Collective

Anora is a quickly paced, at moments hilarious, but ultimately heart-wrenchingly realistic portrayal of a modern “romance across classes” tale, elevated by a nuanced and hectic performance in the face of Mikey Madison.

From the very first shot Anora is not shying away from what it’s about to offer the audience. Not only is it a close dissection of the life of a sex worker, but also the life of a second-generation immigrant. We are first introduced to “Ani” who is disarmingly charming and seemin...
MINT Chinese Film Festival •

Art as a transformation tool in Satoko Yokohama's Seaside Serendipity 〣 MINT Chinese Film Festival

Seaside Serendipity is a whimsical pastel watercoloured fable of intertwined vignettes about the fundamentals of being an artist and the corruption of adulthood over creativity. This film is best described as an artpiece consisting of several small fragments that at first glance have barely anything in common, but are tethered with the exploration of different art forms and the appearances of a few recurring objects like a sleek black cat. Based on the manga by Gin Miyoshi, the story takes place...
MINT Chinese Film Festival •

Yukari Sakamoto’s debut feature White Flowers and Fruits is a tender 〣 MINT Chinese Film Festival

Coming-of-age films are a genre that can easily fall into the trap of repetitiveness and stereotypes. From its cold opening Yukari Sakamoto’s debut is already stirring away from the conventional. A girl is climbing a fire escape one cold evening, determined almost as if possessed. She walks to the edge of the roof – brief pause – then jumps. The story takes place in an all-girls Christian boarding school, heavily inspired by European models, where a new student arrives – Anna. She instantly seem...
Young Irish Film Critics •

"The Lost Children" Review 〣 Young Irish Film Critics /YIFC/

“The Lost Children” is an atmospheric Belgian thriller that dives into exploring the depths of how unresolved childhood trauma can lurk on your “inner” child long after those careless days are over. Michèle Jacob’s first feature film cleverly blends a dysfunctional coming-of-age tale with horror elements to illustrate the importance of facing one’s fears in order to reach closure. We follow Audrey and her siblings who wake up in their large country house, realising that their father has left, without any warning of when he will return. From then, the children are forced to fend for themselves while Audrey begins to experience inexplicable supernatural visions.

Featured Articles

Anfa Collective •

In Retrospect: Edinburgh Film Festival 〣 Anfa Collective

“Did you fall asleep?” That was my first impression of the very first film festival I attended. This was a question frequently asked between journalists meant to represent not if a film was necessarily a snooze, but simply if it stood out enough among the many features and shorts you see. I’ve been very lucky to have the chance to attend prestigious film festivals really early into my writing career when it still wasn’t a career, but rather an extravagant hobby and consuming obsession. By the ti...
Dublin International Film Festival •

In Retrospect: Young Critics at the Earth Rising Festival 2025 〣 DIFF

The theme of the festival this year is “Making Kin”, inspired by Donna Haraway’s book and explored in the museum’s current group exhibition “Staying with the Trouble” that emphasises on the fact that living in an age of ecological breakdown, the answer lies not in avoidance or severance, but rather in togetherness. This is precisely why the picks for the screenings on Day 2 work as a great addition to the programme. Taking place outdoors, screened on IMMA’s Living Canvas presented by IPUT Real E...
Anfa Collective •

Legacy, Industry, and "28 Years Later" - Danny Boyle at the James Joyce award Q+A 〣 Anfa Collective

According to a French journalist Danny Boyle himself encountered on a press tour, he is a director who makes the same films over and over again, just looking slightly different – always following a young man (at this point apparently she rolled her eyes) always overcoming impossible obstacles. And Danny Boyle apparently couldn’t agree more, claiming that “you do remake the same film again and again and you try to disguise it and genre helps.” And it’s true, he’s a director of such a calibre that...

Interviews

anfa collective •

"Pink Parts" Interview with writer Alicky Hess & producer Tessa Walsh 〣 Anfa Collective

‘No matter what, navigating the world (especially in a female way) is rough. Sophie wouldn’t be free of any of the trials and pressures that go with being “pink” in this society  – but my hope for her would be to find her way and herself in whatever feels right.’: writer Alicky Hess & producer Tessa Walsh on the future after an artistic degree, professionally collaborating with friends and pink uterine apartments

Have you ever imagined what a fetus might go through while waiting to see the ligh...

Podcasts