The New Republic

Elena I Wish  Naturalism lives. If Zola were a Russian in Russia today, he might have written Elena. Zola being absent, the director Andrei Zvyagintsev has written this screenplay with Oleg Negin, looking at lives with that combination of candor and regret that marks the best naturalist work. This approach in itself is a novelty in Russian films. READ MORE >>

Goodbye First Love Elles Monsieur Lazhar First love, a term that often has a touch of the patronizing, is a moving truth in a new French film called Goodbye First Love. The writer-director, Mia Hansen-Løve, whose third feature this is, has addressed her subject with complete emotional confidence. She knows how it is often “understood” and disprized; she also wants us to see some aftereffects. READ MORE >>

Gerhard Richter Painting We Have a Pope Jiro Dreams of Sushi READ MORE >>

The Hollywood Western, as a genre, is a realm of fantasy. Once Upon a Time in the West is, in its pseudo-realistic way a fantasy superimposed on that general fantasy. READ MORE >>

Footnote The Deep Blue Sea This Is Not a Film  READ MORE >>

The Kid with a Bike Michael A mistake. A few weeks ago, reviewing the distinguished film Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, I said it had won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival last year. In fact, it shared the prize with another film, The Kid with a Bike, which is of equal distinction. What an occasion. READ MORE >>

The Salt of Life Hipsters The Forgiveness of Blood READ MORE >>

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Crazy Horse Return The Hunter READ MORE >>

The Front Line Norwegian Wood Khodorkovsky READ MORE >>