Film
The Loneliest Whale Tries to Find the Internet’s Favorite Whale
“The 52-hertz Whale,” which sings a song at a frequency no other whale uses, is a social media phenomenon. But this film shows that the phenomenon says more about us than whales.
Film
Film
The Velvet Underground Brings the New York of the ’60s Back to Life
With dense split-screen use of period artifacts and a killer Velvets soundtrack, Todd Haynes’s documentary is a loving tribute to his favorite band.
Film
Good Madam Is a South African Horror Film Haunted by Whiteness
Jenna Cato Bass’s film is a reckoning both for her and all the clueless white children who never thought about the Black women who served them.
Film
New Anthony Fauci Documentary Shows Why His Hero Image Is Flawed
Fauci is not quite a hagiography of “America’s doctor,” but it comes close. It ignores or twists the flaws in his responses to both AIDS and COVID-19.
Film
As a Mockumentary About Celebrity, Nowhere Inn Just Bores
In this film about stardom, the viewer has nowhere to appreciate and connect with the characters and concepts.
Film
Film Reels Dredged from the Sea Become an Eerie Meditation on Mortality
Bill Morrison’s new documentary The Village Detective: A Song Cycle is an eerie meditation on mortality made from forgotten parts of cinema history.
Film
What is the Point of HBO’s Remake of Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage?
This update brings the star power of Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, but can’t match the emotional intensity of the original.
Film
The Forgotten Indie Film That Recreated Manhattan’s Old Jewish Enclave
Like many of Silver’s films, the 1975 indie drama about Manhattan’s old Jewish enclave has been unjustly forgotten. But you now have the perfect opportunity to discover it.
Interview
A New Documentary Explores the Life of Unheralded Civil Rights Activist Pauli Murray
Filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen talk to Hyperallergic about Murray’s archives and holding themselves accountable as white women biographing a Black figure.
Film
A Washed-up Porn Star Wreaks Trumpian Mayhem in His Hometown
Sean Baker’s film about a washed-up porn star seducing a teenage girl is sexually frank in a way few US films are now.
Film
The Gothic Tale of a Girl With Ice Cubes for Teeth
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s English-language debut Earwig is another odd but assured film about the relationships between children and their guardians.
Film
The New Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Hollywood’s Ugly Truths
The museum details the process of moviemaking, from its inception in storytelling all the way to its marketing. But interwoven into these exhibits are ugly truths.