Reviews by Trinity

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008)

  Review preview for Mesrine: Killer Instinct

  The raw energy that Cassel brought to his role in La Haine has been harnessed again.

  The rise to fame of a violent modern day Robin Hood.
• 
  Black Box Shorts 3: Phenomena In Flux (2009)

  Review preview for Black Box Shorts 3: Phenomena In Flux

  Overall there are some real finds.

  Showcase of abstract shorts which aim to break new ground in cinematic representation.
• 
  Roma (2008)

  Review preview for Roma

  A wonderfully poetic film.

  A woman heads north, trying to avoid the authorities by hiding out at a soap factory.
• 
  Jacinta (2008)

  Review preview for Jacinta

  Technically superb, the film suffers from poor pacing.

  Animation sees an old lady embroidering her destiny.
• 
  Light Of Darkness (2008)

  Review preview for Light Of Darkness

  A broadly comedic, sometimes raucous affair.

  A get-together takes an unexpected turn after a power cut.
• 
  Interview With The Earth (2008)

  Review preview for Interview With The Earth

  Doesn't quite pull it off.

  Documenting how people in a Mexican Indian village cope with death.
• 
  93 (2008)

  Review preview for 93

  You don't see much but you are left to imagine and wonder.

  A cab driver and his dispatcher converse, but each seems to be keeping secrets.
• 
  Mexican Shorts (2008)

  Review preview for Mexican Shorts

  In the five films selected, you can see the diversity and talent which is emerging in the Mexican film industry.

  A selection of emerging talent from the dynamic cinema of Mexico.
• 
  Elkland (2009)

  Review preview for Elkland

  Where it succeeds is in its blend of dark humour with tragic circumstances.

  The prodigal son returns to bury his dead father in a black as night tragi-comedy featuring a friendly elk.
• 
  The Hurt Locker (2008)

  Review preview for The Hurt Locker

  An unrelenting, absolutely riveting and often unflattering portrait of frontline action through the eyes of brave people doing their best to survive.

  An elite bomb disposal unit struggles to function in the heart of the Iraq war.
• 
  McLaren Animation 1 (2007)

  Review preview for McLaren Animation 1

  Overall, the shorts in this programme are lacking a bit in imagination, with The Accident, by Sara Nesturuk, being the only one to transcend the genre.

  Short animation showcase.
• 
  McLaren Animation 2 (2007)

  Review preview for McLaren Animation 2

  The best of modern British animation.

  Showcase celebrating the best of British animation.
• 
  Over The Hill (2007)

  Review preview for Over The Hill

  Sure to delight young and old alike.

  Animation about an old folk's home's sinister secret.
• 
  The Last Dining Table (2006)

  Review preview for The Last Dining Table

  By comprimising his film to bring the characters together, and yet failing to inject the irony or imagery of a director such as Jodowrosky, this falls short.

  Seeking fulfillment on the fringes of Seoul.
• 
  The Interpreter (2006)

  Review preview for The Interpreter

  Treading gently between the twin stylistic giants of French and Russian cinema, Hazenov's film revels in its duality.

  Thriller sees a naive young Russian - raised in Geneva - caught up in the machinations of the Russian mob.
• Scarfies (1999)

  Review preview for Scarfies

  It's clearly aimed at a young audience and, with this in mind, it's possible to overlook the clichéd melting pot of characters.

  A group of students find some pot plants in their basement and decide to cash in, which is fine until the owner turns up.
• 
  From The Edge Of The City (1998)

  Review preview for From The Edge Of The City

  The film feels like a music video, starting with a pumping club beat over fast-paced visuals.

  Story of marginalised teens in Athens.
• 
  Chi Girl (1999)

  Review preview for Chi Girl

  Strangely compelling and scarily familiar.

  Mockumentary about a guy a girl, her ex and his camera.
• 
  Red Shoes (2005)

  Review preview for Red Shoes

  There is much to admire in the film, but at the same time you wish that it could have built on some of the recent updatings of the genre.

  Korean psycho-horror version of a Hans Christian Anderson short story.
• 
  Seven Heavens (2005)

  It's like deja vu all over again.
• 
  Special (2006)

  Review preview for Special

  Unfortunately, the film does end up feeling like a one trick pony.

  An unexpected reaction to medication persuades an ordinary man that he's developing superpowers.
• 
  A Thousand Dreams Such As These (2003)

  Review preview for A Thousand Dreams Such As These

  Director Sudhir Mishra has taken on more than he can chew.

  Three friends live through a decade of political turmoil in India.
• 
  20: 30: 40 (2004)

  Review preview for 20: 30: 40

  A film of refreshingly non-intertwining stories and nice characterisation.

  Three women, three stages in life, one city.
• 
  Machuca (2004)

  Review preview for Machuca

  A passionate, almost angry look at events often forgotten in world history.

  Friendship blossoms across the class divide in the classrooms of Chile.
• 
  After The Day Before (2004)

  Review preview for After The Day Before

  A well-executed tale of paranoia and insularity.

  Rural life turns out to be anything but idyllic.
• 
  The Last Train (2003)

  Review preview for The Last Train

  Much of the impact of the film comes from cues, visual and aural, away from the action.

  All quiet on the Eastern Front.
• 
  Capturing The Friedmans (2002)

  Review preview for Capturing The Friedmans

  A horrifying, endearing, contradictory, moving masterpiece.

  A documentary charting the implosion of a family after a child sex scandal.
• 
  Letters In The Wind (2002)

  Teenage Iranian conscripts endure basic army training in the mountains.
• 
  I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2003)

  Review preview for I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

  Owen is fine when looking moody, but not so good when given dialogue - it seems too staged, too deliberate.

  Once a gangster, always a gangster?
• 
  Policewoman (2003)

  Review preview for Policewoman

  A distinctive, yet enigmatic, film.

  A mother and son escape from their past lives in Portugal.
• 
  Kamchatka (2002)

  Review preview for Kamchatka

  Pineyro uses careful signposting and symbolism as part of a greater statement of this turbulent time in Argentina's history.

  A family tries to evade capture following the military coup in Argentina.
• 
  Mansion By The Lake (2002)

  Review preview for Mansion By The Lake

  Each scene seems to be played out a bit too much: not languid, but interminable.

  Chekov transposed to the failing aristocratic classes of Sri Lanka.
• 
  Silence. The Stigmatised (2001)

  Review preview for Silence. The Stigmatised

  This is a fine film, well acted and the ever-changing complex relationship between the characters is cleverly played out.

  What do you do when you meet someone who knows you better than yourself?
• 
  Deserted Station (2002)

  Review preview for Deserted Station

  The most successful part of the film is its simplicity.

  Story about a couple stuck in the desert evolves into a modern parable.
• 
  Company (2002)

  Gangs of Mumbai, Bollywood style.
• 
  Noi Albinoi (2003)

  Review preview for Noi Albinoi

  Another assured debut from a small country of fine rebellious filmmakers.

  An icy tale of love and rebellion.
• 
  Today And Tomorrow (2003)

  Review preview for Today And Tomorrow

  Defined by an excellent performance from Antonella Costa, as the headstrong Paula.

  A rather bad day for Paula.
• 
  The Sky The Plane The Girl (2002)

  Review preview for The Sky The Plane The Girl

  The film ambles along in unconnected segments towards an ending which is already inevitable 15 minutes in.

  The tale of a flighty romance.
• 
  Black Tape (2002)

  Review preview for Black Tape

  the subject matter is powerful, although the relationship between the young daughter of a Kurdish rebel and her army officer captor/husband/torturer could have been explored in more depth.

  A tortured relationship is captured on camera.
• 
  Eroica (2003)

  Review preview for Eroica

  The decision to concentrate on the music is both a blessing and a curse.

  The birth of Romance.
• 
  A Time For Drunken Horses (2000)

  Review preview for A Time For Drunken Horses

  Beautifully shot, in a near documentary style, by Bahman Ghobaadi, it really draws the viewer into the plight of the many Kurdish families without a homeland.

  A young Kurdish boy must support his family in Northern Iran.
• 
  The Eye Of The Day (2001)

  Documentary about an Indonesian family, trying to survey the politically turbulent times.
• 
  Europa (1991)

  Review preview for Europa

  Defies convention.

  A German-American returns to the land of his forbears to help with the reconstruction after the Second World War.
• 
  The Clay Bird (2002)

  Review preview for The Clay Bird

  Filled with great splendour and majesty.

  Life as a Muslim seen through the eyes of Bangledeshis on the verge of civil war.
• 
  Australian Rules (2002)

  Review preview for Australian Rules

  What makes the film work is the incredibly earnest acting of the main players.

  Racial tension hides beneath the surface of a tidy Australian fishing town.
• 
  Bashkim (2001)

  Review preview for Bashkim

  Strangely disjointed.

  A young Kosovan kick boxer and his family try to explain his rage and frustration.
• He Said, She Said (1991)

  A love story told from both sides.
• 
  Lawless Heart (2002)

  Review preview for Lawless Heart

  Writer-directors Neil Hunter and Tom Hunsinger... have made a film which successfully manages to dramatise the subtleties of modern relationships

  Relationship ensemble drama, as lives intersect following a death.
• 
  Wishcraft (2002)

  Review preview for Wishcraft

  Wishcraft decides to play it straight and fails miserably.

  A mystical totem grants its owner three wishes... with deadly consequences.
• 
  Cries And Whispers (1972)

  An exploration of the relationship between three sisters and their maid.