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Reviews by Val Kermode

Order by: Date, A–Z

  • Trance (2013)
    Review preview for Trance

    Boyle makes excellent use of London's roofscape and some dazzling modern apartments whose glass provides both reflective and transparent surfaces which help confuse dream and reality.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    An art auctioneer and a hypnotherapist try to recover a stolen painting.
  • The Spirit Of '45 (2013)
    Review preview for The Spirit Of '45

    Loach lets those who lived through this speak for themselves.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A documentary about the spirit of unity that developed in the UK during the Second World War and contributed to the formation of the Welfare State.
  • 5 Broken Cameras (2011)
    Review preview for 5 Broken Cameras

    This is a deeply personal account of life in Palestine, and also one which sends out a strong political message.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A Palestinian journalist chronicles his village’s resistance to a separation barrier being erected on their land and in the process captures his young son’s lens on the world.
  • The Sheik and I (2012)
    Review preview for The Sheik and I

    The joke soon wears thin.

    Val Kermode · 1 out of 5
    The request for a filmmaker commissioned to make a documentary on subversive art to avoid making fun of the Sheik is asking for trouble.
  • Scarlet Road (2011)
    Review preview for Scarlet Road

    The fact that the director is a long-time friend of Rachel means that there was a lot of trust involved when filming her work.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A confident, assertive sex worker discusses her work and what it means to her clients, especially those with disabilities.
  • Italy: Love It, Or Leave It (2011)
    Review preview for Italy: Love It, Or Leave It

    This is really just a humorous device to examine a serious subject, the multiple problems of modern Italy.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Gustav wants to leave Italy so his partner Luca drives him around the country in an old Fiat trying to convince him how wonderful their Italian heritage is.
  • The Honor Code (2012)
    Review preview for The Honor Code

    Argues that what is needed is not a change in the law but a change in the way of thinking.

    Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
    An animated exploration of the tradition of honour killing, asking how it might be brought to an end.
  • Saving Face (2011)
    Review preview for Saving Face

    This is a deserving Oscar winner and I urge you to see it.

    Val Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A doctor battles to help two women who have suffered the distressingly common fate of having acid thrown in their faces for disobeying relatives.
  • Japan: Children Of The Tsunami (2012)
    Review preview for Japan: Children Of The Tsunami

    The children tell us in their words and in their silence all we need to know.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Compelling testimony from seven to 10-year-old survivors, reveals how last year’s Japanese tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident have changed children's lives forever.
  • Café De Flore (2011)
    Review preview for Café De Flore

    The film is beautiful, often mesmerising and the soundtrack is superb.

    Val Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    Lonely people whose love binds them in painful situations are united by music.
  • Sleep (2011)
    Review preview for Sleep

    Sakaguchi draws raw and unflinching performances from his actors.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A girl was raped at 15, and gave birth to her daughter. Seventeen years later, mother, daughter, and grandfather live a meagre life together in their van.
  • Take Shelter (2011)
    Review preview for Take Shelter

    It's the sort of film where everyday objects appear sinister and threatening.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    After experiencing visions of impending catastrophe, an ordinary man takes extraordinary measures - but can he trust the evidence of his own senses?
  • Wuthering Heights (2011)
    Review preview for Wuthering Heights

    Andrea Arnold has done well to shift the emphasis from a love story to a dark tale of hatred, cruelty and revenge.

    Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
    An adaptation of Emily Brontë's famous tale about an isolated family, a trouble outsider, and their destructive passions.
  • Snow Flower And The Secret Fan (2011)
    Review preview for Snow Flower And The Secret Fan

    Despite all the lingering close ups, it's hard to feel anything for these women.

    Val Kermode · 2 out of 5
    Two present day women discover their connection to counterparts in Ancient China who could often communicate only through the secret code of the fan.
  • The Big Picture (2010)
    Review preview for The Big Picture

    Romain Duris is excellent as the main character.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Paul Exben has the perfect life, but when he finds out that Sarah, his wife, is cheating on him, a rush of blood provokes Paul into a fatal error.
  • The Salt Of Life (2011)
    Review preview for The Salt Of Life

    This is a gentle comedy which probably won't make you laugh out loud, but it is full of rich visual detail that will make you smile.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A pensioner who had settled into a quiet life decides it's not too late to go looking for love.
  • Gun Fight (2011)
    Review preview for Gun Fight

    Kopple makes room here for opponents to state their case, although it's clear throughout which side she's on.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    An exploration of the politics of gun control in the US.
  • Terry Pratchett: Choosing To Die (2011)
    Review preview for Terry Pratchett: Choosing To Die

    I feel grateful to Terry for making this film and I urge you to see it.

    Val Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    The much loved author, facing a severe form of Alzheimer's disease, considers the options for assisted suicide.
  • Born in USSR (2010)
    Review preview for Born in USSR

    A nice idea which could have been better executed, even on a low budget.

    Val Kermode · 2 out of 5
    Animated allegory about the USSR.
  • Planet Kirsan (2010)
    Review preview for Planet Kirsan

    Funny and also very sad.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    In the republic of Kalmykia, children are raised under the shadow of a national obsession with chess.
  • Abuelas (2011)
    Review preview for Abuelas

    It's a story which has been told many times now. But this short film finds a fresh way to tell it.

    Val Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    An elderly woman talks about the disappearance of her pregnant daughter under military rule in Argentina.
  • Do It Yourself! (2010)
    Review preview for Do It Yourself!

    What comes over very strongly in the film is that Vivienne is an endearing mixture of the anarchic and the down to earth.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Documentary about fashion designer, punk icon and cultural provocateur Vivienne Westwood.
  • Flying Monsters 3D With David Attenborough (2010)
    Review preview for Flying Monsters 3D With David Attenborough

    This is a serious documentary of the quality we have come to expect from such series as Life On Earth.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Giant flying 3D dinosaurs introduced by everybody's favourite natural history presenter.
  • The Hollywood Complex (2011)
    Review preview for The Hollywood Complex

    The team did build quite strong emotional ties with these families.

    Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A visit to a special apartment complex and training centre for would-be child stars.
  • POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)
    Review preview for POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

    Spurlock is mesmerising in his pitches.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    The filmmaker sets out to finance a documentary about product placement in the movies by making his own product placement deals with major companies.
  • Biutiful (2009)
    Review preview for Biutiful

    Bardem gives a stronger, more all-encompassing performance here than we have seen in any of his previous films.

    Val Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Barcelona's underworld as seen through the eyes of a hustling single dad.
  • Season Of The Witch (2011)
    Review preview for Season Of The Witch

    For a short while I thought this might be an entertainingly bad film. It isn't.

    Val Kermode · 1 out of 5
    Two men escort a prisoner who may or may not be a witch on a perilous journey through a land ravaged by the black death.
  • Marathon Boy (2010)
    Review preview for Marathon Boy

    We have to ask ourselves whether we are watching a child being exploited or whether we are ourselves guilty of exploitation.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A portrait of the competitive interests and corruption surrounding a child with an extraordinary gift for distance running.
  • Burma Soldier (2010)
    Review preview for Burma Soldier

    Their choice of this one man to symbolise the oppression of a whole nation makes this a strong and impressive film.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    The story of former Burmese soldier Myo Mint who, after becoming disabled in action, educated himself with banned books and became a campaigner against the civil war.
  • On The Coast (2010)
    Review preview for On The Coast

    The film-makers have a good eye for detail.

    Val Kermode · 2 out of 5
    Summer at the seaside in the Turkish village of Erikli.
  • Nasty Age (2010)
    Review preview for Nasty Age

    As a study of one character, this could have been very effective, but done three times it becomes rather tedious.

    Val Kermode · 2 out of 5
    An exploration of the lives of three different men living in Istanbul.
  • The Flaw (2010)
    Review preview for The Flaw

    Sington has found a range of economists and experts who explain in clear language the roots of the crisis.

    Val Kermode · 5 out of 5
    An investigation of how the stock market crash really happened, explaining the complex financial issues involved in easily understood terms.
  • Hope (2010)
    Review preview for Hope

    The film contains some beautiful photography, and its subjects are presented with dignity and humour. It is a pity that it soon becomes rambling.

    Val Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    A visit to a Turkish village scarred by war whose cyclical approach to time is confounded by the young people's desire to leave for the city.
  • Another Year (2010)
    Review preview for Another Year

    No one knows better than Mike Leigh how to pick away at that surface of competence and affability that we all like to affect and reach beneath it to those fears we all carry with us.

    Val Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Mike Leigh drama about family, friendship and ageing.
  • She's Out Of My League (2010)
    Review preview for She's Out Of My League

    Hot girls aren’t always secure. Sometimes they need an ordinary guy, one they feel safe with. Yeah, right.

    Val Kermode · 2 out of 5
    When a beautiful girl takes an interest in an unassuming guy, he struggles to work out how he can keep her.
  • Vincere (2009)
    Review preview for Vincere

    Filippo Timi is excellent as the young, supremely egotistical Mussolini.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    The story of Musslolini's secret love child.
  • Lourdes (2009)
    Review preview for Lourdes

    This is a film with a fine regard for detail, and it is neither mocking nor deferential.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    The story of a wheelchair-using woman's pilgrimage in search of a miracle.
  • Tales From The Golden Age (2009)
    Review preview for Tales From The Golden Age

    It is presented as comedy, and judged as comedy it is only partially successful.

    Val Kermode · 2 out of 5
    Life in Romania under Ceaucescu is explored in this portmanteau of urban myths.
  • Valentine's Day (2010)
    Review preview for Valentine's Day

    It's not long before it all becomes delightfully self-mocking.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    An ensemble drama looks at how different individuals and couples cope with the pressure of Valentine's Day.
  • All About Steve (2009)
    Review preview for All About Steve

    The very worst thing about this film is its message.

    Val Kermode · 1 out of 5
    A crossword puzzler follows the cameraman she's smitten with all around the country.
  • A Prophet (2009)
    Review preview for A Prophet

    Tahar Rahim makes Malik believable and sympathetic as a profoundly disadvantaged child rapidly learning to become a man.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    An illiterate teenager struggles when he is sent to jail, but after embarking on a series of "missions" for a gang leader, he begins to hatch plans of his own.
  • Eagles Over London (1969)
    Review preview for Eagles Over London

    A simple, fast-paced adventure.

    Val Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    Germans infiltrate a British squadron in a bid to sabotage a radar warning system.
  • Sherlock Holmes (2009)
    Review preview for Sherlock Holmes

    There is hardly any suspense and never any change of tempo. Or to put it in a positive light, it rattles along at a good pace with plenty of self-mocking humour.

    Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Holmes and Watson take on a dastardly aristocrat, but matters are complicated by a beautiful and dangerous woman.
  • The Limits Of Control (2009)
    Review preview for The Limits Of Control

    Taking a subjective view, some may find this film too self-consciously packed with significance.

    Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A mysterious man shares coffee and conversation with people, writing down details on matchbook flaps. But what are his motives?
  • Once Upon A Time Proletarian (2009)
    Review preview for Once Upon A Time Proletarian

    The overall, very sad message of the film is that here is a nation of people freed from the gruelling work patterns of the past, but who now find themselves trapped in dull, monotonous and soul-destroying jobs.

    Val Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    An exploration of the social and political landscape of modern China.
  • Ali Shan (2009)
    Review preview for Ali Shan

    Neither beautiful nor inspiring.

    Val Kermode · 1 out of 5
    The experience of awaiting sunrise on Taiwan's Ali Shan Mountain.
  • Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Review preview for Capitalism: A Love Story

    In sheer entertainment terms this is Moore's best yet.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A documentary about laissez faire capitalism and its effect on American society.
  • Kings Of Pastry (2009)
    Review preview for Kings Of Pastry

    It is a wonderful comment on the French as a nation that they can take something like this so very, very seriously.

    Val Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    An American pastry chef travels to France to enter the Olympics of cooking, in pursuit of a red, white and blue collar from the Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
  • Waiting For Women (2008)
    Review preview for Waiting For Women

    Wagner knows just where to place his camera to get the most interesting shots and just how long to leave it there.

    Val Kermode · 4 out of 5
    In a small Spanish village where there are no women left, the lonely male residents throw a party.
  • Pink Taxi (2009)
    Review preview for Pink Taxi

    This soon begins to feel like a good idea stretched too thinly.

    Val Kermode · 2 out of 5
    An introduction to Olga Fomina, Moscow's first women-only taxi service.

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