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RAMS

Baaa-ck off

With the main plot wrapped up 40 minutes in, the rest is padded out with bland, forgettable drama. The focus of the film should be on the relationship between the brothers (Sam Neill & Michael Caton).

MY LITTLE SISTER

A moving and sensitive portrayal on the effects of illness

For an emotional, moving and sensitive narrative, this film generally hits the right notes, and even when it doesn't, the calibre of performances make it a worthwhile viewing experience.

HONEST THIEF

An honestly average time

It has an engaging enough premise aided with a decent cast that is worth checking out - just don't expect to be blown away or fully invested in this one.

FEELS GOOD MAN

From stoner frog to bonafide hate symbol

Arthur Jones tells an absorbing story about how something as simple as a cartoon frog can be easily co-opted and corrupted to become a symbol of pure malevolence.

POSSESSOR

Engrossingly gross Cronenbergian body horror

A fever dream, delivering unsettling violence, thought-provoking creativity and remorseless direction. Its revelations about the monsters within have a lasting resonance.

WILD SWORDS

A small-scale but satisfying wuxia mystery

While unlikely to revolutionise the wuxia genre, the film is a satisfying mystery with a handful of sequences that seem almost musical in their graceful choreography and composition.

BLACKBIRD

Star-studded cast saves generic film

It only flies high thanks to its incredibly strong cast, and although the narrative misses dramatic beats, still packs an emotional punch while adding to the conversation about legalised euthanasia.

ADELAIDE FILM FESTIVAL 2020

The reviews

The SWITCH team have collected the best of the best from this year's festival - check out our reviews in one convenient location!

CORPUS CHRISTI

Dreams, deceit and salvation

Featuring some beautiful images of the Polish countryside, this is a powerful story of sacrifice and redemption.

WIN RAMS

Where there's a wool, there's a way

Win one of five double passes to see 'Rams' in cinemas.

WIN SALVATION: THE COMPLETE SERIES

Take home the entire apocalyptic sci-fi drama

Win one of three copies of 'Salvation: The Complete Series' on Blu-ray.

HOW TO BUILD A GIRL

Almost fully built

'How to Build a Girl' is an engaging yet average film, but will perhaps disappoint those hoping for something more from Beanie Feldstein's next move.

PINOCCHIO

A darkly fantastic adaptation of a classic tale

Matteo Garrone pulls off something more captivating than a run-of-the-mill Disney-fied bedtime story - his 'Pinocchio' effortlessly fuses adventure, humour and moral instruction through magic realism.

2067

Muddled sci-fi with an ecological conscience

A well-crafted movie can bring us closer to nature and inspire us to protect it. Despite boasting some scarily relevant themes, the lumpy screenplay of '2067' makes it hard to recommend.

LOVEMOBIL

Sex work and economic necessity in the German countryside

Mixing the beautiful and lurid, this documentary provides audiences with plenty of food for thought. It's filled with moments that thwart stereotypes, revealing the naked heart of its subjects.

LAST AND FIRST MEN

An aeon-spanning arthouse sci-fi tale

Not for everyone. But if you're in the right mood, it's a science fiction film that provides the framework for your imagination to run wild.

TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL

Watching the dominos fall in the U.S. pandemic catastrophe

The story at the centre of this documentary is not one of mistakes and misfortune, but of a known danger being alerted and then wilfully ignored. It's certainly a film that feels necessary right now.

HUMAN CAPITAL

Intangible assets and dramatic payoffs

An engrossing mystery, this film deserves credit for trying to deal with issues that affect adults, with the talented cast and carefully modulated performances as considerable bonuses.

THE MYSTERY OF HENRI PICK

A charming literary detective story

For a film about a man ruining his life over (possibly) a great literary fraud, this is a surprisingly sophisticated and light-hearted crowd-pleaser.

IRRESISTIBLE

A behind-the-scenes look into the broken U.S. electoral system

Despite the incredible and comedically gifted cast and filmmaker, 'Irresistible' is... well, boring. It's interesting as a political commentary but as far as laughs, it's pretty much a snooze.

BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020

The reviews

Across 11 days, BIFF celebrates contemporary international and Australian screen culture. The SWITCH team has checked out the festival's best films - so take a look at our reviews from the line-up!

THE TRAITOR

Crime and punishment in Sicily

Despite the intimidating narrative, the film presents an interesting knot of a character for the audience to unravel as they watch the confessions of a traitor revealing the mafia's darkest secrets.

SPREE

A flawed but fun black comedy

On the surface, it's an equally fun and bleak look at a young man driven to insanity by his own hubris. It's just a shame the surface is all there is to it.

DIRT MUSIC

A typically flawed Tim Winton adaptation

The film asks the audience to embrace two lost characters who eventually go to the edge of the earth to find themselves. But, for us, they remain strangers to the end.

SPUTNIK

A familiar, lethal, movie monster

Although it doesn't reinvent the wheel, this is an effective monster flick that touches upon human nature and the moral choices people have to make when it comes to life and death.

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