A socially awkward boy at a summer water polo camp faces stigmatisation and arbitrary inclusion/exclusion by his peers in this formally assured feature debut, marked by a haunting sound design and body horror that depict bullying as not merely social or pathological but psychosomatic.
Wiseman’s observational mastery in this patient, humane, and richly textured work reveals a vision of community sustained through dialogue, care, and conflict, offering a quietly stirring reflection on what it means to nurture shared public spaces.
Four gangsta-wannabe schoolgirls navigate friendship, school rules and academic expectations in Tan Siyou’s fantastic debut feature, an emotionally resonating work about the codification of teenage identity and destiny in conformist Singapore.
An editing masterclass that feels ahead of its time, this is Welles at his most playful and elusive—utterly fascinating if you surrender to his tricks, obvious or otherwise, as he slyly provokes with a thesis on fakery, expertise, illusion and truth.
‘Exploring’ features the filmographies of filmmakers that I’ve largely completed and celebrates them on the week of their birthdays.
A family patriarch is convinced after a night’s dream that his daughter-in-law is the incarnation of the Goddess Kali, in Ray’s quietly devastating attack on religious dogma, with 15-year-old Sharmila Tagore’s haunting gaze at the center of a tug-of-war between blind faith and rationalism.
Panahi’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning cinema of courageous resistance sees a man encountering someone he believes was his former prison torturer in this picture of genres that is tonally masterfully juggled, exploring themes of cycles of violence and circles of victimhood in Iran.
Oshima’s WWII anti-war melodrama feels more like theatre than cinema, as the quartet of compelling actors (Bowie, Sakamoto, Conti, and Kitano), queer undercurrents, and a highly emotional epilogue elevate it into something unexpectedly sublime.
As per tradition, here are my predictions for the Oscars 2026!
WW: Will Win
DH: Dark Horse
Prediction Results: 20/24 (22/24 if including dark horses)
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A fervent, playful self-portrait that sees a bubbly yet wistful Varda at her most inventive, crafting a near-formless cinematic salute that reimagines what personal documentary filmmaking can be.
Eternality Tan 