One of 2024’s absolute gems, this rapturous, stunningly-edited Sundance award-winning documentary sets the GOATs of American jazz against the tumultuous political history of Congo’s struggle for independence during the decolonisation phase of the Cold War.
Akerman’s rarely-seen made-for-TV documentary about Pina Bausch is intimate, minimalist and soul-stirring as the famous choreographer goes on a European tour with her company of dancers.
One of the most underrated gems of the year as a Romanian construction worker encounters a Belgian-Chinese doctoral student of moss, with Devos’ exceptional sensitivity towards the audiovisual experience affording us a sense of quietude and calm quite rarely felt in today’s European cinema.
The incredible mountainous vistas envelope this deeply resonating tale of two boys-turned-men with baggage from the past and uncertain futures as they navigate family, friendship and the natural landscape that continually gives them the inspiration to live.
The strong bond between two young boys is tested in Dhont’s nuanced if straightforward sophomore feature about the nature of guilt and responsibility, boasting naturally affecting performances.
Two young Africans exiled in Belgium must navigate treacherous waters in the Dardennes’ latest social realist work, which is as clear-eyed and powerful as some of their finest output.
Loznitsa expertly puts footage together from Leningrad in August 1991 as tens of thousands of nervous Russians filled the streets, with the political fate of their country hanging in the balance after communist hardliners staged what would become a failed coup d’état to revive the collapsing Soviet Union.
Akerman’s last fiction feature is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Malaysia-set first novel in an assured slow cinema style that is evocative of the tropical landscape (shot in Cambodia) where a white man is facing an existential crisis dealing with his estranged mixed-race daughter.
Akerman’s final film, shot in long takes that aren’t always compelling, features her late mother in the domesticity of her home as they enjoy the conversations and comfortable silences.
Two actresses share a minimalist stage as they perform the written correspondences from the late American poet-writer Sylvia Plath to her mother in this wholly intimate endeavour from Akerman.
Eternality Tan 