The Big Picture Magazine
Ana Rocha’s Listen (2020) begins quietly, with shots of clotheslines and tree branches swaying in the breeze: a rare moment of solace in an otherwise breathless family drama. Clocking in at under 80 minutes, the writer-director’s feature debut doesn’t waste any time immersing viewers in what must be one of the most gut-wrenching experiences a […]
The Batman (2022) has received something of a mixed reception from critics and film fans, but I’d like to go on record to say it deserves at least Se7en out of zen. It’s reminiscent of the look and feel and general modus operandi of David Fincher’s 1995 serial killer opus – if not quite Zodiac […]
The Big Picture is committed to giving young, emerging writers a voice in the world of film criticism. In our new feature, student writers from around the world share their insights on contemporary film and new releases.
You may have met a man – quite young – A brisk-eyed youth, and highly strung: One whose desires And inner fires Moved him as wires … -From “So Various,” Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) The role of Gawain in David Lowery’s The Green Knight (2021) offers Dev Patel the opportunity to display a round table smorgasbord of […]
Following the anti-hero trend – from Maleficent (2014) to Joker (2019) – Disney brings back a most unexpected villain story: the animal abuser Cruella from 101 Dalmatians (1961, 1996). What is equally astonishing is how well put together everything is, but this completeness is only possible by examining Cruella (2021) on its own, not as a prequel to 101 Dalmatians. […]
There’s that inevitable moment during any relationship in which you glimpse the real person underneath the idealized portrait you’ve created. It could be a small thing – a turn of phrase, a glance – which makes you realize they have a past, that you don’t (indeed, can’t) know everything about them. Justin John Doherty’s Wilderness […]
Still recovering from a recent breakup, Karen (Otmara Marrero) drives to her ex’s unoccupied, secluded lake house. She breaks in by hurling a rock through a window and makes herself at home. The next evening, a young woman named Lana (Sydney Sweeney) emerges from the forest, looking for her dog. She asks for a ride, […]
The psychosexual thriller has survived many iterations, from the highbrow (Eyes Wide Shut, 1999), to the gloriously over-the-top (Dressed to Kill, 1980), to the painfully dated (Jade, 1995). Scott J. Ramsey’s X (2019) is something of a Frankenstein’s monster, borrowing a bit from Kubrick’s final masterpiece (masked orgies, recurring mirror imagery) and a lot from […]
If there is one film this year that is currently ripping Film Twitter apart at the seams, it’s Joanna Hogg’s wonderfully lush, but problematic The Souvenir (2019). It’s a love-me-or-hate-me -movie due to the subjective experience of watching it. It’s quintessentially British in its relation to class; painfully aware of it but unable to solve […]