AFTER SPRING is an admirable attempt to address the public narrative around the Syrian refugee crisis, yet falls short in its editing and presentation.
In Transit
Albert Maysles’ final feature documentary is a gentle and unassuming look at family, told through the structure of an observational look at long-distance train passengers.
Democrats
Camilla Nielsson’s Democrats is both a fascinating study of political corruption and an intimate and personal survey of humanity in relation to power in the 21st century.
Stranded in Canton
STRANDED IN CANTON is a beautifully shot geopolitical portrait of displacement, alienation and desperation from director Måns Månsson and co-writer Li Hongqi.
Toto and His Sisters
Alexander Nanau largely avoids the ethical quandaries of observational documentaries in TOTO AND HIS SISTERS, a 15-month tracking of young Romanians orphaned by drug crime.
Necktie Youth
Necktie Youth is an underwhelming debut that is far too derivative, though director Shongwe-La Mer does show moments of absolute brilliance, particularly in the film’s cinematography.
The Wolfpack
The Wolfpack is an oddly crafted fable that examines poetic license and demonstrates the limits of nonfiction in a character study dominated by persona.
Match
Stephen Belber’s work has moved with him between stage and film for the past decade and a half but his latest, Match, highlights some issues with self-adaptation.
Misconception
In taking on overpopulation as an international issue, director Jennifer Yu is very concerned with aspects of interregional exchange yet maintains an impressive neutrality in aproaching her subject.
Mala Mala
Members of the drag and transgender community have inherited a polarizing identity in contemporary cinema, embodying characters that seem either condemned to brutal tragedy and emotional disturbance (In A Year With 13 Moons, Boys Don’t Cry) or adored for their otherworldly glamor, fearlessness and sex appeal (The Crying Game, Kinky Boots, Divine in anything by