La Gradiva — Montclair Film Festival Review
La Gradiva marks the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Marine Atlan. In addition to directing, Atlan also served as co-cinematographer alongside Pierre Mazoyer and co-wrote the screenplay with Anne Brouillet. The film, which won the Grand Prize in the Critics' Week section at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, is a coming-of-age story about a group of French teenagers on a class trip to Naples shortly before their high school graduation. Atlan draws subtle parallels between the ruins of Pompeii and modern-day adolescence, using the setting to explore the complexities and uncertainties of growing up.
Minotaur — Montclair Film Festival Review
Minotaur marks Andrey Zvyagintsev’s first film in nine years. The film, which won him the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, is a remake of Claude Chabrol’s 1969 film The Unfaithful Wife. Though largely faithful to the source material, Zvyagintsev transposes the story to the backdrop of the Russo-Ukrainian war, adding a new dimension to the narrative and altering its underlying themes.
I Play Rocky — Montclair Film Festival Review
Everyone I talked to about Peter Farrelly’s I Play Rocky, whether they’d seen it or not, told me I would hate it. Honestly, I didn’t think I would like it, either. I’ve never been the biggest fan of John G. Avildsen’s 1976 film Rocky. I think it’s a great film, but I don’t have the same sentimental attachment to it that so many others do. So imagine my surprise when I found myself thoroughly enjoying I Play Rocky. Sure, it’s a pretty by-the-numbers crowd-pleaser, but Sylvester Stallone’s story is so enthralling and inspiring that I couldn’t help but get swept up in it.
Look Back — Montclair Film Festival Review
Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga Look Back was one of my top five favorite films of 2024. Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of my favorite filmmakers working today, and Monster was one of my top five favorite films of 2023. His coming-of-age stories are so sincere and sensitive, and some of the best performances I’ve seen from child actors are in his films. So, a live-action adaptation of Look Back directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda feels like a cheat code for crafting a film I’d love. In fact, if I had to choose a filmmaker to direct a live-action adaptation of Look Back, Kore-eda would have been my first pick.
Wild Horse Nine — Montclair Film Festival Review
I’ve seen more than 100 new releases in 2026 so far, and Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine is easily the funniest film I’ve seen all year. By the time I walked out of the theater, my face genuinely hurt from laughing so much. Normally, a second viewing can’t quite recapture the laughs of the first, but after catching it again as the opening-night selection at the Montclair Film Festival, I found myself laughing just as hard. McDonagh has mastered the art of the black-comedy crime thriller, crafting stories that are as bleak as they are hysterical, often anchored by complicated male friendships. From his feature-length debut, In Bruges, to 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin, he excels at finding humor in humanity’s darkest moments. With Wild Horse Nine, the award-winning writer-director crafts one of his finest screenplays yet, resulting in a film that’s riveting, consistently hilarious, and deeply heartbreaking.
The Testament of Ann Lee — Montclair Film Festival Review
Mona Fastvold’s The Testament of Ann Lee is a fearless, one-of-a-kind experience. Ann Lee, the leader of the Shaker Movement, a restorationist Christian sect founded in the 18th century, was a fascinating and controversial religious figure. Fastvold’s decision to tell her story through a musical lens adds another layer of intrigue and creative risk. The Testament of Ann Lee is a bold swing from Fastvold; it’s an ambitious, unconventional biopic bursting with ideas that don’t quite cohere into a fully satisfying whole.
Hamnet — Montclair Film Festival Review
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has graced the silver screen in many forms for decades, whether it was Laurence Olivier’s 1948 classic or Michael Almereyda’s 2000 adaptation that moved the story to contemporary New York City. But never before has a film recontextualized and transformed the way audiences perceive the story of Hamlet quite like Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell’s award-winning novel Hamnet.
Hedda — Review
With Hedda, Nia DaCosta is at the top of her game. This reimagining of Henrik Ibsen's renowned 1891 play Hedda Gabler puts a sapphic spin on the story. It’s a provocative, tempestuous power play about a lavish gathering gone awry.
Train Dreams — Montclair Film Festival Review
At one point during Clint Bentley’s film Train Dreams, a character ponders, “Beautiful, ain’t it? All of it. Every bit of it.” That line perfectly sums up not only the film, but also life itself. Train Dreams isn’t just beautiful, it’s one of the most visually breathtaking films of the year. All of it. Every bit of it. From the warm, joyous moments to the devastating disasters and even the insubstantial bits in between.
Bugonia — Montclair Film Festival Review
Remaking a cult classic is always a gamble, but Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia proves it can be done with reverence and creativity. Instead of making a carbon copy of Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 film Save the Green Planet!, screenwriter Will Tracy delivers a thoughtful and imaginative reinterpretation. The film honors the spirit of the original while carving out its own identity. Bugonia will likely satisfy both fans of the original film and moviegoers encountering this wild story for the very first time.
Jay Kelly — Montclair Film Festival Review
Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly is a mixed bag, oscillating between entertainment industry satire and dramatic character study. Sometimes the film feels self-indulgent, other times accessible and crowd-pleasing. It’s fitting that the film begins with the Sylvia Plath quote, “It's a hell of a responsibility to be yourself. It's much easier to be somebody else, or nobody at all.” It’s a sentiment that’s echoed throughout the film when movie star Jay Kelly (George Clooney) responds to a question about how he always plays himself in movies with, “Do you know how difficult it is to be yourself? You try it." It’s fitting because Baumbach’s film feels like it’s having an identity crisis, unsure of what type of movie it wants to be or which direction to go in.