Cristian Mungiu's Palme d'Or-winning Fjord is the type of movie that will likely inspire conversations that are ultimately more compelling than the film itself. That’s not to say it’s a bad film by any means. It’s a thoughtful, meticulously observed drama that raises difficult and thought-provoking questions about religion, parenting, and cultural differences. However, its measured, deliberately restrained approach often makes it feel emotionally distant and painstakingly slow.

Spoiler-free video review of Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell.

Sentimental Value ranks among the best films I’ve seen about fractured families, intergenerational trauma, and healing through art—and I’ve seen a lot of them. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel or do anything groundbreaking. In fact, the story is relatively predictable, but it’s executed with such masterful emotional precision and sincerity that it feels revelatory.