Reviews

Jessica Dowse’s Float is a poignant, understated short film that resonated with audiences at the 7th edition of Brighton Rocks. With quiet precision, Dowse explores how fleeting human connections—even unlikely ones—can pierce through isolation, offering moments of unexpected clarity. The sea here is no passive setting but a dynamic, almost antagonistic force. Dowse avoids clichédContinue reading “In Review – ‘Float’ by Jessica Dowse”

Screening at the 8th edition of the Brighton Rocks International Film Festival on the 21st of June at 7pm as part of our beloved LGBTQIA+ Rocks strand. With all the look, feel, lustre and panache of a billion-dollar Marvel Universe production, Tom Paul Martin delightfully breaks the mould with the familiar chiselled, handsome characters soContinue reading “In Review – ‘Where Are All the Gay Superheroes?’ by Tom Paul Martin”

Screening on Friday the 11th of April at 9pm as part of Hastings Rocks 2025 Directed by the talented Nicklas Wedin, The Unexpressed (Dom Outtryckta) is an emotionally charged dramedy that takes audiences on an unexpected journey of self-discovery, personal conflict, and profound connection. Filmed across the vibrant cities of Stockholm, London, and Los Angeles, this cross-culturalContinue reading “In Review – The Unexpressed (Dom Outtryckta) by Nicklas Wedin”

Screening on Saturday the 12th of April at 1:45pm as part of Hastings Rocks 2025 Colin O’Reilly’s The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands is a compelling social realist drama that examines themes of social mobility, disillusionment, and the systemic struggles of the working class. Through three intertwined narratives, the film presents a raw and nuanced portrayalContinue reading “In Review ‘The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands’ by Colin O’Reilly”

The opening scene of a film is as crucial as the first page of a book. It must captivate the audience, drawing them into a meticulously crafted world while offering a glimpse of the narrative treasures within. Shouting at the Sea written and produced by the team at Toffee Hammer and directed by Benjamin Verrall,Continue reading “In Review ‘Shouting at the Sea’ by Benjamin Verrall.”

Luis Buñuel, one of the most influential filmmakers of his era, was lauded for his avant-garde approach to cinema, delivering scathing critiques of bourgeois society through outrageous and morally provocative scenarios. He delighted in skewering the pretensions and hypocrisies of the upper classes, employing surrealist techniques to expose the absurdity of their social conventions. London-basedContinue reading “In Review ‘Buñuelesque’ by Gregory Wait”

Italian-American writer and director Christian Schifano, who divides his time between New York and London, has produced a truly gorgeous example of a coming-of-age story that boldly crosses thematic boundaries. ‘Hangers in July’ centers around the abandon of youth and the gnawing desire to find a sense of belonging through the lenses of privilege, class,Continue reading “In Review ‘Hangers in July’ by Christian Schifano”

Writer and director Pablo Saura’s ‘Love Lost’ is a tale of loss, longing and an unyielding quest to find connection, but at its heart, it is a family drama. Saura deftly diverts our expectations as the narrative unfolds, leading us to believe that what we are embarking on is a sinister snapshot of the underbellyContinue reading “In Review ‘Love Lost’ by Pablo Saura”

Director Martyn Lee’s ‘Weave’, written by Nigel Wilkes and Jaz Craddock-Jones, is a stunningly emotive and powerful British short film. Through the central exploration of black hair and what it represents, we are taken on a journey of family, love, loss and struggles with mental health but also history, power, celebration and pride. Weave wasContinue reading “In Review ‘Weave’ by Martyn Lee”

Back in September 2017 the UK media was engrossed by the tantalising story of a young woman who got trapped after throwing her turd out the window. Not to be outdone by us Brits, American filmmaker Eric Larson decided to explore this very topic in his aptly named comedy-horror ‘The Clogging’. Prepare yourself for aContinue reading “In Review ‘The Clogging’ by Eric Larson”

Those hazy memories of youth, some good, some bad and others in that indecipherable grey area, are deftly brought to light in Phoebe Wood’s searingly painful short ‘My First Time was in a Car Park’. Her Brighton-made short film, based on an award-winning theatre piece, is a heartbreakingly reflective look at one of the mostContinue reading “In Review ‘My First Time was in a Car Park’ by Phoebe Wood”

Grief and loss are huge, unfathomable topics which need to be treated with the tenderness and care they deserve when brought to the screen. ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ by Jack Peter Mundy does exactly that. Considering the tale it depicts, that of a teenager, James, struggling to cope with the disappearance of his older brotherContinue reading “In Review – ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ by Jack Peter Mundy”

‘175’, by Iranian-British filmmaker Kasra Karimi, opens with an all too recognisable and distressing scene – a heartbroken woman who can only watch as her partner is ravaged by the cruelty of cancer. The tone is immediately set and the audience instantly drawn into the intimate world built by Karimi. The filmmaker’s affecting short film,Continue reading “In Review ‘175’ by Kasra Karimi”

Nora Aboushoushah’s short ‘Lucky You’re Mine’ is a heartbreaking and intimate look at the devastating effects of a mental health crisis on the lives of not only those directly suffering, but the loved ones who surround them. As we focus on one couple, we take a journey through suffering, acceptance, resilience and most of all,Continue reading “In Review ‘Lucky You’re Mine’ by Nora Aboushoushah”

‘Soulmate’, written and directed by Richard Fenwick offers us a tantalising glimpse into a not-so-distant future where technology has advanced to the, frankly terrifying, point of AI developing consciousness. ‘Soulmate’ is based within a familiar category existing alongside genre-arthouse classics such as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Ex Machina‘ which delve into the menacing threatContinue reading “In Review ‘Soulmate’ by Richard Fenwick”

‘Psyche’ is a captivating experimental, psychological thriller from South African filmmaker Jonathan Geach. Trapped in a stark, colourless room that reeks of fear, loneliness and doubt, a young woman is subjected to a terrifying ordeal as a series of mystifying and ominous letters appear under her door. The title ‘Psyche’ gives us a clue asContinue reading “In Review ‘Psyche’ by Jonathan Geach”

‘The Lies We Tell Ourselves’ is a delightful meta mockumentary spiked with tragedy, comedy, satire and self-reflection. Written and directed by Finnish-Australian filmmaker Saara Lamberg, she accurately and sometimes heartbreakingly analyse the pitfalls and injustices of the industry whilst reflecting on her own body of work and self as a filmmaker and person in theContinue reading “In Review ‘The Lies We Tell Ourselves’ by Saara Lamberg”

‘Don’t Choke’ by Sonny Baez takes no time in setting the tone as it takes you on a fast-paced, frenetic and surreal ride as we follow a highly competitive game of tennis between two warring parents in the middle of a divorce. But this is no normal game – the winning prize is custody ofContinue reading “In Review ‘Don’t Choke’ by Sonny Baez”

‘Skewered’ is an off-beat dark comedy with lashes of horror and a dash of musical numbers. A Lamplight Production directed by Nick Ray Rutter and co-written with Ben Richardson and brother Noah Rutter, it is an unexpected tale of shame, infidelity and a couple’s doomed relationship, enveloped within a juicy, meat-filled wrap – the gloriousContinue reading “In Review ‘Skewered’ by Nick Ray Rutter”

‘Room for One’, a one woman short film written and performed by Madeline Hatt, was born from a desire to talk about women’s safety and to highlight the woeful progress that has been made since the film’s setting in the 1940s. Madeline shaped and developed the script from a stream-of-consciousness monologue which she then paredContinue reading “In Review ‘Room For One’ by Madeline Hatt”