Hamburg 2025: 'Babystar' Review

Babystar is a drama about a young German woman (Maja Bons) whose parents have raised her to be part of their social-media-influencer empire. So what happens when she wants out? My review is up at Screen International. 

Hamburg 2024: 'Pooja, Sir' Review

In Pooja, Sir, director Deepak Rauniyar draws from actual events to tell the story of a Nepalese detective (played by his wife Asha Magrati) tasked with finding two missing boys, discovering in the process the deep divisions within the country's different ethnic groups. I reviewed this somber thriller for Screen International.

Hamburg 2023: 'The Vanishing Soldier' Review

A few weeks ago, I saw a film called The Vanishing Soldier, about an IDF soldier who decides to flee the military, causing a showdown between Israeli and Palestinian forces. Needless to say, I've been thinking about the film a lot in recent days. My review is at Screen International.

Hamburg 2022: 'We Are Next of Kin' Review

In 1996, a prominent German scholar, Jan Philipp Reemtsma, was kidnapped. We Are Next of Kin chronicles the aftermath. You can read my Screen International review here.

Hamburg 2022: 'Viking' Review

I saw Viking on the last day of my trip to Toronto, where I was quite taken by it. Now this deadpan, melancholy sci-fi comedy has made its way to Filmfest Hamburg, which was as good a reason as any to rave about it for Screen International.