Tag: Toronto International Film Festival

Review: ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,’ starring Elvis Presley

February 18, 2026

by Carla Hay

Elvis Presley in “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” (Photo courtesy of Neon)

“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert”

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Culture Representation: The music documentary film “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” features a predominantly white group of people (with some African Americans) in archival footage of singer Elvis Presley on stage and off stage in North America, mostly between 1969 and 1972.

Culture Clash: The footage in this documentary shows Presley embarking on a new phase in his career of performing a Las Vegas residency, amid indications that his personal problems (such as drug addiction) were affecting him.

Culture Audience: “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of Presley and music documentaries that expertly capture famous entertainers during certain eras in their lives.

Elvis Presley in “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” (Photo courtesy of Neon)

“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” is a vibrant compilation of Elvis Presley concert performances and off-stage footage, some of it previously unreleased. This tribute-styled documentary exemplifies how Presley’s personal problems and endless parodies couldn’t overshadow his indisputable talent. It’s a very self-contained movie where the only commentary comes from archival interviews that Presley did and are used as voiceover narration.

Directed by Baz Luhrmann (who also directed and co-wrote the 2022 Oscar-nominated drama “Elvis”), “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” could easily be considered a companion film to Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Luhrmann’s “Elvis” is a comprehensive biography that tells a glossy version of Presley’s story from his childhood to death. (Presley died of a heart attack in 1977, when he was 42.) “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” focuses mostly on Presley’s live performances and rehearsals from 1969 to 1972, with some of his earlier performances from the 1950s, including his appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and a 1957 concert in Hawaii. “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

In the production notes for “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” Luhrmann made this statement, which reads, in part: “During the making of ‘Elvis’ (2022), we went on a search for rumored unseen footage from the iconic 1970s concert films ‘Elvis: That’s the Way It Is’ and ‘Elvis on Tour’ that had reportedly been lost. My initial thought was that, if we could find it, we may be able to restore the unused footage and use it in our Elvis feature, starring Austin Butler. I had researchers go into the Warners Bros. film vaults buried in underground salt mines in Kansas and, to the astonishment of all, we uncovered 69 boxes (59 hours) of film negative that hadn’t been seen.”

Luhrmann’s statement continues, “In addition to this, Angie Marchese (VP of Archives and Exhibits, and curator at Graceland) was able to unearth some never-before-seen Super8 from the Graceland Archives. It has taken over two years to restore the footage to a quality that it has never been projected at previously. Whilst some of the negatives had of these cuts were out in the public realm, they were generally poor-quality bootlegs. The team had to meticulously restore sound from the many unconventional sources that were also unearthed.”

The restorations of the color footage in “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” make the movie look fresh and lively, even though it’s obvious from the fashion and hairstyles, the footage is from a bygone era. The voiceover narration from the archival audio features Presley talking about various aspects and opinions of his life. As stated by Presley and as seen in this documentary, he got the most joy as an artist from performing in concert, where he could interact with and get direct reactions from his fans.

Much of the concert footage in “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” is from Presley’s landmark residency at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, now known as the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The residency began in 1969 and ended in 1976. Presley became the first major rock performer to do a Vegas residency. At the time, some critics thought the Vegas residency was a tacky career move for Presley. Nowadays, it’s not unusual and it’s often considered a smart business decision for rock artists to do Vegas residencies instead of incurring the expenses of touring.

The songs that Presley performs in the movie’s concert scenes include “Hound Dog,” “That’s All Right Mama,” “Little Sister,” a cover version of the Beatles’ “Get Back,” “Burning Love,” “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” a cover version of Three Dog Night’s “Never Been to Spain,” a cover version of Ray Charles’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” “Love Me,” the religious song “How Great Thou Art,” a cover version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “In the Ghetto,” “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” and “Suspicious Minds.”

In rehearsal footage, Presley is seen performing “I Miss You,” “Always on My Mind,” as well as cover versions of Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ “Oh Happy Day” and the Beatles classics “Yesterday” and “Something.” Although Presley was known as a legend in rock’n’roll, he had a love of gospel and country music that seeps through in a lot of his performances in this movie. His soulful versions of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (one of the performance highlights of the movie) and “Oh Happy Day” would be right at home at home in a church. “That’s All Right Mama,” one of Presley’s earliest hits, has an infectious bounce that is heavily influenced by Hank Williams-styled country music.

In the audio commentary, Presley candidly admits that he decided to return to touring and other live performances to get back to his music roots and more authenticity, after starring in a string of formulaic and forgettable Hollywood movies. In these movies, Presley was typecast as a ladies’ man stuck in unrealistic situations, as he sang his way to a happy ending. In the audio clips, he comments that the “Hollywood image of me was wrong … and I couldn’t do anything about it. I have nobody but myself to blame.”

“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” is certainly a laudatory movie about Presley. However, the movie briefly includes some archival footage of people giving criticism about Presley, who was controversial for many reasons during his rise to superstardom in the 1950s. One of the early sequences in the documentary is a montage of Presley performing during this peak era of his popularity, intercut with people critiquing or outright insulting his music and his performances. Most of the critics in this footage are middle-aged and elderly people, who think Presley represents a vulgar form of entertainment. Because most of Presley’s fans were young people when he became a breakout star, his phenomenal rise to fame was an example of the growing generation gap in pop culture.

Presley’s 1970s era is the one where he gets lampooned the most in pop culture because of the way he dressed (sequin-covered outfits) and performed (martial-arts moves) on stage and because of his increasingly erratic actions. In one scene in the movie, Presley (who looks, sounds, and acts very intoxicated on unnamed substances) lies down on his back on stage, half-crosses his legs, and rambles about the stage lights that he can see above him. And there are numerous scenes where his constant sweating doesn’t look like it’s just because he’s moving around a lot on stage.

As much as critics, comedians and other people disrespectfully mock the 1970s-era Presley, there’s no denying that he had a certain magnetic charisma, both on stage and off stage. The behind-the-scenes footage shows him to be an amiable jokester. During rehearsals, he’s the leader of the band, but not a stern dictator. His backup musicians and backup vocalists seem relaxed but attentive around him and show obvious admiration of him. His notorious clique of friends/hangers-on, nicknamed the Memphis Mafia, are seen occasionally in the movie, but no one in the Memphis Mafia is singled out in the movie because they are presented as nameless members of Presley’s entourage.

“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” also shows how Presley interacted with his fans and other admirers. He had a well-known habit of quickly kissing many female fans on the lips during his concerts. He would either single them out to go on stage with him, or he would go in the audiences and kiss the female fans who eagerly hugged him or showed that they wanted some display of affection from him.

Most of the female fans he kisses in the concert footage are women, but there are some who look like underage teenage girls. It’s a sign of the times when this type of fan interaction was acceptable. Nowadays, entertainers can get an enormous amount of backlash and career damage if they kissed underage fans this way in such a public forum, where numerous people use phones to record what happens when they’re around famous people.

In the movie’s off-stage footage, some people appear star-struck by Presley, but there isn’t the fan frenzy surrounding him like there was in the 1950s. Sammy Davis Jr. is seen in backstage footage as a celebrity admirer who compliments Presley on his Las Vegas performance after a show, as Presley graciously accepts the compliment. Presley was known as someone who didn’t hang out with a lot of other celebrities and preferred the company of his Memphis Mafia pals.

It’s been public information for years that Presley had multiple addictions during this time in his life. His energy level and sweating during his live performances and rehearsals seem to be manifestations of his amphetamine addiction. The movie’s later footage, circa 1972, shows indications that his addiction to painkiller drugs were taking a toll on his physical appearance, as Presley looks puffier and seems lethargic. In public, Presley said he didn’t drink alcohol or smoke. Behind the scenes, enabler doctors and hangers-on kept him supplied with prescribed medication that became his main addictions.

Colonel Tom Parker—Presley’s famously controlling manager whose real name was Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk—is briefly seen and mentioned in the documentary in a way that’s not very flattering. Although Presley gives credit to Parker for launching Presley’s career, there are references to the exploitation that Presley experienced due to signing lousy contracts with Parker. In one of the audio clips, an interviewer asks Presley if Presley gets a percentage of the enormous amount of money generated from Elvis Presley merchandise. Presley candidly answers, “I don’t know.”

It’s now widely known that Parker (who died in 1997, at age 87) was a con artist who pretended to be born and raised in the United States, but he was really an undocumented immigrant from the Netherlands. His illegal immigrant status would have been exposed if he traveled outside the United States, which is why Parker limited Presley’s tours and other live performances to the United States. The only exceptions were when Presley performed five times in Canada (in 1957), and Parker presumably did not accompany him to those Canadian shows because of Parker’s secret immigration status. Although “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” briefly mentions in the movie’s epilogue that Elvis never performed outside of North America, the movie never says why. Parker’s secret immigration status is included in Luhrmann’s “Elvis” biopic and many other biographies about Presley.

Presley expresses the most vulnerability in the movie’s audio commentary when he talks about how deeply he was affected by the death of his mother Gladys Presley, who died of a heart attack in 1958, when she was 46 years old. The movie shows Elvis performing “I Miss You” in rehearsals after a montage is shown of Elvis and Gladys. Elvis’ doomed marriage to his first and only wife Priscilla (they separated in 1972 and got divorced in 1973) is not detailed in the documentary. However, his rehearsal performance of “Always on My Mind” is shown with a montage of some family home movies and photos of Elvis, Priscilla and their daughter Lisa Marie (born in 1968) in happier times.

“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” is not meant to be an exposé of the negative aspects of Elvis Presley’s life but instead is a celebration of what made him an iconic artist. It’s a visual and aural feast for Elvis fans. Other people who don’t consider themselves to be Elvis fans might be impressed by how well the movie captures the spirit of Elvis during this pivotal time in his career. Regardless of the size of a screen where someone might see “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” it’s easy to see why he is often described as “larger than life.”

Neon will release “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” in U.S. cinemas (exclusively on IMAX screens) on February 20, 2026, with an expansion to more U.S. cinemas on February 27, 2026. A sneak preview was shown in U.S. cinemas on February 18, 2026.

Review: ‘The President’s Cake,’ starring Baneen Ahmed Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheeda Thabet and Rahim AlHaj

February 16, 2026

by Carla Hay

Sajad Mohamad Qasem and Baneen Ahmed Nayyef in “The President’s Cake” (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

“The President’s Cake”

Directed by Hasan Hadi

Arabic with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in 1990, in Baghdad, the dramatic film “The President’s Cake” features an all-Middle Eastern cast of characters representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A financially disadvantaged 9-year-old girl gets a classroom assignment to bring a cake to the next day’s class to celebrate President Saddam Hussein’s birthday, and she and a classmate embark on a sometimes-dangerous race against time on the streets of Baghdad to find a way to get a cake when they have limited resources.

Culture Audience: “The President’s Cake” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in well-acted dramas about a politically oppressed nation, as seen through the perspectives of children.

Pictured in front: Baneen Ahmed Nayyef and Waheeda Thabet in “The President’s Cake” (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

The riveting drama “The President’s Cake” takes an unforgettable journey through Baghdad in 1990. In a politically oppressed society, a 9-year-old girl is under deadline pressure to present a cake at her school to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday. The movie is told from a child’s perspective, but she experiences many things along the way that take away her innocence and give her lessons on many of life’s harsh realities.

Written and directed by Hasan Hadi, “The President’s Cake” is Hadi’s feature-film directorial debut. The movie had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where the movie won the Golden Camera Award (for first-time feature-film directors) and the Directors’ Fortnight Audience Award. “The President’s Cake” subsequently made the rounds at several other film festivals in 2025, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival and AFI Fest.

“The President’s Cake” was filmed on location in Baghdad. The movie was Iraq’s official selection for Best International Feature Film for the 2026 Academy Awards. “The President’s Cake” made the shortlist for the category but didn’t get nominated. With or without an Oscar nomination, “The President’s Cake” is outstanding in depicting how everyday life is affected in a nation controlled by a dictator.

“The President’s Cake” (which has a total run time of 105 minutes) starts off with a slow pace, but the movie’s pace and the tension increase in the last half of the film. The story begins with a caption saying: “In 1990, Iraq faced strict U.N.-backed sanctions, leading to extreme poverty, food shortages and limited access to medicine. Despite this, Saddam Hussein required all Iraqis to celebrate his birthday.”

The movie, which takes place over three days, begins on April 26, 1990—two days before Hussein’s birthday that year. Lamia Ahmed Nayyef (played by Baneen Ahmed Nayyef), the 9-year-old girl who is the movie’s protagonist, is shown helping her grandmother Bibi (played by Waheeda Thabet, also known as Waheed Thabet Khreibat) carry gallons of water before they travel somewhere by gondola. The word “Bibi” is an Arabic term of endearment for a grandmother or a respected older woman. The grandmother’s real first name is not mentioned in the movie.

Lamia’s parents are apparently deceased. As Lamia and Bibi prepare for this journey, Lamia notices other people in their neighborhood are leaving the area too. Lamia asks Bibi why other people are leaving. Bibi doesn’t answer and wants Lamia to focus on finishing her schoolwork. What isn’t said out loud and what Bibi is probably afraid to tell Lamia is that they’ve lost their home due to poverty and/or threat of an imminent attack, and they have to move somewhere else.

Lamia’s closest companion is her pet rooster Hindi, whom she takes with her wherever Lami can take this rooster. Hindi has a distinct extroverted personality that makes him a memorable character in the movie. While docked on the boat, Lamia is approached by a classmate named Saeed Muhammed Qasim (played by Sajad Mohamad Qasem), who has a reputation for being irresponsible and someone who occasionally causes mischief. Saeed asks Lami if she’s doing her math homework. She says yes.

Saeed then asks, “Do you think the president eats all the cakes himself?” Lamia answers, “Shh. The walls have ears.” Saeed responds, “I wish I was president.” Lami asks, “Why?” Saeed says, “Then, I would eat all the cakes in the world.” Lamia comments, “I would drink all the cola in the world.”

Saeed mentions that his father is taking Saeed to the amusement park the next day to sell tickets. Later in the movie, it’s revealed that Saeed’s father is actually destitute and missing. It’s probable that Saeed’s father was locked up by police for being a vagrant, or Saeed’s father suffered an even worse fate.

Saeed tells lies to himself and other people about his father as a way of coping with a lot of the trauma that people are experiencing because of the oppressive government led by Hussein. Children and adults are often snatched off of the streets and arrested by the military-controlled police or other government officials for any reason or no reason at all. It’s under these circumstances that Saeed and Lamia will soon go on a frantic race against time to meet the deadline for a classroom assignment.

At their school, students are required to pledge allegiance to Hussein and frequently say chants of praise to Hussein, like members of a political cult. The classroom teacher Mr. Musa (played by Ahmad Qasem Saywan) is strict and doesn’t hestitate to insult his students. He also uses the threat of political punishment if he thinks anyone is being disrespectful.

It’s an annual requirement for the students to bring assigned items to celebrate Hussein’s upcoming birthday. Mr. Musa randomly chooses names that will be assigned to bring various items to the classroom. Saeed’s assignment to bring fruit. Lamia’s assignment is the most demanding: She has to make a birthday cake with specific ingredients for the cake’s flour, sugar and filling.

Mr. Musa repeatedly says that all the assigned items must be fit for a president. Students who don’t complete the assignment will be punished. Mr. Musa warns the students that they don’t want to end up like a student named Rasool and Rasool’s family, who were reported to authorities for political disobedience, which is a serious crime in Iraq. The punishment for this type of crime can result in imprisonment or death.

The problem is that Bibi can’t afford the ingredients to make the cake. It costs even more to buy a cake. Most of “The President’s Cake” is about Lamia on a quest on the streets of Baghdad, to find what she needs for this class assignment. Bibi tries to help when she and Lamia get a ride from a friendly mailman named Jasim (played by Rahim AlHaj) into the marketplace part of the city. Pet rooster Hindi is along for the ride and is carried by Lamia in a sling.

Bibi doesn’t seem to understand the urgency of Lamia’s assignment and doesn’t seem very worried when they can’t get the ingredients that Lamia needs for the cake. Lamia gets impatient and runs away to complete the task on her own, without telling Bibi where Lamia is going. Lamia eventually meets up with Saeed, who goes with Lamia to help get the cake ingredients and the fruit that he needs for his assignment.

Meanwhile, Bibi experiences a lot of stress in trying to find Lamia. When Bibi goes to a police station to report Lamia missing and to ask for help in finding Lamia, Bibi is treated with disrespect or indifference. Bibi eventually gets help in her search from Jasim, but things definitely don’t go smoothly.

Bibi has sheltered Lamia from many things, but Lamia proves to be resourceful and comes up with various ideas on how to get money. And even though Saeed is more street-smart than Lamia, both children are still naïve enough to fall victim to a swindler. Lamia is so determined to get what she needs for this cake, she doesn’t think about what Bibi might be going through in trying to find Lamia.

Some of the situations that the Lamia and Saeed experience are comical, such as when Lamia and Saeed end up rushing to a hospital in a car with a shop owner named Izzat (played by Mohammed Rheimeh) and a pregnant woman named Hiyam (played by Rokia Alwadi), who might or might not be Izzat’s wife and who is about to give birth. Other situations are harrowing, such as when a seemingly helpful butcher (played by Tayseer Ibrahim Radi) has predatory intentions targeting Lamia.

Throughout the movie, there are scenes showing that portraits (photos and illustrated) of Hussein are everywhere. It’s the movie’s way of showing how pervasive his controlling presence is and the type of massive ego this leader must have to demand pictures of himself displayed in as many places as possible. It’s also a silent reminder that at this point in time, there’s no escape from Hussein’s power in Iraq.

Even in this environment of tyranny and desperation, “The President’s Cake” never lets viewers forget that children find ways to still amuse or distract themselves. During anxious moments, Lamia and Saeed like to play a staring contest game, where they stare at each other without blinking. The person who blinks first loses the game.

Hadi’s impressive writing and directing for “The President’s Cake” make this movie an excellent feature-film debut. However, the movie would not have as much resonance if not for the impactful and realistic performance of Nayyef as Lamia, who is plucky, strong-willed and a little bit bratty, without losing her vulnerability as a child. Many movies with children as main characters often make the children talk like adults, but “The President’s Cake” resists having that gimmick.

“The President’s Cake” supporting cast members all give capable performances. However, the heart and soul of the story can be found in Nayyef’s noteworthy performance. Lamia represents the resilience of people who persist in the face of obstacles and an uncertain future.

Sony Pictures Classics released “The President’s Cake” in select U.S. cinemas on December 12, 2025, and re-released the movie in select U.S. cinemas February 6, 2026, with an expansion to more U.S. cinemas on February 27, 2026.

Review: ‘Arco’ (2025), a dazzling animated sci-fi adventure story about time traveling and a quest to go back home

January 28, 2026

by Carla Hay

Arco and Iris in “Arco” (Image courtesy of Neon)

“Arco” (2025)

Directed by Ugo Bienvenu

Available in the original French version (with English subtitles) or in a dubbed English-language version.

Culture Representation: Taking place on Earth in the year 2075 (and briefly in 2932), the animated film “Arco” features a predominately human cast of characters (with some robot characters) that are from Earth.

Culture Clash: A boy from the year 2932 crashes into another time dimension, where he befriends a 10 year-old girl in 2075, and they are hunted by three alien-chasing brothers, as the boy tries to get back to his home in the future.

Culture Audience: “Arco” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in entertaining and family-friendly animated films that are about human compassion and respecting beings and lifestyles that are different.

Arco in “Arco” (Image courtesy of Neon)

Equally inspired by European art films and Japanese anime, Arco is a dazzling sci-fi adventure film about time traveling and finding a way back home. There are a few story influences from 1982’s “E.T.” film, but “Arco” has enough originality to charm. “Arco” also weaves in a meaningful story about environmental issues without being too preachy.

Directed by Ugo Bienvenu (who co-wrote the “Arco” screenplay with Félix de Givry), “Arco” had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. It also made the rounds at other film festivals, including the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it won the prize for Best Feature Film) and the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. “Arco” has also been nominated for Best Animated Film for the 2026 Academy Awards.

“Arco” (which takes place in unnamed parts of Earth) begins by showing the movie’s title character named Arco Durell, who is a boy about 10 or 11 years old, in the year 2932. Arco lives with his unnamed parents and his older sister Ada. It’s a stable and loving family.

Arco’s parents are explorers. In this futuristic society, people fly in the air and can teleport themselves into the past. They wear hooded outfits with rainbow cloaks for this type of traveling. Each flying outfit comes equipped with a magical diamond that allows this teleporting to different time periods.

When they teleport or travel in the air, they look like they’re flying on rainbows. The law is that people have to be at least 12 years old for this type of traveling. Arco is a curious and adventurous child, so he’s naturally impatient to get a chance to fly.

In the beginning of the movie, Arco’s parents and Ada have come back from a trip back to the dinosaur age. Ada says they were too afraid to pet the dinosaurs. Arco is eager to go on this type of time-traveling trip, but he is strictly forbidden by his parents.

One night, when Ada is asleep, Arco steals her flying outfit and flies outside on his own. He has trouble adjusting to learning how to fly. And it isn’t long before he finds himself teleported to the year 2075. He crashes in a wooded area.

Meanwhile, a friendly 10-year-old girl named Iris lives a lonely life because her parents are frequently working away from home. She is taken care of by a robot named Mikki, who also looks after Iris’ baby brother Peter. Mikki is intelligent, resourceful and very loyal. Robots are part of everyday life and are seen doing various jobs that humans can also do. For example, there are scenes in the movie showing robots as yard workers, garbage collectors and restaurant servers.

It just so happens that Iris is by herself in the woods when she sees Arco crash in a rainbow flash and collapse on the ground. It isn’t long before three eccentric brothers in their 30s show up because they saw the rainbow too. These three brothers are fanatical about chasing any alien life form that they think comes from outer space.

The names of these brothers are Stewie, Dougie and Frankie. The brothers, who frequently bicker with each other, have a unusual way of dressing: They all dress in monochromatic clothes and wear sunglasses. Stewie wears all blue. Dougie wears all red. Frankie wears all yellow.

It’s mentioned much later in the movie, that about 20 years ago, when the brothers were children, they saw rainbow flashes that they were convinced were aliens from outer space. The brothers’ parents and other people didn’t believe them. The brothers were often laughed at when they told people what they saw, and the brothers became society outcasts.

However, Stewie, Dougie and Frankie never lost their obsession over the rainbow flashes and finding what types of aliens caused these flashes. When the brothers show up in the woods, they ask Iris if they saw any strange creatures crash in the woods. She says yes but deliberately misleads the brothers in the opposite direction of where she knows Arco has collapsed.

Iris then takes Arco, puts him on the back of her scooter, and brings him home. Mikki dutifully helps Arco recover from his slight injuries. Iris eventually introduces Arco to her outspoken friend Clifford.

But there’s a big problem for Arco to go back home. The diamond that powers Arco’s teleportation suit has been lost in the woods. Arco and Iris go back to the woods and can’t find the diamond. That’s because the alien-chasing brothers found the diamond before Arco and Iris could.

The rest of “Arco” is about the quest to find the diamond and for Arco to go back home. Arco, Iris, Clifford and Mikki are involved in this quest and predictably come across all sorts of obstacles. These challenges are well-crafted scenes and are suspensefully filmed.

The voices of “Arco” characters are portrayed by different cast members, depending on the version of the movie. The original French version (with English subtitles) has Oscar Tresanini as Arco, Margot Ringard Olha as Iris, Nathanaël Perrot as Clifford, Alma Jodorowsky, as Swann Arlaud as Mikki, Louis Garrel as Stewie, Vincent Macaigne as Dougie, William Lebghil as Frankie, Sophie Mas and Frédérique Cantrel as Arco’s mother, Oxmo Puccino as Arco’s father, Joséphine Mancini as Ada, Alma Jodorowsky as Iris’ mother and Swann Arlaud as Iris’ father. There’s also a U.S. version, with the dialogue dubbed in English, that has Juliano Valdi as Arco, Romy Fay as Iris, Wyatt Danieluk as Clifford, Natalie Portman (who is one of the movie’s producers) and Mark Ruffalo as Mikki, Andy Samberg as Stewie, Will Ferrell as Dougie, Flea as Frankie, America Ferrera as Arco’s mother, Roeg Sutherland as Arco’s father, Zoya Bogomolova as Ada, Portman as Iris’ mother and Ruffalo as Iris’ father.

Unlike many other animated films that are about adventures, “Arco” isn’t overstuffed with characters. The plot is easy to follow, and the story remains engaging throughout. It has some touches of comedy (mostly because of the buffoonish brothers), but most of the movie has a serious tone. The voice performances are serviceable. Where “Arco” really shines are in the memorable story and the vibrant visuals that make this the type of movie that will inspire repeat viewings.

Neon released “Arco” in select U.S. cinemas on November 14, 2025. The movie was re-released in select U.S. cinemas on January 23, 2026, with an expansion to more U.S. cinemas on January 30, 2026. “Arco” was released in France on October 22, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on February 24, 2026.

Review: ‘Dust Bunny,’ starring Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan and Sigourney Weaver

January 14, 2026

by Carla Hay

Sophie Sloan and Madds Mikkelsen in “Dust Bunny” (Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions)

“Dust Bunny”

Directed by Bryan Fuller

Culture Representation: Taking place in an alternate version of New York City, the fantasy action film “Dust Bunny” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few black people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A 10-year-old girl hires her mysterious neighbor to find and kill the monster whom she believes ate her parents.

Culture Audience: “Dust Bunny” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, writer/director Bryan Fuller, and movies that combine whimsical fantasy with gritty action.

Sophie Sloan, Madds Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver in “Dust Bunny” (Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions)

Quirky and visually striking, the fantasy/action film “Dust Bunny” overcomes its plodding dialogue with engaging performances from the principal cast. It’s like 1994’s “Leon: The Professional,” but set in a magical, alternate version of New York City. The movie takes a while before it gets to its most action-packed scenes, but the rapport and emotional bond that develop between the two main characters are worth seeing.

Written and directed by Bryan Fuller, “Dust Bunny” had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. “Dust Bunny” is Fuller’s feature film directorial debut. He is best known for his work in television, including being a creator/executive producer/writer for the TV series “Pushing Daisies” (which was on the air 2007 to 2009) and “Star Trek: Discovery,” which was on the air from 2017 to 2024.

In “Dust Bunny,” a 10-year-old girl named Aurora Jacoby (played by Sophie Sloan) lives in an apartment building with her parents Cecil Jacoby (played by Caspar Phillipson) and Karen Jacoby (played by Line Kruse). Aurora is terrified of that a dust bunny monster lives under her bed. Her parents don’t believe her.

Across the hall from the Jacoby family lives a mysterious assassin, who doesn’t have a name in the movie. In the film’s end credits, he is listed as Intriguing Neighbor (played by Mads Mikkelsen), who is noticed by Aurora. One day, Aurora’s parents disappear, and Aurora is convinced that her parents were eaten by the dust bunny monster. And so, Aurora hires a reluctant Intriguing Neighbor to find the monster and kill it.

The heart of the movie is the unlikely pairing of this hardened assassin with a previously sheltered girl who has to grow up fast as they get into dangerous situations. Supporting cast members include Sigourney Weaver as Intriguing Neighbor’s domineering colleague Laverne; Sheila Atim as a Child Family Services employee named Brenda Bautista; and David Dastmalchian as an unnamed assassin, who is listed in the end credits as Conspicuously Inconspicuous Man.

The “Dust Bunny” production design and visual effects are above-average. Viewers must have patience because the movie’s energy is sometimes too low for what this story needs. However, the story in “Dust Bunny” gets better as it goes along and has a conclusion that should appeal to most viewers.

Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate released “Dust Bunny” in select U.S. cinemas on December 12, 2025. The movie was released on digital and VOD on January 13, 2026.

Review: ‘My Father’s Shadow’ (2025), starring Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Godwin Egbo, Chibuike Marvelous Egbo and Efòn Wini

January 11, 2026

by Carla Hay

Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Chibuike Marvelous Egbo and Godwin Egbo in “My Father’s Shadow” (Photo courtesy of MUBI)

“My Father’s Shadow” (2025)

Directed by Akinola Davies Jr.

Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin (Naija) and English with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in Nigeria, in 1993, the dramatic film “My Father’s Shadow” features an African cast of characters representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A father and his two pre-teen sons experience various challenges and emotional bonding when he takes them to Lagos for a short visit during political unrest.

Culture Audience: “My Father’s Shadow” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching a drama that shows the intersections between government turmoil and family relationships.

Chibuike Marvelous Egbo, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Godwin Egbo in “My Father’s Shadow” (Photo courtesy of MUBI)

“My Father’s Shadow” makes an emotional impact not from melodrama but from showing the quiet steadiness of a father’s guidance and love as he spends time with his two sons. The ending of the movie is jarring and unforgettable. “My Father’s Shadow” is an example of how time with loved ones can be precious and should not be taken for granted.

Directed by Akinola Davies Jr., “My Father’s Shadow” was written by Akinola Davies and his brother Wale Davies. The movie is Akinola Davies’ feature-film directorial debut. “My Father’s Shadow” had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, and then made the rounds at several other film festivals in 2025, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival and AFI Fest. The movie is the United Kingdom’s official selection for Best International Feature Film for the 2026 Academy Awards, but the movie didn’t make the shortlist to be nominated in this category.

“My Father’s Shadow” takes place in Nigeria in 1993. The movie was filmed in the Nigerian cities of Ibadan, Nigeria. Most of the movie takes place over a two-day period when the father and his sons make a short trip to Lagos. This trip takes place before, during, and immediately after Nigeria’s presidential election on June 12, 1993. There were widespread protests after military dictator General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the victory of Chief MKO Abiola.

“My Father’s Shadow” begins in an unnamed Nigerian city, where a man named Folari (played by Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) has returned home after spending many weeks away because he has a job in Lagos. Folari is dismayed to see that his wife Bola (played by Efòn Wini) is not at home to look after their two sons: 11-year-old Remi (played by Chibuike Marvelous Egbo) and 8-year-old Aki (played by Godwin Egbo, Chibuike’s real-life younger brother), who say that Bola has made a short trip into “the village.”

Folari is there for a brief stay and then has to go back to Lagos. Instead of waiting for his wife to come home, Folari invites his sons to go with him. Remi is more excited than Bola to take this trip. Folari leaves a note for Bola to let her know that their sons are with him.

Folari (who has some type of factory job) has not been paid for the past six months. He’s been promised that he will get the salary that’s owed to him after the presidential election. Part of the movie shows the frustrating experience that Folari has when trying to get paid. But the political unrest is simmering like a powder keg ready to burst.

The trip has several unexpected tension-filled occurrences, as well some lovely moments of family bonding, especially when Folari and his sons take a spontaneous trip to a beach. At the beach, Folari reveals something from traumatic from his past that deeply affects him. It also affects Folari’s perspective as a father who doesn’t have the privilege to see his sons every day. “I have missed you boys growing up,” Folari says. “You are growing up so fast.”

Dìrísù gives a wholly credible performance as a father trying to do the best for his family while facing an uncertain future during this tumultuous time in Nigerian history. Real-life brothers Chibuike Marvelous Egbo and Godwin Egbo also do well in their roles. Most of the movie revolves around these three actors. “My Father’s Shadow” is a movie that has a way of catching viewers off guard. Just when you think the movie might end a certain way, something is revealed that packs an emotional wallop that will change viewers’ perceptions about many of the things that happened before in the movie.

MUBI will release “My Father’s Shadow” in select U.S. cinemas on February 13, 2026. The movie was released in Nigeria on September 19, 2025.

Review: ‘A Private Life’ (2025), starring Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Lacoste and Luana Bajrami

January 7, 2026

by Carla Hay

Daniel Auteuil and Jodie Foster in “A Private Life” (Photo by Jérôme Prébois/Sony Pictures Classics)

“A Private Life” (2025)

Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski

French with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in France, the comedy/drama film “A Private Life” features an all-white cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A psychiatrist plays amateur detective with her ex-husband when she suspects that a former client died by murder instead of suicide.

Culture Audience: “A Private Life” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and well-acted movies that combine dark comedy with psychological drama.

Jodie Foster and Virginie Efira in “A Private Life” (Photo by Jérôme Prébois/Sony Pictures Classics)

“A Private Life” is an occasionally uneven dark comedy about a psychiatrist who teams up with her ex-husband when she suspects a former client was murdered. Jodie Foster’s appealing performance keeps the movie interesting. To its credit, “A Private Life” doesn’t get too convoluted when it comes to the investigation for this suspected murder.

Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, “A Private Life” was written by Zlotowski, Anne Berest
and Gaëlle Macé. The movie had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and made the rounds at other film festivals in 2025, including the Telluride Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival. “A Private Life” takes place primarily in Paris and was filmed on location in Paris and in Normandy, France.

In “A Private Life,” Foster is protagonist Lillian Steiner, a psychiatrist who leads an orderly life. Lilian, who lives alone and who works from her home office, has been divorced from her ex-husband Gabriel “Gaby” Haddad (played by Daniel Auteuil) for at least 20 years. Lillian and Gaby have one child together: a adult son named Julien Haddad-Park (played by Vincent Lacoste), who has recently become a first-time father to an infant son named Joseph. Lillian adores her grandson but is slightly uncomfortable with the reality that she is now a grandmother.

Near the beginning of the movie, Lillian is concerned that her client Paula Cohen-Solal (played by Virginie Efira) has skipped their past three sessions. Paula has been Lillian’s client for the past nine years. Paula is a cellist in a classical music orchestra. Paula’s husband Simon Cohen-Solal (played by Mathieu Amalric), who is domineering and arrogant, is the orchestra’s conductor.

Meanwhile, another client named Pierre Hallam (played by Noam Morgensztern) tells Lillian during a session that it will be his last session with her. Pierre had been trying to quit smoking, and he says he recently underwent hypnotism, which he believes has “cured” him of the desire to smoke. Therefore, Pierre tells Lillian, he no longer needs Lillian as a therapist, and this will be their last session together.

Soon after Lillian loses Pierre as a client, Lillian gets even worse news: Paula has died. Lillian finds out when Paula’s young adult daughter Valérie Cohen-Solal (played by Luàna Bajrami) tells Lillian about Paula’s death, which has officially been ruled as a suicide. Valérie asks Lillian if Lillian knows why Paula would want to kill herself, but Lillian says she can’t reveal that information because of patient/therapist confidentiality.

Valérie invites Lillian to the shiva wake for Paula. At the shiva wake, Simon verbally lashes out at Lillian, whom he blames for Paula’s death. Simon orders Lillian to leave. Lillian knew that Paula was unhappily married to Simon. Simon’s hostile reaction to Lillian makes her wonder if Paula was murdered.

The rest of “A Private Life” shows Lillian’s suspicions increasing as she finds out other things that indicate Paula could have been murdered, especially when she discovers that Simon had a mistress named Perle Friedman (played by Aurore Clément). Lillian tells Gaby about her suspicions, and they decide to become amateur sleuths. Along the way, the former spouses also confront past resentments and unresolved issues about the demise of their marriage. Gaby was the one who wanted the divorce because he felt that Lillian didn’t love him anymore.

“A Private Life” features a few quirks to the story. Lillian has a vivid dream that she was a male musician colleague of Paula’s in the same orchestra, and Paula was having a secret affair with this colleague. Lillian begins to wonder if she has psychic abilities. Lillian’s eyes also keep watering for unknown reasons.

During the investigation, Lillian discovers more about Paula and more about herself. Foster and Auteuil’s scenes together are entertaining to watch, as Lillian and Gaby feel rekindled sparks of attraction to each other and have to decide whether or not to act on this attraction. Despite a few areas of the movie that drag, “A Private Life” is a relatively brisk psychological mystery that has engaging performances and should satisfy most viewers who are inclined to be interested in this genre.

Sony Pictures Classics released “A Private Life” in select U.S. cinemas on December 5, 2025, with an expansion to more U.S. cinemas on January 16, 2026. The movie was released in France on November 26, 2025.

Review: ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,’ starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott and Thomas Haden Church

December 28, 2025

by Carla Hay

Josh O’Connor, Daniel Craig and Mila Kunis in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (Photo by John Wilson/Netflix)

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”

Directed by Rian Johnson

Culture Representation: Taking place in Chimney Rock, New York, the comedy/drama film “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (the third movie in the “Knives Out” series) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few black people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A controversial and domineering monsignor of a Christian church is murdered, and during the investigation, it’s revealed that several people had reasons to want him dead.

Culture Audience: “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, filmmaker Rian Johnson, the “Knives Out” franchise and murder mysteries with charismatic lead investigators.

Pictured clockwise, from left to right: Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church, Glenn Close and Daryl McCormack in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (Photo by John Wilson/Netflix)

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” maintains the “Knives Out” franchise’s mix of an intriguing murder investigation with memorable characters, engaging performances and some cheeky comedy. This third movie in the series skewers fanatical worship of cult-like leaders. Although much of the mystery is set in and around a Christian church, the movie does not make any statements for or against religion but rather shows how religious beliefs (or non-beliefs) affect people in different ways.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. The “Knives Out” movie series—which began with 2019’s “Knives Out” and continued with 2022’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”—has a different murder mystery in each movie, which features debonair American Southern gentleman Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig), who is a private investigator, as the lead detective investigating the murder case. It’s eventually revealed in each “Knives Out” movie who hired Benoit for the investigation.

The “Knives Out” series is very much inspired by Agatha Christie novels (Benoit Blanc has been compared to Christie’s eccentric Belgian detective Hercule Poirot), with each investigation having several suspects, who don’t all make it out alive by the time the case is solved. And just like Christie’s novels, each “Knives Out” movie usually has some type of satire or wry observation about social class differences among the suspects. The lead investigator is also usually considered an “outsider” in the place where the investigator is doing the sleuthing.

In “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” Benoit doesn’t appear until about 40 minutes into this 144-minute movie. Instead, the movie’s first-person perspective comes from Father Jud Duplencity (played by Josh O’Connor), a Catholic priest who becomes a prime suspect in the murder of his boss: Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (played by Josh Brolin), a controversial leader of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude Parish, located in Chimney Rock, New York. (“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” was actually filmed in Leavesden, England.)

Father Jud is the movie’s narrator. In the beginning of the movie, he explains that he was transferred from Albany, New York, to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude after he punched a colleague named Deacon Clark (played by Kit Burden) during a fight. During a disciplinary hearing that is presided over by Bishop Langstrom (played by Jeffrey Wright), Bishop Langstrom mentions that one of the options would be to transfer Father Jud to a different parish. Father Jud pleads for mercy by saying, “The world needs love so bad. You give me one more shot, and I promise I’ll do that.”

And so, Father Jud relocates from Albany to the much smaller city of Chimney Rock. All that he knows before he gets to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude is that it’s a parish led by Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, and the parish’s population is dwindling. When Father Jud sees Monsignor Wicks give a sermon for the first time, he finds out why people have been leaving the parish. Monsignor Wicks is a “fire and brimstone” type of preacher, who condemns almost every trivial sin while also demonstrating that he is homophobic and sexist. Several people walk out of the church before the sermon is over.

Monsignor Wicks is also a weirdo who gets pleasure from making people uncomfortable. During Father Jud’s first day on the job, Monsignor Wicks orders Father Jud to listen to Monsignor Wicks’ confessions. Monsignor Wicks then proceeds to describe how many times he masturbated since Monsignor Wicks’ previous confession. Monsignor Wicks also goes into detail about what happened during these masturbation sessions.

Father Jud doesn’t want to show too much emotion during this confession, but the expression on his face indicates that he’s shocked and somewhat disgusted. Monsignor Wicks continues to force Father Jud to listen to Monsignor Wicks’ masturbation confessions. As time goes on, Father Jud tries to make the parish a more compassionate place for parishioners, but control freak Monsignor Wicks thwarts those attempts. It isn’t long before Monsignor Wicks and Father Jud are openly arguing with each other.

Father Jud finds out that Monsignor Wicks abuses his power because Monsignor Wicks inherited this parish from his deceased grandfather Rev. Prentice Wicks (played by James Faulkner, seen in flashbacks), who founded Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. Prentice Wicks’ daughter Grace Wicks (played by Annie Hamilton, seen in flashbacks) was a “wild child” prodigal daughter who was a single mother to Jefferson until Grace died from a brain aneurysm when Jefferson was about 4 or 5 years old. Shortly before she died, Grace had some type of emotional meltdown over something she believed her father did to hurt her, and she committed extreme vandalism in the church building.

Even though Monsignor Wicks has alienated many of his former parishioners, some have remained as his loyal followers. As expected, Monsignor Wicks wasn’t as pious and upstanding as he proclaimed himself to be to his admiring supporters, many of whom were willing to do anything for him. It’s eventually revealed that all of these parishioners could have a reason to want Monsignor Wicks dead, even though Father Jud remains the prime suspect for most of the story.

Father Jud comes under the most suspicion because he told some of the parishioners about his troubled past when he tried to connect with them in a parish outreach meeting when Monsignor Wicks was still alive. Before he became a priest, Father Jud was a boxer who killed an opponent during a boxing match. Father Jud said this killing motivated him to turn his life around and was one of the main reasons why he became a priest. Some of the parishioners also heard why Father Jud was transferred, so they wonder if Father Jud still has violent tendencies that would make him a murderer.

Monsignor Wicks dies during a church service, when he goes into a side room to start serving the communion, but he collapses and never wakes up. It’s soon revealed that he was drugged by a tranquilizer and then stabbed with a knife that has devil’s head for a handle. All of the parishioners who eventually become persons of interest were in the church when this murder happened. Father Jud was not seen for about nine seconds before Monsignor Wicks died, which is another reason why he’s the prime suspect.

These are the parishioners who are involved in the case as witnesses and possibly more:

  • Martha Delacroix (played by Glenn Close) is the oldest parishioner, who was part of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, ever since she was a girl (played by Cecilia Blair, seen in flashbacks), when Jefferson’s grandfather Prentice was the parish’s leader. Martha is the most devoted of Monsignor Wicks’ followers. She works as the parish’s office manager and was Monsignor Wicks’ personal assistant.
  • Samson Holt (played by Thomas Haden Church) is Martha’s husband, who adores her immensely and works as the church’s groundskeeper. Samson is a simple man who tends to go along with whatever Martha wants.
  • Vera Draven (played by Kerry Washington) is a shrewd and cynical attorney who has a law practice that she used to share with her deceased father. Vera, who is a bachelorette, isn’t overly religious, but she attends the church services out of a sense of duty.
  • Cy Draven (played by Daryl McCormack) is Vera’s adopted son. It’s mentioned early in the story that Cy is believed to actually be the illegitimate son of Vera’s father, who asked adult Vera to raise Cy as her son when Cy was an infant. Cy is a bachelor and an aspiring politician who is a conservative Republican. Cy currently makes a living as a social media influencer who discusses politics and religion.
  • Dr. Nat Sharp (played by Jeremy Renner) is a divorced sad sack, who is despondent because his ex-wife Darla (played by Nicola Hughes, seen in a brief flashback) left him because she thinks that he doesn’t make enough money for her. Nat is still pining over Darla and feels shame and bitterness that he is divorced.
  • Lee Ross (played by Andrew Scott) is a bachelor and science-fiction writer who moved to Chimney Rock from New York City about 10 years ago. Lee’s popularity as an author has been on the decline. He wrote a book called “The Holy Man and the Troubadour” about Monsignor Wicks.
  • Simone Vivane (played by Cailee Spaeny) is a bachelorette and “world-class cellist” who was forced to retire five years ago because of her chronic pain. Simone often uses a wheelchair. It’s hinted that her pain is psychosomatic. Simone is the biggest financial donor to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, but shortly before Monsignor Wicks’ death, she began to suspect he was a con artist who was cheating her out of her money.

Chimney Rock is apparently so small, the only police officer who is shown as a homicide investigator is Geraldine Scott (played by Mila Kunis), who is quick to pass judgment on people and is certain that Father Jud is guilty. And when Benoit shows up and demands that there be a thorough investigation before anyone is arrested, Geraldine predictably feels that Benoit is overstepping his bounds and interfering in her jurisdiction. Expect to see conflicts between Benoit and Geraldine.

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” unfolds at a pace that is sometimes leisurely and sometimes rushed. Father Jud has a spirituality crisis during this investigation. He also begins to doubt his sanity. All of the parishioner characters have fairly interesting backstories, except for Samson, Lee and Simone, whose characters are underdeveloped.

“Wake Up Dead Man” gets its title because there’s a part of the story where Monsignor Wicks (who is buried in a mausoleum) is believed to have risen from the dead. This supposed resurrection increases the tension because it separates the “believers” from the “non-believers.” And there’s a persecution mentality that exists whenever someone else comes under suspicion.

More than the previous “Knives Out” movies, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” gives a great deal of the perspective from the point of view of the prime suspect. Benoit is not a supporting character in the movie, but his relatively late arrival in the story is not typical for a murder mystery series where the lead investigator is always the star of the series. All of the cast members give skilled performances, but O’Connor and Craig get the most screen time.

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” has the expected twists and turns in the story. And although much of the cinematography is visually striking, there are parts of the movie that look like they were filmed in front of a green screen. This artificiality can be somewhat of a distraction, but it doesn’t ruin the movie. The movie’s total runtime (144 minutes) is a little too long and would have been better served by have a shorter lead-up to Monsignor Wicks’ murder. “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” has an overly contrived ending, but this suspenseful movie is ultimately a satisfying addition to the “Knives Out” franchise.

Netflix released “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” in select U.S. cinemas on November 26, 2025. The movie premiered on Netflix on December 12, 2025.

Review: ‘The Choral,’ starring Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Allun Armstrong, Robert Emms and Simon Russell Beale

December 24, 2025

by Carla Hay

Ralph Fiennes in “The Choral” (Photo by Nicola Dove/Sony Pictures Classics)

“The Choral”

Directed by Nicholas Hytner

Culture Representation: Taking place in 1916, in Ramsden, England, the dramatic film “The Choral” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few black people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: After the Choral Society in Ramsden loses several members (including its choir master) to military service, another choir master reluctantly takes over, and he recruits several new members who otherwise wouldn’t have been considered.

Culture Audience: “The Choral” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of star Ralph Fiennes and dramas about choirs who need to be trained under a new leader.

Jacob Dudman, Taylor Uttley, Oliver Briscombe and Shaun Thomas in “The Choral” (Photo by Nicola Dove/Sony Pictures Classics)

Dull and superficial, “The Choral” is a series of anecdotal scenes instead of a cohesive story about a revamped choir in 1916 England. This drama has underdeveloped characters with cliché and cardboard personalities. By the end of the film, you will hardly learn anything about the main characters except who is pursuing whom in a few romantic relationships among the young people.

Directed by Nicholas Hytner (who is one of the movie’s producers) and written by Alan Bennett, “The Choral” had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie screened at other festivals in 2025, including the BFI London Film Festival and AFI Fest. The movie takes place in 1916, in the small village of Ramsden, England. “The Choral” was filmed on location in England, at Saltaire Village, West Yorkshire and Versa Leeds Studios.

“The Choral” follows many of typical formulas in yet another movie about a cranky/stern choir director who has a limited time to train a singing group to be good enough for an upcoming competition or big performance. In this movie, the singing group is the Choral Society, a group of men and women who have recently lost several members (including the Choral Society’s choir master) to military service during World War I. Before the new choir master takes over in “The Choral,” the movie rushes through some scenes that show some of the people who are impacted by these changes in the Choral Society.

“The Choral” begins by showing two best friends in their late teens named Ellis (played by Taylor Uttley) and Lofty (played by Oliver Briscombe), who have the unpleasant job of delivering telegrams informing military families that one of their loved ones died in the war. Ellis is very flippant about this serious and depressing job. After they deliver a telegram to a weeping young woman (played by Fiona Morgan) with the news that her brother has died in the war, Ellis comments to Lofty as they walk away that Lofty could’ve used the opportunity to make romantic moves on the woman. “You could’ve gotten in there, Lofty,” Ellis smirks. “Grief. It’s an opportunity.”

Ellis is a one-note character who sees almost every moment of his life as an opportunity to flirt with women, chase women, or make comments on whether or not he thinks a woman’s physical appearance is attractive enough for him. It might be the movie’s attempt to show Ellis as a carefree ladies’ man, but Ellis just comes across as a self-absorbed creep. Lofty is a passive and somewhat generic character whose biggest worry is that he will still be a virgin when he turns 18 years old.

Ellis and Lofty have two other close friends (who are about the same age) in their social circle. Mitch (played by Shaun Thomas) is an earnest go-getter. Clyde (played by Jacob Dudman) is a military soldier who is missing in action in the beginning of the movie. The movie’s trailer and other marketing materials already reveal that Clyde shows up later, when he is discharged from the military for reasons that are shown in the movie.

Meanwhile, four decision makers for the Choral Society have to decide who will replace the people who’ve left the Choral Society because of military service. Bernard Duxbury (played by Roger Allam) is an alderman who sees himself as the leader of the decision makers. The other three decision makers are undertaker Herbert Trickett (played by Allun Armstrong), photographer Joe Fytton (played by Mark Addy) and Reverend Woodhead (played by Ron Cook), who have their opinions but find it difficult to persuade stubborn Bernard to change his mind on certain things.

An early scene in the movie shows Bernard and Herbert asking Ellis and Lofty to audition for the Choral Society. Later, during a meeting, the four decision makers lament the fact that Gilbert Pollard (played by Thomas Howes), the Choral Society’s previous choir master, left for military service because he volunteered and was not conscripted. After some discussion, the name Dr. Henry Guthrie is mentioned as a possible replacement for Gilbert.

Dr. Henry Guthrie (played by Ralph Fiennes), a bachelor with no children, is a talented musician who has recently returned to his native England after living several years in Germany. At the moment, he is working as a pianist at the Queens Hotel, which is not too far away from Ramsden. Henry is somewhat mysterious. Considering the tense relations between Germany and the United Kingdom during World War I, some people in the community are suspicious about Henry’s long residency in Germany and sudden return to England.

Is Henry a spy? A secret political supporter of the German government? “The Choral” hints that it could have this intrigue, but ultimately “The Choral” just makes Henry an inscrutable and often-grumpy character who reluctantly accepts the offer to become the Choral Society’s new choir master. Henry takes the job on the condition that Henry will get to work with his pianist friend Robert Horner (played by Robert Emms), even though Bernard says that Robert’s job with the choir will be an unpaid position.

“The Choral” then shows a very boring series of auditions that result in new members of the Choral Society. Ellis and Lofty are among those who make the cut. So does Bella Holmes (played by Emily Fairn), a young woman who had been dating Clyde before he went off to war. Bella is no longer interested in Clyde but doesn’t want to tell a lot of people that while he is still missing in action. After Clyde is found and is discharged from the military, he returns to Ramsden and joins the Choral Society.

Clyde finds out that Ellis has been courting Bella, who is mutually attracted to Ellis. “The Choral” wastes an opportunity to show Clyde as a well-rounded person who is dealing with the aftermath of war, including long-term physical and mental effects. Instead, “The Choral” makes him somewhat of a token disabled veteran (he lost his right arm during the war) who accepts Bella wanting to move on from Clyde so she can date Ellis, as long as Bella can still give Clyde the occasional hand job. That is literally the gist of Clyde’s story arc in “The Choral.”

Another new addition to the Choral Society is Mary Lockwood (played by Amara Okereke), a prim and proper Salvation Army worker. From the first few moments that Mary is on screen, it’s obvious she will be the star singer of the choir. During her audition, Mary gets wary reactions from longtime choir members Miss Muschamp (played by Carolyn Pickles) and Mrs. Pemberton (played by Angela Curran), whose only purpose in the movie is to play stereotypical uptight elderly women who feel threatened by someone who’s younger and more talented.

The Choral Society is preparing to perform songs from the oratorio “The Dream of Gerontius,” written by Sir Edward Elgar (played by Simon Russell Beale), who is very picky about who gets to perform this oratorio and how it’s performed, because it’s widely considered to be his masterpiece. The Choral Society is under pressure to do a performance that would make Sir Edward proud. Yawn.

In between monotonous rehearsal scenes, where choir master Henry does his expected scolding and scowling, there’s some very uninteresting drama that is only shown on a surface level. Mitch wants to date virginal Mary, who is afraid of dating anyone and wants to focus on her work. Robert is a closeted gay man at who might or might not be secretly in love with Henry.

“The Dream of Gerontius” is about a dead elderly man’s soul on a journey of death. In a community devastated by war deaths, this oratorio takes on particular significance. But you wouldn’t know it from the way this movie treats grief on a surface level.

Bernard had a son who died in the war. Bernard’s unnamed wife (played by Eunice Roberts) is briefly seen at their home as someone who is dressed entirely in black and who spends time sitting around and staring into space. Bernard tells her in an exasperated voice: “This house can’t become a mausoleum.” She replies, “You’re free to live entirely as you please, Bernard.” That’s the extent of which the movie addresses any grief in Bernard’s family.

A character named Mrs. Bishop (played by played by Lindsey Marshal) is a widow whose husband died in the war. Chronic flirt Ellis constantly eggs on Lofty to get some sexual action from Mrs. Bishop. In Ellis’ mind, Mrs. Bishop must be a horny widow who would welcome the chance to have a fling with a good-looking young man who wants to lose his virginity. The movie panders to this notion and makes Mrs. Bishop merely a prop who’s waiting around for male attention that’s shallow and fleeting.

“The Choral” is utterly phony when it comes to how it depicts race relations. Mary is black in a community where less than 1% of the population is black, but not once is her race mentioned in this nearly all-white community. Not once does anyone—not even Mary’s unnamed mother (played by Cecilia Noble), who has a scene talking to Mitch about his romantic interest in Mary—ask Mitch if he’s prepared for any backlash to having an interracial relationship.

Although it would be nice to think that this small village in 1916 England is so progressive that it’s a color-blind society where no one talks about different races, this type of community is an “only in a fictional movie” community for the time and place that it’s supposed to depict. Social class differences are barely acknowledged in “The Choral,” during a time when working-class men are disproportionately conscripted to war combat because they don’t have the resources to get out of this type of military service, compared to rich men. And the movie has a very trite depiction of what it must have been like for a gay man like Robert to live in this time and place.

As for the music and singing in “The Choral,” they are not very impressive and can be downright grating. “The Angel’s Farewell” is the big song performed in the movie’s climax. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a majority of people who see “The Choral” who will remember key components to this song. Fiennes and many of “The Choral” cast members are talented, but there’s only so much they can do when they are given two-dimensional characters to play. Instead of “The Choral,” this movie should be titled “The Bore All.”

Sony Pictures Classics will release “The Choral” in select U.S. cinemas on December 25, 2025. The movie was released in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2025.

Review: ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ starring Amanda Seyfried

December 24, 2025

by Carla Hay

Amanda Seyfried (center) in “The Testament of Ann Lee” (Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

“The Testament of Ann Lee”

Directed by Mona Fastvold

Culture Representation: Taking place from 1742 to 1784, in England and in New York state, the musical biopic “The Testament of Ann Lee” (based on true events) features an all-white cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: Ann Lee becomes the leader of a controversial religious group called the Shakers, who practice celibacy and believe in gender equality, even when identifying who God is.

Culture Audience: “The Testament of Ann Lee” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of star Amanda Seyfried, filmmaker Mona Fastvold, and movies about unconventional religious leaders.

Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Stacy Martin, Lewis Pullman, Scott Handy and Matthew Beard in “The Testament of Ann Lee” (Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

“The Testament of Ann Lee,” just like its title character, is compelling but might be too weird for some people. This musical biopic of controversial religious leader Ann Lee is visually striking but often monotonous and saved by a noteworthy performance by Amanda Seyfried. Although “The Testament of Ann Lee” is a musical, the song-and-dance numbers are sometimes awkwardly placed in the story, giving the impression that this movie would’ve been better as a pure drama.

Directed by Mona Fastvold (who co-wrote “The Testament of Ann Lee” with Brady Corbet), “The Testament of Ann Lee” had its world premiere at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival and its North American premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie takes place from 1742 to 1784, in England and in New York state. The movie was filmed on location at the Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts.

Although “The Testament of Ann Lee” is a biography, Fastvold explains in the movie’s production notes why she wanted to make the movie a musical: “I felt there was ample room within this historical biography for big gestures, bold theatrics, and operatic scale.” To be sure, there are some memorable scenes that show the Shakers in musical and religious ecstasy. Where the movie stumbles is in the some of the dreary dialogue that tends to drag.

The movie’s song selection consists almost entirely of traditional Shaker spirituals, such as “Worship,” “Beautiful Treasures,” “I Never Did Believe,” “Hunger and Thirst,” “Today Today, ” All Is Summer,” “Row Down O Zion,” “Building and Growing,” “I Love Mother (Pretty Mother’s Home),” “Stone Prison” and “Down to the Deep.” The movie’s two original songs are “John’s Running Song” (written by Fastvold and “The Testament of Ann Lee” composer Daniel Blumberg) and awards-bait tune “Clothed by the Sun,” written by Blumberg and performed by Seyfried.

“The Testament of Ann Lee” is told in three chapters, all in chronological order. The movie has hindsight narration by Mary Partington (played by Thomasin McKenzie), a young woman who became a loyal follower of Ann. This narration, although performed well, isn’t really necessary. Some viewers might find the narration a distraction because the narration just says what is eventually shown in screen.

Mary says in the beginning of the movie’s narration that from a very young age, Ann Lee was preoccupied with religion. At 6 years old, Ann (played by Millie-Rose Crossley) is living in her hometown of Manchester, England. She becomes the second of eight children born to her unnamed parents (played by Willem van der Vegt and Maria Sand), who are poor and uneducated. In real life, Ann’s father’s name was John, and he was a blacksmith.

One night, 6-year-old Ann sees her parents having sex. She seems to instinctively know that what her parents are doing is for adults only. When she tells her father, “I know what you do to her [Ann’s mother],” her father hits Ann hard on her hands. It’s the beginning of Ann associating sex with pain, fear and sadness.

At 12 years old, Ann (played by Esmee Hewett) has no formal education but she becomes immersed in the teachings of a Quakers sect call Society of Friends because her parents are members of this group. Ann’s lifelong best friend is her brother William Lee (played by Harry Conway), who is two years younger than Ann. During her adolescent years, Ann remains serious about religion, uninterested in dating, and receptive to the idea of gender equality.

As young adults, Ann (played by Seyfried) and William (played by Lewis Pullman) remain close and are the guardians of their niece Nancy (played by Viola Prettejohn), who is the daughter of the siblings’ deceased sister. A married couple named James Wardley (played by Scott Handy) and Jane Wardley (played by Stacy Martin) are the leaders of a Society of Friends offshoot that eventually become known as Shakers because they are Quakers who shake uncontrollably and speak in tongues during religious services.

Meanwhile, even though Ann doesn’t really want to get married, she attracts romantic interest from a local blacksmith named Abraham Standerin (played by Christopher Abbott), who is eager to start a family. Ann and Abraham have a fairly quick courtship and get married. However, Ann experiences childbirth trauma when she gives birth to four babies who all die in infancy. Sensitive viewers be warned: The childbirth and death scenes are explicit.

Ann becomes more fanatical about her religion and eventually believes that celibacy is the best way to be closest to God. You can easily predict how Abraham will react to Ann’s celibacy and what it does to their marriage. Through a series of events, the Shakers begin to believe that Ann is a messiah, so she becomes the leader of the Shakers. Ann is given the nickname Mother Ann during her leadership.

Facing persecution in England, the Shakers eventually relocate to New York’s Albany County, where they live fairly separatist, self-sufficient rural lifestyles. At the Shakers’ peak, their membership was about 6,000 people. However, the movie shows how the Shakers find out the hard way that the utopian society that they strive for can never really escape hatred from religious bigots.

“The Testament of Ann Lee” tends to get repetitive with these scenarios: Shakers religious ceremonies, followed by some type of persecution from bigoted people, followed by more Shakers religious ceremonies. The movie doesn’t pass judgment on the Shakers but it also doesn’t fully examine the internal dark sides of the cult-like aspects of this group. Any religious group that believes a human leader is a divine “superhuman” with unexplained abilities and is blindly loyal to that leader is a group that is in danger of imploding or doing other harm.

Seyfried’s performance will make viewers feel many aspects of Ann’s volatile emotional journey as a religious leader, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend and a feminist. However, because Ann is put on such a proverbial pedestal in the movie, the supporting characters seem underdeveloped in comparison. Pastor Reuben Wright (played by Tim Blake Nelson) and James Whittaker (played by Matthew Beard) become ardent Shaker allies of Ann, but their characters are a bit too generic and needed more personality. There are no bad performances in the film, but it’s very much a showcase for Seyfried, instead of being a deeply layered story of a community with an ensemble cast of fully developed characters.

“The Testament of Ann Lee” misses an opportunity to give more context to how the Shakers made people in the surrounding community feel uncomfortable because of the Shakers’ “radical” ideas of gender equality (even daring to say that God is female) and the Shakers’ religious ceremonies where people seem to become possessed by spirits that make them scream, howl and shake uncontrollably. “The Testament of Ann Lee” mainly depicts bigoted non-Shakers as weapon-carrying men who randomly show up to invade the Shakers’ property and cause hateful violence and other damage. The insidiousness of religious bigotry exists in more subtle ways, but the movie chose to show this prejudice in the most extreme ways.

Aside from skilled performances from the movie’s principal cast members, “The Testament of Ann Lee” has admirable costume design, production design and cinematography. The movie has some surrealistic elements when depicting some of Ann’s mental unraveling. “The Testament of Ann Lee” succeeds in bringing more public awareness to Ann Lee, a pioneering feminist who was ahead of her time. The movie, just like Ann Lee, gets muddled and confused about where how these ideas can work for a religion that preaches gender-equality social changes in a democracy that wants to have a separation of the church and state.

Searchlight Pictures will release “The Testament of Ann Lee” in select U.S. cinemas on December 25, 2025.

Review: ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab,’ starring Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury, Amer Hlehel

December 17, 2025

by Carla Hay

Nesbat Serhan, Motaz Malhees, Saja Kilani and Clara Khoury in “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Photo courtesy of Willa)

“The Voice of Hind Rajab”

Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania

Arabic with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in Palestine’s Gaza Strip, on January 29, 2024, the docudrama film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (based on true events) features an all-Arba cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class.

Culture Clash: Volunteers at a Red Crescent emergency call center frantically try to save a 6-year-old girl trapped in a car during an outdoor military attack.

Culture Audience: “The Voice of Hind Rajab” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania and are interested in seeing realistic depictions of innocent people caught in the crossfire of war.

Motaz Malhees with a photo of Hind Rajab in the foreground in “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Photo courtesy of Willa)

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” is a heartbreaking docudrama about the devastation caused by war, as told through the voice of a 6-year-old girl trapped in a car after a military attack in Gaza in 2024. This movie effectively depicts the race against time to save her, from the perspectives of emergency call center employees. “The Voice of Hind Rajab” uses the real voice of the trapped girl, whose name was Hind Rajab, and uses transcripts from the recorded calls as the bases for the scripted parts of the movie.

Written and directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” had its world premiere at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, where it won several prizes: ARCA CinemaGiovani Award – Best Film of Venezia 81, CICT – UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award
Croce Rossa Italiana Award, Edipo Re Award, Leoncino d’Oro Award, Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award for Best Foreign Film, and the UNIMED Award. The movie takes place in Palestine’s Gaza Strip and was actually filmed in Tunisia. “The Voice of Hind Rajab” is Tunisia’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film for the 2026 Academy Awards.

The scripted majority “The Voice of Hind Rajab” takes place on January 29, 2024. The movie, which clocks in at 89 minutes, aims to present the story as if it were happening in real time. The movie’s epilogue includes some real-life news footage of what happened after this day. The real names of the emergency responders are used in the movie.

A caption in the beginning of the film explains that on this day, residents of Gaza’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood have been ordered to evacuate by Israeli military. The movie is based on emergency phone calls made that day. At the Red Crescent emergency call center, which is staffed mostly by volunteers Palestine Red Crescent Society, a phone call comes in to Omar A. Alqam (played by Motaz Malhees), who hears a woman on the other line screaming, “They’re shooting at us!”

The phone then goes silent, and no one is responding on the other line. Omar knows the woman has most likely died. He is deeply affected because he knows he has probably been an earwitness to murder.

Another frantic call for help comes into the call center. This time, it’s a man saying his 6-year-old niece Hind Rajab Hamada, who has the nickname Hanood, is trapped in a car outside while there is still active gunfire and bombings. She and other family members had been trying to escape in the car, which got caught in the battle zone and can no longer move. Omar doesn’t want to take this call, but his co-worker Rana Hassan Faqih (played by Saja Kilani) persuades him to take the call. “You were trained for this,” Rana tells Omar.

Omar hears from the uncle that Hind was in the car with a female cousin named Layan, but Layan was able to escape, and Hind is the only known family member who is alive. And then, the phone calls from Hind begin. She describes being frightened and that everyone in the car with her is covered in blood and not moving. Hind seems to know that these family members are dead. She repeatedly pleads for someone to come get her.

Having been unable to rescue someone earlier, Omar is now determined to save this girl, even if it means that he won’t follow protocol. Omar has clashes with a co-worker named Mahdi M. Aljamal (played by Amer Hlehel), who insists that Omar not interfere in Mahdi’s job of being the contact liaison for emergency rescuers. Omar grows impatient and tries to contact emergency rescuers himself.

Rana and another female co-worker named Nisreen Jeries Qawas (played by Clara Khoury) also get involved in talking to Hind on the phone. Rana is the calmer of these two women, and she shows more sympathy for Omar when he gets frustrated or has arguments with Mahdi. Another co-worker named Leila (played by Nesbat Serhan) helps as much as she can.

The movie focuses on Omar, Rana, Mahdi and Nisreen as the main people who are in communication with Hind and with other people who are involved in trying to rescue Hind. The biggest challenge is to find out exactly where Hind is located when she doesn’t know exactly where she is. Based on the gunshots and explosions heard in the background, she’s in an active war zone and could be killed at any moment by bullets or a bomb.

Help is not easy to come by in this emergency. The American Red Cross doesn’t want to get involved when asked by the Red Crescent call center to give assistance. Two emergency rescuers named Youssef Zaino and Ahmed Al-Madhoun end up being the ones to drive to where they think Hind is located. All of the cast members give convincing performances.

Ben Hania’s documentary-styled direction of “The Voice of Hind Rajab” fully immerses viewers into the panic, fear, hope, tension and feelings of helplessness that people have on both ends of the phone calls that are depicted and heard in this harrowing movie. Through it all, the voice of Hind will haunt everyone who hears her, as she desperately wants to live and be reunited with her family. It’s a voice that transcends politics and speaks to basic human decency and compassion when basic human decency and compassion are hard to find during atrocious acts of war.

Willa released “The Voice of Hind Rajab” in select U.S. cinemas on December 17, 2025. The movie was released in Tunisia on September 10, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on February 24, 2026.

Copyright 2017-2026 Culture Mix
CULTURE MIX