“SHABU” Is the Boss of Peperklip: Film Review

Brought to the screen by Shamira Raphaëla, a documentary film director keen on encapsulating the essence of humanity, comes SHABU, which follows a 14-year-old as he works hard to pay back his grandmother after crashing her car while she’s away in Suriname. We arrive in a bustling neighbourhood as we follow Shabu in his day-to-day…

Glenn Yong’s Journey: From TikTok to Stardom

In a stunning display of talen, the Singaporean actor and singer, Glenn Yong, has swiftly risen to prominence in the entertainment industry. From his humble beginnings as a TikTok sensation to his breakthrough roles as an actor and the release of his music, Glenn’s journey is quite impressive. He is known for his participation in…

“XO, Kitty”: The Pains of Youth, Wrapped up in a Bow

“My life is a mess… except for you,” confesses Florian (Théo Augier Bonaventure) to Q (Anthony Keyvan) during one tearful moment on a school camping trip. The goals and hardships of the seven main characters envelop one another as their stories unravel in the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” spinoff series, created by…

76th Cannes Film Festival: “If Only I Could Hibernate” Review

Social realism is the name of the game in Mongolian filmmaker Zoljargal Purevdash’s debut feature If Only I Could Hibernate. Over the past few weeks, the Un Certain Regard title has been widely celebrated as the country’s first film ever in the Cannes official selection. To be accurate, however, Hibernate is the first Mongolian feature-length…

76th Cannes Film Festival: “Omen” Review

Taken at surface level, you’d be forgiven for initially thinking rapper Baloji’s directorial debut was going to transform into a straightforwardly satirical examination of cultural tensions. Arriving in the Democratic Republic of Congo from his adopted homeland of Belgium to introduce his wider family to fiancée Alice (Lucie Debay), Koffi (Marc Zinga) is initially greeted…

76th Cannes Film Festival: “Inshallah a Boy” Review

The power of cinema in Jordan holds significant cultural, artistic, and societal importance. Jordan has a rich cinematic history, and the country has produced a number of acclaimed filmmakers and notable films that have made an impact both domestically and internationally. Cinema in Jordan has been instrumental in reflecting and exploring various aspects of Jordanian…

76th Cannes Film Festival: “Tiger Stripes” Review

You don’t need a gross visual metaphor to articulate the horrifying transformation we all undergo during puberty – but it certainly can help. The history of genre cinema is rife with adolescent allegories, from the straightforward telekinesis metaphor of Stephen King’s Carrie, to the superpowered changes that Peter Parker goes through to become a “man”…

Keishi Otomo on Capturing the Samurai Spirit in “The Legend & Butterfly”

Keishi Otomo is no stranger to making Jidaigeki, Japanese period dramas. He has directed many in his prolific career, though he is probably best known for the “Rurouni Kenshin” live-action films. The franchise adapts Nobuhiro Watsuki’s classic manga of the same name across five films: “Rurouni Kenshin”, “Kyoto Inferno”, “The Legend Ends”, “The Final” and…