Reviews

From film festivals to new releases, find the latest reviews from contemporary East and Southeast Asian cinema here, written by the Filmed in Ether team.

Review: Two of Us & Long Term Coffee Break

Claire LanglaisMarch 25, 2023

We look back on Two of Us and Long Term Coffee Break, two shorts from 'The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond' program....

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Review: Old Town Girls

Levin TanDecember 13, 2022

Promising first-time filmmaker Shen Yu ruminates on violence, poverty and ambition in the Chinese neo-noir, Old Town Girls....

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MIFF 2022 Review: Children of the Mist

Hieu ChauAugust 9, 2022

Ha Le Diem's incredible human rights documentary Children of the Mist is an expertly crafted anti-coming-of-age tale....

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SFF 2022 Review: Singing in the Wilderness

Brooke HeinzJune 13, 2022

Dongnan Chen's documentary Singing in the Wilderness reveals the cultural crisis facing a Miao community and their world famous choir....

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Review: Belle

Hieu ChauFebruary 22, 2022

Mamoru Hosoda re-imagines Beauty and the Beast for the Internet-obssessed generation in his latest anime adventure, Belle....

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JFF 2021 Review: The Deer King

Levin TanDecember 2, 2021

Veteran animators Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji make their directorial debuts with The Deer King, a unique new fantasy adventure....

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Review: Belladonna of Sadness

Natalie NgOctober 24, 2021

Eiichi Yamamoto's hypersexual cult animation Belladonna of Sadness is at once a visually stunning work and a misguided take on feminism. ...

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NYAFF 2021 Review: Tiong Bahru Social Club

Timothy AmatulliAugust 24, 2021

Tan Bee Thiam's Tiong Bahru Social Club is a fun experience that proudly acknowledges its film inspirations but lacks a distinct voice....

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MIFF 2021 Review: Wife of a Spy

Timothy AmatulliJuly 29, 2021

Co-written by the duo behind Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Happy Hour, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Wife of A Spy is a fine espionage drama led by Yu Aoi....

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MIFF 2021 Review: Mama

Levin TanJuly 28, 2021

Director Li Dongmei navigates and confronts her personal trauma in a film that straddles the line between documentary and fiction....

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Dreamscapes 2021 Review: Day of Destruction & Wolf’s Calling

Brooke HeinzMay 28, 2021

As part of Toshiaki Toyoda's Wolf Mountain trilogy, we look at his short film Wolf's Calling and feature length picture, Day of Destruction....

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Review: A First Farewell

Levin TanMarch 4, 2021

Lina Wang's A First Farewell is a gorgeous debut film about growing up as a Uyghur child and threads the fine line of docufiction....

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