Claire Shaffer
Posts
‘Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki Featuring Toma Ikuta’ Review: A New Path
Cameras follow Ikuta, an actor on popular Japanese teen dramas in the 2000s, as he learns Kabuki’s expressions and movements from a friend.
‘A Sexplanation’ Review: Sex Education Fit for a Classroom
The director Alex Liu explores the politics and culture of sex ed in the United States while confronting his own shame around sexuality.
‘A Taste of Whale’ Review: Blood in the Water
This documentary offers a refreshingly multidimensional take on the practice of whale hunting in the Faroe Islands.
‘Bad Roads’ Review: A Wartime Anthology
The movie, with its four vignettes about Ukraine, was the country’s submission for best international feature film for the Oscars.
‘Polar Bear’ Review: On Thin Ice
This Disneynature documentary traces one female polar bear’s journey from cub to mother.
‘Love After Love’ Review: Elegance Without a Center
Ann Hui’s World War II-era film is lovely to look at but lacks emotional depth and resonance.
‘The Fallout’ Review: The Unexpected Effects of Trauma
Jenna Ortega stars as a teenager coping with the aftermath of a school shooting in this grounded and compassionate look at adolescent grief.
‘The Pink Cloud’ Review: Love in Lockdown
Iuli Gerbase’s first feature film reflects a funhouse-mirror image of our present lives.
‘Torn’ Review: A Climber’s Son Explores His Father’s Legacy
This documentary on the life and death of the mountaineer Alex Lowe demonstrates how unexpected bonds can form around those in grief.
‘’Twas the Fight Before Christmas’ Review: A Not-So-Silent Night
This documentary recounts how an Idaho man filed a discrimination lawsuit after his neighbors refused to let him host an annual Christmas light extravaganza.