‘Raging Grace’ Proves the Scariest Things in Life Are What’s Real
Review of Raging Grace, a Gothic horror directed by British-Filipino writer/director Paris Zarcilla.
top of page
Reviews
Alisha Mughal
- Nov 23
Reel Asian 2023: Jude Chehab’s 'Q' Gifts Us Love
Lebanese-American filmmaker Jude Chehab’s feature documentary debut Q is more patient than it is driving.
Alisha Mughal
- Nov 23
Reel Asian 2023: 'Mustache' Reinvents the Bildungsroman
Despite its familiar trajectory, 'Mustache' is charming and weighty, soaring where others of its ilk have tanked.
Rose Ho
- Nov 17
Reel Asian 2023: ‘Terrestrial Verses’ Shows How Oppression Permeates the Everyday in Iran
Film review of Terrestrial Verses, directed by Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami, from the Toronto premiere at 2023's Reel Asian Film Festival.
Rachel Ho
- Nov 13
Reel Asian 2023: ‘Okiku and the World’ Hits the Fan
Never in a million years would I think that a movie about literal human excrement could be so heartfelt and endearing. A seemingly simple...
Calvin Law
- Nov 10
'Perfect Days' Is A Perfect Film By Wim Wenders
Film review of Wim Wenders' Perfect Days.
Paul Enicola
- Nov 8
‘The Missing’ Is a Profound Rotoscope Journey of Acceptance and Healing
The Missing (Ilocano: Iti Mapukpukaw) patiently weaves through the complexities of a person’s fragmented memory, and how their coping...
Calvin Law
- Oct 30
HKAFF 2023: 'Cobweb' Untangles The Magic of Movie Making
At some point in many an auteur’s career, there seems to be an urge to make a film about filmmaking, often from the perspective of a...
Jericho Tadeo
- Oct 25
‘The Persian Version’ Tackles the Mother-Daughter Relationship Trope with Comedy and Compassion
Written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz, the film follows Leila, an Iranian-American woman who has a tough relationship with her mother.
Wilson Kwong
- Oct 4
TIFF 2023: ‘100 Yards’ Is A Flawed Yet Creatively Charged Kung Fu Epic
By crafting a kung fu epic infused with film noir sensibilities, Xu Haofeng and Xu Junfeng’s 100 Yards is certainly an ambitious take on...
Wilson Kwong
- Sep 17
TIFF 2023: 'Yellow Bus' Isn't Worth the Ride
Taking audiences through the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy, Yellow Bus is far from an easy watch. But as with any film that...
Jericho Tadeo
- Sep 15
TIFF 2023: ‘Your Mother’s Son’ Disturbs as It Teeters on the Line Between Love and Abuse
Directed by Jun Robles Lana, Your Mother’s Son explores the complicated relationship between Sarah and her son Emman.
Rachel Ho
- Sep 14
TIFF 2023: Zarrar Kahn Will Set Your Heart ‘In Flames’
In Flames, the feature directorial debut of Pakistani-Canadian director Zarrar Kahn, weaves together a myriad of themes and narratives...
Rose Ho
- Sep 14
TIFF 2023: ‘Ru’ Displays the Full Beauty and Humanity of the Vietnamese Boat People’s Experience
Film review of Ru, directed by Charles-Olivier Michaud and produced by author Kim Thúy.
Rose Ho
- Sep 11
TIFF 2023: ‘Dear Jassi’ Is A Traumatic Reminder of the Ongoing Issue of Honour Killings
Dear Jassi is based on the shocking true story of an honour killing in India with a Canadian victim: Jaswinder Kaur "Jassi" Sidhu.
Jericho Tadeo
- Sep 10
TIFF 2023: ‘The Queen of My Dreams’ Is an Exceptional Debut From Fawzia Mirza
One of many Canadian films playing at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, The Queen of My Dreams pushes the limits of the...
Calvin Law
- Sep 7
Venice Film Festival 2023: Ryuichi Sakamoto Takes His Final Bow
After an ugly morning cry over the bleak potency of Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, my afternoon gave me a very different reason to...
Calvin Law
- Sep 5
Venice Film Festival 2023: 'Hokage (Shadow of Fire)' Brings To Light The Shadows of War
‘A game of two halves’ is always an interesting way of describing a film. Generally it refers to quality; a film can start strong and end...
Calvin Law
- Sep 3
Venice Film Festival 2023: The Raw Intensity of 'Tatami'
Given that the sports biopic formula often leans towards the optimistic, even in bleak circumstances, I was surprised with the downbeat...
Calvin Law
- Sep 1
Venice Film Festival 2023: 'Sidonie in Japan' Brings Levity To Grief
Somewhere between the stylistic influences and themes of Lost in Translation and Hiroshima Mon Amour is Élise Girard’s Sidonie au Japon...
Calvin Law
- Sep 1
Venice Film Festival 2023: 'Ser Ser Salhi' Enlivens the Coming of Age Tale
The Asian Cut's review of 'Ser Ser Salhi' directed by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir.
Rose Ho
- Aug 4
‘Shortcomings’ Is Critical of Positive Representation, Almost to A Fault
Review of Randall Park's directorial debut, an adaptation of Shortcomings, starring Justin H. Min.
Jericho Tadeo
- Jul 12
Happy Together Is Still a Once-in-a-Lifetime Movie
A review of the LGBTQ+ classic, Happy Together, directed by Wong Kar-wai and starring Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung.
Jericho Tadeo
- Jul 8
‘Joy Ride’ Is the Hilarious, Heartfelt, and Horny Movie We Didn’t Know We Were Waiting For
Directed by Crazy Rich Asians co-writer Adele Lim, Joy Ride follows four Asian-American friends who embark on the trip of a lifetime.
Calvin Law
- Jun 12
'Liquor Store Dreams' of Community and Realizing Immigrant Ambition
In her directorial debut Liquor Store Dreams, So Yun Um takes on the ambitious endeavour of examining her personal experiences growing up...
Rose Ho
- Jun 9
‘American Born Chinese’ Mashes Up Modernity and Mythology
Review of Disney+ series American Born Chinese, featuring Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.
Rose Ho
- May 24
‘What’s Love Got to Do With It?’ Is a Rom-Com That Makes a Case for Modern Arranged Marriages
What’s Love Got to Do With It? stars Lily James and Shazad Latif in a romcom about arranged marriages.
Rose Ho
- May 22
‘A Passage Beyond Fortune’ Shows One Chinese Family’s History in Canada
This short documentary explores the history of Chinese immigrants in Canada through the experiences of a single family.
Jericho Tadeo
- Apr 26
‘One True Loves’ Is All Sugar and No Spice
Film review of romance One True Loves starring Phillipa Soo, Luke Bracey, and Simu Liu.
Calvin Law
- Apr 14
‘The Harvest’ Bears Fruitful Exploration of Hmong Diaspora
Review of Caylee So's The Harvest with Doua Moua.
Jericho Tadeo
- Apr 5
MISAFF 2023: ‘Powai’ Falters in the Follow-Through of Its Effigial Intentions
Review of Powai (2022), a triptych of three women's stories in suburban India.
Rachel Ho
- Mar 29
'John Wick: Chapter 4' Finds the Franchise's Equilibrium
「上山容易下山難」 I don’t know many Chinese sayings (there are a lot), but this one is a favourite of my parents and has always stuck with me....
Rose Ho
- Mar 27
MISAFF 2023: ‘Kamli’ is a Folktale for the Lovelorn
Opening at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival (MISAFF), Kamli is a Pakistani film about three women and their longings.
Rose Ho
- Mar 21
Revenge is a Raw and Bloody Affair in A24’s 'Beef' (2023)
Review of Netflix's show Beef, starring Steven Yuen and Ali Wong.
Rachel Ho
- Mar 14
'Chang Can Dunk' On Your Expectations
Chang (Bloom Li) is the typical high school kid: smitten with young love and lust, concerned with his hair, and constantly at odds with...
Jericho Tadeo
- Mar 2
‘Return to Seoul’ Shows Us the Pain and Beauty of Being Alive
Davy Chou’s sophomore feature, Return to Seoul, tells the story of 25-year-old Freddie (Park Ji-min), a Korean adoptee from France.
Paul Enicola
- Feb 17
'Boy From Nowhere' Is A Compelling Marriage of Fiction and Reality
A boy helps the older men till the land, then looks intently on the horizon as a group of armed rebels approach them. One of the armed...
Wilson Kwong
- Feb 10
Sundance 2023: 'Polite Society' Is Too Restrained to Land a Punch
With tons of fun and vibrant kinetic energy, Nida Manzoor’s Polite Society radiates with crowd pleasing sensibilities and added cultural...
Rose Ho
- Feb 1
Slamdance: ‘Marupok AF (Where Is The Lie?)’ Brings Trans Catfishing True Story To Big Screen
Film review of Quark Henares' Marupok AF (Where is the Lie?) starring EJ Jallorina, Royce Cabera, and Maris Racal.
Rose Ho
- Jan 19
‘Eat Drink Man Woman’ Serves Family Drama and Romantic Comedy with Gastronomic Delights
In honour of Lunar New Year, a review of Eat Drink Man Woman by Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee.
Rachel Ho
- Dec 20, 2022
WFF 2022: ‘Shallots & Garlic/Bawang Merah Bawang Putih’ Dishes Out A Woman’s Universal Truth
The Asian Cut's Rachel Ho reviews Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto's short film, Shallots & Garlic, as seen during the Whistler Film Festival.
Rachel Ho
- Dec 20, 2022
WFF 2022: ‘Please Hold The Line/请别挂断’ Holds Audiences Captive
The Asian Cut's Rachel Ho review of the short film 'Please Hold The Line' as seen during the Whistler Film Festival.
Alisha Mughal
- Dec 19, 2022
'And Still I Sing' Vividly Captures the Labour of Hope
We talk a lot about our penchant for whipping the realities of life into narrative form, of our “imposition of a narrative line upon...
Rose Ho
- Dec 14, 2022
‘Children of the Mist’ Documentary Reveals Child Marriage Customs In Rural Vietnam
A peek into child bride-kidnapping customs in rural Vietnam, Children of the Mist is director Hà Lệ Diễm's first feature documentary.
Jericho Tadeo
- Dec 8, 2022
‘Plan 75’ is a Searing Indictment of Capitalist Failure
Chie Hayakawa’s feature debut imagines a government program that gives people aged 75 and up the choice to voluntarily end their lives.
Rose Ho
- Dec 7, 2022
'Hello (Again)' is a Cute and Cliché Story of Love and Reconnection
Co-created by Simu Liu and Nathalie Younglai, Hello (Again) is a nine episode web series starring Alex Mallari Jr.
Alisha Mughal
- Dec 6, 2022
The Tender Grace of 'Sort Of'
The second season of Bilal Baig's CBC series 'Sort Of' is a masterclass in graceful representation.
Rose Ho
- Nov 30, 2022
Criterion Recollection: Ingenuity, Identity, and Integrity in ‘Infernal Affairs’
Criterion Recollection review of Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung
Rachel Ho
- Nov 18, 2022
‘Therapy Dogs’ Welcomes A Talent To Watch Out For
The Asian Cut's Rachel Ho reviews Ethan Eng's directorial debut, Therapy Dogs.
Jericho Tadeo
- Nov 18, 2022
Reel Asian: ‘Some Women’ is a Masterful Exploration of Womanhood
Quen Wong's documentary, Some Women, bravely sits at this intersection of the desire to be seen and its corollary fear.
bottom of page