Movie reviews of Filipe Freitas

Life choices and mortality; acceptance and repentance; family roots and branches; the earthly and the spiritual… “Dying isn’t simple, is it?”, asks the spirit of Masao’s wife. I Was a Simple Man is honest enough to deserve a peek. Review

The plot is so torpid that it sinks deep in thick muddy waters in no time; a burden that, hampering a fluid storytelling, makes Digger a mediocre movie with a stubbornly resistant message. Review

Azor is an intriguing and fascinating account with a few crossroads and an unimaginable finale. It’s one of the year’s most cohesive films, and it holds up to repeated viewings. Review

The non-professional actors did a modest yet acceptable job, and there are some mesmerizing images captured and framed in a square 4:3 format that are something to thank for. Review

The film, carried out with a generically feel-good posture despite J.R.’s romantic and professional disillusions, needed more depth. Review

Gyllenhaal’s storytelling process intertwines recent events with a mix of painful and thrilling flashbacks, keeping The Lost Daughter steady for most of its time. In some cases, the dramatic intensity doesn’t reach the expected levels but the film provides delicate material for thought and discussion. Review

Among scenes that feel whether awkwardly forced or dragging, Yalda only scarcely produces some excitement. It’s an unpassionate, conventional and timid work, which I’m not prepared to forgive. Review

Luzzu clearly conveys what Camilleri had in mind through powerful images and feelings. The filmmaker keeps it real by presenting a plainly spelled-out sequence of events that first infuriates and then makes you think. Review

The technical aspects are generally favorable, but if the photography enchants with its dusky hues, then the score, which plays a big role in setting the shadowy atmosphere, feels more invasive than assisting. Review

The supernatural representations incorporate crazy-busy special effects but Reitman counterbalances that setback with cutesy scenes congested with inventive detail. Although basic, the whole can be pretty entertaining as a result of a certain magical candor and a few funny lines. Review

The film doesn’t have the scope to match its visual craft, and one of its biggest sins is relying on the predictable mechanisms of the horror narrative. Review

The Tragedy of Macbeth is at once wonderful and exasperating; a demented and beautiful delight shaped with risk-taking boldness and considerable maturation in the proceedings. As the Witches would say, “seek to know no more” and watch the film yourself. Review

It's one of those cases where the intentions are awesome and the result disjointed. Review

What makes this Spider-Man so satisfying comes in large measure from the lucidity of the narrative, the quality of the villains, and an enjoyable balance of action, humor and emotion. Review

Sadly, every single attempt to create cheekiness and irreverence came off flat and out of place. Hence, if you are into movies that depict true stories and relationships with wit and grit, then you might want to skip Being the Ricardos. Review

Precise in its three-dimensional analysis, Mills tells something genuine and meaningful in a quiet heart-tugger made irresistible by naturalistic performances. Sensitive audiences won’t have difficulty remembering C’mon C’mon. Review

At some point, still far from the conclusion, it was my desire to erase this messy block of code (made of copy and paste) from the screen. After the abominable final sequence, I got less anxious as soon as I saw the final credits roll. Press the button and... erased forever! Review

The innocence, perceptiveness, sadness and occasional rapture conveyed by the twin protagonists in this intimate, concise drama will stop you in your tracks. Rarely a sharp-eyed depiction of a mourning period takes the form of an exceptionally tender experience. Review

Combining fantasy and reality, tears and laughter, sports and arts, as well as the vulgar and the sensitive aspects of life, The Hand of God might not be a masterpiece but is certainly one of a kind. Review

Yearning and confident, funny and sad, this is a film that deftly combines the tender and the fierce of life. Review

Unhurriedly delivered, Balloon plays out like a naturalistic fable in which ancient traditions clash with a more modern vision. It becomes strangely moving during the peacefully elegiac third act, and it’s beauty, unpretentiousness and message should be enough to appeal beyond its art house niche. Review

Well patented here is his penchant for projecting women to the center of a story while directing them with real affection. Review

There’s nothing really groundbreaking here, even considering that this dark and lurid thriller comes from a director who has firmly established himself as an innovator. Nightmare Alley plays more like an ever-shifting, lopsided endeavor that finds the right magic to catch us in a villainously astute manner. Review

Suspenseful and powerful from minute one until the end, the film provides a harrowing look at how an apparently safe gathering could veer into a nerve-racking, life-threatening situation. Review