Movie reviews of Victor Fraga

Highly formulaic and poor-taste American high school shooting drama both glamourises and fetishises violence to the extreme. Review

This political thriller contains a number insightful discussions, successfully reflecting upon the nature and limits of political activism. It’s realistic and engaging enough to justify a viewing, even if it could be a little shorter than 111 minutes. Review

This is a film to be enjoyed for its nihilism, not its coherence. Review

A tragic death has an irreparable impact on the lives of five very different sisters growing up in Palermo, in this gentle and moving Italian drama. Review

The latest creation by Japan's most versatile filmmmaker is a highly conventional and mostly confusing "spy" drama originally conceived for television. Review

It’s colourful and fun to watch. It just won’t stay with you for very long. Review

Highly artistic and contemplative documentary registers the plight of people in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Kurdistan. Review

Polish movie about Ukrainian masseur with supernatural powers is hardly decipherable and yet distinctively bewitching. Review

Andrei Konchalovsky works well as personal drama, focused on one family. It does not bode well as a historical register. Review

Documentary about the political imprisonment of Caetano Veloso during the Brazilian military dictatorship has priceless moments for fans yet little appeal for those not familiar with the iconic singer. Review

Iranian film about a school for homeless children has its heart at the right spot and its script all over the place, stringing together a myriad of cumbersome premises. Review

Period Lesbian drama set in the US and filmed in Transylvania is exuberant in its photography, supported by a simple yet powerful script. Review

Charming and sensitive Palestinian movie finds romance at old age in a very conservative and impoverished society. Review

Biopic of Karl Marx's youngest daughter is so deeply marred by a contrived script, wooden performances and awkward antics that it's barely watchable. Review

I Am Greta is an observational, fly-on-the-wall type of documentary. It never challenges its subject. Review

The real-life story of the picaresque British hero who stole a painting from the National Gallery for charitable purposes is doused in saccharine and yet enjoyable to watch. Review

French thriller about young femme fatale divided between a young criminal lover and a older wealthy husband is pretentious and unnecessary. Review

The tone is sombre and realistic. Violence is neither fetishised nor sanitised. Review

The Human Voice obviously has limited commercial ambitions allowing the filmmaker more artistic freedoms. Review

Strangers become trapped in a strange web of love and deception, in this entertaining French drama set between two continents. Review

Sinister suburban comedy from Italy is a hybrid amalgam of hapless children and maladroit parents. Review

The king of slow cinema is back after a seven-year hiatus with a rare and valuable gem, with a duration of more than two hours. Review

Spectacular Iranian movie divided into four short stories reflects about the complacence, the complicity and the morality of killing. Review

This is a very conventional historical drama. The topic choice is fascinating, although it’s unclear how much is true and how much is fictionalised. Review