Tag: Independent Film
-
The Year of Relationships: 2025 Movies That Get Love Right (and Wrong)
Where do we, as a society, currently stand when it comes to relationships? Dating? Commitment? The landscape has shifted so dramatically that it sometimes feels like we’re living in an entirely new emotional era. The openness of relationships has expanded far beyond where it once was—breaking away from antiquated, traditional notions and allowing people to…
-
Arco Is a Future You Want to Get Lost In — Here’s Why
Release Date: limited U.S. release November 14, 2025 (Neon) Runtime: 89 minutes (1h 29m) Rated: PG Production Companies: Remembers, MountainA, France 3 Cinéma, Fit Via Vi Film Productions, Sons of Rigor Producers: Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Ugo (Ugo/Ugo Bienvenu) Bienvenu (producer credits) Animation/Visual leads: Adam Sillard (animation lead) and Fabio Besse (production design)…
-
Sirāt Is the Bad-Feel Movie of the Year — And It Hurts to Look Away
Release Date: November 14, 2025 (U.S. Release) Runtime: 115 minutes (1h 55m) Rated: R Production Companies: Los Desertores Films AIE, Telefónica Audiovisual Digital, Filmes da Ermida, El Deseo, Uri Films, 4A4 Productions Producers: Domingo Corral, Óliver Laxe, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, Esther García, Oriol Maymó, Mani Mortazavi, Andrea Queralt Cinematography: Mauro Herce Editing: Cristóbal…
-
It Was Just an Accident: Jafar Panahi’s Defiant Masterwork of Vengeance and Forgiveness
Release Date: US theatrical release began Oct 15, 2025 Runtime: 104 minutes (1h 44m) Rated: PG-13 — violence, smoking, thematic elements, strong language Production Companies: Jafar Panahi Productions, Les Films Pelléas, Bidibul Productions, Pio & Co, Arte France Cinéma Producers: Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin Cinematography: Amin Jafari Editing: Amir Etminan Music / Composer: Abdorreza Heidari It…
-
Terror Through the Lens: 2025’s Most Ambitious Found Footage Films
Since its horror inception with a film like Cannibal Holocaust (1980), the found footage genre has long found a welcoming and supportive home within horror itself. From there, we can trace clever and tactical marketing strategies that paved the way for The Blair Witch Project (1999), whose success relied on the persuasive and deceiving nature…
-
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” Review: A Raw, Relentless Portrait of Motherhood’s Breaking Point
Release Date: October 10, 2025 (United States theatrical) (Premiere: January 24, 2025 at Sundance) Runtime: 133 minutes (1 hr 53 min) Rated: R — for language, some drug use and bloody images. Production Companies: A24, Central Pictures, Fat City, also credited: Bronxburgh; Elara Pictures Producers: Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Conor…
-
The Age of Outrage: Cancel Culture, Social Media, and Cinema’s Search for Accountability
This year alone has brought an assortment of films reflecting the political and social climates of both the world at large and the United States in particular. While the deeper analysis of that collective will be tabled for now, one thing has become clear: the relevancy of films capturing the essence—or at least the proximity—of…
-
Good Boy (2025) Review: A Haunting Horror Told Through a Dog’s Eyes
Release Date: Theatrical release (U.S.) — October 3, 2025 (festival premiere at SXSW March 10, 2025) Runtime: 73 minutes (1 hr 13 min) Rated: PG-13 — for terror, bloody images and strong language Production Companies: What’s Wrong With Your Dog? (Leonberg / Fischer indie credit) — distributed in English territories by Shudder / IFC (Independent Film…
-
The Best Horror Films of 2025 (So Far): From 28 Years Later to The Long Walk
2025 has been an incredible year for horror, and I wanted to take a moment to highlight the films that are keeping the theatrical experience alive. While plenty of other blockbusters have carried their weight at the box office, I’d argue horror deserves its own recognition. As anyone in the fandom knows, it’s one of…
-
Lurker (2025) Review: Fame, Manipulation, and the Toxic Dance of Parasocial Relationships
Release Date: theatrical release in U.S. on August 22, 2025 Runtime: 101 minutes (1h 41min) Rated: R for language throughout and some sexual content Production Companies: High Frequency Entertainment, MeMo Films, Twin Pictures Producers: Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Jack Selby, Galen Core, Olmo Schnabel, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Archie Madekwe Cinematography: Pat Scola…
818 Lens 