From Cauleen Smith’s trilogy on volcanos to Philippe Parreno’s intimate exploration of Goya, here’s what to watch.
Dan Schindel
Dan Schindel is a freelance writer and copy editor living in Brooklyn, and a former associate editor at Hyperallergic. His portfolio and links are here.
Posted inFilm
The Existential Crisis of Free Leonard Peltier
The film was made to agitate for the release of the wrongly imprisoned Indigenous activist. Despite last-minute edits after his clemency, it still shows some cracks.
Posted inFilm
Zodiac Killer Project Is a Parody of the True Crime Genre
The documentary is an incisive critique of how cliché-bound the genre has become, encouraging viewers to ask more from it.
Posted inFilm
The Story of the Godfather of Asian-American Media, Told by His Son
“The best film I could make was one that only I could tell as his son,” Tadashi Nakamura told Hyperallergic about legendary director Robert Nakamura.
Posted inFilm
Not-to-Miss Documentaries at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival
Several nonfiction works playing at the festival are timely, whether in their current subject matter or relevant reflections on the past.
Posted inNews
David Lynch, Conjurer of the Uncanny, Dies at 78
The visionary film director and artist was an institution unto himself — primarily of cinema, but also painting, music, photography, and culture at large.
Posted inFilm
The Emotional Valences of Brutalism
Historically, cinema has invoked the architectural movement as an easy shorthand for villainy. In The Brutalist, though, it embodies a proletarian dream.
Posted inFilm
Werner Herzog’s Anticlimatic Exploration of the Human Brain
The filmmaker seems out of his depth in Theater of Thought, too willing to let his subjects make questionable claims without pushing back or delving deeper.
Posted inFilm
Five Video Essays for the Holiday Season
Killer bananas, Grand Theft Auto telephone poles, online gambling, and other ways to fill a little downtime.
Posted inFilm
The Beautiful Infinity of Tetris
A new documentary-game includes an interactive timeline, interviews, and of course, playable versions of the game.
Posted inFilm
The 25 Best Films of 2024
An eclectic round-up spanning feature-length investigative documentaries, avant-garde short films, YouTube essays, and even talk shows.
Posted inFilm
The Illusive Films of Sergei Parajanov
Each of the director’s films adapts a folktale, short story, or novel, or pays tribute to a historical figure — but never in a straightforward way.