Three people sit in a small boat on a calm, green river surrounded by lush trees. The scene is peaceful, with one child and two adults, one paddling and the other interacting with the child.

A grandmother floats homeward in ‘Hair, Paper, Water…’

The director of “Việt and Nam” returns to the remote Rục tribe for his latest documentary

A smiling, sweaty man holds up a large wrestling championship belt with one arm, a white towel draped over his shoulder, as people applaud him in a brightly lit, celebratory setting.

The Rock, rebooted

Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” gives the mega-star a much-needed makeover as MMA fighter Mark Kerr

A woman clutches a mans coat under a streetlight at night in the rain. The man looks serious as they stand on a city sidewalk, with blurred car lights and street signs in the background.

‘Dear Stranger’ finds a couple at their breaking point

Tetsuya Mariko’s Japan-Taiwan-U.S. production applies a unique lens to modern Asian American-ness in this domestic drama

A woman wearing a blue-and-white striped pajama top applies lipstick while looking at herself in a bathroom mirror with tiled walls.

Kim Min-ha shines in assimilation drama ‘Hana Korea’

Frederik Sølberg’s Busan International Film Festival premiere was inspired by real North Korean refugees’ experiences

Four young women in white school uniforms with red name tags stand outside, smiling and laughing, with parked cars and tall buildings in the background.

Siyou Tan’s ‘Amoeba’ is high school rebellion at its best

Playing at the Busan Film Festival, director Siyou Tan’s Singaporean teen drama is nostalgic, wistful, and exciting

Three people stand talking in a grassy, wooded area, perhaps at the start of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. One gestures with his hands, the woman in the center holds a can, and the third listens. A blurred black car sits among the trees in the background.

Open your heart to Kogonada’s ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’

An odd, idiosyncratic, and above all, personal vision of cinematic romance

Anime-style character with short white hair and a surprised expression stands outdoors, wearing a white shirt and backpack. Bright sunlight streams in from the sky, illuminating the scene with dramatic light rays.

‘The Summer Hikaru Died’: A horrifying gay romance you can’t help but root for

The groundbreaking queer anime defies expectation and externalizes the internalized homophobia many teens have battled

Two people with their faces very close, eyes closed and foreheads touching, appear emotional and distressed, possibly crying or about to cry.

‘The Sun Rises On Us All’ features great performances and languid drama

The Venice Film Festival awards its coveted Volpi Cup to Chinese actress Xin Zhilei

A young woman in a white dress stands holding flowers in front of a garden table, surrounded by four young adults dressed in pastel summer outfits, with a lush hedge of blue and purple hydrangeas behind them.

How ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ mistakes aesthetics for depth

Despite being visually stunning, the television series somehow struggles to deliver genuine character development or emotional payoff

A person with blond hair holds a microphone toward the camera, surrounded by four others, all standing outdoors with a city skyline in the background under a cloudy sky.

‘BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young’ rectifies the global fandom

The documentary examine’s the K-pop boy band rise through the eyes of its fans from around the world

A man in a white shirt stands smiling in a tiled subway corridor beneath a yellow sign that reads Exit 8 in English and Japanese. He is holding a briefcase and facing the camera.

‘Exit 8’ turns a horror game into a Kafkaesque thriller

TIFF plays host to an impossible adaptation of a Japanese walking simulator

A woman relaxing in a bathtub is unaware of a huge shark with its mouth wide open, emerging from the water behind her. Water splashes dramatically around them.

‘Hot Spring Shark Attack’ is the shark thriller we didn’t know we needed

The Japanese film joins the ever-growing genre of shark films and pays homage to Steven Spielberg’s classic “Jaws,” which started it all

A musician in sunglasses performs on stage with a keyboard, bathed in blue light, and dramatic, ornate architectural patterns illuminated in the background.

A.R. Rahman brings ‘Wonderment’ (and A.I.) to North America

An intro to the world-renowned Indian composer, as he concludes a banger of a tour across Canada and the United States

Two people with guns take cover beside a wooden building in a grassy outdoor area, aiming at a person in gray running around the corner. The scene looks tense and action-packed.

‘Baby Assassins’ series is what happens when Gen Z-ers become hitwomen

The films by Japanese director Yugo Sakamoto follow a pair of young women who have no problem killing, but many problems adulting

A man and a woman sit at a counter indoors, smiling at each other while holding soft serve ice cream cones. The background is warmly lit with colorful signs and reflections from windows.

‘Preparation for the Next Life’ is an uninspired undocumented romance

“Minding the Gap” filmmaker Bing Liu’s narrative debut says all the right things, but doesn’t know how to say them

A woman with curly hair, wearing a jeweled headband and shimmering green costume, smiles over her shoulder in front of red curtains, clapping her hands together.

‘Aema’ is a watchable, if misguided, misfire

The series follows the production of South Korea’s biggest erotic film, but gets hung up on its own embarrassment

A young person in overalls holds up tweezers holding a contact lens, under red lighting, looking at it intently with a serious expression.

‘Contact Lens’ is an analogy of women’s lives in the modern world

Filmmaker Ruiqi Lu’s experimental feature film made its North American debut last month at Fantasia International Film Festival

A woman and a man stand close together at night, illuminated by blue lighting. The woman looks at the man with a soft expression, while the man gazes intently at her. A blurred, warm light glows in the background.

‘Lurker’ captures celebrity fixation in the digital age

Alex Russell’s debut drama is eerie and self-assured

A massive, dark, reptilian creature with glowing purple energy emanating from its mouth and neck snarls menacingly in the shadows. Its scaly skin and jagged spikes are partially illuminated by the purple light.

‘Shin Godzilla’ roars back into cinemas

The 2016 reboot restored the classic monster to his full political potential

A stern police officer in uniform aims a gun at a person whose hands are held up in steel handcuffs, creating a tense and dramatic scene.

‘Sholay’ turns 50

A look back at Ramesh Sippy’s iconic Bollywood Western on the eve of its re-release.

Four women in pajamas stand together indoors, appearing startled or concerned. One woman in the center extends her arm protectively, while the others react with surprised expressions. The setting looks like a home hallway.

‘Freakier Friday’ is out of touch

Disney gives a simple premise an overly complicated twist

The dead bear witness in ‘The Odyssey’

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