AFI Silver | Film Festival Today

Jay Berg’s AFI DOCS 2018 Top Five

July 4, 2018

“Miroirs No. 3” Offers Variations on Catharsis
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
April 2, 2026
Miroirs No. 3 (Christian Petzold, 2025) 3½ out of 5 stars German director Christian Petzold (Transit) specializes in films that combine elements of drama and thriller, though the latter feature does not always manifest through big external set pieces. Rather, the adrenaline rush comes from within as a slow build of emotional intensity that forces the viewer to confront uncomfortable truths. In Miroirs No. 3 (the title of which refers to a piano ... >>
“She Dances” Wears Heart on Its Sleeve
By Robin C. Farrell
March 28, 2026
She Dances (Rick Gomez, 2025) 3½ out of 5 Stars A passing glance at the trailer for She Dances and it’s clear that this is a grief story; one that focuses on the avoidance and prolonged aftermath of loss. Through a combination of road-trip hijinks, side quests, competition, and lots and lots of dancing, this is, indeed, a story exploring the necessity of truth in healing, even though it hurts. ... >>
SXSW Interview: “The Peril at Pincer Point” Directors Jake Kuhn and Noah Stratton-Twine
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
March 27, 2026
Directors Jake Kuhn and Noah Stratton-Twine just premiered their latest collaboration, the feature film The Peril at Pincer Point, at the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival (where I reviewed it). The story centers around a movie sound recordist, Jim Baitte (Jack Redmayne) who travels to a mysterious island (Pincer Point) to gather audio for a demanding director, on whose latest project he is working. Little does Jim know that fate will conspire to ... >>
“Two Prosecutors” Highlights Totalitarian Terror
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
March 26, 2026
Two Prosecutors (Sergey Loznitsa, 2025) 4½ out of 5 stars In many countries at many times, the human propensity to control and/or kill those who oppose the power structure has waxed and waned in its bloodthirsty intensity. Fascist and totalitarian urges appear to exist within most societies, held at bay when the belief in the rule of law and the agency of ordinary citizens are the prime directives. When a corrupt, populist leader—of which there ... >>
Reality Ensues in “Fantasy Life”
By George W. Campbell
March 26, 2026
Fantasy Life (Matthew Shear, 2025) 3½ out of 5 stars There’s an old saying that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. While it may sound clichéd, it still rings true, especially for the cast of Fantasy Life. Writer/director/star Matthew Shear invites us to a year in the lives of two lonely people in New York’s tight-knit Jewish community. As a feature debut, Fantasy Life is a small-scale but compelling take on searching ... >>

SXSW 2026 XR Experience: “Lacuna” and “Lesbian Simulator”
March 15, 2026
XR Experience Spotlight @ Fairmont It’s ...>>
5 Films to Watch at SXSW 2026
March 10, 2026
I didn’t travel to Austin, Texas, last year for SXSW, ...>>
10 Films to Watch at Sundance 2026
January 20, 2026
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival runs live and ...>>
Chris Reed’s Top 10 Films of 2025
December 31, 2025
It always amazes me how different a given year’s ...>>
Hannah Tran’s Top 10 Films of 2025
December 29, 2025
Whether in narrative or documentary, few years have ...>>