Rahul Patel

The weight of isolation is balanced against the power of human connection in this poignant film from director Tsai Ming-liang. When the Teddy award-winning Days first screened at this year’s Berlinale, audiences were oblivious to how the silent void of isolation – the focus of Tsai Ming-liang’s latest slow cinema feature...

Peter Murimi's documentary serves as an important statement on sexual freedom but fails to dig deeper into its most interesting ideas. In the opening minutes of I Am Samuel, we're shown mobile phone footage of a gay man being throttled in the street by other civilians...

Joe Mantello's new version of the landmark gay play features great performances but feels somewhat restrained by its period setting. “Your lips are turning blue; you look like you’ve been rimming a snowman.” Behold just one of the many quick quips to feature in Netflix’s The Boys in the Band. In this new rendition of the 1968 Mart Crowley play...

Pepper LaBeija, shimmering in her golden gown, struts into the Savoy Manor Ballroom to be met with raucous applause. Through Paris Is Burning, Jennie Livingston’s seminal chronicle of Harlem’s ballroom scene in the 1980s, we enter a wonderland of self-expression, where vogueing was born and houses compete by walking runway categories in a bid to become ‘legendary’ – the highest praise within the community. In the 30 years since it premiered, few films have come to occupy such a prominent plac...

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga begins just as any Eurovision fan would hope. In a small Icelandic town, Pierce Brosnan gathers with friends and family to watch ABBA’s winning performance of ‘Waterloo’ at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The power of ABBA is enough to rekindle young Lars Ericksson’s spirit...

David France’s latest film presents the unfiltered, distressing realities of LGBTQ+ Russians fleeing the torturous Chechen regime. In Welcome to Chechnya, investigative reporter-turned-filmmaker David France documents the efforts to rescue targets of the Chechen Republic’s anti-gay purge...

Romas Zabarauskas’ The Lawyer follows the privileged life of corporate lawyer Marius, played by Eimutis Kvoščiauskas. Shaken by the death of his estranged father, Marius seeks comfort with handsome sex-cam model Ali (Doğaç Yildiz), a bisexual Syrian refugee trapped in a camp in Belgrade. A personal reckoning ensues for the titular professional...

“You should be like a nail… you’re too soft.” Strict rules are in force at this traditional Georgian dance school. Despite such critiques, young Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) still mesmerises with every snappy gyration and foot stomp. His focus is evaporated only as a result of the heat created between him and new student Irakli...

We’re just a few years away from Tom Holland morphing into his final form: Chris Pratt. The Marvel Cinematic Universe affiliates’ analogous auras might explain why they are so effective as mismatched elf brothers in Pixar’s latest animated yarn...

Being governed by monarchs is a thing of the past for most. Yet apparently, we still love telling royal stories. And 2019 was a particularly bountiful year for regal representation. So without further ado, here is your very own royal procession of the year’s screen kings and queens...

What can six Emmys buy you? RuPaul’s answer: AJ and the Queen. With multiple upcoming iterations of Drag Race, 2020 is a packed year for the world-famous drag queen. But first to sashay onto our screens is comedy-drama AJ and the Queen...

The Crown season three opens with Queen Elizabeth II facing away from us: a powerful silhouette, perfectly poised. Her crown, however, is not the true focus; rather her burdened shoulders are. These are new shoulders. Claire Foy has passed the bejeweled scepter...

A handsome man walks the sun-soaked streets of an exotic city, searching for escape or new romance (could they come hand in hand?). End of the Century has the makings of a classic, holiday romance. But that is not where writer-director Lucio Castro wants to take you for his debut feature...

We are all afraid of something. Ron Weasley had severe arachnophobia. Jesse Eisenberg’s Columbus had a fear of clowns in Zombieland. And Scottie in Vertigo was afraid of heights. To have fears is to be human and to be sympathetic towards others’ fears is to be compassionate...

Once again in her career, the revered Helen Mirren finds a crown atop her head. However, this time her subjects (us, the audience) may not be so pleased. The Sky-produced and HBO-backed miniseries Catherine the Great is needlessly simplistic and, frankly, ugly...