“By Any Means” and the Pitfalls of Entertainment
It is up to the community to decide if this film is a force for enlightenment or not.

Davi, a ten-year-old boy, shares a deeply affectionate relationship with his mother, Rosa. When Rosa experiences a schizophrenic episode, the dynamic between them is reversed: Davi assumes a caregiving role that no child should have to occupy. Set against the backdrop of a house move in Nilópolis, in Rio de Janeiro’s Baixada Fluminense, the film follows the small gestures of survival, tenderness, and exhaustion that shape their bond after his mother’s episode. My Mother’s Father is an intimate drama about love, premature maturity, and everyday resilience, approaching mental health not through the lens of diagnosis, but through the territory of affection. A quiet portrait of a childhood marked by pain, but also by the possibility of carrying on.
It is up to the community to decide if this film is a force for enlightenment or not.
"The Platform" is horror and science fiction film doubling as a visual commentary on capitalism and economic inequality. The movie is not for the faint of heart nor the viewer hoping for political neutrality in their film's depth.
This list was made with the intention of celebrating comedic craft and a love of seeing more women of colour and newcomers on the scene.
Over the last several years, I have had the privilege of being one of the critics having the opportunity to watch and review several films from writer/director/producer Marcellus Cox, whose efforts are never anything less but grounded, relevant, and steeped in unflinching glimpses illustrating the gripping, inspired, and ever-vacillating realms that make up the human condition.
Despite its glaring flaws, First Girl I Loved is not entirely undeserving of a watch. For people who can handle the more difficult aspects of the story and graphic scenes, it is worth looking into. It’s not a film worthy of rewatch, but it may still resonate somewhat with those who need a story like this. It is a genuine, if flimsy attempt at a coming-of-age tale. Were the film to be directed by someone with experiences more similar to Anne, it would likely be more powerful--as it is, it feels like a man’s perspective of what it means to come to terms with your identity as a lesbian.
Some moments of the series are intense and ends on a cliff-hanger that will have you yearning for a second season.