The Swordsman (2021)

The film reminds us to remember the people who had the courage and dignity that had made the world better, even when the memory was absent.

This film manages to be simultaneously topical and timeless. Without being preachy, it highlights society’s flawed relationship with tech; insights into the complex ideas of family struggle are expertly dispersed among a perfectly paced and balanced story.

Alongside A Drowning Man, I Signed The Petition, 3 Logical Exits, and A World Not Ours, A Man Returned continues to paint a realistic portrait of the Refugee Crisis that eschews the Western gaze and stereotype. These are real portraits painted by a director with lived experience, cultural connection and an amazing eye for visuals.

From its visually stunning opening credits, which show women dancing through a forest to musical rhythms that sound almost primal, to its quiet, heartbreaking final frame, Mona Fastvold’s historical rendering of the Shaker religious movement is an experience that will stay with me for a long time.

Essentially 'Get Out' but for white women, 'Don't Worry Darling' has strong material with its twist reveal, but the writing and directing falter trying to execute it.

Another uneven "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" redux that says nothing novel about its subject matter.