international cinema Archives | Philosophy in Film

Ariāna Osborne stands on a grassy coastal hill wearing a blue Victorian dress in Mārama.

Taratoa Stappard’s Mārama brings Māori history into a beautifully designed Victorian Gothic manor, but slow pacing and overly obvious symbolism weaken its colonial reckoning.

The makeshift family holds hands and jumps into the sea in Shoplifters (2018).

Film Reviews

September 15, 2026 Matthew Jones

Shoplifters (2018) Review: A Family Made From Stolen Time

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters finds beauty, love, and lasting memories inside a makeshift family whose reckless and sometimes criminal life together was always destined to end.

Film Reviews

September 25, 2023 Matthew Jones

Nobody Knows (2004), A Beautiful Adaptation of a Real-Life Tragedy

Nobody Knows (2004) is a devastating film about abandoned children, social neglect, and the fragile family they create for themselves.

Film Essays

March 19, 2023 Matthew Jones

Space and Isolation in Michael Haneke’s The Piano Teacher

The Piano Teacher (2001) is a film directed by Michael Haneke, based on the 1983 novel of the same name

Film Reviews

August 9, 2022 Matthew Jones

You Won’t Be Alone (2022), A New Perspective On Witch Lore

Witches make for great villains in horror films. From a creepy ballet instructor to a shadowy hermitess in the woods,

Film Reviews

July 20, 2022 Matthew Jones

Review: Spring (2014), Romance Meets Body Horror in Italy

When Americans leave home in search of meaning somewhere on the European continent, it’s usually a recipe for disaster (at

Film Reviews

May 27, 2022 Matthew Jones

VIA[DOLO] (2021) A Surreal Short Film by Daniel Keeble

I have seen a lot of feature-length films that are purposefully directionless, which does not always work in their favor.

Film Reviews

November 6, 2021 Matthew Jones

Gaia (2021), A Horrific Look at the Heart of Nature and Evil

The term “Gaia” comes from the Greek Goddess of Earth, a figure that has been present in various religions and

Film Essays

November 2, 2021 Matthew Jones

Beyond the Door Trilogy: One Imitation, One Bore, and One Trainwreck

If you’ve spent time watching bad 70s and 80s horror, then you’ve likely come across the Beyond the Door trilogy.

Film Reviews

August 19, 2021 Matthew Jones

Review: Your Color (2021), A Spirited Look at Race and Ambition

Too often, films about race devolve into familiar and shallow territory. We are not given more than a surface view

Film Reviews

March 11, 2018 Matthew Jones

Review: After the Dark (2013) ★½

John Huddles has attempted to bring philosophy to life with After the Dark, and not in the way that filmmakers

Film Reviews

February 15, 2018 Matthew Jones

Review: By the Sea (2015) ★★★½

Angelina Jolie’s contemplative drama By the Sea is, if nothing else, surprisingly self-aware. Though for all of the things it

Film Reviews

December 29, 2017 Matthew Jones

The Best Offer (2013) Review: A Very Hollow Mystery

Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Best Offer is visually elegant and built around an intriguing art-world mystery, but its blunt characterization and predictable ending leave it emotionally hollow.