Greetings again from the darkness. The first feature film from writer-director Sophy Romvari has been well received on the festival circuit, and it’s easy to see why so many have been drawn in by this Canadian- Hungarian production. It’s a deeply personal film with autobiographical elements from the filmmaker. The best family dramas often deliver a gut-punch, and this one certainly does … yet it’s the storytelling structure that provides hope for future gems like this.
It’s the 1990’s and a family is moving into a new place on Vancouver Island. Mom and Dad (Inringo Reti, Adam Tompa) have three sons and a daughter. Eight-year-old Sasha (Eylul Guven) is the youngest and we view the story and the family through her eyes. Even this opening sequence dishes out an ominous feeling, yet there are no specifics that cause this. Soon, Sasha is paying particular attention to oldest brother Jeremy (Edik Beddoes), whose physical appearance offers a clue … although it’s his increasingly worrisome behavior that mark him as a troubled teen and one that the parents must be concerned about. This ‘ordinary’ family becomes not so ordinary.
Being the parent of a troubled teen is a no-win situation, just as being that troubled/confused kid is tough to navigate. Dad spends a great deal of time with a camcorder, while mom carries the emotional blame. None of them can make sense of their situation, and the parents want to protect their other kids while also being supportive of Jeremy. In addition to young Sasha being our eyes, filmmaker Romvari uses a creative device to generate brilliant storytelling. We watch as a grown Sasha (Amy Zimmer) conducts a case study on the family of her childhood. This works exceptionally well for making this story extremely personal through creative filmmaking.
Other than an initial voiceover, the past is presented as the present, and we become so engrossed that the second half feels more like the future than a look back at the past. Much of this deals with memories – often quick clips of past moments where the full story is beyond recollection. The closest comparison for this film is Lynne Ramsay’s terrific WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (2011), yet Sophy Romvari uses her own life experiences to grab and hold our attention. Mental illness is more openly addressed these days, and this talented filmmaker pulls back the curtain on the effects it can have on a family.
Opened April 17, 2026 in NYC and April 24 in Los Angeles, and will expand nationwide in May.
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. Thoreau famously wrote, “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.” That quote may overstate the being of the staff at The Grand, a 100-year-old hotel that once provided service for royalty, but now the seaside inn is crumbling at the seams and desperate for guests. The feature film directorial debut from writer-director Harry Sherriff and co-written by Laurence Tratalos is quite a pleasant surprise.
Greetings again from the darkness. Learning that Lou’s life is a bit of a mess becomes clear in the first few opening scenes. It’s early morning and she sneaks out after a one-night stand, noticing missed calls from Steve, her ex that she’s living with temporarily (along with his new partner). Soon, she’s dumped by her agent and is adamant that she won’t fly home to see her dad, despite holding the ticket he purchased for her. This is the feature film directorial debut from Timothy David, and the screenplay comes from Sally Gifford, who also has a small role in the film.
Greetings again from the darkness. Relationships require communication, diligence, and a bit of luck. Director Chloe Robichaud (SARAH PREFERS TO RUN, 2016) is working from a script from playwright Catherine Leger to deliver a remake of the 1970 French sex comedy, DEUX FEMMES EN OR from Claude Fournier. Finding humor in strained or crumbling relationships is never easy – especially when medication or a newborn is involved.
Greetings again from the darkness. Perhaps we can all agree that hiking is not best served as a spectator sport. Sure, there have been other hiking movies, including WILD (2014) as Cheryl Strayed (portrayed by Reese Witherspoon) takes on a solo hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. Yet almost by definition, a hike is meant, at a minimum, to help clear one’s head and, at its best, allow a connection with nature as one tries to center themselves from the stress of life. Writer-director Bart Schrivjer w-d (not his first hiking movie) has seemingly captured these elements of hiking better than others.
Greetings again from the darkness. As we are unfortunately learning yet again … there are no upsides to war. There are the deaths and injuries that occur to soldiers and citizens. There is destruction of property and cityscapes. And there is the cost to those who are neither soldiers or government officials – the ‘quiet cost’ of war. Writer-director Silvio Soldini (BREAD AND TULIPS, 2000) and co-writer Doriana Leondeff have adapted the 2018 award-winning novel, “At the Wolf’s Table”, by Rosella Postorino, which itself was based on the remarkable story WWII survivor Margot Wolk told a German journalist about her time spent as a food taster for Hitler.
Greetings again from the darkness. We don’t see a lot of films from Iraq, but if this one from writer-director Hasan Hadi is any indication, the industry there is in fine form with storytelling. While not preachy or heavily politicized, the movie does offer some insight into authoritarianism in the 1990’s under dictator Saddam Hussein. Some would argue that the situation from thirty years ago acts as a modern-day cautionary tale.
Greetings again from the darkness. William Shakespeare has inspired so many writers and stories over the years that he often goes unacknowledged rather than credited. Such is the case with this latest from writer/director/animator Mamoru Hosoda with character names such as Amulet, Claudius, and Gertrude. Of course, since this is Japanese anime, the story’s path varies and features unusual and colorful characters.
Greetings again from the darkness. The concept is interesting and relatable. A woman undertakes the solving of a mystery, and in the process, learns a great deal about herself. Writer-director Rebecca Zlotowski w-d (OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN, 2022) and co-writers Anne Berest and Gaelle Mace have delivered a film that works on a couple of levels: as a whodunit and self-discovery.
Greetings again from the darkness. If not for a few bizarre (and interesting) visual metaphors tossed in, one might mistake this film from Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Palmason (GODLAND, 2022) as a documentary. After all, we are mostly watching one family’s life over the course of a year. There are no car chases or criminal masterminds – just a few people living their lives.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 