Justin Chang

‘Invisible Life’ review: Gorgeous film tracks sisters’ stifled lives

February 25, 2020 at 10:19 p.m.

Early on in the gorgeous Brazilian movie "Invisible Life," a young bride, Eurídice (Carol Duarte), gets sick shortly before she and her new husband, Antenor (Gregorio Duvivier), can consummate their...

Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh in 'The Lodge.'

‘The Lodge’ review: It’s no ‘Goodnight Mommy,’ but Riley Keough makes it worth a stay

February 21, 2020 at 5:29 p.m.

Double, double, toil and trouble: In their supremely nasty 2014 shocker, "Goodnight Mommy," the Austrian filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala wove an elegant nightmare about a house in the...

Kang-ho Song, Hye-jin Jang and So-dam Park in a scene from "Parasite."

‘Parasite’ was one of the best-acted movies of 2019. Why didn’t the Oscars recognize that?

January 17, 2020 at 3:17 p.m.

Spoiler alert: If you have not seen "Parasite," be forewarned that this essay discusses key plot details from the movie, including the ending. Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" made Oscar history...

‘Invisible Life’ review: In Brazil, two resilient sisters and their crushingly unrealized dreams

January 15, 2020 at 5:51 p.m.

Bong Joon-Ho backstage at the 77th Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020.

Commentary: ‘The 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles’: Bong Joon Ho rightly calls out Hollywood myopia

January 7, 2020 at 3:31 p.m.

Since the best film nominated at the Golden Globes this year was a Korean film, it was only fitting that some of the event's most resonant words were spoken in...

‘Hidden Life’ review: Terrence Malick searches for hope, good in darkness of Nazi Germany

December 19, 2019 at 4:02 p.m.

It may not surprise you to learn that "A Hidden Life," the new film written and directed by Terrence Malick, begins with a voiceover over a black screen. "I thought...

‘Synonyms’ at Gene Siskel Film Center: When in France, do as the Israeli commandos-turned-nude Parisian models do

December 5, 2019 at 7:29 p.m.

The opening moments of Nadav Lapid's "Synonyms" have a sinister, almost Kafka-esque absurdity. Yoav (Tom Mercier), a young man who has forsaken his Israeli identity for a French one, wraps...

‘The Kingmaker’ review: Lauren Greenfield, ‘Queen of Versailles’ director, focuses her lens on Imelda Marcos — the former first lady of the Philippines

November 13, 2019 at 3:48 p.m.

When Imelda Marcos turned 90 in July, about 260 guests at her birthday party were hospitalized with food poisoning. The culprit was apparently some bad meat stew and eggs. The...

From left to right, Paola Lara, Rodrigo Cortes, and Hanssel Casillas in "Tigers Are Not Afraid." (Filmadora Nacional/IMDb/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **

‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’ review: Grim fairy tale peers at war through a child’s eyes

September 15, 2019 at 2:21 p.m.

"Tigers Are Not Afraid" unfolds in a world of hellish incongruities. It is both a war zone and a playground, a blood-spattered landscape of shadowy streets and rooftop hideaways where...

‘Give Me Liberty’ review: A medical transport van welcomes all

September 12, 2019 at 3:15 p.m.

"Give Me Liberty," Kirill Mikhanovsky's wonderful second feature, unfolds over an especially fraught day in wintry Wisconsin. It features a large ensemble that consists almost entirely of nonprofessional actors, many...

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