Film & theatre

Rod Webb became an left-wing activist during a period of cultural and political upheaval and, as a film festival director and a network programmer, his commitment to his principles never faltered, writes Greg Adamson.

Hugo Weaving and Andrew Luri experiencing the healing quality of music in Hearts and Bones

Hearts and Bones is a compassionate portrayal of the refugee experience that empowers and dignifies, without romanticising the trauma and struggle, writes Annolies Truman.

For a film that claims to be about breaking the environment/climate movement away from the tentacles of capitalist-funded NGOs, Planet of the Humans  fails to articulate a vision of what an alternative, people powered climate movement could look like, writes Zane Alcorn.

The Good Wife (La Bonne Espouse)

How to be a Good Wife is charming, quirky celebration of women’s liberation and endorsement of the 1968 spirit, writes Barry Healy.

The Heights season 2 cast, photo by Ben King

Returning for its second season, The Heights provides a refreshingly new take on that great Australian TV staple, the soap opera, writes Barry Healy.

Liam Pierron as a troubled student in La Vie Scolaire

La Vie Scolaire sets out to show another side to Paris' famous banlieues, one that is more hopeful, but fails to develop into a memorable film, argues Barry Healy

It is a feat to coalesce 72 years of struggle against displacement, apartheid and racism into an accessible 110-minute film, but Solidarity: Five Largely Unknown Truths about Israel, Palestine and the Occupied Territories manages this task well, writes Nora Barrows-Friedman.

Mohsen and Zunaira outside the ruins of their favourite bookshop in The Swallows of Kabul

The Swallows of Kabul is deeply affecting and graphically brings home the misogynistic barbarity of Taliban rule, writes Barry Healy.

Thomas Solivérès in Edmond

Barry Healy suggests grabbing a glass of nice red wine, settle down and laugh watching Edmond until you hyperventilate.

Parasite's ability to piss off right wingers, as well as the twists and turns during the film that depicts the class divide of South Korean society, make it worth watching, argues Alex Salmon.

Cloudstreet is one heck of a theatrical experience, one that was greeted with repeated standing ovations at its Perth opening night, writes Barry Healy.

Kirk Douglas

Award-winning filmmaker and Hollywood star of more than 85 blockbuster films Kirk Douglas died on February 5 at the age of 103. Peter Frost recalls how Douglas helped break the notorious ban on writers and actors during the early years of the Cold War.