40 Acres (2025) Film Review

Surviving on an isolated farm after a series of plagues and wars, a former soldier and her family make one last stand against a vicious militia that wants to take their land.

40 Acres is directed by R.T. Thorne which is his directorial debut! 

All I knew going into 40 Acres was that Danielle Deadwyler was in the cast which was a sign that I needed to check this one out. Deadwyler has quickly become one of my favorite actresses working today, a major part is due to how consistently she delivers fantastic performances and here is no exception. I also have to say for a directorial debut it’s a very interesting swing this film took, including some cannibalistic militia, family bonding and some pretty brutal action. All of this combined together makes for quite an interesting little movie.

As I said before Danielle Deadwyler is a fantastic actress so there is no surprise that she ends up being the best part of the film, there’s something about her tone of voice that is truly effective and that’s really present here. Her interactions with the rest of the cast are raw and lead to some quite effective family dynamic bits that make you care for these characters. Deadwyler does such a great job of keeping each scene interesting, she leads this film to success the whole way through. A mother character wanting to protect their family isn’t anything new but the way Deadwyler portrays Hailey Freeman is effective, raw and absolutely fun to watch. 

The rest of the cast are great, Kataem O’Connor, Michael Greyeyes and Leenah Robinson get time to shine in certain scenes. The main focus is very much on Deadwyler, but the rest of the cast do get to be involved and are quite great at moving the plot along at this solid and focused pace. There just isn’t any heavy character writing going on with them. 

When it comes to world building 40 Acres does a pretty solid job of giving the viewer the basic rundown, Thorne keeps things grounded by telling us background details of what led to a lack of resources. He tells us this through the grounded script that he and Glenn Taylor wrote, it’s a post apocalyptic story that has much more realism to it than a lot of others one do, yes it does have some traditional genre beats but that does not stop the film from being genuinely powerful with its family dynamics at times. 

The cinematography combined with the location is beautiful and fits the film incredibly well, right from the beginning you can feel the thrilling atmosphere in the air. It does take some time to get going again but once the action kicks back in the film keeps building up from there. The cinematography from Jeremy Benning is detailed, and with the help of Thorne’s knowledge of music video directing he’s able to combine the cinematography and music together to make so very well done scenes. There’s one scene in particular that may feel a bit out of place, which there is definitely an argument to be made that it is. However I think Thorne combined with Benning’s cinematography makes it work in the long run. 

Finally there’s the action which does actually get brutal towards the end, the film very much focuses on the family dynamics however the action is still incredibly effective when it pops up. There’s this sense of thrills that makes you want to root for the family to make it out of this situation. 

Overall 40 Acres is a solid thriller that has this big in scale feel that is quite striking, Danielle Deadwyler’s performance alone warrants a watch but if you are also looking for a thrilling ride with some strong action and family dynamics I recommend giving this one a go. 

40 Acres releases July 2nd in theaters. 

7/10 B

Bring Her Back (2025) Film Review

A brother and sister witness a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

Bring Her Back is directed by Danny and Michael Philippou directors of Talk To Me (2022).

The main reason why it took me so long to review Bring Her Back is because there is so much to think over, I saw this a month ago and it really has not left my mind since then. I liked Talk To Me (2022) quite a lot but I was curious to see if the Philippous could go even further and deliver something even better…that was absolutely the case here. Bring Her Back is a quite disturbing ride from beginning to end, this is if you took the mean spirited nature that Talk To Me (2022) was leaning towards and made it into a huge part of the film. Combine that with some absolutely incredible performances, some quite heartbreaking and horrifying writing as well cinematography plus gore and you have yourself one of the best films of the year. 

Starting with the performances everyone here does a fantastic job across the board, but the one who makes this film horrifying is Sally Hawkins. Her performance is what makes the experience feel so real, the flip like a switch like performance where she presents herself as a kind grieving mother to an insane and disturbed person who has no problem doing a lot of psychological manipulation that damages Andy (played by Billy Barratt) and his sister Piper’s (played by Sora Wong) relationship. As the film goes on you grow to hate Laura (played by Sally Hawkins) more and more that is until the ending, where the film has this interesting direction you still hate her but at the same time can’t help but feel some sort of sympathy towards her. The way this is executed is masterfully done, the score combined with the cinematography and of course Hawkins’s acting makes the ending perfect. Sally Hawkins is unbelievable, her performance alone is an experience along with bringing this disturbing nature to the film that gets under your skin. 

Billy Barratt, Sora Wong and Jonah Wren Phillips are all fantastic here as well. Barratt plays this realistic brother type of role that shows he clearly cares about his sister Piper. Andy is guilt-ridden due to his father’s death and it haunts him throughout the film, the way this is portrayed and executed is simple yet very effective. He constantly blames himself for something he had no control over, these moments where he hears his father’s voice are just some of the film’s most chilling moments. 

Sora Wong plays a realistic sister type of role, Piper slowly gets manipulated by Laura into turning on her brother over the course of the film. Which is heartbreaking and horrifying to watch, also Sora Wong was actually born with coloboma and microphthalmia which left her with limited sight much like her character Piper. This representation helps make her character all the more grounded and even more devastating. Finally there’s Jonah Wren Phillips who plays Oliver, we learn more about his character as the film goes on I won’t say too much about him since it does lead into spoiler territory. But I will say that he does bring some quite neat body horror moments as well as gore that is quite disturbing. His performance is also quite chilling. 

The writing is filled to the brim with this dark atmosphere, the two compliment each other incredibly well. What makes the film all the more disturbing is just how well written the characters really are, the dynamics between the characters is so well done with a lot of tension and dedication from the cast fully fleshes out the character writing and moves the story along at this very focused pace. 

The disturbing parts come in both a psychological or theme wise and as well as gore. The gore is incredibly gnarly and you get a little bit of everything, including body horror, simple slashes, splatters and so much more. It all adds up to be this incredibly uncomfortable watch that you can’t look away from, then you have the themes of grieving and manipulation which are incredibly effective here. A lot of films have the film of grief but the mean spirited nature of the film along with this surprisingly beautiful ending is more than enough to disturb the viewer. 

Overall Bring Her Back is one of the best films of the year, it’s incredibly well acted, written, directed and will leave you disturbed. Definitely one to watch if you haven’t already. 

Bring Her Back releases tomorrow on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+

Friendship (2025) Film Review

Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbour, but his attempts to make an adult male friend soon threatens to ruin both of their lives.

Friendship is directed by Andrew DeYoung which is his directorial debut! 

The comedy genre is often one of the hardest genres to nail, you have to take a long of different notes into account such as “are my jokes funny enough?, will anyone get the humor I’m going for? What can I do to make my sense of humor or jokes standout from a crowded genre” and many others. Luckily Friendship goes for this very different approach, instead of a traditional comedy it goes for this fever dream like feel that works incredibly well. Sure other comedies have done that before but this film decides to do things differently. 

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd are absolutely hilarious together, the two’s personalities mesh well together and when the film needs them to their personalities clashing against one another opens the door to so many humorous moments. I’m not all that familiar with Robinson’s work, I’ve seen all of his film roles (which is not that many) and only seen very limited of his TV work, so I might be missing some context here when it comes to this is what Robinson’s career has been building up to. With that being said it’s a fantastic performance, he captures someone with a lot of social anxiety and really who really wants to make friends to the point where a normal desire for acceptance ends up being blurred. Robinson gives a chaotic, well acted and humorous performance that truly shows how with a flip of a switch his character Craig Waterman can go from being calm to yearning for acceptance in unhealthy ways.

Paul Rudd is also fantastic, he plays Austin Carmichael a man who slowly distances himself from Craig Waterman which kick starts the film’s main focus. Rudd and Robinson’s chemistry is so much fun. There’s plenty of laughs, dramatic moments and we get some character bits from the two. Carmichael  slowly but surely becomes a man with mismatched intentions, there might not be incredibly strong character writing for Carmichael as there is for Waterman. But due to Rudd’s performance it works. 

The writing is genuinely hilarious while also tackling some pretty interesting themes. There’s the desire of acceptance and how much of it is too much, there’s social anxiety and how it can be hard to make friends. Plus the film has this main theme of the connections we make as humans and showing that they can be incredibly messy, we have all had a messy experience with someone whether it ranges from an argument or something far more serious. The film highlights these in humorous and actually quite relatable ways, the awkward interactions including some pauses were genuinely funny and quite raw as well. 

The direction from Andrew DeYoung has this raw feel that you quickly get attached to once the film begins, there’s moments where the film does take some liberties but the film is very consistently grounded. The fever dream style of humor really helps here especially with the actions of the characters, while not every character is incredibly well written. It’s the humor and facial expressions that really make them work as well as they do. 

Overall Friendship is a very solid film that I do think is going to go on to be a classic in the comedy genre, not every single joke lands but that hardly matters when you execute the many themes of the film incredibly well. 

Friendship is available on all VOD Platforms.

8/10 B+

Ponyboi (2025) Film Review

Unfolding over the course of Valentine’s Day in New Jersey, a young intersex sex worker must run from the mob after a drug deal goes sideways, forcing him to confront his past.

Ponyboi is directed by Esteban Arango director of Blast Beat (2020). 

Ponyboi is one that surprised me with how much I ended up really liking it, while the crime thriller elements are not exactly anything new and are by far the weakest part of the film. The film is backed by a pretty excellent cast who does a fantastic job of moving this story, a very strong atmosphere, some beautiful shots and a soundtrack that makes great use of certain songs. 

The performances as I said before are quite excellent, River Gallo gives such a beautiful leading performance that ends up being the heart of the film, it helps that they also wrote the script so Gallo can easily connect with the material and can push an already great performance into something quite special. Gallo’s character Ponyboi is exploring their identity in this quite raw and very focused way that quickly connects with the viewer. The cinematography from Ed Wu really compliments Ponyboi as a character as it focuses on them and in a lot of ways does some character development, Gallo’s body language, speech and interactions with the rest of the cast is truly fantastic here. You get the feeling constantly throughout the film that Gallo wants you to feel connected and that shows right during the first scene to the very end.

Dylan O’Brien is very unhinged in the best way possible, he’s genuinely terrifying at times and really sells the character quite well. Victoria Pedretti’s character may not have the most character writing but she still gives a solid performance that captures the film’s atmosphere. Lastly you have Murray Bartlett who gives his third great performance this year (the other two being Opus and O’Dessa), Bartlett only has a handful of scenes but he makes great use of those moments and delivers a honest performance, he also has pretty strong chemistry with River Gallo. Indya Moore isn’t in the film all that much but there is one particular scene that is incredibly powerful and meaningful that the viewer is going to remember for the rest of the film. 

The script from River Gallo is quite excellent, Gallo is intersex (which fun fact this is the first feature film an openly intersex actor plays an intersex person) which makes the film feel much more personal since Ponyboi is intersex. Ponyboi’s experiences don’t just feel like you are being told about them, it feels like you are seeing them for yourself or you are being invited to this story by a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time. I already said how the cinematography from Ed Wu compliments Ponyboi as a character, but not only does it do that but it has this atmospheric feel that captures the world around Ponyboi. It’s truly breathtaking and has so much going on that you want to explore. 

The film’s first 15-20 minutes is pretty chaotic, there’s a lot going on and you really can’t help but love it. It definitely has this feel of Sean Baker’s work but manages to be its own thing as well. The soundtrack and the use of songs such as “My Heart Can Feel No Pain” by the Tonettes is quite well done and really fits the atmosphere the film is going for. The score from Cristobal Tapia de Veer is beautiful, tense and striking all at the same time.

Overall Ponyboi is one of the best films of the year. It’s an incredibly well acted, directed and written film that immediately brings the viewer’s interest to the screen right from the beginning. I can’t wait to see what Arango and Gallo do next. 

Ponyboi is currently in theaters.

9/10 A

M3GAN 2.0 (2025) Film Review

Two years after M3GAN’s rampage, her creator, Gemma, resorts to resurrecting her infamous creation in order to take down Amelia, the military-grade weapon who was built by a defense contractor who stole M3GAN’s underlying tech.

M3GAN 2.0 is directed by Gerard Johnstone director of Housebound (2014) and M3GAN (2022). M3GAN 2.0 is a serves as a sequel to M3GAN (2022). 

M3GAN 2.0 is one of those sequels where they go in a completely different direction genre wise, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just something you have to make sure you execute it well, where as the first film was a campy horror movie that I actually quite like (I am not as high on it as I was back when it first released but still a solid movie.) M3GAN 2.0 is an action sci-fi film that goes for this Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) type of feel, which although the movie mostly lands there are some glaring issues. 

The performances are fine enough, with the exception of Jenna Davis who once again does a really great job as the voice of M3GAN. Plus Ivanna Sakhno does great as AMELIA although the lines she is given are a bit basic she makes them work quite well, the action scenes involving Sakhno work mainly due to AMELIA as a character actually being quite interesting and fun. M3GAN as a character gets some nice development here, there’s this light theme of redemption going on here which I do think is actually some of the movie’s best moments. There’s some decent dialogue between M3GAN and Gemma (played by Allison Williams), it’s not anything special but it is admittedly quite fun. 

Allison Williams and Violet McGraw unfortunately aren’t as good here as they were in the previous film and I honestly can’t exactly pinpoint why, maybe it’s because their characters worked a lot better in a traditional horror film or they never really match up to the chaos the script is asking for. Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps are given a lot more to do this time around, it’s nice to see them more involved but this still does not push their characters in the interesting territory. They fill their roles fine enough but that’s really where it ends. 

As I said before this movie goes for a completely different direction from the first movie, if you loved the horror and the tension from the first movie you are going to be incredibly disappointed with this one. Because the horror just isn’t here with the tension being nonexistent, instead we have an action sci-fi film that has very light horror elements. The action scenes are actually pretty fun, there is not anything super impressive here but the fun factor is there. It’s quite neat to see M3GAN and AMELIA fight and I do like the use of the environments while these action scenes are occurring. The choreography is also quite well done which also helps these action scenes stand on their legs. 

The writing is a mixed bag, while there is some commentary about AI it’s very surface level. The character writing unfortunately really does not go anywhere (M3GAN is the only one who actually gets some real meat from the writing) and the jokes are the definition of a hit or miss type of situation. There’s some jokes that I found decently funny while others just make you roll your eyes, there’s a lot of ideas that are interesting such as the commentary on AI and the theme of redemption. But they are done in this very surface level way that you ultimately forget about by the end. 

Finally there’s the pacing combined with the runtime, this is one of those cases where you can really feel that the movie is dragging out and unfortunately it ends up costing the movie, which is a shame because I do think for the most part it’s a fun little ride. 

Despite my problems with M3GAN 2.0 I do not think it’s necessarily a terrible movie, there’s a lot of fun to be had here and I do think M3GAN is a fun character. This is just a sequel that is a step down from the previous movie and not something that I think I will ever revisit, if you like action sci-fi movies you may like this one. 

M3GAN 2.0 is currently in theaters.

6/10 C+

Ballerina (2025) Film Review

Trained in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma, Eve Macarro takes on an army of killers as she seeks revenge against those responsible for the death of her father.

Ballerina is directed by Len Wiseman director of Underworld (2003), Underworld: Evolution (2006), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Total Recall (2012). Ballerina is the fifth installment in the John Wick franchise, the film takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). 

The John Wick franchise has proven to be quite a strong series of films, you always know what you are going to get with these films and they always deliver. Ballerina does not really do anything new in terms of world building or character writing (outside of Eve Macarro of course) but the film still manages to bring the atmosphere, action and electrifying energy of the franchise.

Ana de Armas fits perfectly in the world of the franchise, there’s some scenes (mostly at the beginning) that heavily rely on her performance and due to her fitting so well and her ability to have this fury behind her eyes they work. She’s able to connect with Eve Macarro very quickly of course the action filled moments are fantastic which Armas did most of her own stunts, but the character moments are also quite well done. There is not anything groundbreaking going on here with the character moments, but they still have just enough power and this dark atmospheric energy that makes them interesting. Armas’s performance alone keeps these moments afloat and ends up fully connecting with the film’s universe. 

The rest of the performances are great, although there is not a whole lot to the characters it’s still quite neat to see them involved. Keanu Reeves is of course great to see as John Wick and Norman Reedus is quite fun for the short amount of time he is in the film. The late Lance Reddick also makes his final appearance in the franchise which is admittedly very sad to see (even if it’s a very brief appearance.) 

The action scenes combined with the cinematography are absolutely well done, as I said before Ana de Armas did mostly her own stunts which is quite impressive given the action scenes that are in this film. The film’s use of a flamethrower is both jaw dropping but also quite suspenseful as well, it adds to the action filled chaos of the third act which keeps up the momentum of what the other films of the franchise brought with their third acts. The fight choreography is just as great as well, it’s up close and you feel the impact and movement of the camera. It’s fast editing combined with the film’s typical brutal action makes for some quite exciting scenes that truly do deliver and never fail to keep the viewer entertained. 

Finally there’s the writing, while there is not anything new going on here. That does not make the film bad, the first act is admittedly a bit on the rough side at times. However the film quickly picks up and becomes a very entertaining ride from beginning to end. The character writing for Eve Macarro is strong enough to keep the film going and the atmosphere is able to do a lot of the talking during certain moments. 

If you are a fan of the John Wick series you will love Ballerina it’s an incredibly fun film that knows what it wants to be and accomplishes that quite well! 

Ballerina is currently in theaters! 

9/10 A

Tribeca Review: Tow (2025)

The true story of Amanda Ogle (Byrne), a homeless Seattle woman who fought her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and car after receiving a tow bill for $21,634.

Tow is directed by Stephanie Laing director of Irreplaceable You (2018) and Family Squares (2022).

This was the first film I saw at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and it was by far the best. While there are some writing bits that are a miss, Tow tells the true story of Amanda Ogle a homeless Seattle woman and tells it quite well. I knew absolutely nothing about the true story and after watching the film I’m quite glad it was told. 

The performances are really the main sell here, Rose Byrne as Amanda Ogle is a very well done performance that has the balance of comedy and the much more serious moments. It helps quite a lot that Rose Byrne is already an incredibly talented actress as well as a very humorous one, so she fits like a glove here, she captures Amanda Ogle’s actions of never giving up and not letting societal systems take her down. That’s where a lot of the inspiring feel of the film comes from and remains that way throughout the film, Byrne’s interactions with the rest of the cast quite great as well. 

Dominic Sessa is also quite fantastic here, he’s much more comedic but that does not stop him from giving a genuinely great performance. His banter with Rose Byrne is genuinely entertaining, even when the dialogue is a bit bumpy at times he manages to make it into a hilarious moment. Octavia Spencer is being the powerhouse actress she is also gives a solid performance and much like Sessa has some great moments with Byrne. Demi Lovato is a bit on the miscast side of things but she’s not bad.

The film is very much an underdog story and it’s a quite beautifully told one, the theme of not letting societal systems take you down when you are fighting is quite inspiring and it’s very well told here. The writing mixes this theme with some comedy as well, some of the comedy is a bit of a miss at times with some moments feeling a bit forced. However for the most part the humor works and is able to balance itself with the dramatic moments, plus I do think the talented cast are able to take some moments that would otherwise not be so great and turn them into something solid.

It helps the film that Amanda Ogle is incredibly fleshed out as a character which makes her story all the more impactful and devastating to the viewer, there are some feel good cliches here but there are not enough to completely take away from this film. There are several moments where you are rooting for Amanda and want to see her get justice, people may scoff at $273 towing fee but to Amanda her car is her home which she fights for and never gives up. 

Overall Tow is a really solid film that’s quite inspiring, between great performances, strong direction and a mostly solid balance of comedy and drama there’s a lot to really appreciate about the film. This is definitely one to look out for when it releases. 

Tow currently has no release date. 

8/10 B+

Predator: Killer Of Killers (2025) Film Review


A Viking raider, a ninja in feudal Japan, and a World War II pilot encounter a fierce intergalactic hunter.

Predator: Killer Of Killers is directed by Dan Trachtenberg director of 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and Prey (2022). Predator: Killer Of Killers is the sixth film and the eighth installment of the Predator franchise.

After Prey (2022) was released with large amounts of praise, there was no doubt that there would be another Predator film, first they announced Predator: Badlands which releases later this year in November. Predator Killer Of Killers was a secret film that Trachtenberg was working on and the film further shows that Trachtenberg is doing truly creative and exciting things with the Predator franchise. 

The first thing you will notice is how beautifully animated the film really is, I could go on for hours of how wonderfully done each and every scene really is. The amount of attention to detail helps build each and every scene, the characters are expressive and finally we have action scenes which in a lot of ways do have this Saturday morning cartoon feel but not in a bad way. The action scenes do such a great job of moving this film along at such a nice pace that compliments the atmosphere which manage to be dark, fun and tense at the same time. 

The characters are simple yet effective, there is not any groundbreaking character writing here. But that ultimately does not hurt the film since the characters work just fine on their own. Ursa, Kenji and John J. Torres all get their own segment which ultimately leads up the final segment of the film. Their stories are admittedly a bit of the same in terms of what exactly happens (which is why I chose not to talk about each segment individually), with that being said it is simply very neat to see the predator travel through different periods of time and combine that with some really strong action scenes. Plus there are some genuine moments here where you do want to see the main three character’s loved ones survive. 

The final segment is especially really strong, a giant colosseum battle that is so pleasing to watch. The buildup the film has been setting up pays off incredibly well and goes all out, it helps that we also got some pretty effective world building that I do hope we get to see in future films. There is a lot going on during this giant battle that is filled to the brim with fun character moments, the predators speaking in their native language and of course more beautifully done scenes thanks to the animation. 

Overall Predator: Killer Of Killers is a lot of fun and one of the best installments of the franchise, it is filled to the brim with creativity even when some segments result in the same outcome that ultimately does not hurt the film as the film is beautifully made, written and executed. 

Predator: Killer Of Killers is available on Hulu!

9/10 A

Tribeca Film Review: In Cold Light (2025)

Ava attempts to go straight after prison, but her twin is murdered and being a witness to the shooting, she is forced to run for her life.

Tribeca Review

In Cold Light is directed by Maxime Giroux director of Tomorrow (2008), Jo for Jonathan (2010), Felix and Meira (2014), The Great Darkened Days (2018), Norbourg (2022) and Plan B (2023). 

I wish there was a lot to comment on and discuss here but unfortunately that isn’t the case with In Cold Light. It’s by no means a bad movie as the positives do help the movie stand on its legs, but a lot of the films elements just didn’t quite mesh well together in the end which ultimately stops it from being better than it could have. 

The performances are the main reason to give this one a shot, Maika Monroe gives such a raw performance that quickly grabs your attention. I know that Monroe is often praised for horror performances and has become a scream queen, but in this film she shows that she can tackle dramatic roles just as well, the atmosphere compliments this well as often times the film feels like Ava’s (played by Maika Monroe) nightmare. It’s genuinely eerie at times and Monroe’s acting really displays this front and center, there’s some powerful moments that Monroe is able to nail down just because of how great of an actress she really is. 

Troy Kotsur is also quite excellent, a drastic genre switch from his last performance which was CODA (2021) he delivers once again, much like Monroe he gives a raw performance. The father and daughter bond is quite grounded and very touching, there’s one particular moment here that makes clever use with the camera and the background. That scene alone really builds Kotsur’s character Will in this clever and quiet way. It’s a shame Kotsur takes a backseat towards the end of the film, because whenever Kotsur and Monroe are on screen together those end up being some of the films best moments.

The cinematography from Sarah Mishara is stylized and works pretty well especially with the nightmarish atmosphere the film is going for, although the nightmarish feel does not last throughout the whole movie. It’s just enough to give the film a somewhat unique feel, the score from Philippe Brault is electrifying and gets the viewer invested. It’s a bit of a surprise at first since it can feel a bit out of place, however once you figure out the type of atmosphere the film is going for it starts to make more sense. 

What stops In Cold Light from being great comes down to is mainly the whole drug empire sections. While not bad, as I said before the movie really does not do anything differently than other films with the same sort of plot. The family aspect is what holds the film together mostly which is why it’s a bit of a shame that it’s put in the backseat towards the end. Although I will say the final five minutes are actually quite powerful and does leave an impression on you. 

Overall In Cold Light mainly works do to the performances from Monroe and Kotsur, there’s some nice thrills to have here and the film itself is quite well made. There’s just a lot missing when it comes to the script and the film’s focus. 

In Cold Light currently has no release date.

6/10 C+

Best Wishes To All (2025) Film Review


A college student visits her grandparents in the countryside. She is happy to see them but begins to feel a sense of discomfort as she uncovers dark secrets. It seems that there is something in the house.

Best Wishes To All is directed by Yûta Shimotsu which is his directorial debut. 

Best Wishes To All is a strange one, there’s a lot that happens with seemingly very little explanation (in both a good and bad way.) I admire that the themes the film attempts tackle such as economical and society implications as well as happiness being limited at the expense of others. The way the film goes about exploring these themes while interesting does not always mesh together. 

The performances are solid, Kotone Furukawa is definitely the standout, she brings this captivating performance to the table that the viewer immediately connects with as we travel this strange town the film takes place in. Everyone else does a really good job here, especially when it comes to the more humorous moments. All the actors are able to quickly switch in tone when the atmosphere and story demands it.

Speaking of which the atmosphere is effectively done, it’s able to capture the darkly humorous and the serious tone both at the same time, there are some moments of this genuine dread and then certain moments where you find yourself laughing. It’s this strange blend that surprisingly works in the film’s favor.

The themes it tackles while admirable, don’t fully come together for one particular reason. It’s mainly due to the film becoming weird for the sake of being weird, I get what they were trying to go for by executing themes of happiness at others expense or capitalism in a much more unique way. But when you have your character’s bizarre behavior feel less and less organic as the movie goes on it does start to take you out of the film, these weird moments make for some great moments by themselves but not when they are trying to add commentary. 

Despite its issues I do think Best Wishes To All is a decent time, if you are looking for a strange movie that has solid acting and atmosphere I recommend giving this one a shot!

Best Wishes To All is available on Shudder! 

6/10 C+