Ben Nicholson - The Film Verdict

Rahhala: Hayya ala Hayya

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Nov 17, 2025 | Featured, Festivals, IDFA 2025, Verdict Shorts |

Harrowing memories of domestic abuse are recounted over striking images of the natural world in Rahhala: Hayya ala Hayya, Lujain Jo’s beautiful and brutal reckoning with trauma.

Air Horse One

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Nov 17, 2025 | IDFA 2025, Featured, Festivals, Verdict Shorts |

Lasse Linder’s equine documentary, Air Horse One, is a quiet portrait of a champion thoroughbred – a behind the scenes peek that is meditative though never profound.

happiness

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Nov 15, 2025 | IDFA 2025, Featured, Verdict Shorts |

Firat Yucel’s desktop documentary, happiness, is an impressive attempt to convey the helplessness and emotional overwhelm felt in the contemporary, hyper-connected world.

Maze

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Sep 23, 2025 | Festivals, Busan 2025 |

Grief is the thing in Maze, Shin Sun’s subdued drama about a trio of people processing loss. An understated but absorbing meditation on guilt and recrimination.

En Route To

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Sep 19, 2025 | Festivals, Busan 2025 |

Yoo Jaein’s graduation film, ‘En Route To’, is both a clear-eyed drama about teenage pregnancy and a humorous, touching tale of female friendship.

Author: Ben Nicholson

Rahhala: Hayya ala Hayya

Air Horse One

happiness

Maze

En Route To