Stephen Dalton - The Film Verdict

In Hell with Ivo

Posted by Stephen Dalton | Aug 20, 2025 | Festivals, Sarajevo 2025 |

Director Kristina Nikolova’s lively documentary portrait of Bulgarian queer musician and performance artist Ivo Dimchev, ‘In Hell with Ivo’, is compelling but frustratingly light on detail.

The Fin

Posted by Stephen Dalton | Aug 19, 2025 | Festivals, Sarajevo 2025 |

South Korean director Park Syeyoung’s ambitious dystopian sci-fi thriller ‘The Fin’ makes up for its scrappy plot with biting political subtext and striking grime-punk visuals.

The Disappearance of Josef Mengele

Posted by Stephen Dalton | May 20, 2025 | Festivals, Cannes 2025, Featured |

Kirill Serebrennikov’s muscular biopic ‘The Disappearance of Josef Mengele’ about the elusive Nazi fugitive is a real-life horror story, sprawling at times but powered by strong performances and great visual swagger.

The Brutalist

Posted by Stephen Dalton | Mar 11, 2025 | Featured, Festivals, Venice 2024 |

Writer-director Brady Corbet’s monumental period drama about a tortured genius of modernist architecture, ‘The Brutalist’ is ponderous and bloated, but visually stunning and superbly acted.

Anora

Posted by Stephen Dalton | Mar 3, 2025 | Featured, Cannes 2024, Festivals |

A Brooklyn lapdancer falls for a super-rich Russian playboy in ‘Tangerine’ and ‘Red Rocket’ director Sean Baker’s latest walk on the wild side, ‘Anora’.

Author: Stephen Dalton

In Hell with Ivo

The Fin

The Disappearance of Josef Mengele

The Brutalist

Anora