Review
List of Review articles
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A young girl sits at the end of a red boat, paddling it down a waterway lined by stilt homes. A young boy sits in the boat at her feet. Venezuela on Screen
From a contemplative documentary to a swashbuckling biopic, these films lend a sense of humanity to the present crisis.
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A man wearing a suit and top hat looks to the side as people around him chant. What One Film’s Success Reveals About Today’s Russia
An adaptation of “The Master and Margarita” has become a smash hit—despite Moscow’s attempts to sink it.
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An illustration shows ripples on the surface of a pond with green lilypads in one corner. The Thought Experiment That Started a Revolution
How a hypothetical scenario started a global movement—and exposed the limits of moral theory.
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Charli XCX performs onstage with social media influencers during the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2025. Are We Really Living in a Global Monoculture?
A new book argues—unconvincingly—that there is a “blank space” where culture used to be.
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In this black-and-white photo, a group of men lean over a twisted metal object protruding from the ground in a desert landscape. Most of the men wear military uniforms or suits and ties. How the Bombing of Hiroshima Was Covered Up
A new documentary details the complicity of the fourth estate with the U.S. government.
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A lone soldier in combat fatigues is seen from behind as he walks through a barren forest at dusk, surrounded by splintered, leafless tree trunks, with most of their branches blown off. A War Film to Change All War Films
An Oscar-shortlisted documentary shows actual battle in startling clarity.
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A woman looks at art works showing the late Shah of Iran Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and his wife Farah Dibah Pahlavi exhibited in Dubai, April 27 2008. Misreading Iran
Scott Anderson’s “King of Kings” offers a timely picture of U.S. myopia and miscalculation in Tehran.
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A man with a beard talks on a red phone in a futuristic phone booth. A Raucous Reckoning With Brazil’s Dictatorship
“The Secret Agent,” Brazil’s Oscars hopeful, probes an undigested history.
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A dramatic fantasy scene showing dozens of winged, dragon-like creatures flying through a mountainous sky. Several humanoid riders sit astride the creatures, with one central rider in focus. Why Is the New ‘Avatar’ Film So Bloodthirsty?
The latest installment in James Cameron’s cultural juggernaut reflects a sad realism about current affairs.
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Chinese bachelor Zhou poses with Huskies. What Happens to China’s Surplus Men?
The one-child policy’s gender imbalance has spawned desperate bachelors, dubious gurus, and a rising manosphere.
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A man wearing a raincoat, knit cap, and a backpack holds a bicycle and smartphone. He stands on a city sidewalk at dusk and looks up at the sky as rain pours. A Tale of Two Asylum-Seekers
“Souleymane’s Story” interrogates the fictions we tell ourselves about what makes an acceptable migrant.
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A woman stands in front of a large wall-mounted red-white-and-blue button that reads "American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith." When the Democratic Recession Comes Home
Michael McFaul wants more democracy promotion. Is now the time?
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A young girl is flanked by two women, all with serious faces. A Kaleidoscopic Portrait of Women in Taiwan
“Left-Handed Girl,” Taiwan’s Oscar hopeful, offers a multifaceted view of women learning to live beyond shame.
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A man in a blood-stained shirt stands in the middle of an orchard of young trees, looking right into the camera with a distraught expression. A Jekyll and Hyde for the Manosphere
“The Things You Kill” explores the pitfalls of masculinity in modern-day Turkey.
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Marble statues of Socrates seated in thought and a standing Athena atop a tall column, set against a bright blue sky. What Is ‘the West’?
The idea of a cohesive West is fading, but a new book finds that the concept endures.
