Guild Reviews
Secrets We Keep
Drama, Crime (Danish)
When a neighbor's au pair vanishes from her wealthy suburb, Cecilie seeks answers — and unravels secrets that shatter her seemingly perfect world.
Cast:
Marie Bach Hansen, Danica Ćurčić, Simon Sears, Lars Ranthe, Sara Fanta Traore
Addictive and atmospheric, Netflix’s Nordic-noir mystery is another Adolescence in the making
Sat, May 24 2025
Rules don’t apply to the rich in Secrets We Keep, the addictive new Nordic-noir series on Netflix. The six-episode thriller unfolds through the perspective of Cecilie, a young mother who lives along with her lawyer husband and their two children in a spectacular lakeside villa in Denmark. Her seemingly idyllic existence is upset by the disappearance of her neighbour Katarina’s au pair, a Filipino immigrant named Ruby. Only a day ago, Ruby had approached Cecelie in confidence, and had asked for her help in being extracted from Katarina’s home. Something was very wrong, Ruby said. Cecelie awkwardly avoided any trouble, and advised Ruby to raise any concerns that she might have with her employers. Little did she know that Ruby would go missing under mysterious circumstances mere hours later.
A telling tale of the times we live in.
Wed, May 21 2025
The conversation around Adolescence, the globally-acclaimed show that pierces the zeitgeist to succinctly outline the corrosive impact of online misogyny on the impressionably young minds of teenage boys and the growing threat of the ‘manosphere’, continues to grow. Taking it further is Secrets We Keep, a Danish series that falls on the fringes between social commentary, edgy thriller and a somewhat consistently entertaining binge-worthy watch.
Kesari Veer
Action, Drama, History (Hindi)
Cast:
Sooraj Pancholi, Suniel Shetty, Vivek Oberoi, Akanksha Sharma, Aruna Irani, Hitu Kanodia
Director:
Prince Dhiman
Who wins the battle for the Somnath temple?
Fri, May 23 2025
Kesari Veer: Legend of Somnath isn’t shy about what it wants to be. It’s a full-throated, slow-motion-laden ode to sacrifice set against the backdrop of 14th-century Gujarat. The film reconstructs the tale of Hamirji Gohil — likely a historical figure about whom not much is known beyond legends and folktales. But once the dust settles (and the background score finally fades), what does the ending actually mean? This is your Kesari Veer movie story and ending explained, and also learn about the cast of the movie, trailer, and more. The Kesari Veer movie is something of a historical epic account with an eye on a cultural assertion. It is stylised to a pitch of crescendo. It occasionally can stray beyond historical consensus — that, I would say, has never really been unusual in Bollywood. I mean, Chhaava was pretty recent and had its hero chucking a shield at the enemy like Captain America. At the heart of the Kesari Veer story is a man standing in the path of an invading army and an important Lord Shiva temple (Somnath).
Suniel Shetty and Vivek Oberoi-Starrer Walks 'Chhaava', Talks 'Adipurush'
Fri, May 23 2025
I suspect this is going to be a short review. Not just because Kesari Veer is unwatchable in so many different ways that one is spoiled for choice. But also because I’m tired of writing the same thing about multiple Hindi period dramas — if one can call them that — over the last few years. As a critic, I’ve gotten to a point where I robotically tick off a mental checklist. Provocative? Of course. Islamophobic? Certainly. Hate-mongering? Obviously. Misinformation parading as creative license? Sure. Kesari Veer is a 162-minute inspired-by-true-events slog about a Rajput warrior who tries to defend the Somnath temple against the Tughlaq Empire in the 14th century, but it’s also another 21st-century excuse to demonise Muslims in a communally sensitive country through the elastic medium of history. In another era, it would’ve been banned. All of this goes without saying. It’s the starting point. Tell me something new.
Drowning In Saffron
Fri, May 23 2025
The Moghuls are bad, they wear black. The Hindus are brave, they’re covered in saffron. The screen is red – with blood. “I wanted it to be green,” sneers Zafar (Vivek Anand Oberoi) who wears kohl in his eyes, eyes the throne in Delhi, dreams of being called Sultan and targets Somnath Mandir where the faith of the kaafir resides. Weaned on unwavering belief in ‘Har Har Mahadev’, Hamirji Gohil (Sooraj Pancholi) is courageous and chivalrous. It wins him the admiration of tigress Rajal (Akanksha Sharma) and her father Raja Vegdaji Bhil (Suniel Shetty), a devout Shiv bhakt. Together, Hamirji and the Bhils will guard Somnath against the wicked Zafar Khan. The battlelines between noble believer and cruel plunderer are so clearly drawn that Kanu Chauhan’s story and screenplay begins and ends there.
Ace
Crime, Comedy (Tamil)
Kannan seeks a new life in a foreign country but gets dragged into a shark circle. A daring heist turns their hope into a curse, forcing him to outsmart fate itself.
Cast:
Vijay Sethupathi, Rukmini Vasanth, Yogi Babu, B. S. Avinash, Babloo Prithiveeraj, Rajkumar, Divya Pillai, Denes Kumar, Alvin Martin, Jasper Supayah
Director:
P. Arumugakumar
Writer:
P. Arumugakumar
Vijay Sethupathi is impressive, but uneven script bogs down heist film
Fri, May 23 2025
Vijay Sethupathi and director Arumugakumar’s debut collaboration ‘Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren’ polarised audiences completely - viewers either loved its zany approach or absolutely despised it. There’s no middle ground. When the duo reunited for ‘Ace’, expectations were quite so-so. The question remained: Could they craft a film with universal appeal this time around? Let’s find out! Bold Kannan (Vijay Sethupathi) is an enigmatic figure desperate to shed his criminal past and start a new life. His only link to his former life is his last phone call to imprisoned associates. Relocating to Malaysia, he befriends Arivu (Yogi Babu), a rag picker who masquerades as a businessman to impress Kalpana (Divya Pillai), a hotel owner.
Vijay Sethupathi Couldn’t Care Less in This Royal Bluff of a Comedy
Fri, May 23 2025
Ace is a film one could call “ironically nostalgic”. It’s neither intentionally aspiring to appeal to one’s nostalgia by trying to recreate a beloved time period, nor is it a film that’s set in the 80s or 90s. Ace is set very much in 2025, and it’s a film that wants to be the sort of cool movie from back when Orkut was considered fashionable. This isn’t just because it borrows elements from decade-defining films such as the Oceans series or gangster comedies like Snatch (2000) or Swordfish (2001). It also feels like a movie that’s stuck in that same period without realising that a film needs to do a lot more to be considered funny today. For one, the makers of Ace feel they’ve done enough just by creating a bunch of wacky characters to get us to look past scene after scene of impossibly convoluted sequences. It is partly a bank heist comedy that shuffles between a long-winded chase movie and a melodramatic love story between a hero who has nothing to lose, and a girl confined to her complex circumstances. Tying up the many disconnected strands of the film is Yogi Babu’s Arivu, a character so loud and underwritten that he simply shouts a joke or two in his attempt to save a dry scene.
Vijay Sethupathi, Yogi Babu deliver the laughs in this chaotic and convenient caper
Fri, May 23 2025
In Ace, multiple things keep happening at the same time. There is so much chaos, and a lot more convenience. But it is that kind of film where we know everything will fall in place, simply because what’s the point otherwise? When we watch Ocean’s Eleven, we want the protagonists to steal and escape. Or closer home, when we watch Sadhuranga Vettai, we want the heist to be successful because it is cathartic to see a well-laid plan come into fruition despite all odds. Just like every Indian heist film, there is a larger reason for the protagonists to indulge in this crime, but writer-director Arumugakumar doesn’t aim for the stars in Ace. His reason is simple, his heist is simpler, and the execution is simplest. Then what holds the film together? The chaos.
Lilo & Stitch
Family, Comedy, Science Fiction (English)
The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
Cast:
Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Chris Sanders, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Magnussen, Courtney B. Vance, Amy Hill, Tia Carrere, Kaipo Dudoit, Hannah Waddingham
Director:
Dean Fleischer Camp
(Writing for OTT Play)
A Rare Disney Remake That’s Hard To Dislike
Fri, May 23 2025
I have my reservations about live-action hybrid remakes of animated Disney classics. I just don’t see the point. The original invariably does a better job of charming newer generations of kids and adults (on smaller screens). The odd tech and VFX updates aside, there’s no real add-on; it’s like watching the capitalisation and credit of cultural interest into a bank account that refuses to invest in the current market. Remaking beats a re-release, sure, but it’s a mighty expensive way of telling the same story twice. The commercialism is grating, especially when the film in question is a cutesy childhood fable about the wonders of being young. But the most pressing question surrounding this remake/adaptation cycle is: Have we run out of imagination? Is there no will to create something new?
A heartwarming tale of friendship, family and acceptance
Fri, May 23 2025
After the untimely death of her parents, little Lilo (Maia Kealoha), wanders around a Hawaiian island wreaking havoc. Unable to process loneliness and grief, she gets along with fishes and frogs, but makes the life of her elder sister Nani miserable. Looked upon as a misfit by girls her age, Lilo’s wishes of finding a true friend are answered when an equally troublesome alien Stitch, (voiced by Chris Sanders) bumps into her. It’s interesting when characters aren’t likeable per se and yet you weep for them. Both the lead characters (Lilo and Stitch) are destructive and don’t regret the bad behaviour one bit. It is people around them who must get used to it and find their way around these two. While the film revolves around the little girl and her alien pet, it is Lilo’s relationship with her sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) that lies at the heart of the story.
It Was Just an Accident
Drama (Persian)
What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.
Cast:
Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Madjid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr, George Hashemzadeh, Delmaz Najafi, Afssaneh Najmabadi
Director:
Jafar Panahi
Writer:
Jafar Panahi
Jafar Pahani’s Cannes drama lays bare humans’ taste for violence, how it hurts themselves
Fri, May 23 2025
It’s late in the night, and a family of three, a husband, wife, and their young daughter, is heading back home. Suddenly, there’s a sickening thump, and the car comes to a halt. The man gets out, looks at something on the ground, his face lit by the headlights. We do not see the exact shape or size of the roadkill, but the little girl mentions the death of a dog, the woman justifies it as an act of god, and this little interlude sets the tone for the rest of the film.
Cast:
Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson
Director:
Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson ratchets up the whimsy in The Phoenician Scheme, doesn’t stick the landing
Fri, May 23 2025
If whimsy had an address, it would be Wes Anderson, whose confections can either delight or dismay. His Cannes competition entry The Phoenician Scheme has nestled firmly into the latter for me: his latest flight of fancy, quite literally, with his lead character traversing the skies in a private jet, being ejected at regular intervals, turns the film into a survival manual. The film is set in the 50s. Benicio Del Toro plays Zsa Zsa Korda, a wealthy businessman who has a half-brother (Benedict Cumberbatch, almost unrecognisable under a thatched beard), a daughter who is a nun, and nine sons. If Korda wasn’t properly eccentric, he wouldn’t be a Wes character: accordingly, he decides to bequeath his empire to Liesl (Mia Threapleton), whether she likes it or not.
Nouvelle Vague
Comedy, Drama, History (French)
This is the story of Godard making ”Breathless”, told in the style and spirit in which Godard made “Breathless”.
Cast:
Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, Aubry Dullin, Alix Bénézech, Paolo Luka Noé, Tom Novembre, Jade Phan-Gia, Nicolas Dozol, Jean-Jacques Le Vessier, Bruno Dreyfürst
Director:
Richard Linklater
Writer:
Holly Gent, Laetitia Masson, Vincent Palmo Jr., Michèle Pétin
A warm homage to the pioneers of French New Wave
Fri, May 23 2025
A film about cinephiles for cinephiles is one way to describe ‘Nouvelle Vague’ (New Wave), Richard Linklater’s love letter to movies. You could also say that it is about the making of ‘Breathless’, which it is. But it’s truly, gloriously more. It’s about being young and alive, broke and audacious, lucking into friends who make you come alive, having each other’s backs — all while changing the world. In the 50s, a bunch of French film critics were busy discovering the joys of ‘middlebrow Hollywood commercial’ cinema, which was treated with disdain by a high-minded earlier generation. Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer, Chaude Chabrol, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard were among those who contributed to Cahiers du Cinema, a journal which published these rebels-with-a-righteous-cause.
Inheritance
Thriller (English)
When Maya learns her father Sam was once a spy, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an international conspiracy. As she seeks answers, Maya herself becomes a target and must quickly learn the skills of her father.
Cast:
Phoebe Dynevor, Rhys Ifans, Ciara Baxendale, Kersti Bryan, Majd Eid, Byron Clohessy, Joey Albright, José Alvarez, Jack Lyons, Mitchell Hochman
Director:
Neil Burger
Writer:
Neil Burger, Olen Steinhauer
Bridgerton's Leading Lady Gets Stuck In A Cross Country Chase For Nothing
Fri, May 23 2025
Inheritance directed by Neil Burger of Limitless, Divergent, The Marsh King’s Daughter, also brings the similar thrill to the 2025 release. Led by Phoebe Dynevor aka Daphne Bridgerton of the hit Netflix series, the film is a crime drama with thriller elements that manage to keep you hooked. But the film doesn’t bring anything new or extraordinary to its genre with its direction or writing. The camera work approach does change things up, but it doesn’t change the experience of the film or the story. The film follows a Maya Welsh after the death of her mother, who she had been caring for the last nine months, watching her die. Maya losses her way after the death of her mother, and while her sister is worried about her, Maya jumps at the first chance to reconnect with her estrange father. Sam Welsh is played by Rhys Ifans, best known for his recent Game Of Thrones prequel character Ser Otto Hightower, shows up at the funeral after being out of touch for years. On showing up the first he does is offers a job to his daughter as a real-estate agent in Egypt.
Phoebe Dynevor's Layered Performance Elevates Globe-Trotting Thriller Shot On iPhone
Wed, May 21 2025
Neil Burger’s Inheritance zips across the globe from New York to Seoul in a compelling thriller that features a heroine with a strong survival instinct. Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor is Maya, who gets a chance to repair her relationship with her father, Simon (Rhys Ifans). However, she soon realises that leopards don’t change their spots. The innovative feature of Inheritance, besides the fact that it’s filmed on location in Egypt, India, and South Korea, is that the film has been shot with an iPhone 13 Pro. The guerilla-style filmmaking works to a large extent, but it’s the suspense of what Maya will do next that keeps viewers locked in. New Yorker Maya (Dynevor) has just watched her mother die of cancer when her estranged father (Ifans) shows up at the funeral. Despite her sister Jess’s (Kersti Bryan) warnings, Maya agrees to accompany Simon on his work trip to Cairo. Soon enough, she remembers why the family kept their distance in the first place. Maya is pulled into a complicated operation spanning countries with several authorities on her case as Simon dubiously disappears. Will Maya be a dutiful daughter and complete the assignment? Or will she uncover more hidden secrets about the mysterious man?
Nine Perfect Strangers S02
Drama, Mystery (English)
At a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation, nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this 10-day retreat is the resort's director, Masha, a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine "perfect" strangers have no idea what is about to hit them.
Cast:
Nicole Kidman, Henry Golding, Lena Olin, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Lucas Englander, King Princess, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers
Writer:
T. Rafael Cimino
Nicole Kidman Starrer Is Dreadfully Drab In Return
Fri, May 23 2025
The first season of the psychological drama anthology Nine Perfect Strangers premiered in 2021, and it was adapted from Liane Moriarty’s novel. This time, creator David E Kelley and star Nicole Kidman, who is back as eccentric wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko, have nothing new to add. A new group of ‘guests,’ who are treated more like guinea pigs, are introduced as the action moves to colder climes in the Austrian Alps. While the last season certainly was an undertaking to get through, this new season has been created just because the creators could.
Homebound
Drama (Hindi)
Two childhood friends from a small North Indian village chase a police job that promises them the dignity they’ve long been denied. But as they inch closer to their dream, mounting desperation threatens the bond that holds them together.
Cast:
Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, Janhvi Kapoor
Director:
Neeraj Ghaywan
Homebound is essential viewing
Fri, May 23 2025
A Stunning Portrait of Systemic Cruelty and Defiant Courage
Thu, May 22 2025
The bonds between men constitute a sub-genre in Indian cinema. From Anand to Sholay to Dil Chahta Hai to Pyaar Ka Punchnama, these friendships have beguiled generations of viewers. It is fitting that in the 50th anniversary year of Sholay, comes the story of two young men whose story follows familiar beats — deep, abiding affection, a fracture in the friendship, tragedy. And yet, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound is unlike most of these films that have gone before. Because the two men belong to marginalised communities; one is Muslim and the other Dalit. And because the story leads into the pandemic. By the end, I was a weeping mess.
Chaar Phool Hai Aur Duniya Hai
Documentary (Hindi)
A meandering brook of moments from two afternoons spent with Vinod Kumar Shukla, his wife and son at their home in Raipur, saunters between the mingling geographies of past, present and future, drifting in and out of pauses – to ponder, to reflect, to reminisce, and to share.
Cast:
Vinod Kumar Shukla, Manav Kaul
Director:
Achal Mishra
(Writing for Mint Premium)
Vinod Kumar Shukla's World of Words
Wed, May 21 2025
In Gamak Ghar (2020) and Dhuin (2022), Achal Mishra’s previous features, the filmmaker displayed a preoccupation with the many worlds that can be contained within the confines of a house. A similar throughline informs Chaar Phool Hai Aur Duniya Hai, Mishra’s latest outing, which follows renowned Hindi poet and novelist Vinod Kumar Shukla over two afternoons at his home in Raipur. It is a fitting way to render Shukla onscreen, a writer who has spent 50 years of his literary career creating universes out of bare rooms, paying attention to the vivid inner lives of ordinary people who inhabit them. The 54-minute-documentary, now on MUBI, emerged by chance, when Mishra tagged along with actor Manav Kaul and a common friend, the screenwriter Nihal Parashar, to meet the Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer in March 2022. On the initial visit, he focused on shooting conversations between Kaul and the soft-spoken Shukla. Surveying the footage once he returned to Mumbai—then made up of straightforward interviews filmed in unbroken takes—Mishra recognized gaps. “I remember thinking that maybe if I could do one more visit, it would add something more," he says.
Maaman
Family, Drama, Action (Tamil)
An uncle's deep connection with his nephew is broken, when their family experiences personal differences.
Cast:
Soori, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Swasika, Rajkiran, Balasaravanan, Baba Baskar, Viji Chandrasekhar, Nikhila Sankar, Geetha Kailasam, Jayaprakash
Director:
Prashanth Pandiraj
Sun, May 18 2025
Promising ideas meet patriarchy in Soori's family drama
Sat, May 17 2025
Family dramas always make up for great stories. There’s drama, never-ending conflicts, and a whole lot of plots and sub-plots to make for a wholesome script. Yet, this is one such genre that could always fail, if the script is not taken care of. Director Prasanth Pandiyaraj’s ‘Maaman’ is one such film that explores the relationship between Uncle Inba and his hyperactive nephew Laddu. Inba (Soori) is a perfect husband-material according to Rekha. He respects the women in his life – his sister Girija (Swasika) and his mother (Geetha Kailasam) – the most. Inba’s sister Girija has to bear the brunt of society’s sharp words because she has been childless for a decade. When she gets pregnant with Nilan aka Laddu (Prageeth Sivan), Inba is more present than her husband (Baba Baskar). Let’s put it this way – Inba’s overpowering love doesn’t let her husband be the husband and the father he wants to be.
Soori’s Film Is A Celebration Of Traditionalism As Virtue
Sat, May 17 2025
There is an old couple in Maaman played by Rajkiran and Viji Chandrasekar. His name is Singarayar and hers is Pavun. Their subplot has no bearing on the central conflict (which itself doesn’t seem to find closure), but this digression is intended to draw a parallel between their relationship and that of the lead couple Inba (Soori) and Reka (Aishwarya Lekshmi). It’s a rural attempt at recreating Ganapathy Iyer (Prakash Raj) and Bhavani Ganapathy (Leela Samson) from Mani Ratnam’s OK Kanmani. If you’ve followed Tamil cinema since the late ’90s, you’ll know exactly how this relationship will play out—down to its morbid end. A running, friendly tussle between them is that Singarayar only buys her flowers but doesn’t braid them into her hair himself. The emotional payoff is designed to move you to tears, and if it does, Maaman will strike many such chords throughout. If it doesn’t—and you squirm at the melodrama—the film will feel like a bundle of clichés.