black-and-white – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

ROSE (NYFF 2026) – Review by Margaret Barton-Fumo

September 30, 2026September 30, 2026 Margaret Barton-Fumo black-and-white, Caro Braun, Gerald Kerkletz, Markus Schleinzer, NYFF 2026, Rose, Sandra Hüller, Thirty Years War

Markus Schleinzer’s third feature Rose is a formal marvel, as well as an excellent vehicle for its lead actor, the always impressive Sandra Hüller. Set in the 16th century during the Thirty Years War, Hüller plays a world-weary woman who disguises herself as a male soldier and sets out to claim a fallen associate’s inheritance.

Reviews

THE RED SPECTACLES – Review by Diane Carson

February 6, 2026February 8, 2026 Diane Carson black-and-white, Hideyuki Tanaka, japanese films, Kerberos Saga, Machiko Washio, Mamoru Oshii, multimedia package, science fiction, Shigeru Chiba, The Red Spectacles

The Red Spectacles imagines a mind-bending, dystopian future. For those uninitiated into Japanese artist Mamoru Oshii’s Kerberos Saga, The Red Spectacles (1987) packs quite a jolt. Opening titles announce that at the conclusion of the twentieth century, “to combat the rapid rise in urban crime and its increasing violence, the Metropolitan Police Dept established the ‘Special Armed Task Force Against Violent Crimes’ unit.” On screen background continues, “Armed with specially reinforced suits and heavy weaponry, they came to be known as ‘Kerberos: Watchdogs of Hell,’ and began their bold challenge against the criminal world. However, their actions were so severe in their hatred toward evil, that their ruthless investigative activities drew public criticism. The organization had no choice, but to be dismantled when a petty criminal was beaten to death by a member of the Special Investigation Unit.”