Written by Natalie Ng

"In the strive to tell a ‘nuanced’ story of queer relationships, Song Lang might not reach its full potential but what it does offer is an opportunity to consider what restraint really means in romantic LBGTQ+ storytelling. When I think about some of the best queer romance films in recent years, I think about films like Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden (2016), God’s Own Country (2018) and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019). The connection between…

Written by Natalie Ng

"Sensitive and deeply humanist, the film shows the coming-of-age story of Eunhee, and in a way, South Korea’s. It never veers into hackneyed melodrama and shows a great deal of emotional sensitivity. That fine balancing act is best shown through the nuanced writing of House of Hummingbird‘s characters, but in particular the supporting female characters. These female characters provide us with an understanding of what it means to grow up female and be a woman in…

Written by Levin Tan

"Despite these key conflicts, which are laid out rather neatly, Baseball Girl somehow manages to roll out its narrative at cruising speed instead of taking us on an adrenaline-filled ride of sweat and glory. The film is hampered because it is neither here nor there—its cinematic language, which is actually rather well-done, leans towards something more realistic, and yet, it adheres rigidly to the tenets of predictive storytelling that constantly reminds us that it’s a work…