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Meet the Filmmakers of the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival
Assorted Flavors Cinema Sugar 10/27/25 Assorted Flavors Cinema Sugar 10/27/25

Meet the Filmmakers of the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival

A brief Q&A about what they learned making their movie, their filmmaking superpower, and more.

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Review: ‘The Stranger’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/27/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/27/25

Review: ‘The Stranger’

French arthouse mainstay François Ozon plays it straight with his adaptation of the classic Albert Camus novel. But what works in a short philosophical text does not make an engaging film.

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Review: ‘Miroirs No. 3’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/27/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/27/25

Review: ‘Miroirs No. 3’

In this brief, mysterious drama, director Christian Petzold revisits many of the themes from his filmography while cutting back as much as possible.

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Interview: Toby Poser and John Adams on ‘Mother of Flies’ and the Language of Folk Horror
Maker's Dozen Cinema Sugar 10/24/25 Maker's Dozen Cinema Sugar 10/24/25

Interview: Toby Poser and John Adams on ‘Mother of Flies’ and the Language of Folk Horror

12+1 questions with family filmmaking duo Toby Poser and John Adams about their latest indie horror film Mother of Flies, taking cues from nature, and more.

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Review: ‘My Father’s Shadow’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/23/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/23/25

Review: ‘My Father’s Shadow’

Particularly for a feature-length debut, Akinola Davies Jr.’s direction and script are impeccable, operating on so many levels from the personal to the political.

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Review: ‘Sound of Falling’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/23/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/23/25

Review: ‘Sound of Falling’

Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes, Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling treats family genealogy like a ghost story of inherited sense memories, trauma, and heartache.

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Review: ‘The Holy Boy’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/23/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/23/25

Review: ‘The Holy Boy’

Paolo Strippoli’s The Holy Boy is often quite original, packed with ideas and not afraid to cause discomfort as it raises questions about consent, community security, and how life cannot exist without pain.

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Review: ‘Left-Handed Girl’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/23/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/23/25

Review: ‘Left-Handed Girl’

In this delightful and entrancing directorial debut from frequent Sean Baker collaborator Shih-Ching Tsou, a financially insecure Taiwanese family navigate the ups and downs of running a noodle stand.

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Review: ‘Frankenstein’ is a visual feast that’s both thrilling and hollow
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25

Review: ‘Frankenstein’ is a visual feast that’s both thrilling and hollow

Guillermo del Toro’s dream project has been in the works for nearly two decades, which shows in its incredible craftsmanship. If only the story got the same attention.

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Review: ‘Dracula’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25

Review: ‘Dracula’

Radu Jude’s follow-up to Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World is overkill in every way and equal parts boring and insane, yet also something you should watch at least part of.

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Review: ‘Mother of Flies’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/22/25

Review: ‘Mother of Flies’

The latest Adams family folk horror story is more focused on a dark, poetic tone than traditional scares, with its own cinematic language offering a unique dialect of contemporary horror.

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Review: ‘Sun Ra: Do the Impossible’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/20/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/20/25

Review: ‘Sun Ra: Do the Impossible’

It’s odd how dry a documentary this is about the pioneering Afro-futurist jazz musician and band leader Sun Ra, a guy who claimed to be from Saturn.

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Review: ‘Bugonia’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/20/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/20/25

Review: ‘Bugonia’

A smaller, tighter chamber drama compared to some of his most recent works, Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest is a poignant addition to the recent wave of “late-stage capitalism” cinema.

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Review: ‘Only Heaven Knows’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/17/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/17/25

Review: ‘Only Heaven Knows’

Shot locally in Chicagoland, Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva’s narrative debut is an eye-opening journey into Chicago’s growing Kyrgyz immigrant community.

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Review: ‘Hedda’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/16/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/16/25

Review: ‘Hedda’

In Nia DaCosta’s remix of a classic Ibsen play, Tessa Thompson is deliciously wicked as the titular character throwing a Gatsby-level party of decadence and decay.

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Review: ‘Train Dreams’
Bite Size Reviews Kevin Prchal 10/16/25 Bite Size Reviews Kevin Prchal 10/16/25

Review: ‘Train Dreams’

As a collection of images, Clint Bentley’s adaptation of the beloved Denis Johnson novella is a sight to behold—but that takes it only so far.

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Review: ‘Primavera’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25

Review: ‘Primavera’

Set in early 18th-century Venice, Damiano Michieletto’s directorial debut features a young orphaned violinist as the pupil of composer Antonio Vivaldi.

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Review: ‘A Useful Ghost’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25

Review: ‘A Useful Ghost’

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s latest film is perhaps a little long and overstuffed with ideas, but also like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

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Review: ‘It Was Just An Accident’
Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25 Bite Size Reviews James Podrasky 10/14/25

Review: ‘It Was Just An Accident’

Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winner explores the morality of revenge, the bonds of trauma, and the thin line between imprisonment and life in an oppressive society.

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Coverage of the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival
Assorted Flavors Cinema Sugar 10/14/25 Assorted Flavors Cinema Sugar 10/14/25

Coverage of the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival

Our reviews, red carpet interviews, and more from the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.

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