Is it a critique of suburban insularity? A bitter sweet ode to family, to raising children and letting them go? It’s all these things. And yet...

The film is more provocation than developed thesis, and its thinness becomes apparent. That said, it's mostly a fun ride.

Entertaining stuff, even if ultimately it foregoes the human scale contradictions at the heart of the story.

Haynes depicts these women negotiating their desire for each other against an outside world that's not equipped yet to comprehend them.

A highly polished film about grand themes: greed, justice and the dispossession of indigenous lands.

Beneath the lyrical surface of the film lies a deep sense of unease. Is it the closest the director’s come to a frontal critique of his country in his feature filmmaking?

A laugh-out-loud funny take on middle age: the sagging flesh, the divorces, the high school injustices that still sting. But like so many films by SNL alumni, it struggles to keep up the pace.

In this highlight from 2015, a panel discussion from the Sydney Film Festival about difficult cinema, and how one person’s 'difficult' is another person’s popcorn movie...

Last week's panel reconvenes to discuss favourite films from 2015. Guest critics are Philippa Hawker (The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald), Luke Buckmaster (The Guardian Australia), and Craig Mathieson (The Sun Herald and The Sunday Age).

A special panel show this week discussing Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the releases you should look out for on Boxing Day.