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How to Build A Girl 4 Stars Johanna Morrigan (Beanie Feldstein) is so uncool she manages to swing back around to being kind of cool. She doesn't often see herself reflected in the things she loves. She is kind awkward and silly, a little bit overweight, smart as hell, obsessed with her dog and all around friendless when we meet her. She regularly has imaginary conversations with her idols like Sylvia Plath and Sigmund Freud (you can play spot the star) . However, there is a glimmer of coolness in her like an ember that just needs to be fanned in order to set a flame.   In lesser films, there would be a need to give Johanna a romantic pursuit that would transform her, Coky Giedroyc's How To Build A Girl resists this. Right from the first act, Johanna declares "I do not think my adventure starts with a boy." This is one of the satisfying qualities that mark this coming of age story based on journalist Caitlin Moran's memoir.   Johanna's loving brother Krissi (La...

And Then We Danced  ★★★★ Directed by Levan Akin Paralleling the thematic beats of the highly acclaimed Portrait of a Lady on Fire , And Then We Danced is a well-realised tale of modern romance set in the Orthodox Christian country of Georgia. Though religion seldom factors into the narrative, the sense of persecution towards the minimised LGBTQ+ community holds autocracy, as the toxic values of the conservative, ‘normal’ male archetype cripple our protagonist, making his coming out seemingly impossible.   Merab and his dance partner / sort-of-girlfriend Mary have trained all of their lives to be professional Georgian dancers. They practice the ancient, ritualistic movement daily, auditioning to join a travelling band, particularly so that Merab can escape his underprivileged family. When Irakli, a strong, carefree dancer from another part of the country joins the group, a rivalry soon forms. Through their competitive friendship, the two find themselves discovering...