Irish Film Institute -REVIEW ROUND-UP: DANCE FIRST, FINGERNAILS, HOW TO HAVE SEX & STOLEN

REVIEW ROUND-UP: DANCE FIRST, FINGERNAILS, HOW TO HAVE SEX & STOLEN

This week’s titles at the Irish Film Institute from Friday, 3rd November 2023 include Dance First, Fingernails, How To Have Sex, and Stolen. Read on for a selection of reviews or pop in to make up your own mind!

DANCE FIRST

“Byrne and O’Shea play the writer to great effect” – The Irish Times 

“Well cast and not overplayed.” – The Irish Independent 

“A staid, respectable biopic” – Variety

FINGERNAILS

“Haunts more than shocks in its parsing of love, lust, and longing.” 3/4 – RogerEbert.com 

“Disarmingly sweet” The New York Times Critic’s Pick 

A whimsical, metaphorical exploration of love’s absurdity” – Screen Daily

HOW TO HAVE SEX

“Youthful exuberance has seldom been so painful or compelling to watch.” 5/5 – The Irish Times 

“An intriguingly sympathetic, complex and even mysterious performance from Mia McKenna-Bruce” 4/5 – The Guardian 

“A stark, devastating coming-of-ager” 4/5 – Independent.co.uk 

“The writing is sharp throughout” – Screen Daily

STOLEN

“Visceral and essential viewing” 5/5 – The Irish Independent 

“No study of outrages surrounding the mother and baby homes can hope to be comprehensive, but Margo Harkin comes closer than one might have imagined possible.” 5/5 – The Irish Times 

“A highly skilled assembly of testimony” 4/5 – The Guardian 

“Essential viewing in Ireland, Stolen should provoke outrage in audiences far and wide.” – Screen Daily 


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