Film reviews, curated lists and film club favourites
Exploring cinema beyond the obvious
Rhiann’s Reels brings together my written film reviews and the films discussed through Sandhurst Film Club and a virtual film club, both founded by me, reflecting an ongoing conversation about cinema.
LATEST REVIEWS
“Cinema is a reflection of society and, in most cases, has the ability to be a mirror and not just show the problems but also give solutions and help them reach a large number of people through faces and voices that matter.”
– Kirti Kulhari
IN CINEMAS NOW
Wicker (2026) Review – Love, Woven to Order
In one sentence: A lonely Fisherwoman commissions a husband woven from wicker, only to discover that finding love may be easier than protecting it from the jealousy of others. Fables have existed for centuries, using seemingly simple stories to explore human behaviour and offer lessons about the way we live. Although they may take different…
Keep reading
Whalefall (2026) Review – Swallowed by Grief
In one sentence: A young diver searching for his father’s remains is swallowed by a sperm whale, leaving him with just an hour of air to escape while confronting the memories of their troubled relationship. Stories of men being swallowed by whales have fascinated audiences for centuries, from the biblical tale of Jonah to Pinocchio.…
Keep reading
Digger (2026) Review – The Cost of Consumption
In one sentence: An eccentric oil tycoon scrambles to contain a potentially catastrophic climate disaster after his company’s drilling causes a huge section of Greenland’s ice shelf to break away. Sometimes a film comes along that subverts expectations so completely that it becomes difficult to decide exactly how you feel about it. It might not…
Keep reading
Verity (2026) Review – Whose Truth Is It Anyway?
In one sentence: A struggling writer enters the home of a bestselling author to finish her work, only to uncover a shocking manuscript that changes everything. Colleen Hoover adaptations are arriving thick and fast thanks to the author’s enormous popularity, but Verity marks something a little different. As the first adaptation of one of her…
Keep reading
Sense and Sensibility (2026) Review – Of Head and Heart
In one sentence: Two very different sisters navigate love, loss and social expectation while learning that happiness may require finding a balance between sense and sensibility. Jane Austen has been adapted for the screen so many times that each new version inevitably faces the question of what it can possibly add. Yet the continued appetite…
Keep reading
Heart of the Beast (2026) Review – Survival, Side by Side
In one sentence: Stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash, a former Special Forces Officer and his military dog must rely on each other to make the long journey home. There is something extraordinary about the bond between humans and dogs. Perhaps that is why films centred on this relationship can feel…
Keep reading
Pressure (2026) Review – Forecasting History
In one sentence: In the days before D-Day, Meteorologist, James Stagg, faces the challenging task of predicting the weather that could determine the success or failure of the Allied invasion. There have been countless films about the Second World War, telling stories of extraordinary bravery, sacrifice, intellect and collaboration. With so many already, it would…
Keep reading
@rhiannsreels on Instagram
COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN
Kraken (2026) Review – What Lurks Beneath the Fjord
In one sentence: When a marine biologist investigates strange events at a Norwegian salmon farm, she discovers an ancient creature has been awakened beneath the fjord. Monster movies continue to be all the rage and Norway’s latest foray into the genre draws upon its own rich folklore. The Kraken, a giant sea creature resembling an…
Keep reading
Backrooms (2026) Review – More Questions Than Answers
In one sentence: When a struggling furniture store owner discovers a mysterious liminal space hidden behind the walls of his shop, his attempts to understand it draw others into a surreal and increasingly dangerous world. A24’s popularity is growing with each of its movies and its latest film, Backrooms, directed by its youngest director, Kane…
Keep reading
Obsession (2026) Review – Be Careful What You Wish For
In one sentence: A shy young man uses a mysterious wishing toy to make the woman he loves fall for him, only to unleash an obsession far more terrifying than he ever imagined. Have you ever wished the person you liked felt the same way about you? In an age of love bombing and blurred…
Keep reading
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) Review – Friendship, Fear and Fatal Misunderstandings
In one sentence: In Bodies Bodies Bodies, a group of wealthy twenty-somethings gather for a hurricane party, but when one of them dies during a party game, suspicion and paranoia quickly turn friends against each other. Some films appear superficial at first glance, the kind you might dismiss as little more than brain rot. At…
Keep reading
Send Help (2026) Review – When Workplace Power Dynamics Wash Ashore
In one sentence: In Send Help, an underappreciated office worker and her privileged boss wash up on a deserted island after a plane crash where their workplace power struggle takes on a far more dangerous form. We often imagine survival situations strip people back to their most basic instincts, removing the structures and hierarchies of…
Keep reading
The Bride! (2026) Review – A Feminist Monster Tale That Struggles to Come Alive
In one sentence: The Bride! follows a lonely Frankenstein who resurrects the body of a murdered woman to create a companion, only for the newly revived bride, influenced by the spirit of Mary Shelley, to challenge the world around her and the role she was created to play. Sometimes Hollywood releases very similar films at…
Keep reading
Sinners (2025) Review – Monsters, Men and Moral Reckoning
In one sentence: Sinners follows twin brothers who return to 1930s Mississippi to open a blues bar, only to find themselves trapped overnight when a group of vampires seek entry, turning a place of refuge into a desperate fight for survival. It is not often that a horror film performs strongly at the Oscars, let…
Keep reading
Together (2025) Review – When ‘We’ Replaces ‘Me’
In one sentence: Together tells the story of a long term couple who, after a supernatural encounter, are unable to stay physically apart and are forced to confront the unsettling reality of their co-dependent relationship. Have you perhaps ever felt too co-dependent in a relationship? As though you cannot exist without the other person, want…
Keep reading
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
FEATURED
Hidden Gems 💎
-
Rogue (2007) Review – Australia’s Underrated Creature Feature
In one sentence: Rogue is an Australian creature feature that follows a tourist group’s harrowing encounter with a deadly crocodile. Creature features vary wildly in quality, but Rogue, from Wolf Creek’s Greg McLean, is one of the best. Its poor box office performance did not reflect its quality. Fortunately over time it has found the…
-
Dear Frankie (2004) Review – A Romantic Drama That Subverts the Expected
In one sentence: Dear Frankie follows a mother who writes letters to her son, pretending to be his absent father and the fragile situation that unfolds when she asks a stranger to play the role. Romantic dramas can sometimes feel predictable, but Dear Frankie has a softness and sincerity that makes it stand out. It…
-
Touch (2024) Review – A Story That Reaches Across Time
In one sentence: Touch follows Kristófer, an elderly widower who, after difficult medical news as the Covid pandemic begins, travels to London to search for his long-lost love, Miko. In a cinematic landscape crowded with sequels, prequels and remakes, it is easy to feel disheartened by the lack of originality. Then, every so often, a…
FILM CLUB PLAYLISTS
One song from each of the movies we have watched in my two film clubs
