The Wasteland List: 35th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival Day 5
How often do you sit there thinking about what to watch? You might have an endless watchlist that keeps piling up (I certainly have one myself). Sometimes you are just in the mood for a type of film or a certain filmmaker or actor and want to take yourself into a deep dive. As someone who watches so many movies, I have people asking me for recommendations all the time. One of the best feelings as a cinephile is recommending a film and that person loves it. Take this wealth of cinematic knowledge and experience and enjoy some recommendations on me. Genre. Subgenre. Filmmaker. Actor. Composer. Writer. Genre. Story. Trope. Cliché. Any other cinematic elements or them. Here is The Wasteland List:
35th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival Day 5
We Are All Strangers (2026)
Who doesn’t love a sprawling human drama reaching past that 2.5-hour mark? That seems to be a running theme of this festival circuit and writer/director Anthony Chen was part of the party. We Are All Strangers is a Singaporean drama of large proportions. The runtime is unfortunately one of the film’s biggest shortcomings as it rarely justifies so much time. The characters (of which there are quite a few) never feel deep enough to fully connect with, which is concerning when you have so much runtime to play with. The performances are certainly effective and achieve enough of the heavy lifting to deliver a solid film. Chen’s vision from a visual standpoint is one of the biggest highlights of the film with some rich colors and dynamic shots that bring energy and life to this overlong and drawn-out narrative. Flawed for sure but Chen’s film delivers enough to be a worthwhile experience.
A Long Winter (2026)
What type of drama and tension can build when the snow rolls out in the wilderness? Writer/director Andrew Haigh dives into a purely fresh setting from his most recent beloved film, All of Us Strangers. The period setting during the early 20th century comes to life with strong costuming and production design. The visuals are stark and striking as cinematographer Andre Turpin captures the wilderness in such a powerful way. The score by composer Paul Haslinger is intense and foreboding as the narrative twists with the disappearance of an alcoholic and disenfranchised wife/mother. The narrative feels a bit stretched with it, unraveling a bit too much towards the end but the rich thematic tapestry of A Long Winter anchors it. The cast is quite impressive as well as both Fred Hechinger and Ebon Moss-Bachrach deliver complex and layered performances. Caitriona Balfe is only in the film briefly, but her presence is so powerful. Hechinger’s Mike is a closet gay man in the frontier who is desperate to find himself and his lost mother. The impact is with the small details that Haigh has such command of.
Fatherland (2026)
Are we ready for another strikingly gorgeous film by director Pawel Pawlikowski? Fatherland is yet another beautiful film with crisp black-and-white cinematography and that 4:3 aspect ratio. There is no doubt that cinematographer Lukasz Zal is a true standout in all Pawlikowski’s films, but Fatherland is blocked and framed to perfection. The other standout element is the forefront of this drama is Sandra Huller. Her performance is still and confident while also shifting into intensity and power when the story and the role call for it. Huller is one of the biggest rising international stars, and her performance is the true anchor to this lean film. The narrative is not the strongest with Fatherland as the story is quite loose, but the thematic work is quite compelling. The post World War II film navigates German identity from a country down to an individual level. The road trip structure allows you to see plenty of Cold War era Germany and meet many characters along the way. Hanns Zischler and August Diehl shine in their performances as well. This is a step down from Cold War but still a strong outing from a talented filmmaker.
Possible Love (2026)
What does acclaimed Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong have up his sleeve for his longest gestating film to date? Possible Love is a sprawling film with quite the runtime which is filled to the brim with tension, trauma, and human struggle. Starting with a former colleague’s funeral, Sul Kyung-gu’s Ho-seok is struggling with getting laid-off and being villainized for a strike when his wife (Jeon Do-yeon’s Mi-ok) loops him into a documentary about labor shifts in Korea. Cho Yeo-joeng’s Ye-ji portrays a voyeuristic documentarian who becomes transfixed by both Mi-ok and Ho-seok. Her wealthy and successful husband, Zo In-sung’s Sang-woo, joins the fray as these two couples collide in powerful and compelling web of tension. Chang-dong’s screenplay is rich with character work and layers. The themes are incredibly rich and poignant. All four of these actors deliver totally different but all equally compelling and powerful performances. Some of the best acting out of this festival and plenty of incredible character work delivers one of the strongest efforts of awards season so far.
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