Films

Amid dense jungles and urban alleyways, “Counterattack” follows a Mexican elite unit in direct confrontation with a ruthless cartel. Directed by Chava Cartas, the film is not content with simply unleashing bullets on screen: it aims to strain the moral boundaries of those who fight and those who command, challenging the codes that govern a war where no one escapes unscathed — not even those who believe they’re on the right side of history.

Beneath a charming and seemingly optimistic exterior, “The Life List” unveils a narrative that avoids depth in favor of emotional lightness. Following the journey of a young woman tasked by her late mother with fulfilling childhood wishes, the film crafts a path of self-discovery that, though visually polished, resists confronting its more unsettling implications and offers answers that are more comforting than truthful.

In a country where appearances define a person’s worth and money unlocks every door, a debt-ridden couple sees the elite as their chance at redemption — or ultimate downfall. “Sosyal Climbers”, directed by Jason Paul Laxamana, dives with sharp rhythm and biting sarcasm into the ambition of those who pretend to belong to a world that only tolerates winners, exposing the masks of wealth with irony and constant tension.

Amid inherited wounds and silences heavy with pain, “The Piano Lesson“ turns an inanimate object into a reliquary of ancestral memories. Directed by Malcolm Washington and based on the play by August Wilson, the film confronts past and present in a visceral clash between two siblings marked by loss, identity, vengeance, and survival. An intense, symbolic, and deeply human drama that echoes what was never spoken.

In a metropolis where honor is scarce and violence sets the rules, a former assassin returns from emotional exile after losing everything that once kept him human. “Demon City” fuses the fierce aesthetics of manga with the existential weight of legendary anti-heroes, plunging the viewer into a subworld of vengeance, broken codes, and fights that reveal more than they conceal — a relentless journey that questions how far the will to resist can go.

In “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” what begins as a simple tale of meetings and misunderstandings soon unfolds into a story about the boundaries between appearance, affection, and truth. The film avoids the conventional shortcuts of teen romance, opting instead for bonds built through nuance, silence, and hesitation — and it’s precisely there that its emotional strength lies, revealing characters who don’t seek to impress, but to be understood.

Amid emotional ruins and buildings on the verge of collapse, “The Love Scam” follows a clumsy father trying, without direction or brakes, to keep both his home and his dignity standing. Set in vibrant Naples, Umberto Riccioni Carteni’s comedy weaves together improvised affection, everyday farces, unlikely encounters, and stubborn illusions, crafting a comedic and melancholic portrait of the human urge to start over.

Amid high-altitude maneuvers and meticulously crafted schemes, “Lift” aims to reinvent the heist movie with a balanced mix of irony, visual sophistication, and a protagonist who, this time, reins in the excesses in favor of strategy. Kevin Hart surprises by embracing a more restrained version of himself in a plot that challenges conventions, blurs the lines between justice and transgression, and expands the genre’s possibilities with elegance and precision.

Lindsay Lohan returns to the spotlight in “Irish Wish,” a romantic comedy that blends charm, nostalgia, and subtle twists. Amid an impending wedding and a wish made beneath an enchanted tree, the protagonist is forced to confront her deepest feelings on a journey that explores what it truly means to love — and what must be left behind to love fully, even when everything feels out of place.

In an atmosphere that blends psychological tension with a wicked game of revelations, “It’s What’s Inside” turns an innocent celebration into a minefield of devastating truths. Greg Jardin leads the viewer through an emotional labyrinth where secrets and appearances collide uncontrollably, laying bare the cost of intimacy in an age of extreme exposure — and reminding us that not every truth is ready to be revealed.