Eric Lavallée

In a departure film of sorts for the director who gave us I’m Going To Explode and Drama/Mex, Gerardo Naranjo makes the zone/border that separates California from Mexico come across as Afghanistan. Not sure how close he sticks to the original biographical aspects of a heroine that essentially becomes a trafficked, bargaining chip in a messy war between the feds and drug gangs near and around Tijuana. With an EZ Pass ease, Miss Bala sprawls every which way, meaning points A to point B are totally unpredictable and the camera tracks actress Stephanie Sigman as if she were a parcel.

Not sure if the film's title accurately denotes the life choices of our central character here in The Slut, but we get a sense that our heroine is the type that would do things out of necessity and who would do things that are necessary. In due course we come to understand that she is indispensable to others.

In a departure film of sorts for the director who gave us I’m Going To Explode and Drama/Mex, Gerardo Naranjo makes the zone/border that...

Not sure if the film's title accurately denotes the life choices of our central character here in The Slut, but we get a sense...

An adults only version of the classic fable, Sleeping Beauty received a tepid response from the early press screening on Wednesday night, which correlates with how our panel graded the film. Julia Leigh's daring debut film wasn't critically slammed across the board, as it does have a trio of supporters -- and its this kind of support that will ensure that Leigh has the option to forgo future book writing manifestations. Emily Browning gives a bare, brave performance (just her first scene where she has a tube shoved down her throat demonstrates her commitment to the part) and Leigh will undoubtably be referred to as Australia's new infant terrible. Click on the grid below to see how our critics responded to the film.