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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

A woman with blonde hair wearing a white dress with wings while being held up by strings above two gravestones bearing the words “MOTHER” and “FATHER” on a stage with opened red curtains. Curled in a ball in front of the gravestones lies a man in a tan shirt and brown pants.z

Review: ‘Beau Is Afraid’ is only occasionally frightening

Ari Aster’s new film is a big departure from his previous horror films, as he ventures into a long odyssey of surrealist comedy.
Justin Martinez, Contributing Writer April 25, 2023

“Beau Is Afraid,” and there’s no doubt about it. What exactly Beau is afraid of, though, is a question that director Ari Aster seems less interested in answering than he...

An illustration of a silver and black laptop shows a scene of three people with black hair dressed in loose outfits, posing for a photo.

Off the Radar: ‘Casablanca Beats’ explores the complex intersection of hip hop and politics 

This Moroccan film doesn’t shy away from contentious discussions, examined with hip hop. “Casablanca Beats” is currently available on Kanopy.
Afnan Abbassi, Staff Writer April 7, 2023

One of Franco Moroccan film and television director Nabil Ayouch’s most recent films, “Casablanca Beats,” returns hip hop to its roots, highlighting the genre’s capacity...

An illustration of a silver and black laptop shows a scene of a young boy holding a book, looking at a woman wearing a hijab who is hanging clothes on a clothesline. A white and blue cup full of tea sits in front of the laptop.

Off the Radar: ‘Where Is My Friend’s House?’ and the importance of empathy

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “Where Is My Friend’s House?” is available to stream on Kanopy.
Yezen Saadah, News Editor March 24, 2023

Abbas Kiarostami is considered by many to be one of the most innovative filmmakers of all time. While the late Iranian director is most famous for his experimental auteur films...

An illustration of a laptop placed on a bed with blue sheets. The laptop displays two people wearing white T-shirts sitting together.

Off the Radar: Lessons on how to film ‘The Act of Killing’

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “The Act of Killing” is available to stream on Kanopy and NYU Stream.
Mick Gaw, Staff Writer March 10, 2023

The documentary film genre is often treated as the simple presentation of facts — a journalistic investigation that reveals answers to real-world phenomena. A passive camera...

An angry-looking black bear growls against a red background.

Review: ‘Cocaine Bear’ is at its best when it’s just about a bear on cocaine

Colleen Secaur, Contributing Writer March 7, 2023

In 1985, a black bear ate 75 pounds of cocaine in a forest in Georgia, and died of an overdose almost immediately. It’s a weird story for sure, the type of story you could tell...

A couple, one person wearing an orange dress and the other wearing a light tan suit, dance on a black-and-white tile floor.

Review: ‘Dancing the Twist in Bamako’ is a tale of star-crossed lovers in a postcolonial world

Set in a nation freshly liberated from French colonial rule, director Robert Guédiguian tells the story of two lovers fighting to be together against all odds. The film opened on Feb. 24 at the Film Forum.
Sanam Estakhrian, Contributing Writer March 6, 2023

“Dancing the Twist in Bamako” by French director Robert Guédiguian is set in 1962 Bamako, Mali, and features the country’s history just after gaining independence from French...

A man with a short beard, wearing a gray T-shirt and a black hat, lies on a bed with gray sheets. His arm rests above his head.

Review: ‘There There’ shoots for real emotions, despite its fake portrayal of them

American auteur Andrew Bujalski’s latest tests its viewers’ faiths by pairing scenes from actors who were never in the same room. “There There” opens in select New York City theaters on Nov. 18.
Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer, Arts Editor November 15, 2022

A memory returns to me of my mother frustrated and crying after a Sunday trip to the movies. Such melodrama is to be expected of my family, but here, the source was of extreme...

Lau Kin Ming, played by Andy Lau, and Chan Wing Yan, played by Tony Leung, stand off in a gun duel while standing on top of a skyscraper near Victoria Bay in Hong Kong. Both are dressed in black suits.

Review: ‘Infernal Affairs’ trilogy restoration reinvigorates a Hong Kong classic

Even two decades later, Janus Films’ restoration of the iconic “Infernal Affairs” trilogy reminds audiences that its messages are pertinent more than ever.
Mick Gaw, Staff Writer September 28, 2022

“Infernal Affairs” (2002) directors Alan Mak and Andrew Lau use gang wars, police surveillance and political history to examine identity crises in the new millennium. Beneath...

A blue-and-white cup with tea inside sits in front of a computer screen with a man in a yellow suit jacket displayed on it.

Off the Radar: ‘Tokyo Drifter’ reinvents the Yakuza Film

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “Tokyo Drifter” is available to stream on Kanopy.
Mick Gaw, Staff Writer September 15, 2022

Seijun Suzuki’s 1966 “Tokyo Drifter” is a samurai spaghetti western dressed in a striking pop-art palette and slathered in excessive ’60s Americana. The film is filled...

A silver and black laptop shows a scene in a desert with a man squatting. A white and blue cup of tea is in front of the laptop.

Off the Radar: ‘Breaker Morant’ shatters illusions of benevolent empires and noble wars

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “Breaker Morant” is available to stream on Kanopy.
Mick Gaw, Staff Writer September 8, 2022

“Breaker Morant” opens to an orchestra of men, all dressed in military khakis with their pith helmets, playing their brass instruments under the Union Jack. The film then cuts...

An illustration of a disheveled woman with ash on her face and a shocked expression. She wears a black robe and behind her is a man and a forest.

Review: ‘You Won’t Be Alone’ meditates on the simultaneous universality and individuality of the human experience

Goran Stolevski’s “You Won’t Be Alone” (2022), a fantasy film set in rural 19th century Macedonia, tells the story of a witch who learns to navigate the world in a human body.
Lorena Campes, Staff Writer April 13, 2022

Content warning: This article mentions abuse and sexual assault.  Filmmaking and movie-watching have evolved into collective processes and experiences. When it comes to international...

A woman with a tired face wearing a dark teal jacket and a black backpack stands and holds onto a red pole of a bus shuttle as smiling passengers are sitting down.

Review: ‘Compartment No. 6’ artfully reimagines the road film

Based on a Finnish novel by the same name, Juho Kuosmanen’s “Compartment No. 6” follows a lonely archaeology student and her unlikely companionship with a churlish miner she is forced to bunk with as they journey across Russia.
Lorena Campes, Staff Writer March 22, 2022

Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen’s latest film, “Compartment No. 6,” is a Russian-language adaptation of Rosa Liksom’s novel by the same name. An unconventional take on...