Reviews

Why Sally Rooney’s boycott matters so much to Israel

Rooney’s refusal to let an Israeli publisher translate her new book provoked furore—revealing Israel’s fear over Palestine solidarity

Deerhoof have fun on new album Actually, You Can

Creating a soundscape from myriad genres, this band also deals in the very serious business of musical witticisms.

The Squid Game’s dystopia is today’s modern society

Netflix’s new Korean drama has become a sensation because, despite its grotesque horror, it resonates with people the world over

A reminder of Gil Scott-Heron’s classic album

Sky Arts has now produced an excellent assessment of this classic album

Shocking tales of corruption at the top tier of sport

Bad Sport is a great true crime documentary series that takes a deep look into scandals in professional sports

A BBC documentary that wants to reheat Blairism

This is the story of Blairism as Tony Blair himself would like it to be told

Ridley Road brings hidden anti-fascist history to life

A young Jewish woman finds herself drawn into the murky world of Britain’s Nazis—and a side of the 60s that some would rather forget

Vinyl shortage shows the music industry needs to change its record

Christmas serves the same purpose for both the music and chocolate industries—it’s a chance to unload tonnes of regurgitated crap

Sweetheart—an LGBT+ film without the usual tragedy

Sweetheart is an endearing and sweet coming of age film about family, falling in love and finding out who you are

Nobel-prize winning author Wole Soyinka returns with grisly new tale

Chronicles From the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is a chilling story of corruption, violence, and horror at the top of Nigerian society

Manic Street Preachers are still making great political music

The Manics can sing about art, architecture, poetry, alienation, grief, politics and feelings and present them in a musical package made for stadiums and arenas

Gagarine—a council estate where dreams are housed

Facing impending demolition, teenager Youri turns his block of flats into a space station, in a film that blends the real and imaginary

Film asks if after trauma, can building a house help rebuild your life?

The film Herself tries to balance between a tale of abuse and an uplifting story of overcoming the odds. Most of the time it does it well, writes Sarah Bates