Justin Chang
@justincchang.bsky.social
Film Critic, The New Yorker and NPR’s Fresh Air | 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism | Chair, National Society of Film Critics | Programmer, New York Film Festival
A rave for SIRĀT, the movie of the year: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
“Sirāt” Is a Harrowing, Exhilarating Dance of Death
In Oliver Laxe’s desert thriller, an intensely agonizing journey reveals both the pitiless nature of fate and the stubborn persistence of compassion.
www.newyorker.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:17 PM
A rave for SIRĀT, the movie of the year: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Ordinary Papal
Pope Leo has shared his four favorite movies of all time, as the Vatican prepares to host dozens of actors and directors in a “World of Cinema” gathering on Saturday at his official residence. See which films made the pope's list. nyti.ms/4p3exK9
Pope Leo Shares His Favorite Movies Ahead of Vatican Event
The list leans heavily on uplifting classics.
nyti.ms
November 12, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Ordinary Papal
Of the two new movies in which a film-industry father seeks to reconcile with his two neglected daughters, I'm a bit surprised to find myself preferring the honest schmaltz of JAY KELLY to the coy self-satisfaction of SENTIMENTAL VALUE. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
The Bad Show-Biz Dads of “Sentimental Value” and “Jay Kelly”
In new films from Joachim Trier and Noah Baumbach, success in filmmaking proves depressingly incompatible with success in fatherhood.
www.newyorker.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Of the two new movies in which a film-industry father seeks to reconcile with his two neglected daughters, I'm a bit surprised to find myself preferring the honest schmaltz of JAY KELLY to the coy self-satisfaction of SENTIMENTAL VALUE. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Justin Chang
A sneak peek at the cover of next week’s issue, which celebrates Zohran Mamdani’s historic win. #NewYorkerCovers
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
November 5, 2025 at 3:15 AM
A sneak peek at the cover of next week’s issue, which celebrates Zohran Mamdani’s historic win. #NewYorkerCovers
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
'Stein of the times? On the wonders, blunders, and blunderbusses of Guillermo del Toro's FRANKENSTEIN, a movie I liked quite a bit, even if it is, too fittingly, its own technologically compromised creature: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
In Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” a Vast Vision Gets Netflixed Down to Size
The latest reanimation of Mary Shelley’s classic tale, starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, is a labyrinthine tour of a filmmaker’s career-long obsessions.
www.newyorker.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:37 PM
'Stein of the times? On the wonders, blunders, and blunderbusses of Guillermo del Toro's FRANKENSTEIN, a movie I liked quite a bit, even if it is, too fittingly, its own technologically compromised creature: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Reposted by Justin Chang
A truly iconic reaction from Kaufman
October 23, 2025 at 9:06 PM
A truly iconic reaction from Kaufman
Reposted by Justin Chang
Our 2026 Career Achievement Award recipient is Philip Kaufman
October 23, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Our 2026 Career Achievement Award recipient is Philip Kaufman
Hive minds and galaxy brains: on the transfixing psychological duet of Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, in Yorgos Lanthimos’ BUGONIA: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Emma Stone’s Apocalyptic Showdown Blooms in “Bugonia”
In Yorgos Lanthimos’s film, ripe with eco-paranoia, the actress and Jesse Plemons come to physical and psychological blows.
www.newyorker.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Hive minds and galaxy brains: on the transfixing psychological duet of Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, in Yorgos Lanthimos’ BUGONIA: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, is now playing in New York and Los Angeles theatres. A film of blistering rage and implacable moral authority, in which Panahi's presence, experience and courage are stamped into every frame: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Jafar Panahi’s Cannes Triumph Sends a Warning to Authoritarians Everywhere
The Iranian director’s Palme d’Or-winning thriller, “It Was Just an Accident,” set the tone for a festival defined by dramas of political resistance.
www.newyorker.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, is now playing in New York and Los Angeles theatres. A film of blistering rage and implacable moral authority, in which Panahi's presence, experience and courage are stamped into every frame: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Epic fail-safe: A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE is a high-minded piece of doomsday schlock — and a baffling misuse of the director Kathryn Bigelow's talents. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
“A House of Dynamite” Is a Major Misfire from a Great Filmmaker
In Kathryn Bigelow’s ensemble drama, a nuclear attack exposes more failures of screenwriting than of geopolitical-crisis management.
www.newyorker.com
October 14, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Epic fail-safe: A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE is a high-minded piece of doomsday schlock — and a baffling misuse of the director Kathryn Bigelow's talents. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Byrne notice: on Mary Bronstein's frayed-nerves tour de force IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU, led by one of the year's great performances. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
The Virtuosic Maternal Freakout of “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
In Mary Bronstein’s film, Rose Byrne plays a therapist contending with a sick child, an absent husband, an uninhabitable home, and a world that seems nightmarishly bent on her failure.
www.newyorker.com
October 10, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Byrne notice: on Mary Bronstein's frayed-nerves tour de force IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU, led by one of the year's great performances. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
I profiled Richard Linklater on the occasion of his remarkable 2025 double bill, BLUE MOON and NOUVELLE VAGUE. We talked Austin, Cannes, Paris, OKLAHOMA!, beginnings (and ends) of beautiful friendships, and how to pursue a singular vision in a collaborative medium. www.newyorker.com/culture/pers...
Richard Linklater’s Uncompromising Artists
In two new historical films, “Blue Moon” and “Nouvelle Vague,” the director explores the challenges of staying true to a creative vision.
www.newyorker.com
September 27, 2025 at 4:19 PM
I profiled Richard Linklater on the occasion of his remarkable 2025 double bill, BLUE MOON and NOUVELLE VAGUE. We talked Austin, Cannes, Paris, OKLAHOMA!, beginnings (and ends) of beautiful friendships, and how to pursue a singular vision in a collaborative medium. www.newyorker.com/culture/pers...
There Willa be blood: Paul Thomas Anderson’s exhilarating ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, reviewed. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
“One Battle After Another” Is a Powerhouse of Tenderness and Fury
In Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” the fight against American fascism is a family affair.
www.newyorker.com
September 26, 2025 at 12:54 PM
There Willa be blood: Paul Thomas Anderson’s exhilarating ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, reviewed. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Justin Chang
We strongly condemn the actions taken by Nexstar and Disney-ABC to pull JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! off the air.
September 18, 2025 at 8:05 PM
We strongly condemn the actions taken by Nexstar and Disney-ABC to pull JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! off the air.
Reposted by Justin Chang
We strongly condemn the actions taken by Nexstar and Disney-ABC to pull JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! off the air.
September 18, 2025 at 8:05 PM
We strongly condemn the actions taken by Nexstar and Disney-ABC to pull JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! off the air.
Reposted by Justin Chang
Firing a Black woman for quoting Kirk’s horrific statements about Black women is insane. It seems the Washington Post would rather perform politeness (and demand that the people Kirk harmed do it too) that tell the truth: karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washin...
The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.
I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.
karenattiah.substack.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Firing a Black woman for quoting Kirk’s horrific statements about Black women is insane. It seems the Washington Post would rather perform politeness (and demand that the people Kirk harmed do it too) that tell the truth: karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washin...
Reposted by Justin Chang
Warmest of welcomes to Lovia Gyarkye, the newest member of the National Society of Film Critics. Congratulations, Lovia!
September 2, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Warmest of welcomes to Lovia Gyarkye, the newest member of the National Society of Film Critics. Congratulations, Lovia!
Reposted by Justin Chang
As long as we’re on the subject of Netflix and movies (however reluctantly!) I recommend this piece by @tavlin.bsku.social about why so many Netflix movies suck: www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/ess...
Casual Viewing | Will Tavlin
A decade before Airbnb persuaded homeowners to transform their homes into hotels, Netflix convinced its users to turn theirs into mini Netflix warehouses. Customers who held onto their DVDs for longer...
www.nplusonemag.com
August 24, 2025 at 8:23 PM
As long as we’re on the subject of Netflix and movies (however reluctantly!) I recommend this piece by @tavlin.bsku.social about why so many Netflix movies suck: www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/ess...
Reposted by Justin Chang
In light of Vanity Fair's recent idiotic decision, WaPo's offering its veteran critic a buyout, the NYT's "reassigning" three arts writers critics, etc., a lot of us are talking about the public's (and thus publications') lack of interest in criticism. It's part of a larger pattern of a war...
August 13, 2025 at 1:22 PM
In light of Vanity Fair's recent idiotic decision, WaPo's offering its veteran critic a buyout, the NYT's "reassigning" three arts writers critics, etc., a lot of us are talking about the public's (and thus publications') lack of interest in criticism. It's part of a larger pattern of a war...
"Evil is not eternal, and truth will surely win." On dissidence, despair, and defiant hope in Julia Loktev's extraordinary five-part documentary, MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART I — LAST AIR IN MOSCOW. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
“My Undesirable Friends: Part I” Is a Staggering Portrait of Russian Journalists in Dissent
In Julia Loktev’s epic documentary, filmed before, during, and after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, several courageous Moscow reporters see their worst fears realized.
www.newyorker.com
August 14, 2025 at 4:12 PM
"Evil is not eternal, and truth will surely win." On dissidence, despair, and defiant hope in Julia Loktev's extraordinary five-part documentary, MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART I — LAST AIR IN MOSCOW. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
To hell with this. Richard is one of our finest critics, and Vanity Fair and its readers are so much poorer for this incredibly stupid decision.
Area Critic (Me) Needs New Job.
Reach out if you want me to write for you! Doesn't have to be reviews!
Reach out if you want me to write for you! Doesn't have to be reviews!
Vanity Fair Will Refocus on Hollywood and Cut Back Some Coverage Areas, Says New Editorial Director
Vanity Fair will scale back certain areas of coverage, including shutting down The Hive, to focus on entertainment and culture, editorial director Mark Guiducci said.
variety.com
August 12, 2025 at 5:53 PM
To hell with this. Richard is one of our finest critics, and Vanity Fair and its readers are so much poorer for this incredibly stupid decision.
Two Linklaters, two Day-Lewises, and about a PILLION other reasons to be excited for the 63rd New York Film Festival's Spotlight lineup: www.filmlinc.org/nyff/daily/6...
63rd New York Film Festival Spotlight Selections Announced
This year's Spotlight section showcases a selection of 12 significant and anticipated features, including three world premieres, two U.S. premieres, and six New York premieres, as well as nine short f...
www.filmlinc.org
August 12, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Two Linklaters, two Day-Lewises, and about a PILLION other reasons to be excited for the 63rd New York Film Festival's Spotlight lineup: www.filmlinc.org/nyff/daily/6...
Only a great critic can go into a movie as drecky as FREAKIER FRIDAY and emerge with a review as expansive, considered, and thoughtful — not just about the movie, but about the industry that produced it — as the incomparable @szacharek.bsky.social does here: time.com/7308212/frea...
'Freakier Friday' Is Humiliating to Everyone Involved
And it's just the latest in a heap of summer sequels and remakes that seem to exist to turn audiences into nostalgia zombies.
time.com
August 10, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Only a great critic can go into a movie as drecky as FREAKIER FRIDAY and emerge with a review as expansive, considered, and thoughtful — not just about the movie, but about the industry that produced it — as the incomparable @szacharek.bsky.social does here: time.com/7308212/frea...
Reposted by Justin Chang
The considerable power of Boris Lojkine’s new film “Souleymane’s Story” depends entirely on its moment-to-moment persuasiveness, on a set of narrative and aesthetic choices that, as presented, seldom feel like choices at all, @justincchang.bsky.social writes.
The Piercing Immigrant Drama of “Souleymane’s Story”
In Boris Lojkine’s sharply observed Paris-set drama, a Guinean refugee struggles to survive—and to cling to the truth of who he is.
www.newyorker.com
August 6, 2025 at 10:47 PM
The considerable power of Boris Lojkine’s new film “Souleymane’s Story” depends entirely on its moment-to-moment persuasiveness, on a set of narrative and aesthetic choices that, as presented, seldom feel like choices at all, @justincchang.bsky.social writes.
Sound of fall-ing: Behold, the glorious Main Slate of the 63rd New York Film Festival! Programming this with Dennis Lim, Florence Almozini, Rachel Rosen and K. Austin Collins was, as ever, a joy. www.filmlinc.org/nyff/daily/6...
63rd New York Film Festival Main Slate Announced
This year’s Main Slate showcases films from 26 countries, among them two world, eight North American, and 13 U.S. premieres.
www.filmlinc.org
August 5, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Sound of fall-ing: Behold, the glorious Main Slate of the 63rd New York Film Festival! Programming this with Dennis Lim, Florence Almozini, Rachel Rosen and K. Austin Collins was, as ever, a joy. www.filmlinc.org/nyff/daily/6...