Cinephile Blog

Karan Kandhari’s audacious dark comedy charmed audiences with its absurd humour, farcical twists and wonderfully offbeat storytelling.

The film proved as entertaining as it was bewildering, earning a respectable audience score of 6.32.

• Extraordinary – superstition runs amok
• That’s why I go to Film Society: Sister Midnight!
• She seemed not normal but, besides that, great!
• Very bizarre; very entertaining
• Bram Stoker meets Mumbai
• Mind-bending
• We’ve all been there!
• Weird – but gripping!
• One of the weirdest films I have ever seen!
• Aces!
• Mad as fuck
• Enjoyed it… mad as a bucket of frogs… Poor husband! Reminds me of my ex, I must give her a ring. Enjoyed the soundtrack
• A fine film – not sure about the animal special effects though. Great soundtrack
• Baffling, somewhat
• Like Wes Anderson on acid!
• Interesting but strange. Kept my attention
• Bizarre but fascinating Halloween Special!
• It was a bit crazy with the interaction between the woman and man. Not much romance.
• A crazy, colourful romp
• Bizarre, weirdly fascinating. Unsettling
• Bizarre film. Wacky!
• Very, very strange
• Purple patches somewhat continued!
• Weird. Good music
• The weirdest film I’ve seen in a while
• Loved the soundtrack. Barking mad film. A little too long
• Very macabre
• Not my cup of tea! Very wacky!

The audience rating was 6.08. Here are the comments received on the night:

• The film was torture for me, My brain is fried. Like listening to Tom Waits. I write this feeling very insecure and unintelligent. I am sorry but I am not worthy of scoring it.
• Absorbing, fascinating
• Fascinating! So much that you wouldn’t see in a documentary, with some ‘celeb’ presenting. The fire department control centre operatives are saints!
• A clever idea.
• Slow fascinating I didn’t want it to end.
• Amazing cinematography
• Beautiful pretty good
• Great visuals, Interesting to see the lives of regular people. Emotions and intimacy portrayed with camera closeup especially at the end or when showing the grain ship workers not wanting to go back to Odessa. Showing history and archaeology with respect.
• A haunting trip into the 4^th dimension
• Fascinating insight into Neapolitan life with the threat of Vesuvius rumbling on a regular basis.
• Mesmeric, disjointed, very grey needed some music
• A little slow but very interesting.
• Incredible black and white atmosphere photography depicting stories of people in Naples. Very well put across. Images of troubles from 100s of years ago to present current day trouble in Ukraine.
• Good cinematography and photography. Good fragment of Italian life. Particular appreciation of the snaps of the leader with the kids and archaeologist in the archive and her language.
• Some interesting images informative and educative.
• Atmospheric luminous etc etc. But I woud have preferred to have more narrative direction. An impressionistic feeling not to watch is you are feeling tired.
• What is the time please!
• V good photography but too long
• Great cinematography atmospheric but slow
• Nice photography but too long and repetitive I would have liked more street life.
• Not as sandy as Sirat
• Spooky being in monochrome helped the mood. Place where time has stood still.
• Visually interesting but vague and disjointed too long
• Hard to get my head round it
• Self indulgent, lacked cohesion, too long
• Soporific
• Tedious overall . Great in parts. Didn’t need a soundtrack as the film was accompanied by the sound of snoring from half the audience.
• Too bitty, too repetitive
• Oh dear not quite as thrilling as watching paint dry.
• Interesting

Well, I think it is fair to say that Sirāt was Marmite in terms of the reactions we got from the audience!

Your overall rating was 7.13 but that masks a lot of high and low scores. Also, I don’t think we have ever had quite as many comments:

• Tedious melodrama waste of money and time making it.
• Amazing visceral extraordinary WOW!
• A rich sensory experience Absolutely superb
• Brilliant! Music was hypnotic acting great scenery something else
• Best film I have seen in a while. I even liked the music much to my surprise
• Great soundtrack! Reminded me of Wendy Carlos ( obvs). A mythic journey through Hades?
• Enjoyed it. Unusual and brilliant film, thought provoking. Need to discuss.
• One of the most shocking unexpected films I have seen, compelling P.S. although not sure why they didn’t follow their tyre tracks back the way they came to avoid the mines!
• A true journey into hell. The minefield scenes were so very tense and hard to watch.
• Ridiculous storyline clumsy unconvincing script
• Very tense acting excellent
• Bleak but I am sure I will continue to ponder on this film.
• Unsatisfying
• Shocking thought provoking and enigmatic
• What a horrible film Shocking
• Too shocking for me
• Weird
• Id imagine its difficult to make a movie so Id like to give the film makers the benefit of the doubt….not today sorry
• Different but enjoyable
• Tense and brutal absolutely desolate. At a certain point the brutality felt senseless and I didn’t feel for the characters as much as I should have, they felt underdeveloped and hollow.
• Contemporary abstract . Graphic landscapes and night amazing. Probably need paracetamol to see it. Quite shocking the way things works out. Felt they ran out of actors at the end.!
• Too stressful
• So weird. Absolute mess. But also somehow captivating. It all literally blew up.
• I don’t understand
• Tense tragic and no resolution
• Interesting shocking and depressing
• You never know where life will take you.
• Not sure started off really well and I thought it was very original until the end when mines started and I thought it got a bit ridiculous. Or maybe I didn’t get the metaphors.
• Bleak and distressing
• Amazing sound design. Felt like a combination of Climax and Sorcerer. But thre plot and direction felt forced and meandering
• Not sure what they was about! Scenery amazing music terrible.
• Bit slow to start, but picked up and took quite a dark turn. Probably more enjoyable 20 years younger and under the influence.
• Engaging! Gruelling!
• Sandy
• Very intense film. Amazing music and scenery. Terribly sad, traumatic.
• Gripping and deadly
• Stunning visually and emotionally. Great music, frustrated at start with incompetent dad but he came good in the end!
• Just shocking! Such as amazing xxx war work, humane
• Hypnotic and mysterical (spelling!) we were all on the bridge as fine as a hair and sharp as a sword.
• WOW

We had a fantastic audience (104!) for last night’s screening of A Private Life.

The audience ratings averaged out at 6.99 and here are a few of their comments:

• Amusing, thrilling, funny. A great film!Anw wow – Jodie Foster’s French is amazing!
  Fascinating! Studied reflections of characters. Subtle but relatable
• Captivating. Jodie in every scene
• Very French with American style!
• Loved this film – so many twists and beautifully acted. Very atmospheric and loved hearing another language
• “Bloody French!” PS Does it never stop raining?
• Fascinating and farce in equal measure. Rubbish music
• Absurd and boring. Great music though
• I didn’t really get the plot but she enjoyed it

Click here to see full details of the film or here for what’s next.

Our brand-new season of the Chester Film Society officially launches on Thursday 17th September 2026.

To our long-standing members: Welcome back to your favourite Thursday night tradition! To those who joined us for the first time last year: We will be absolutely thrilled to have you back for your second season. For those thinking about joining us for the very first time: There has never been a better moment to dive into the best of global, independent storytelling.

Part One of our programme brings seven exceptional, thought-provoking international films right to our local screen.

The Part 1 Programme at a Glance:

• 17th September: A Private Life – Our season opener delivers a deeply intimate, nuanced look at human relationships and hidden domestic complexities.
• 1st October: Sirāt – A visually arresting, culturally rich masterpiece that offers a rare and profound window into global perspective.
• 15th October: Pompei: Below the Clouds – An atmospheric cinematic journey that beautifully bridges historical echoes with contemporary storytelling.
• 29th October: Sister Midnight – A genre-bending, darkly funny, and fierce piece of independent cinema perfect for late October.
• 12th November: Resurrection – A masterclass in psychological suspense, tackling emotional reckoning and past trauma with gripping intensity. (Please note 7 pm start time.)
• 26th November: Kontinental 25 – A bold, sweeping contemporary feature exploring expansive, interconnected global themes.
• 10th December: Diamanti – Our winter finale sparkles with a brilliant, multi-layered narrative that will give us plenty to discuss over festive drinks. (Christmas drinks reception from 6.45 pm.)

Why We Gather

Chester Film Society is more than just a place to watch movies. It is a community of people who appreciate cinema as an art form. Every screening is a chance to escape mainstream cinema, discover hidden international gems and share thoughts with fellow film enthusiasts in a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Whether you are renewing your membership or joining us for the very first time, we cannot wait to share these stories with you.

Going on long flights doesn’t just mean an endless stream of cocktails (okay, the occasional Singapore Sling maybe…) so here are a few notes on cinematic highlights:

• Christy: Set in Ireland and I almost needed subtitles perhaps bad headphones ? Much of the film was not upbeat and the colour pallet was grey, but I enjoyed it.
• The Diplomat: In Hindi, set in Pakistan and based on a true story. It is about an Indian woman who ended up married and trapped in an isolated jihadist enclave and the Indian diplomatic interventions.
• One Battle After Another: This has been on release in the UK. It is violent but also funny, complex and ultimately redemptive. Stars Leonardo de Caprio and Sean Penn. Well worth seeking out.

I also noted a couple of films that I did not get time to watch:

• The Good Child: In Mandarin. A transvestite son returns home to look after his mum.
• Murder in The Building: A French comedy.
• Case 136: French. After a death during a riot an investigation of the police by the police.
• The Ugly Korean: Korean. A long missing mother’s remains are found, her son investigates.
• Die My Love: US 2025, Martin Scorsese. Jennifer Lawrence spiralling into post partum depression.

Here are a few more cultural highlights:

That’s all folks!