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While an adult stop-motion drama about a midlife crisis and mental illness may sound mundane as a concept, this is quite possibly Kaufman's sharpest and most absorbing film yet.

Charlie Kaufman has already proved himself to be one of the smartest, most creative visionary directors/writers working today. He has yet to make an unoriginal film even as his vibrant style stretches over a career spanning 40 years. Anomalisa is certainly Kaufman's tamest work when compared to the outlandish concepts of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, but it is also one of his most engaging. A grounded perception of mental illness affecting a lonely, middle-aged man in the centre of a richly-detailed, yet maddening, world. The concept will never sound as appealing as it really is, but upon viewing, the film's subtle messages on love and identity will surely resonate with any viewer, no matter their age.

Even with an ending that hints upon a concept that I wish was further explored, Anomalisa expresses it's thought-provoking story through detailed character interactions, a wry script and brilliant voice performances from the extremely limited cast that had me daydreaming of the film's beauty long after watching.

Assayas has done it again, it seems. After the delectably rich Clouds of Sils Maria, Assayas has once again spurred a sublime performance from Kristen Stewart in this illusive, cerebral horror film that, even with a goofy scene that should belong in the latest Ghostbuster film, remains sophisticated and truly haunting.

As showcased in his last film, Olivier Assayas is ingenious when it comes to writing stories around his deeply engaging characters, and Personal Shopper is no exception. Stewart is incredibly convincing in her role as a damaged clairvoyant, still shaken by the death of her twin brother. Every scene works to add little pieces to her character that helps to greater understand her actions and rather subdued personality. This is easily the best Stewart has ever been, previous performances considered. She is certainly someone to lookout for in the future, as, at this point, she is a frontrunner of the next generation of actors.

What is also undeniably impressive is Assayas' ability to tell a story in a heavily visual, almost poetic, way. He, unlike many directors working today, knows when to just let his actors ACT, allowing them to demonstrate their character building talents through minuscule movements and mannerisms that can't quite be explained through spoken dialogue. It's all so gorgeously organic.

From the masterful building of tension leading to terrifyingly subtle moments of horror, to Kristen Stewart's brilliant performance, Personal Shopper oozes professionalism. A film that meticulously finds ways to crawl right under the skin of the viewer and linger with them days after.

While maintaining a sleek art-house-esque aesthetic and narrative, Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria explores complicated human emotions, as well as sociological change, in a rather simplistic way. The result is a gorgeously organic and thought- provoking film that manages to thoroughly entertain, as well as inform.

Juliette Binoche is a powerhouse of talent as usual, but who certainly surprises is the often understated Kristen Stewart, who, proved here, can work brilliantly with well- crafted material placed before her. The chemistry between Binoche and Stewart is simply electric, not only propelling the narrative forward, but making any potentially dull scene deliciously biting with their whip-cracking banter. It's not often that two actors so naturally play off of each other this effectively, to a point of wishing that their shared portions of the film were longer.

Despite the crackling script and tantalizing character drama, there is a 20 minute epilogue that grinds the film's hefty momentum to a halt. While it is most definitely a necessary sequence for the story, it's lack of real substance is only amplified by the time it lasts on-screen. A middle-credits sequence would've left ample space for the story of the epilogue, but for whatever reason, Assayas stretched the finale of this intriguing story until it practically began to tear under the brilliance of the rest of the film.

While arguably not quite as realized as Assayas' second effort with Stewart, Personal Shopper (2016), Clouds of Sils Maria is an impressively audacious study of mainstream film and celebrity status that is made rich and layered by the convicting chemistry between the film's leads. It's all so undeniably impressive, to a point where the director's shortcomings become all the more apparent, and in turn, more frustrating.