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For all the insight it offers on Russia's current head of state, "The Putin Interviews" are a noteworthy document. Only someone like Oliver Stone could let a man like Vladimir Putin feel so at ease and speak at such length in front of an American filming crew. For that, we are thankful to him, as all of his fellow journalists, who also had the chance to talk to Putin, always seem more worried about setting him on edge than properly interviewing him.

Unfortunately, for all its (seemingly) candidness, this four-hour documentary has little interest for the non-American viewer, as most of the time it dedicates for discussion of then-current affairs circles around the 2016 U. S. presidential election and American-led military operations.

Watch "The Putin Interviews" for a non-hysterical, lengthy account of a man that is bound to become one of the center figures of the 21st century. It is quite unlikely that any Western interviewer will ever be granted the kind of access Mr. Stone had to the Kremlin in order to film this. So, for that alone, "The Putin Interviews" are one of his most remarkable achievements (and the "Dr. Strangelove" segment is, by itself, worth your time investment).

It goes without saying that viewer discretion is advised, of course. But Oliver Stone assumes you are, at least, a minimally informed citizen and you will not take everything that Putin says at face value. Sometimes, he flags what he perceives as a less-honest utterance from his interviewee with a shrug of his bushy eyebrows towards the camera, and that is as patronizing as he ever gets during the "The Putin Interviews".

The outrageousness of "You Were Never Really Here"'s plot just serves as a huge, self-conscious pointer of how unimportant the story is to the film. From "Taxi Driver" to "Taken", there are just too many plot-driven movies about unwilling heroes rescuing abducted girls out there already.

Now, after the film itself admits its redundancy in terms of narrative, it can only prove its mettle as an exercise in character study and style. And quite a stylish character study "You Were Never Really Here" is, with Joaquin Phoenix carrying the whole weight of its ninety minutes of duration on his shoulders - no wonder the man had to bulk up in order to play Joe.

So, after the director Lynne Ramsay, Mr. Phoenix and all their collaborators (at cinematography, editing, music score, et c.) have shown their full flex as cinema artisans, "You Were Never Really Here" can't help but ring hollow as the last scene at the diner fades out. And that is because the movie has excused itself of the task of telling a sound story to the audience. Apparently, it seems satisfied at just being this post-Scorsese, post-Tarantino afterthought (hints at foot fetishism scattered all around included), lacking the gravitas of a believable plot at its core.

This one is a true oddity. Apparently meant to be a long letter of explanation/apology aimed at fans only, detailing on why Avicii decided to stop doing live shows from 2016 on, "Avicii: True Stories" becomes, perhaps unknowingly, one of the best insights into the crumbling mind of a world-renowned celebrity.

The cannibalistic world of super-stardom has always made its fair share of victims. These often try to find sanctuary in self-destructive behaviours to try to ease themselves from the burdens of the big spotlights: besides Tim Berg, names like Amy Winehouse or Whitney Houston also come to mind as recent cases of celebrities who collapsed under the weight of their own fame.

As everyone knows, Tim Berg, the man behind Avicii, would also ended up taking his own life just a few months after this documentary's release. His suicide drapes the behind-the-scenes footage shown in quite a heavy cloak. Indeed, Avicii, the performer, is only present during "True Stories" as something only seen from a distance for most of its running time. Director Levan Tsikurishvili (almost, we dare say, premonitorily) has decided to focus not on the countless DJ parties he threw, or even on the creative process behind his music making, but on the quiet moments that came after each live show instead, when Tim was allowed to shed his persona's skin and become himself again. As his true self, he vents out, over and over again as the years go by, how the constant pressure of having to perform live (something he openly admits he hates doing) is taking its toll on him, but how he is not allowed to step down from it because of the merciless coaxing from his label and booking agent.

After Tim's untimely demise, "Avicii: True Stories" became something of interest not only for fans who demanded an explanation for his withdrawal from live shows. Arguably, it has also become one of the best documentaries that came out in recent times on mental health (or lack thereof), and the dire costs of being thrown into the sphere of big music entertainment.