Scene These Reviews

2025 brought many highs; I became a member of the Portland Critics Association, we launched Scene This, our weekly movie podcast that has survived its first year, I attended my first film festival (TIFF), and lastly, the year 2025 gifted me the most new releases films from any given year that I've ever seen. Of the 370 films I watched this year, 130 of them were released in 2025. For the top 25 of 2025, there is a mix of big studio films, independent films and a variety of un

“Father, I often think about the wind, how it moves things and how God moves the wind to bring everything where it should be, where it belongs.” These opening words in Karla Badillo’s debut feature OCA  set the tone for everything that follows, a meditation on faith, doubt, and the mysterious ways belief shapes human lives. Photo Courtesy of Cinema Tropical The film follows Rafaela, a nun who claims to receive visions from God, visions that often come true, though those aroun