-
Of Horses and Men
This subversively erotic and surreal black comedy-drama combines six interlocking fables of rural life each including a powerful portrayal of human-equine relations (the original Icelandic title is ‘Horse in Us’). Shot beautifully in the great Icelandic outdoors, it depicts a world of violent emotions set against a cinematic love letter to the horse accompanied by…
-
The Selfish Giant
This passionate contemporary fable, which features outstanding performances by its young leads, has echoes of socio-realist classics such as Ken Loach’s Kes. Set in modern Bradford, it charts the progress of two adolescent boys from tough estates who survive day to day scavenging for scrap. It is loosely based on the classic Oscar Wilde fairy…
-
Stuart Hall Project
This absorbing documentary pays tribute to the sociologist and pioneer of cultural studies Stuart Hall, who founded the New Left Review and coined the term ‘Thatcherism’. Against a fabulous Miles Davis soundtrack (a different track frames each section), the film charts both his life-story and changes within British society from his arrival in post-war Britain…
-
Locke
Locke has done what many married men fantasize about doing at some point in their lives, he’s slept with another woman (if only for one night). The woman, now in hospital, giving birth to his child, requires his support and presence, and Ivan aims not to disappoint. Ivan is at a stage in his life…
-
The Act of Killing
This horrifically gripping Oscar-nominated documentary examines the legacy of the anti-communist atrocities in the wake of a failed coup in mid-1960s Indonesia. It interviews members of the death squads, who were never prosecuted for their crimes, and gets them to stage bizarre re-enactments of their crimes interspersed with movie footage. While not an easy watch…
-
Nebraska
This bittersweet, tragicomic but unsentimental road movie from a distinguished director and star at the top of their game depicts a crotchety, senile old man and his harassed son’s quest for riches in Lincoln, Nebraska. Panoramic shots in grainy black and white of the American mid-west are accompanied by an elegiac, plaintive soundtrack. Distinguished actor…
-
Leviathan
Kolya (Madyanov) faces a bid by corrupt local mayor to take his land. Dmitri (Vdochenkov) arrives from Moscow to support Kolya’s fight. The director has been likened to a modern Dostoyevsky, so this slyly subversive film is a surprising choice for Russia’s official foreign language Oscar entry. Zyvagintsev delivers a compassionate, satirically incendiary’ film. The…
-
Besa: the Promise
Besa: The Promise tells the remarkable and never-before-told story of how Albania opened its borders to shelter Jewish refugees during its brutal Nazi occupation. The action is witnessed through the prism of two men: Norman H. Gershman, a renowned Jewish-American photographer determined to record the bravery and compassion of the Albanians; and Rexhep Hoxha, a…
-
Northern Soul
Set in Lancashire in 1974, the film follows Matt and John as they leave behind a humdrum life of youth clubs and factory lines to chase a dream of travelling to the US, unearthing unknown soul 45s and establishing themselves as top DJs on the Northern soul music scene. Their dance and amphetamine-fuelled quest brings…
-
Under the Skin
This unique and absorbing film, adapted by Walter Campbell from Michel Faber’s 2000 novel, depicts a female sexual predator (Johansson) stalking a gritty Glaswegian urban landscape. Director Jonathan Glazer (responsible for the famous Guinness horses in the surf advert) impressed with his previous films Sexy Beast (starring Ray Winstone) in 2000 and Birth in 2004,…