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In the Mood for Love
Kar Wai Wong has strong, nostalgic recollections of his formative years in Hong Kong where, having been born in Shanghai, he grew up from the age of five. In The Mood For Love is the second in a loose triptych of Hong Kong based, 1960s stories, beginning with Wong’s 1990 breakthrough film, Days Of Being…
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The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Newly restored for its fortieth anniversary, this influential Oscar-winning classic constitutes one of the finest achievements of one of cinema’s greatest directors, working in his intensely creative late period. This comedy of manners centres on a group of vividly drawn and outwardly respectable upper middle-class friends, who are continually thwarted in their attempt to have…
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Spirit of the Beehive
In 1940s Spain a family of four live in an isolated farmhouse with window panes resembling the pattern of honeycomb. Father (a beekeeper and poet), and mother barely speak to each other and are disconnected from their two young daughters, little Ana (Ana Torrent) and her elder sister Isabel (Isabel Telleria). One day a rickety…
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Polisse
A critically acclaimed French film, winner of the Cannes Jury Prize 2011 and 13 Cesar Awards also earning international praise. Yet some critics found it manipulative and likened it to TVs The Wire when a film splits critics like this its usually well worth the watch. The Paris Police Departments Juvenile Protection Unit has a…
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Love & Friendship
In association with Wimbledon Bookfest Lady Susan, recently widowed and the subject of a scandal, looks for a husband for her daughter and herself. Based on an early Jane Austen novella, the story transfers to the screen as the wittiest of romps, meticulously realised and acted with relish. Beckinsale and Samuel stand out from a…
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Maggie’s Plan
Maggie plans her life meticulously, manipulating others to get what she wants. She’s determined to have a baby engaging the services of a surrogate mother. Her plans go awry when she falls in love with a married man and wrecks his marriage. Julianne Moore steals the show as the eccentric wife – Moore as brilliant…
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Twenty Twenty-Four
Gripping sci-fi thriller winning acclaim on the indie film circuit. A scientist anticipates nuclear disaster and holes up in a bunker. With just an intelligent computer for company, he begins to question his self-imposed isolation and whether he is really alone. Shot on location in Portsmouth, the cinematography and central performance are truly distinctive. 3…
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Elle
Based on Betty Blue author Philippe Dijan’s novel Oh, this controversial revenge melodrama is the first film in 10 years from Dutch director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers, Total Recall, Robocop). Now in his late 70s, he retains his trademark blackly-comic, provocative approach to serious issues, in this case the effects of an attack…
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Neruda
Inventive constructed biopic – part fiction, part fantasy – of the Nobel prize-winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, from director Pablo Larrain (Jackie, No, The Club). A fictional inspector played by Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal (star of previous WFC films Motorcycle Diaries and Even the Rain) is caught in a cat and mouse thriller in…
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20th Century Women
With a superlative cast like this in the hands of Mills (Beginners, Beautiful Losers) such a sensitive nurturing director, nothing could go wrong. A five star comedy drama to relish as single mum Dorothea (Bening) has trouble raising her teenage son and engages the help of the other free-spirited women living in the house. Or…