What It’s About
Once famous painter Julian Sklar (McKellen) is now in his mid-eighties, living in virtual seclusion in London. His past work includes some unfinished portraits of his old lover Christopher that would fetch top dollar if ever completed. Julian’s grown children Barnaby (Corden) and Sallie (Gunning) approach artist and restorer Lori Butler (Cole) with an audacious plan: Lori will become Julian’s assistant, and then finish “The Christophers” in secret. Then when Julian passes, they’ll share in the proceeds.
But they’ve sorely underestimated wily old Julian.
Why We Love It
Soderbergh’s clever, engaging black comedy, scripted by Ed Solomon, is first and foremost an ideal showcase for McKellen, in top form as a cranky, crusty painter who’s a lot sharper than he seems. He and Cole really are the whole show here, and they exhibit great chemistry so that’s enough. (Her Lori has enough intestinal fortitude to give Julian a run for his money). In the end, though, see this for McKellen – it’s sheer joy watching this old trouper do his thing, as only he can.
What It’s About
“Terrestrial Verses” presents nine vignettes of ordinary citizens in Iran grappling with the rigid strictures and bureaucracy of their theocratic government. There’s the new father (Ark) who gets discouraged from naming his son David (too western), and the female rideshare driver (Asgari) whose car gets impounded when traffic cameras catch her not wearing a hijab. Then there’s the young girl (Shabani) who clings to her love of music and dance even as she’s being fitted for a confining school uniform. The sequences build to a devastating indictment of Iranian society.
Why We Love It
Self-funded and shot in a week, Ali and Khatami’s subtle, stripped down film does a whole lot with very little. In each segment, the stationary camera is on the specific supplicant, with the voice of authority off camera. It’s unnerving, but the film’s outsize impact really comes from witnessing different examples of how the government tries to regulate most every aspect of people’s lives. Clocking in at a trim 77 minutes, “Terrestrial Verses” may be short, but there’s no denying its cumulative power.
What It’s About
In a bizarre future reality, humans get immortality by giving up the capacity to dream, and thus the ability to experience cinema. The Deliriant (Yee) is one of the few remaining hold-outs, and Mystery Woman (Shu) is sent to destroy him. Taking pity on this miserable creature, she gives him a hundred more years of dreams before he finally perishes. The shape-shifting Deliriant then navigates an eventful twentieth century in China, with each sequence recalling a different period and style of film, until the Millennium hits.
Why We Love It
Bi Gan’s gorgeous, audacious “Resurrection” is every bit as trippy as it sounds. At once a sci-fi tale, meditation on mortality and tribute to the wondrous, dreamlike power of movies, viewers should just surrender to this stunning, surreal exercise, and avoid trying to connect all the dots. Jingsong Dong’s vibrant cinematography transforms the director’s astonishing vision into art in motion – a love letter to cinema itself, and the way it lets us dream. Though decidedly not for everyone, this wild film rewards repeat viewings. If possible, see “Resurrection” on a big screen.
What It’s About
On a road trip, thirty-something Laura (Beer) gets into a car accident on a country road that kills boyfriend Jakob (Froissant). Betty (Auer), an older lady whose house is nearby, is first on the scene. She takes Laura in, and lets her stay on. Later Laura meets Betty’s estranged husband Richard (Brandt) and grown son Max (Ebbers). At first suspicious, they relax when they see the positive impact Laura has on Betty, who’s clearly experienced some trauma of her own. But is this unusual arrangement too good to last?
Why We Love It
Petzold’s slow-burn puzzler takes its time filling in the blanks on two obvious questions: Why does Laura choose to remain in a stranger’s house, and why does Betty encourage it? The answers are right out of a Hitchcock movie, but once disclosed, make perfect sense. Beer is solid as the enigmatic Laura, but among a stellar cast, Auer stands out as a troubled woman trying to claw herself back from the brink of despair. Smart, subtle and transfixing, this is one “mirror” worth looking into.
What It’s About
Fortyish and single high-school teacher Rachel (Efira) meets and falls for divorced car designer Ali (Zem) in a Paris guitar class. As their relationship deepens, Rachel forms an attachment to Ali’s adorable four-year-old daughter, Leila (Ferreira-Goncalves). She also meets Alice (Mastroianni), Ali’s -ex and Leila’s mom. Rachel’s love for Leila makes her yearn even more for a child of her own, recognizing that her biological clock will be running out soon.
Why We Love It
Zlotowski’s warm, touching film hits all the right notes, but really soars on Efirie’s winning turn as Rachel, a strong, caring woman who finds herself in an awkward situation, feeling vulnerable. The rest of the cast delivers as well, including young Ferreira-Goncalves as Leila. The film, which could easily have turned mawkish in lesser hands, comes off as achingly relatable and true. Those lovely shots of Paris don’t hurt either. Catch this tender, beautifully rendered gem, and bring Kleenex!
What It’s About
“Nocturnes” follows ecologist Mansi and her small team as they count and catalogue various moth species, particularly the hawk moth, in the Eastern Himalayas. Illuminating a white sheet at night draws thousands of these creatures in different colors and sizes. The study tracks the makeup of moths at different elevations, testing the hypothesis that with climate change, hawk moths are moving to higher, cooler places, potentially throwing a fragile ecosystem out of balance.
Why We Love It
This mesmerizing doc is not just for science nerds. Those whose only exposure to moths is a hole in their sweater will be astonished at the sheer variety of the species, and the fact they inhabited the earth before the dinosaurs. The film portrays the unglamorous, painstaking process of conducting Mansi’s study at night, in remote terrain, often in inclement weather. At the same time it showcases the beauty of this much-maligned insect, and the lush, untamed region where they’re concentrated. Via its immersive sound design we hear the full chorus of nocturnal creatures as the team does its work, to mind-blowing effect. Winner of a Special Jury Award at Cannes, “Nocturnes” is kind of trippy, but it’s a trip worth taking.
What It’s About
In twelfth-century feudal Japan, samurai Morito (Hasegawa) helps quell a rebellion against the established rulers, partly by using the noble and beautiful Lady Kesa (Kyo) as a decoy. When asked to name his reward, Morito picks the good lady. When informed Kesa is already married to Lord Wataru (Yamagata), Morito is undeterred in his pursuit of her, to everyone’s shock. This can’t end well!
Why We Love It
Kinugasa’s juicy, riveting tale of romantic obsession stands as one of the most gorgeous color films ever made, winning the Grand Prize at Cannes, along with Oscars for best foreign film and its inspired, eye-popping costume design. Clocking in at just under 90 minutes, the film moves fast, but even with a samurai character at the center of the action, there’s not much bloodshed. This vivid portrait of a proud, determined warrior whose all-consuming desire for a woman threatens to destroy him is a must-see classic.
What It’s About
“Compensation” presents two stories involving a relationship between a deaf woman and a hearing man, both black and settled in Chicago. In 1910, seamstress Malindy Brown (Banks) meets Arthur Jones (Jelks), who works in the stockyards, and a deep connection forms. Fast-forward to present day, as librarian Nico Jones (Jelks) falls hard for graphic artist Malaika Brown (Banks). Alternating between couples and periods, we witness the profound challenge they face of bridging deaf and hearing worlds, even as they experience prejudice and other hurdles.
Why We Love It
Even as it presents two couples persevering against stiff odds, Davis’s brilliant film manages to be uplifting and life-affirming. In the face of inequality and injustice, these characters remain decent, solid human beings, particularly Malindy and Malaiko, whose inner strength and pride help overcome three inherent “disadvantages”: being deaf, African American and a woman. An independent film shot on a tiny budget, Davis makes miracles, paying tribute to silent film with black-and-white photography, intertitles, and an evocative piano score by Reginald Robinson. Shot in 1993, it’s a crime this unique, unforgettable film didn’t receive a theatrical release until 2025. Better late than never – see it now!
What It’s About
At a drug-fueled rave in the Moroccan desert, Luis (Lopez) searches for his missing teenage daughter with twelve-year-old son Estaban (Arjona). They’re so focused they scarcely hear the loud, propulsive techno beats the crowd moves to. They meet a scruffy, eccentric group of ravers who clearly live off the grid (Janvier, Oukid, Gadia, Herderson, Bellamy), who inform Luis they’re headed to another rave across the desert where his daughter might be. Even with military activity in the area, Luis decides to follow them and gradually descends into a living nightmare.
Why We Love It
Utterly fresh and distinctive, Oliver Laxe’s freakout of a movie reminds us just how powerful cinema can be. Much like 2019’s “Parasite”, “Sirāt” contains a surprise punch midway through that causes a dramatic shift in tone. The film’s outsize impact comes from its documentary-style realism (with a mostly non-professional cast), some jaw-dropping cinematography, and Kangding Ray’s haunting score. More sensitive souls should likely steer clear, but if you’re open to being truly rocked by a film, delve into the mind-blowing “Sirāt”.
What It’s About
Pavel “Pasha” Talankin is a dedicated teacher at the school he once attended in the blighted Russian town of Karabash, where his mother still serves as librarian. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the school changes overnight, as the regime orders changes to curriculum and procedures, integrating pro-war propaganda, training and drills. As the school’s videographer, Talankin captures the school’s frightening transformation from within, while recording his own disillusionment. Sasha soon becomes vulnerable in a society that crushes dissent.
Why WE Love It
Talankin’s anti-war stance eventually necessitated his sudden departure from Russia, when he smuggled out the shocking footage he’d shot over his final year at the school. From that raw material, co-director Borenstein crafts a potent expose of how the authoritarian Russian state uses disinformation to glorify war and keep even its youngest citizens in line. This revealing, unnerving film won both the Oscar and the BAFTA for Best Documentary, along with the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. “Mr. Nobody” is actually somebody, and you should meet him.