Brimstone (2016)
★★★★☆
Brimstone is an almost unbearably violent take on the Western with a strong female character at its centre.
Europe
Borg vs McEnroe (2017)
★★★☆☆
Janus Metz’s Borg vs McEnroe recreates Wimbledon 1980 and delves into the winning psychology of the two tennis rivals.
On Body and Soul (2017)
★★★☆☆
Intersplicing oneiric images of deer in the snow with slaughterhouse romance, Ildikó Enyedi’s On Body And Soul is an unexpectedly romantic vision of star-cross’d loving.
In Between (2016)
★★★★☆
Mayasaloun Hamoud debut feature In Between is a vibrant, pacey Sex and the City look for the first time at the contemporary pressures on three young Arab women when the ‘city’ is Tel Aviv.
Kills on Wheels (2016)
★★★★☆
Kills on Wheels is director Attila Till’s surprising and touching comedy-drama take on disability in the character of a freewheeling wheelchair hitman.
My Pure Land (2017)
★★★★☆
My Pure Land, director Sarmad Masud’s first feature, is a Pakistan-set, female, Western-style gun battle based on an extraordinary true story.
Insyriated (2017)
★★★★☆
Philippe Van Leeuw’s Insyriated is a suspenseful microcosm of Syria’s civil war played out through its effects on one family and the hard decisions they have to take to survive.
Una (2016)
★★★☆☆
Una is a disturbing drama about a difficult and provocative subject that subverts conventional expectations. Directed by Benedict Andrews, written by David Harrower, it stars Rooney Mara and Ben Mendlesohn.
God’s Own Country (2017)
★★★★☆
A gay romance set high in the Yorkshire moors, Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country is a no-nonsense evocation of hard-won life in the country.
Moon Dogs (2016)
★★★☆☆
Moon Dogs is an appealing, strongly Celtic coming-of-age road movie that showcases vibrant new talent and the riches of Scottish scenery.
Return to Ithaca (2014)
★★★☆☆
Laurent Cantet’s Return to Ithaca creates a poignant microcosm of Cuban society as an expat returns to rejoin his old friends’ reunion.
Mimosas (2016)
★★★☆☆
Oliver Laxe’s second film Mimosas is an enigmatic, spiritual North African odyssey.
Maudie (2016)
★★★★☆
Aisling Walsh’s biopic inspires a transcendent performance from Sally Hawkins as Nova Scotian folk painter Maudie.
The Ghoul (2016)
★★★★☆
Executive produced by Ben Wheatley, The Ghoul is a teasingly self-aware psychological thriller.