The Confessions of Thomas Quick (2015)
★★★★☆
A haunting portrait of Sweden’s one and only serial killer, Brian Hill’s The Confessions of Thomas Quick reimagines the collaborative nature of storytelling.
Europe
Marshland / La Isla Minima (2014)
★★★★☆
A police thriller in the dark heartland of ’80s Andalusia, Alberto Rodríguez’ Marshland is a gripping and stylish study of Spain both then and now.
Cub / Welp (2014)
★★☆☆☆
In Jonas Govaerts’ Cub, solid filmmaking and worthy performances fold under the excessive weight of tropes and contrivances in this full-on descent into torture porn.
Eden (2014)
★★☆☆☆
Charting the hopes and dreams of her DJ brother Sven, Mia Hansen-Løve’s celebration of French house music Eden might be leading us up the garden path.
The Legend Of Barney Thomson (2015)
★★★☆☆
The Legend Of Barney Thomson, Robert Carlyle’s first feature as a director is a black comedy that stars him as an inept Glaswegian barber mistaken for a serial killer.
13 Minutes / Elser (2015)
★★★☆☆
A tribute to Georg Elser, the man who tried to assassinate Hitler, Oliver Hirschbiegel’s 13 Minutes uncovers the journey from pacifist to freedom fighter.
The Salt Of The Earth / Das Salz der Erde (2014)
★★★★☆
A retrospective of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado’s The Salt Of The Earth sees man and mankind come to life.
Of Girls And Horses / Von Mädchen Und Pferden (2014)
★★★☆☆
The quietly uplifting story of one girl turning her life around, Monika Treut’s Of Girls And Horses is a slight but haunting tale of love in the slow lane.
Li’l Quinquin / P’tit Quinquin (2014)
★★★★☆
A French Twin Peaks where crimes are investigated Clouseau-style, Bruno Dumont’s absurd black comedy P’tit Quinquin is both ‘policier’ and satire.
Song Of The Sea (2014)
★★★★☆
Beautiful, magical and affecting, Tomm Moore’s Song Of The Sea is a touchstone for the continued importance of mythology and traditional animation.
Mr Holmes (2015)
★★★☆☆
A final chapter for fiction’s greatest detective, Bill Condon’s Mr Holmes sees a bright spark battling against the darkness.
Les Combattants (2014)
★★☆☆☆
Apart from an engaging performance from Adèle Haenel, Les Combattants is a listless love story that never quite gets its feet off the ground.
Second Coming (2014)
★★★☆☆
An intriguing film debut for playwright Debbie Tucker Green, Second Coming is a thought-provoking allegory of an unexplained pregnancy in contemporary London.
Queen and Country (2014)
★★★☆☆
A sequel to his Oscar-nominated Hope And Glory, John Boorman’s semi-autobiographic Queen and Country finds all fair in love and war.