Welcome back film-lovers! Join us to kick off the semester with peak chill vibes, courtesy of Wim Wenders, who features more than once in the first two weeks! A story about Hirayama, a toilet-cleaner in Tokyo, and how he finds beauty in his daily life by listening to music, reading, and savouring moments of stillness. In a hyper-digitised and overwhelming world such as our own, films which explore the importance of appreciating life in the present become all too valuable.

When Angus finds himself having to spend the Christmas holidays at boarding school under the supervision of his Classics teacher, an unexpected and moving bond is formed between them. Equal parts hilarious and melancholy, Alexander Payne’s film touches on loneliness, empathy, and compassion as well as providing delightful performances from Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and newcomer Dominic Sessa. The perfect film for the holiday season and to wrap up the semester on a high.

Year: 2023 / Min: 133 / Country: USA / Language: English / Tw: N/A

Directed by Todd Haynes (Carol, Dark Waters) and starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton, this film shows an actress who is studying a formerly-renowned actress’ biography, simultaneously revealing her sinister and complicated past. Come along if you’re a fan of Black Swan or Persona!

Year: 2023 / Min: 117 / Country: USA / Language: English / Cw: sexual abuse theme, strong sex

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film portrays an unconventional and haunting love story featuring Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps. Phantom Thread weaves together (pun intended) concepts of love, mastery, and the strive for perfection, with extremely nuanced and delicate performances from the two. A non-stop two-hours of (un)resolved romantic tension.

Year: 2017 / Min: 130 / Country: UK, USA / Language: English / Cw: N/A

Starring (the biggest heartthrobs) Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, this film portrays a struggling writer’s journey of revisiting his past, alongside his romance with a mysterious neighbor, that transcends time and space.

Year: 2023 / Min: 106 / Country: UK / Language: English / Cw: Strong sexual detail and drug misuse

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone collaborate once more to deliver one of last year’s most unique and striking films, about a woman who is thrust into the world as a newborn and embarks on a worldwide adventure to discover the joys and hardships of life under the patriarchy. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favorite, The Lobster) and starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, and Willem Dafoe, this book adaptation is a disturbing and fascinating tale of a woman’s unorthodox coming-of-age after being brought back to life via a brain transplant.

Year: 2023 / Min: 142 / Country: Ireland, UK, USA / Language: English / Cw: Strong sex and nudity

Redline is a beautifully animated film that follows an illegal race of the same name where intergalactic racers compete against each other to win the glory of being the best in the racing world, as just surviving is a huge achievement. Our main character, JP, must face military intervention, sabotage, and a living bioweapon called “Funky Boy”. DId I mention that the animation is stunning?

Year: 2009 / Min: 102 / Country: Japan / Language: Japanese / Cw: N/A

Years of trauma are brought to the fore in this film which depicts life in the favelas of Rio. Rocket, an aspiring photographer, must navigate the trials of love and friendship in a slum rife with crime and drugs. Children run around wielding guns, the police are corrupt, and one must tread carefully to survive. In the midst of a savage war between two rival gangs, can our protagonist overcome the hand he has been dealt in the City of God? 

Year: 2002 / Min: 130 / Country: Brazil, France, Germany, USA / Language: Portuguese / Cw: substance abuse

A classic Hitchcock crime thriller starring James Stewart, the film depicts two brilliant young athletes who strangle their former classmate to prove they could commit “the perfect crime”. Rope has pioneered the “one-shot” film technique and also manages to create suspense with the film happening in a single setting.

Year: 1948 / Min: 81 / Country: USA / Language: English / Cw: N/A

The film is a historical hidden gem, most known for its pioneering use of stop-motion animation visual effects. It is based on a Greek mythology poem detailing the heroic adventures of Jason and the Argonauts as they retrieve the Golden Fleece from a remote island. 

Year: 1963 / Min: 104 / Country: USA / Language: English / Cw: N/A

A hellish masterpiece by a master of his craft, ‘Mad God’ can only be seen to be believed. Created over thirty years, with many disruptions along the way, Tippett’s stop-motion world is as immersive as it is terrifying, from beginning to end. Our only companion on the way is an anonymous “Assassin” who gets lost amongst creatures beyond comprehension and the wicked recesses of the subconscious, leading to an unforgettable finale. 

Year: 2021 / Min: 84 / Country: USA / Language: n/a / Cw: strong gory violence

Written and directed by Wes Cravem, the film is the first installment of an iconic slasher horror film saga showing a group of teenagers targeted by Krueger, an undead killer who can murder children through their dreams, as vengeance against his parents who burned him alive. The film has inspired many horror tropes and is praised for its seamless blend between reality and the supernatural.

Year: 1984 / Min: 91 / Country: USA, UK / Language: English / Cw: strong horror, gore, violence

A news team is documenting the local fire department when they receive a callout from someone in an apartment complex concerned about screams from within a locked flat. What should be a standard assignment turns into a nightmare as the crew are locked in when the authorities place the building under quarantine. This found-footage horror gem is not one to be missed.

Year: 2007 / Min: 78 / Country: Spain / Language: Spanish / Cw: Contains strong bloody violence and sustained terror

Directed by enfant térrible Gaspar Noé, the story of a group of dancers trying not to lose their minds at a party, after they discover their punch has been spiked, remains a staple of French extremist cinema. A unique soundtrack, electric choreography, and a night which spirals out of control: enjoy the ride. 

Year: 2018 / Min: 97 / Country: Belgium, France, USA / Language: French / Cw: strong threat, violence, sex references, drug misuse

Created by critically-acclaimed director Koreeda Hirokazu (Shoplifters) and writer Sakamoto Yuji, Monster depicts a fateful connection between two boys with a classic Rashomon twist. As with most Koreeda films, it centers on outliers and bonds beyond societal frameworks, and is certainly a tear-jerker. It also features the last tracks of Sakamoto Ryuichi.

P.S. Please stay for this Sunday’s post-film discussion for Petrina’s long and passionate rant about why this is her 2023 barbenheimer :)

Year: 2023 / Min: 125 / Country: Japan / Language: Japanese / Cw: injury detail, self-harm, threat, abduction theme, violence

Created by mastermind M. Night Shyamalan and starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Adrien Brody, ‘The Village’ is a horror thriller about a village wse population is haunted by supernatural creatures that inhabit the nearby forest. 

Year: 2004 / Min: 108 / Country: USA / Language: English / Cw: N/A

Set in a Francoist Spain in 1944, the film follows young Ofelia, who must complete a series of tasks to prove that she is the long-lost heir to a secret kingdom. Blending fairytale fantasy and historical drama, Del Toro explores the darkest aspects of humanity and advocates resistance in the face of injustice and yet also dazzles with stellar special effects and gothic imagery.

Year: 2006 / Min: 118 / Country: Mexico, Spain, USA, France / Language: Spanish / Cw: N/A

After losing his sister to domestic violence, Brad Bird was inspired to tell the story of a mechanical weapon with a human soul. In the fictional town of Rockwell, Maine, in the late 1950s, a young boy named Hogarth befriends an alien robot and tries to prevent its destruction at the hands of the paranoid US government. Exploring the prejudices of McCarthy’s America and filled with endearing characters, namely Hogarth’s confidante Dean, this heart-warming story alludes to the horrors of war but also shows how life triumphs over death.

Year: 1999 / Min: 86 / Country: USA / Language: English / CW: N/A

Starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson, this film is a hidden gem that has been severely underlooked by the Academy. The Von Erich family story touches on themes of masculinities, depression, and the obsession to succeed, through portraying the devastating outcomes of suffocating familial pressures.

Year: 2023 / Min: 132 / Country: UK, USA / Language: English / Cw: drug misuse, suicide

'Her' is a Spike Jonze love story starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson's voice, and an ensemble cast. It is set in a futuristic society where AI entities are intrinsic parts of our lives, centering Theo (Phoenix) as he laments his failed marriage and navigates romantic love, friendship, and solitude. A personal yet universal tale on modern loneliness and belonging.

Year: 2013 / Min: 126 / Country: USA / Language: English / Cw: N/A

Directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, this film depicts a chance encounter between an unlikely companionship in the vibrant city of Tokyo. The film is also suggested to be Coppola's perception of her marriage and eventual divorce with Spike Jonze, paralleling his film 'Her' which portrays Jonze's perception of their relationship.

Year: 2003 / Min: 102 / Country: Japan, USA / Language: English, Japanese / Cw: brief sexualised nudity

Reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Las Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.

2024 / 104 min / English/ CW: gore, sexualised nudity

An epic adaptation of ‘King Lear’ set in sixteenth-century Japan, Kurosawa sets breathtakingly ambitious and bombastic visuals and set pieces against a story of greed and power lust. This film encapsulates the apex of the master director’s skills, making use of colour, composition, and spectacle to awe-inspiring effect despite Kurosawa’s waning eyesight at the time. ‘Ran’ should not be missed on the big screen. 

Year: 1985 / Min: 160 / Country: Japan / Language: Japanese / CW: N/A

A young boy named Ahmad goes on a journey to return his friend’s notebook to him, lest he should be punished at school the next day for forgetting it. The first film in Kiarostami’s ‘Koker Trilogy’ is an ode to the strangeness of being a child. Its story captures how it feels to be misunderstood and the terrible stakes of childhood, and yet celebrates the importance of friendship and loyalty and courage. Through a boy’s perspective, we follow a humble hero’s journey set against the backdrop of rural life. A brief film which speaks in a foreign tongue, but which speaks volumes with its universal poetry. 

Year: 1987 / Min: 83 / Country: Iran / Language: Persian / Cw: N/A

A hilariously dark comedy depicting the internal pressures and struggles within the Soviet PolitBuro following the death of Joseph Stalin. A political satire painfully including many parallels to our current times.

Year: 2017 / Min: 107 / Country: Belgium, Canada, France, UK / Language: English / Cw: N/A

Based on the book of the same name, the film follows a fictional group of eight young environmental activists who decide to blow up an oil pipeline. The film offers poignant analysis of the current environmental crisis and the morality of extreme action in response.

Tickets are £3 at the door or free if you’re a member! You’re welcome to pay by cash or by card.

Doors open at 7:30 and the film starts at 8:00 PM.

Year: 2o22 / Min: 104 / Country: US / Language: English

The director’s first and only English language film, Possession follows Anna and Mark, a couple in a failing marriage. When Anna reveals that she is having an affair, Mark is determined to find the man that has taken his wife from him. But his investigation reveals a secret more inexplicable than a simple affair.

Tickets are £3 at the door or free if you’re a member! You’re welcome to pay by cash or by card.

Doors open at 6:00 and the film starts at 6:30 PM.

Year: 1981 / Min: 124 / Country: Germany / Language: English

Raw, poignant, and harrowing are just some of the words to describe this film. In the aftermath of a tragic school shooting, two sets of parents - one pair are those of the shooter, the others of one of his victims - meet to unwrap their grief and anger. Set in just one location and exploring a single intense conversation, Mass is a powerful study of the capacity for forgiveness, even in the face of unimaginable violence.

Tickets are £3 at the door or free if you’re a member! You’re welcome to pay by cash or by card.

Doors open at 7:30 and the film starts at 8:00 PM.

Year: 2o21 / Min: 111 / Country: US / Language: English

Great freedom takes place in post WWII Germany where Hans is imprisoned for breaching the government’s anti-gay laws. The film explores the relationship Hans builds with his cellmate Viktor, a convicted murderer. Through this we see the weight of oppression yet the consequences of freedom.

Tickets are £3 at the door or free if you’re a member! You’re welcome to pay by cash or by card.

Doors open at 6:00 and the film starts at 6:30 PM.

Year: 2021 / Min: 116 / Country: Germany / Language: German