Kiarostami makes his second appearance on our programme this year, with this thematically rich minimalist film about a man, intent on committing suicide, who searches Tehran for someone to bury him when he’s done. Though its cast is sparse, it shines as a testament to the power of poetry in film with its thought-provoking atmosphere and engrossing story. 

1997 / 99 min / Persian / CW:

One of the notable Hong Kong kung-fu flicks, this film follows the Yeung family as the 5th and 6th brothers take on very different roles to avenge the family’s massacre. Looking forward to seeing well-choreographed fight sequences, glimpses of human emotions and melodrama, and a stunning ending.

1984 / 98 min / Cantonese / CW: strong bloody violence

Meaning temporary sexual impotence, Xala is an African political satire symbolized by a rich businessman with an erectile dysfunction that can only be cured by public humiliation. Come for a thought-provoking social commentary, having masterfully woven themes of masculinities and Senegalese folklore, brought to you by the “father of African film”.

1975 / 121 min / Wolof, French / CW: moderate sex references, nudity, rude humour

Set in a dystopian future in 2022 (relative to its time), the film follows a murder investigation in a world deprived of natural resources intensified by overpopulation and greenhouse effects. Come and catch this classic’s imagination of the present and see how it holds up!

1973 / 97 min / English / CW: n/a

Directed by David Lynch (Muholland Drive, Eraserhead), the film is set in a color-infused criminal underworld, in which the protagonist accidentally stumbles upon a human ear and is determined to investigate. Come to relive this classic or enjoy some sexy dream-like sequences!

1986 / 120 min / English / CW: sexual violence, strong sex, violence

Alfonso Cuarón’s modern masterpiece is set in a dystopian (startlingly) near future, a world in which humans can no longer procreate. Theo, a disillusioned bureaucrat, is tasked with delivering the last pregnant woman in a socially and morally barren society to safety. With mesmerising and immersive long takes, tense set pieces, and a vivid reflection of the evils of our own world, this universal story was made to be appreciated in a communal space, on a big screen.

2006 / 109 min / English / CW: Strong bloody violence

Featuring an ensemble cast of Kirsten Dunst, Kirstie Alley, Ellen Barkin (and Allison Janney & Amy Adam’s debut role), the film centers a small-town beauty pageant contest and the deathy lengths the contestants go to secure the crown. Come along if you’re looking for a black comedy, a social commentary, or a cult-classic mocumentary!

1999 / 98 min / English / CW: discrimination and offensive language

Starring an all-female camaraderie by Pedro Almodóvar (The Skin I Live In, All About My Mother), the film illustrates a lively and hilarious story about an interrupted suicide, also featuring a melodramatic couple, terrorist accomplices, and spiked gazpacho. Tune in for a short and silly black dramedy!

1988 / 88 min / Spanish / CW: suicide references

Branded as a “ramen western”, this hilarious film details two truck drivers who serendipitously joins the ramen catering business and embarks on a journey discovering “the art of soup making”. Come along for the appreciation of shared food experiences and get ready for a delicious turn of events!

1985 / 115 min / Japanese / CW: Strong sex, violence

Directed by Gregg Araki, the first winner of the Cannes Festival Queer Palm, this coming-of-age tale features a gusting prostitute (Joseph Gorden-Levitt) and an alien abduction conspiracist (Brady Corbet), and their journey of self-discovery. Prepare yourselves for a steadily devastating insight into childhood trauma with a strangely hopeful message in the end. 

2004 / 105 min / English / CW: Contains child sexual abuse theme and strong sexual violence

Submitted for Oscar’s Best International Film, this film is a subtle and moving tale about a dying grandmother and a grandson scheming to inherit her house before she dies. The film tenderly portrays the nuanced power dynamics in an Asian household, themes of legacy and conflict in values, and provides an emotional outlook on understanding our relatively disconnected family members and processing the passing of beloved ones.

2024 / 125 min / Thai /CW:N/A

In Sean Baker’s highest grossing film yet, Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch.

2024 / 139 min / English / CW: strong sex, drug misuse

A powerful story exploring masculinity, jealousy, and freedom, Claire Denis tells the story of an officer in the French Foreign Legion and his contempt towards a new recruit. Visually breathtaking and brimming with physicality, the film boasts an unforgettable and enigmatic final scene.

1999 / 93 min / French / CW: Discrimination, homophobia, gore, violence

A true story of friendship and survival about a group of friends who must save one of them during a holiday in Kodaikanal, when he falls into a hole deep in the Guna Caves. Upon its release last year, it quickly became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time and is a great example of accessible, contemporary Indian cinema. 

2024 / 135 min / Malayalam / CW: N/A

After Courgette loses his mother, he is taken to a foster home where he learns to love again after meeting other orphans who are just as vulnerable as he is. Brought to life with a unique style of stop-motion animation, partially penned with tenderness and compassion by Céline Sciamma (director of ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’), and only 66 minutes long, this is a simple and cosy watch for reading week.

2016 / 66 min / French / CW: references to traumatic childhood experiences

Directed by Koreeda Hirokazu (Shoplifters, Monster), this film is a silently devastating family tale featuring four kids who are often abandoned by their mother, and the eldest 12-year-old son who is forced to take on the caretaker role too soon. Trivia: the protagonist holds the record of youngest winner for best actor at the Cannes film festival, leaving Tony Leung publicly bitter. Come along for the magic of found family and a nice cry!

2004 / 141 min / Japanese / CW: child abandonment theme

This fun 90s romp involves a gaggle of popular girls who accidentally murder their best friend on her birthday. With an adopted loser, they subsequently try to cover up their deed and fun girly-pop hijinks ensues!

1999 / 87 min / English / CW: N/A

One of the most critically-acclaimed films last year, the film presents a fading Hollywood actress looking to transform into a younger version of herself via a mysterious substance. Covering themes of systematic misogyny and fetishization of female bodies, join us right before Valentine’s Day for some gore and body horror!

2024 / 141 min / English / CW: severe sex & nudity, violence & gore, frightening scenes

The grease, grime, and dirt are on full display in this film as it charts the rise of Donald Trump from innocent millionaire’s son into the infamous figure we know today. Featuring Sebastian Stan as the man himself and Jeremy Strong as his Unscrupulous business teacher, come along to see the film Trump’s campaign team tried to prevent from releasing!

2024 / 122 min / English / CW: sexual violence, strong sex, language, drug misuse,

Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded forty year opus, this film is set in an alternate 21st century ‘New Rome’ and showcases the story of Cesar Catalina, a genius polymath who aims to fix society of its ails, vices, and corruptions. Featuring an ensemble cast including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza and more, make sure not to miss one of the most polarizing films of last year!

2024 / 138 min / English / CW: strong language, violence, sex, drug misuse

Nicolas Cage is a truffle forager. Somebody stole his pig. He needs to get it back. Enough said.

This one’s for you, Callum!

2021 / 92 min / English / CW: N/A

Almost 30 years after ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’, Scorsese readdresses the Catholic Church in a story about Jesuit priests who face both physical suffering and challenges to their faith in a Japanese village in the 1600s. Even in spite of countless financial and logistical problems in the years leading up to its production, the film offers beautiful and authentic locations and transformative performances from Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver.

2016 / 161 min / English / CW: strong violence, scenes of torture

Based on the real-life Rehabilitation through Arts program at Sing Sing maximum security prison, this film centres a group of incarcerated men creating a theatrical stage show. Centering the redemptive power of arts and bonding in grim situations, this film is the perfect cure for your semester blues!

2023 / 107 min / English / CW: profane language

Starring Josh O’ Connor (Challengers) in a linen shirt speaking Italian, this film shows an English archeologist reconnecting with his lost lover and companions after being imprisoned for grave robbery. The film masterfully weaves themes of grief, spirituality and anti-capitalist ideals, and is one that will surely make you appreciate the beauty and depth films can evoke.

2023 / 131 min / Italian, English / CW: N/A

An iconic Palme D’or winner directed by Wim Wenders, this film tells the story of an unknown man who wanders out of the Mexican desert in an attempt to rediscover the life he lost four years prior and takes to the road to find his abandoned wife and son. Featuring masterful cinematography by Robby Müller and breathtaking performances from the cast, Paris, Texas begs you to lose yourself in its heartbreaking story.

1984 / Min: 145 / English / CW: domestic abuse

Directed by Sean Baker (Anora, Tangerine), recent winner of the Palme D’Or, the film depicts the everyday life and struggles of sex workers living in a motel in Florida, and focuses on the children that are raised in this particular environment. Like other films by Baker, it shows the complicated lives and dilemmas of sex workers in a simultaneously surreal and realistic light. Also features a wonderfully kind Willem Dafoe!

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