The last thing expected of Bruno Dumont was a comedy, yet with this absurdist policier set in his usual Northern France, he has achieved just that. Originally conceived as a four-part serial for TV, P'tit Quinquin is simultaneously slapstick, metaphysical and at times genuinely disturbing. Two spectacularly incompetent policemen investigate a series of grisly killings after the victims start to turn up stuffed inside farm animals. Observing their efforts is a band of young scamps, led by P'tit Quinquin, dedicated to causing havoc and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Dumont plays with the conventions of the genre - sensational death, red herrings, weird locals, and of course the two cops with their philosophical musings and catch phrases. The film has been much compared to Twin Peaks, though Dumont says he's never seen it, and to True Detective, but it is notwithstanding very much a work belonging to Dumont's unique universe.
Ben Sharrock's critically adored 'Limbo' is a wry, funny and poignant cross-cultural satire that subtly sews together the hardship and hope of the refugee experience. Set on a fictional remote Scottish island, it follows a group of new arrivals as they await the results of their asylum claims. Among them is Omar (Amir El-Masry), a young Syrian musician struggling with the guilt, regret and grief that comes with leaving his former life behind. This deadpan comedy-drama from a bold new voice in British cinema shines a light on the hearts and lives of those at the centre of a crisis that is mostly only experienced through the headlines.
Edward Yang's multi-award-winning film looks at several turbulent weeks in the life of the Jian family. Husband and father NJ (Nien-Jen Wu) is a partner in a failing software company, which might just save itself by teaming up with an innovative Japanese games designer. Meanwhile his wife Min-Min (Elaine Jin) has gone off to a mountain retreat with a dubious guru, his teenage daughter Ting Ting (Kelly Lee) is getting her first, rough lessons in love, his young son Yang-Yang (Jonathan Chang) is asking difficult questions and getting into trouble at school - and his mother-in-law has suffered a stroke and lies in a coma. In the middle of all the confusion NJ runs into his childhood sweetheart Sherry, the girl he jilted twenty years earlier, and starts to wonder about starting over.
In a tower block on a council estate in South London, flat owner Vince takes in a new lodger, Errol. It's a big mistake. Errol is a nice, considerate, thoroughly decent bloke who has moved down to London and is working his way through a list of things he wants to achieve in life. (Number 36: drink a cappuccino, number 37: work with fish): Vince is the most sullen man in Britain who, having spent too much time living on his own, lacks both tolerance and social grace. A lifeguard at the local swimming, Vince takes great pride in being able to tell swimmers off for no reason and obtains his home decorating ideas from photos in Readers' Wives. No regular visitors come to visit the two men, as Vince has no friends and Errol feels that any friendships he has made will be jeopardized by his landlord. But that's not to say there are no encounters. What with Rastafarians doing dub reggae workouts, men with Shetland ponies in their spare bedrooms, single mothers salsacising in their living rooms, and dope smoking teenagers inhabiting the lifts...life is a constant whirl of social interaction. Of sorts.
The first television project from Academy Award and BAFTA-winner Steve McQueen, this collection of films for television is based on the real-life experiences of London's West Indian community. Set between 1968 and 1982, these standalone stories celebrate courage and community. From a group of activists taking on a seemingly hopeless battle against police persecution, to a teenager experiencing a blues party full of dance, danger and romance, they're a powerful reminder of how brave individuals can spark change. 'Small Axe' delivers a message our divided world needs to hear: even the most marginalised voices can challenge the most powerful.
'Do we get stupider as we grow up?' In his wildly popular Broadway show 'American Utopia', David Byrne reflects on human connections, life and how on earth we work through it. He joins the dots with his music and it all starts making sense. Spike Lee here transforms the production into immersive, dynamic cinema that radiates with astounding performances, inventive contemporary dance and political urgency. 'American Utopia' flows like an iridescent dream vision. Work by James Baldwin, Janelle Monáe and Kurt Schwitters is highlighted among exhilarating renditions of Byrne's solo work, as well as Talking Heads classics. According to the multi-hyphenate, we love looking at humans more than anything else. Anti-fascist and anti-racist, Byrne illuminates our responsibility to care for one another as he and his co-performers burn down the house.
Hilarious but harrowing, the film charts the disintegration of the friendship between Renton (Ewan McGregor), Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Tommy (Kevin McKidd) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle) as they proceed seemingly towards a psychotic, drug-fuelled self-destruction.
Jerry (William H. Macy), a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge (Frances McDormand), a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant -investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!
Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel, 'Days of the Bagnold Summer' is a funny yet sweet coming-of-age story about single motherhood and Metallica. Daniel (Earl Cave) was supposed to spend the summer with his dad and his dad's new wife in Florida, but when his dad cancels the trip Daniel and his mom suddenly face the prospect of six long weeks together. An epic war of wills ensues in their suburban home as Daniel just wants to listen to heavy metal and start a band while his mom hopes to rekindle the fun times they used to have together. Featuring original songs by Belle and Sebastian.
Academy Award-winning director Andrea Arnold (American Honey, Fish Tank) returns with 'Cow', a compelling portrait of the life of a dairy cow called Luma that marks her first foray into feature-length documentary film-making. This intimate and observational work chronicles its subject's daily life, from grazing in green fields to giving birth, making milk and everything in between. A profoundly empathetic and unexpectedly moving contemplation of life and our relationship with animals, this is pure cinema shot through with Arnold's typically vivacious energy.
The action takes place above the clouds as the pilots of a stricken airliner battle to make it to Mexico City. In face of danger the crew decide to forget their own personal problems and await their fate with a smile. They devote themselves body and soul to the task of making the flight as enjoyable as possible for the passengers. Life in the clouds is as complicated as it is at ground level, and for the same reasons, which could be summarised in two words: sex and death.
"Sisters with Transistors" is the remarkable untold story of electronic music's female pioneers, composers who embraced machines and their liberating technologies to utterly transform how we produce and listen to music today. The film maps a new history of electronic music through the visionary women whose radical experimentations with machines redefined the boundaries of music. The history of women has been a history of silence. Music is no exception.
"Flee" recounts the story of Amin Nawabi as he grapples with a painful secret he's kept hidden for 20 years, one that could threaten to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon-to-be husband. Depicted mostly through animation, the film shows Amin finally sharing the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan with his close friend, Flee's director Jonas Poher Rasmussen.
Newly released from prison, mysterious would-be scholar Robinson has been haunting the Oxfordshire countryside with a cine camera. A few months later, film cans and a notebook are discovered in a derelict caravan: the results of his search for the origins of capitalist catastrophe in the English landscape.
A French meadow on a summer's day is the setting for this incredible, highly-acclaimed film that takes its' microscopic cameras into the heart of the insect world. In this miniature environment where a single raindrop can cause havoc, we are treated to an array of jaw-dropping moments: an underwater spider makes a home out of an air bubble, a colony of ants face a massacre when a pheasant attacks and a determined beetle struggles to relocate his ball of dung. There's drama, comedy, action and even a little love in this astonishing film that invites us to share the trials and tribulations of its wonderful cast.
We use cookies to help you navigate our website and to keep track of our promotional efforts. Some cookies are necessary for the site to operate normally while others are optional. To find out what cookies we are using please visit Cookies Policy.