acu's - Rented List
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"Mary Queen of Scots" explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan). Queen of France at 16, widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry and instead returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. By birth, she also has a rival claim to the throne of Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), who rules as the Queen of England. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth's sovereignty. Rivals in power and in love, the two Queens make very different choices about marriage and children. Betrayal, rebellion and conspiracies within each court imperil both Queens - driving them apart, as each woman experiences the bitter cost of power. - Director:
- Josie Rourke
- Cast:
- Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden
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With her life in a suitcase, Hortense Joseph arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948 to live with her new husband Gilbert. Dismayed to find a London that is far from the city of her dreams. Hortense is not alone in her disappointment: her white land lady Queenie reflects on her unhappy marriage while her husband Gilbert finds his status as a black man in Britain to be second class. Through shared adversity bonds are formed resulting in a sacrifice that will bind both women together forever. - Director:
- John Alexander
- Cast:
- Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, Ashley Walters
- Formats:
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To Walk Invisible (2016)To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters
Sally Wainwright writes and directs this one-off British television drama which follows the lives of renowned authors the Brontë sisters. Set in 1840s Yorkshire, sisters Anne (Charlie Murphy), Charlotte (Finn Atkins) and Emily (Chloe Pirrie) must come together after their troubled brother Branwell (Adam Nagaitis) struggles to come to terms with a failed love affair and becomes consumed by alcohol and drug addictions. With their family situation worsening by the day, the sisters turn to writing as a way to escape the hardships of their family life. The cast also includes Jonathan Pryce and Rebecca Callard. - Director:
- Sally Wainwright
- Cast:
- Charlie Murphy, Jonathan Pryce, Chloe Pirrie
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Charles Bubbles (Albert Finney) is a famous writer from a bleak industrial town. His divorced wife (Billie Whitelaw) and son live on a farm he bought for them near his home town while he lives in a London townhouse, detached from reality. Wretched in his wealth, Charlie stumbles through life drunk, debauched and dull, until he decides to go home again to revisit his ex-wife and child in the North. - Director:
- Albert Finney
- Cast:
- Albert Finney, Colin Blakely, Billie Whitelaw
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In 'Rosie', award-winning Irish novelist Roddy Doyle brings his signature brand of warmth and authenticity to a modern story of a Dublin family who have found themselves with nowhere left to go. Hailed as the most important Irish film of the year, 'Rosie' follows a young mother as she searches to find a room for the night for her family - a tense race against time as the hours count down and their options run out. Set over 36 hours, 'Rosie' tracks a normal family faced with impossible choices and exposes just how easy it is to slip through the cracks. Directed by Paddy Breathnach, 'Rosie' is a cinematic tour de force about love, family and how you protect your children when you have nowhere to call home. - Director:
- Paddy Breathnach
- Cast:
- Sarah Greene, Moe Dunford, Ellie O'Halloran
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Based on Peter Rock's novel 'My Abandonment', 'Leave No Trace' revolves around a teenage girl (Thomasin McKenzie) and her father (Ben Foster) who have lived undetected for years in Forest Park, a vast wood on the edge of Portland, Oregon. A chance encounter leads to their discovery and removal from the park and into the charge of a social service agency. They try to adapt to their new surroundings until a sudden decision sets them on a perilous journey into the wilderness seeking complete independence and forcing them to confront their conflicting desire to be part of a community or a fierce need to live apart. - Director:
- Debra Granik
- Cast:
- Thomasin McKenzie-Harcourt, Ben Foster, Jeffery Rifflard
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Director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight. A visceral, intimate account told from Armstrong's perspective and based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues, and the nation itself for one of the most dangerous missions in history. - Director:
- Damien Chazelle
- Cast:
- Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke
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Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mum (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. 'Lady Bird' is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home. - Director:
- Greta Gerwig
- Cast:
- Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts
- Formats:
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Suburban mother Tara's (Gemma Arterton) life is outwardly perfect. But she's deeply unhappy and unfulfilled in her life of routine with her husband Mark (Dominic Cooper) and their children. These feelings become so overwhelming, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Through a series of risky and incendiary encounters, she discovers the woman she really is and the life she really wants. - Director:
- Dominic Savage
- Cast:
- Gemma Arterton, Dominic Cooper, Marthe Keller
- Formats:
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Tehran Taboo (2017)Teheran Tabu
Pari is a single mother selling herself for sex in order to care for her young son Elias, who often accompanies her on tricks. By chance she becomes a judge's kept woman and is given an apartment in a middle-class neighbourhood where she befriends Sara, whose perfect family life is a facade hiding secrets of her own. The lives of the two women become intertwined with Babak an aspiring musician frantically trying to raise money for an illegal operation to "restore" the virginity of the youthful Donya after their one night stand in an underground club. As the stories of sex, drugs and corruption unravel, the unlikely allies push against the restrictions of the society they live in, and discover their lives are more alike than they think. Through rotoscoping animation, 'Tehran Taboo' provides an unsparing glimpse into the margins of modern day Iran. - Director:
- Ali Soozandeh
- Cast:
- Farhad Abadinejad, Jasmina Ali, Rozita Assadollahy
- Formats:
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Cold War (2018)Zimna Wojna
In the ruins of post-war Poland, Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) and Zula (Joanna Kulig) fall deeply, obsessively and destructively in love. As performing musicians forced to play into the Soviet propaganda machine, they dream of escaping to the creative freedom of the West. But one day, as they spot their chance to make a break for Paris, both make a split decision that will mark their lives forever. Pawel Pawlikowski follows his Oscar-winning 'Ida' with the stunning 'Cold War', an epic romance set against the backdrop of Europe after World War II. Sumptuously shot in luminous black and white, it spans decades and nations to tell a love story that is as tragic as it is moving, and as transportive as it is honest. - Director:
- Pawel Pawlikowski
- Cast:
- Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc
- Formats:
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From acclaimed director Mike Leigh comes this epic portrayal of events surrounding the infamous 1819 'Peterloo Massacre' in Manchester, when armed government forces charged into a crowd of 60,000 peaceful protesters who were desperate for greater democracy and improved working conditions. Featuring stellar performances from Maxine Peake and Rory Kinnear, 'Peterloo' is an explosively visceral retelling of a defining moment in British history. - Director:
- Mike Leigh
- Cast:
- Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Neil Bell
- Formats:
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Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) has spent forty years sacrificing her own talent, dreams and ambitions to support her charismatic husband Joe (Jonathan Pryce) and his stellar literary career. Ignoring infidelities and excuses made in the cause of his art, she has put up with his behaviour with undiminished grace and humour. The foundations of their marriage have, however, been built upon a set of uneven compromises and Joan has reached a turning point. On the eve of Joe's Nobel Prize for Literature, the crown jewel rewarding a spectacular body of work, Joan will confront the biggest sacrifice of her life and some long-buried secrets. 'The Wife' is a poignant, funny and emotional journey, a celebration of womanhood, self-discovery and liberation... - Director:
- Björn Runge
- Cast:
- Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Max Irons
- Formats:
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The Lady from Shanghai (1947)Take This Woman / Black Irish
Hired to work on a yacht belonging to the disabled husband of femme fatale Rita Hayworth, Welles plays an innocent man drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue and murder.- Director:
- Orson Welles
- Cast:
- Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Everett Sloane
- Formats:
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Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) is an eminent judge in the Family Division of the High Court, making daily decisions about complex family issues. But her workload is heavy, and her marriage to American professor Jack (Stanley Tucci) is at breaking point. In this moment of personal crisis, Fiona is asked to rule on the case of Adam (Fionn Whitehead), a brilliant and beautiful teenager who is refusing on religious grounds the blood transfusion which will save his life. Wanting to hear from Adam before making her decision, Fiona goes to his hospital bedside. Their extraordinary meeting releases strong emotions, with momentous consequences for both of them as Fiona decides whether Adam should live or die. - Director:
- Richard Eyre
- Cast:
- Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Fionn Whitehead
- Formats:
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