THE MAN WHO COULDN'T LEAVE
Other movies
SIRÂT
Director: Oliver Laxe
‘Sirat’ is a term referring to the treacherous bridge between heaven and hell. Oliver Laxe’s film is certainly an odyssey and a sonic spectacular: his hypnotic rhythms carve a path for this temporal road movie in which Sergi López plays a father who has taken his son to search for their daughter/sister, missing in Morocco’s nomadic and quasi-feral rave scene. With an apocalypse taking place offscreen, the protagonist flees across a mythical landscape with a crew of non-professional actors. Sirât glimmers between sound and fury, pounds between loss and unfathomable grief, and leads audiences to what feels like the end of creation. Spain’s Oscar entry and 2025 Cannes jury prize winner is that rare cinematic achievement: an indelible gift of sound and vision. "This film contains scenes that may be considered sensitive for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised"
THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN
Director: Olivier Assayas
Olivier Assayas plunges the viewer into the final years of the Soviet Union and the start of the Russian Federation with confidence and precision in this political thriller which premiered at this year's Venice Film Festival. Paul Dano leads a tightly-calibrated cast as the fictional Vadim Baranov, a theater director-turned-TV executive, spin doctor and Kremlin kingmaker to Vladimir Putin (played by Jude Law, continuing his recent career resurgence) as the Russian premier makes his unstoppable rise to power. Calibrated performances guide the viewer through a period of time which sets the scene for where Russia is today. Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge and Jeffrey Wright co-star in this ink-black comedy based on the 2022 novel of the same name. "This film contains scenes that may be considered sensitive for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised"
SCARLET
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Mamoru Hosoda's time-warping animated epic is inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet and tells the story of medieval princess Scarlet, who vows to avenge the death of her father at the hands of her grasping uncle. Poisoned, she is thrust into a liminal realm where time collapses and she meets Hijiri, an idealistic medic from the present day. Visually daring, luminous and unflinching, Scarlet fuses hand-drawn richness with cutting-edge CG. Balancing visceral action and romance with a mature meditation on grief, the bounds of vengeance and our shared humanity, the film stands as an achingly relevant elegy in today’s war-scarred world.
GIRL
Director: Shu Qi
Superstar Shu Qi, icon of Asian cinema and muse of Hou Hsiao-hsien, makes her directorial debut with this self-penned, deeply personal coming-of-age drama. In a cramped home ruled by abuse, young teenager Lin Xiaoli keeps her head down, caring for her little sister while her father’s drunken rages cascade into her mother’s cruelty. Everything shifts when she befriends Li Lili, a rebellious classmate who skips class, smokes and urges Xiaoli to challenge the family’s toxic status quo. As escape glimmers, Shu Qi films with poised restraint, observing at a remove and tuning the viewer to intimate, everyday textures with a quietly harrowing strength. Tender yet unsentimental, Girl finds fragile beauty amid hurt and announces a formidable new directorial voice.