Santiago Mitre’s “Argentina, 1985”
Compelling and accessible true-life courtroom drama recalls the antifascist struggle of a group of prosecutors tasked with indicting key members of the military for their brutal campaign which resulted in the murder and torture of thousands
Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till”
An important story raised by outstanding performances across its cast and the inclusion of Keith Beauchamp’s contribution to the script
Scott Cooper’s “The Pale Blue Eye”
Revisionist historical that never quite manages to be more than average despite a collection of massive talent
Sebastian Meise’s “Great Freedom”
A unique and poignant prison drama which brings to light the struggles of post-WW2 gay rights as well as the importance of bridging divides
Lukas Feigelfeld’s “Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse”
Earthy and sensual horror debut of quiet potency and staggering beauty
Ti West’s “Pearl”
An outstanding prequel to “X” which is fresh and stands on its own paying homage to Hitchcock in his prime as well as the movies of the period
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King”
An entertaining action epic which frames African history from a long overdue perspective with a terrific cast and pacy script
Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light”
An intimate, poetic narrative which is a coming of age story that touches on racism, mental illness and exploitation that manages to be uplifting without being vapid
Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde”
Horror of the highest calibre that has more to do with “Revulsion”, “Hour of the Wolf” and “Mulholland Drive” than any true attempt to create a biopic of Marilyn Monroe; a mesmerising though arduous journey worth taking
Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson's “Pinocchio”
A brave and beautiful interpretation of the classic story with real feelings, menace and depth delving into death, loss and the rise of fascism; an instant classic
Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans”
A potentially great film obscured by sugar-coated and stagey visuals with great performances keeping its head above water
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Gangubai Kathiawadi”
This biographical of Gangubai Kathiawadi, a woman sold into prostitution and her rise to power straddles genres while maintaining coherency led by a superb performance from Alia Bhatt
Colm Bairéad’s “The Quiet Girl”
An absolute powerhouse of quiet intensity that beautifully blends a terrific script, cinematography and music to achieve something truly special
Sebastián Lelio’s “The Wonder”
A brilliant, layered and compelling film about belief, faith, grief and storytelling led by an exceptional performance from Florence Pugh and a crackling script from Emma Donoghue
Lena Dunham’s “Catherine Called Birdy”
A frothy, modernist medieval coming of age story that probably works for the tween demographic from which the source material was written
Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise”
Don DeLillo by way of Spielberg before straying into darkness in this absurdist look at modern American culture
Edward Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front”
An intense, visceral and beautiful film with an incredibly effective minimalist score and breathtaking cinematography that says as much about inequality as it does war
Marie Kreutzer’s “Corsage”
The reimagined life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria is an oddly detached affair with a great lead in Vicky Krieps let down by some poor production choices and a bland soundtrack
David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam”
A Big Lebowski-style caper with Christian Bale’s Columbo-esque Burt standing in for The Dude in a story covering the rise of fascism that never quite feels weighty as it should while never ceasing to entertain