IF YOU’RE A FELLOW CINEPHILE, YOU WILL AGREE THAT THE PERIOD BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S EVE IS THE BEST TIME TO WATCH THREE FILMS A DAY, PREFERABLY IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR SOFA (OR BED). HERE ARE THE ONES WE COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS YEAR, IN CASE YOU NEED SOME VIEWING INSPIRATION. WHAT ARE YOURS?
Roofman
An insane real-life story anchored by superb acting from both Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst. Bonus points for the interrupted sink shower scene.
Weapons
In a stand-out year for the horror genre, Weapons definitely took the prime spot, largely thanks to the spellbinding Amy Madigan. A villain performance for the books and an instant-classic Halloween costume.
Julie Keeps Quiet
A forceful examination of the shame surrounding abuse, set in the world of tennis. It’s chilly and controlled, full of whispered dread that tells you exactly how the system operates and survives.
Babygirl
We still get giddy at the thought of the rave scene. Horny and dazzled Nicole Kidman taking off her sensible pussy-bow blouse? That’s exactly the magic we come to cinema for.
Sentimental Value
Director Joachim Trier and his muse Renate Reinsve know how to break our hearts and put them back together like nobody else. A house renovation never made us so emotional.
Pillion
Alexander Skarsgård decked out in a biker suit as a gay dom, telling us what to do? No notes.
Urchin
In his empathetic directorial debut, Harris Dickinson asks painfully honest questions about addiction and homelessness crisis, while Frank Dillane delivers a star-making performance.
Lurker
BTB cover boys Théodore Pellerin and Archie Madekwe in a film about a toxic relationship between a star and an obsessive fan? This is what our dreams are made of. Also, a genius use of paintball as revenge.
Bugonia
Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone reunite once again for a truly unhinged tale with a gag-worthy ending. Unsung heroes of the film? The So Kate Louboutins that have been dragged through the mud.
Sebastian
In this uneasy, thought-provoking film, Ruaridh Mollica plays a writer whose research for a sex work-centred novel enters a problematic realm of exploitation. A study on self-invention gone feral, where ambition masquerades as intimacy, and every connection feels transactional.
Misericordia
It’s always the small villages that are the messiest. In Misericordia, Catholic mercy, moral cowardice and unspoken desire conspire to protect the worst impulses of human nature. You never quite expect what happens next.
Marty Supreme
This film made Gwyneth Paltrow come back from her all-too-long acting hiatus. And if it’s good enough for Miss Goop to leave her empire temporarily unsupervised, it goes on the list!
Curated by Michael Marson & Martin Onufrowicz
Words by Martin Onufrowicz
