30. Left-Handed Girl
Directed by Shih-Ching Tsou. A long-time collaborator with Sean Baker – who co-writes and produces here – Tsou returns to her native Taiwan for a hectic family drama. Wonderful street photography.
29. The Ugly Stepsister
Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt. A fantastic body-horror twist on a fairy tale: a young woman undergoes brutal cosmetic surgeries to compete with her uppity stepsister for a prince’s attention. Beauty has seldom seemed so desperate. Full review
28. Late Shift
Directed by Petra Volpe. Gripping workplace drama that follows a harassed nurse as she seeks to cope with understaffing and unreasonable patients in a Swiss hospital. Makes the case strongly that we are watching an undervalued profession. Full review
27. Alpha
Directed by Julia Ducournau. A 13-year-old girl returns from school with a suspicious tattoo, sparking panic, paranoia and societal distrust as contagion spreads in a complex Aids allegory from the director of Raw and Titane. Full review
READ MORE
26. Restless
Directed by Jed Hart. One of the year’s big surprises, Hart’s stressful British film follows a care worker as her ordered life is shattered by a new, insanely noisy neighbour. Lyndsey Marshal is super as the lead. Full review
25. Companion
Directed by Drew Hancock. A weekend getaway with friends at a remote lake house turns nightmarish when one guest reveals that “Iris” is actually a companion robot. Chaos erupts amid much betrayal. Full review
24. Materialists
Directed by Celine Song. Song follows up Past Lives with a shimmering romantic comedy featuring Dakota Johnson as a contemporary matchmaker in New York City. Entirely original, but also tipping its cap to Doris Day. Full review
23. Good One
Directed by India Donaldson. A 17‑year-old girl joins her dad and his old friend on a three‑day camping trip, but, as old wounds surface, her trust fractures and the coming‑of‑age vacation is affected by infantile adults and wildly inappropriate behaviour. Full review
22. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Directed by Michael Morris. By far the best in the series. The best Working Title London comedy in 20 years. Old and new cast all in stellar form. Who saw that coming? Full review
21. Santosh
Directed by Sandhya Suri. A widowed woman in rural India inherits her husband’s police-constable job, then investigates the rape and murder of a Dalit teenager, exposing deep caste prejudice and coruscating misogyny.
