We pick the 10 tastiest looking movies headed to UK/ROI cinemas this September.
Summer blockbuster season appears to have ended earlier than usual this year, resulting in a September release schedule that offers little of mass appeal. But for those willing to engage with cinema from outside mainstream Hollywood, there's a veritable feast on offer, particularly from the Middle East and Asia. We've narrowed down the September slate to select the 10 most tempting films coming to UK/ROI cinemas over the month.
Una
Insyriated
It
Wind River
Mother!
My Pure Land
The Villainess
In Between
Tramontane
Killing Ground
I can't remember the last time I wrote a monthly preview that didn't feature a movie starring Rooney Mara. This month she's the titular protagonist of director Benedict Andrews' adaptation of David Harrower's play Blackbird, a young woman who tracks down her former neighbour (Ben Mendelsohn), who previously served prison time after conducting a sexual relationship with her while she was 13.
In cinemas September 1st.
Best known as a cinematographer who has worked with the likes of Bruno Dumont, Philippe Van Leeuw writes and directs this claustrophobic drama in which a Syrian mother (Hiam Abbass) attempts to keep her family and guests safe in her Damascus apartment safe while war rages outside and men with rape on their minds prowl the streets in search of victims.
In cinemas September 8th.
On TV and in cinemas, Stephen King is back in vogue. The first installment of a two-part adaptation of King's doorstop focusses on the book's first half, in which the protagonists are a group of children menaced by killer clown Pennywise. Bill Skarsgard dons the greasepaint made famous by Tim Curry in the 1990 TV mini series.
In cinemas September 8th.
After winning acclaim for his screenplays for Sicario and Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan returns with his second movie as director, swapping the sun-baked SouthWest for the frozen North in another character based thriller. While it's not in the same league as the aforementioned films, it's a well rendered thriller anchored by a never better Jeremy Renner.
In cinemas September 8th.
Details of the plot of Darren Aronofsky's latest are scarce, but trailers suggest it's a riff on the home invasion genre, with Jennifer Lawrence playing a young woman mistrustful of the couple (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer) invited into her home by her husband (Javier Bardem).
In cinemas September 15th.
Inspired by a true incident, director Sarmad Masud's Pakistani drama tells the tale of a pair of teenage sisters forced to defend their home from the men who wish to take it by force in what sounds like a distinctively South Asian take on the western.
In cinemas September 15th.
The Villainess
In what sounds like a riff on Luc Besson's Nikita, director Jung Byung-gil's South Korean action thriller stars Kim Ok-bin as an assassin employed by a government agency whose past comes back to haunt her. The movie received a standing ovation from the notoriously tough crowd at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
In cinemas September 15th.
In Between
If September has a theme, it's one of Muslim women fighting male oppression. Maysaloun Hamoud's directorial debut follows three young Palestinian women as they attempt to forge independent lives in defiance of their patriarchal society. Sounds innocuous enough, yet Hamoud has found herself the subject of a Fatwa for making the film.
In cinemas September 22nd.
Tramontane
More intriguing Arabic cinema comes in the form of this Lebanese drama from debut director Vatche Boulghourjian. Tramontane follows a blind musician (Barakat Jabbour, himself visually impaired) as he investigates his roots while searching for the birth certificate required for him to obtain a passport to Europe. Jabbour's performance is said to be quite something.
In cinemas September 22nd.
Killing Ground
From Wolf Creek to Hounds of Love, the Aussies sure love a gritty survival thriller. The latest is Killing Ground, in which two groups of campers are menaced by a pair of redneck hunters. Reviews suggest this is a gruelling but worthwhile experience.
In cinemas September 29th.