The Second Act (Dec 2nd VOD)
Cult writer/director Quentin Dupieux (Yannick; Smoking Causes Coughing) continues to churn out absurdist comedies at a prolific rate. His
latest, The Second Act, stars Lea Seydoux as Florence, who goes on a dinner
date with her boyfriend David (Louis Garrel), unaware he plans to palm her off on his friend
Willy (Raphaël Quenard). To make things messier, Florence has invited
her father (Vincent Lindon) along.
Club Zero (Dec 6th cinemas)
The latest from Austrian director Jessica Hausner (Little Joe), Club Zero stars Mia Wasikowska as Miss Novak, a teacher who begins a nutrition class at an
exclusive boarding school. Initially her lectures promote positive health
but as her pupils fall under her spell, Miss Novak's classes take
increasingly sinister turns.
Nightbitch (Dec 6th cinemas)
Writer/director Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl; Can You Ever Forgive Me?) adapts Rachel Yoder's novel Nightbitch. The film sees Amy Adams play a woman who decides to become a stay-at-home mom. As the
stress of the situation gets to her, she begins to morph into a dog.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Dec 6th cinemas)
Writer/director Rungano Nyoni follows up her acclaimed debut I Am Not a Witch with On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. The film, which features surrealist elements, revolves around the
secrets that emerge in a middle class Zambian family as they prepare for a
funeral.
Rumours (Dec 6th cinemas)
The cult Canadian trio of Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson co-direct this
black comedy. The surreal tale sees the G7 leaders get lost in a forest
during a global meeting, forced to put their differences aside if they're
to survive. The ensemble cast includes
Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, Charles Dance and Nikki Amuka-Bird.
The Universal Theory (Dec 13th cinemas)
Directed by Timm Kröger (The Council of Birds), The Universal Theory stars Jan Bülow as Johannes, a physicist who travels to a
scientific convention in the Swiss Alps in 1962. There he meets Karin
(Olivia Ross), a pianist who teams up with Johannes to
investigate the baffling series of murders plaguing the
convention.
Queer (Dec 13th cinemas)
Hot off the success of Challengers, director Luca Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes make a quick return with Queer. Based on the novel by William S. Burroughs, the film is
set in 1950s Mexico City and stars Daniel Craig as an
American who becomes infatuated with a young discharged sailor (Drew Starkey).
Carry-On (Dec 13th Netflix)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop; The Commuter), Carry-On isn't a reboot of the British comedy franchise but a thriller
starring Taron Egerton as Ethan, a TSA agent
blackmailed into allowing a passenger (Jason Bateman) to board a
flight with a dangerous package. Can Ethan prevent a tragedy while
protecting his own secret?
The Order (Dec 26th cinemas)
Based on the true-crime book 'The Silent Brotherhood' by Kevin Flynn and
Gary Gerhard, director Justin Kurzel's 1980s-set thriller
sees Jude Law play an FBI agent tasked with taking down
Nicholas Hoult's white supremacist militia.
By the Stream (Dec 31st cinemas)
Despite his prolific output, the acclaimed Korean filmmaker
Hong Sang-soo rarely gets his films into UK/ROI cinemas. It's a
welcome chance to savour his talents on the big screen in December with the
release of By the Stream. The film sees a teacher convince her retired actor uncle to write and
direct a play at her university, only to be dismayed when he begins a
relationship with her boss.