On Falling (March 7th cinemas)
In the tradition of Ken Loach, writer/director Laura Carreira's feature debut is centred on a Portuguese
immigrant (Joana Santos) working as a warehouse picker in a sprawling
Amazon-like fulfilment centre in Scotland. Carreira scooped the Best
Director award at the 2024 San Sebastián International Film Festival.
The Rule of Jenny Pen (March 14th cinemas, March 28th Shudder)
Director James Ashcroft and co-writer Eli Kent adapt Owen Marshall's short horror story The Rule of Jenny Pen. Geoffrey Rush plays Stefan, a judge who finds himself in a retirement home
following a near-fatal stroke. There he discovers the home is terrorised
by deranged resident Dave (John Lithgow) and his creepy dementia doll.
Sister Midnight (March 14th cinemas)
Nominated for Outstanding British Debut at this year's BAFTA Awards
is Sister Midnight, the feature debut of writer/director Karan Kandhari. The film stars Radhika Apte as a woman who is dragged
into an unhappy arranged marriage and begins to develop disturbing
nocturnal behaviour.
Black Bag (March 14th cinemas)
Hot off the release of his haunted house chiller Presence, Steven Soderbergh is back in cinemas with spy
thriller Black Bag. The film stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as married spies George and Kathryn, whose loyalties are tested
when the latter is accused of betraying her country.
When Autumn Falls (March 21st cinemas)
Prolific French filmmaker François Ozon's latest drama, When Autumn Falls, stars Hélène Vincent and Josiane Balasko as Michelle and Marie-Claude, two retirees
whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of Michelle's estranged daughter
(Ludivine Sagnier) and Marie-Claude's ex-convict son (Pierre Lottin).
Brief History of a Family (March 21st cinemas)
The feature debut of writer/director Lin Jianjie, Brief History of a Family sees a middle-class Chinese family plunged into turmoil when they
take in their son's mysterious new friend. The young man's presence opens
old wounds and reveals long-hidden family secrets.
A Working Man (March 28th cinemas)
Directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad) and co-written with Sylvester Stallone, A Working Man sees Jason Statham play Levon Cade, an ex-Royal Marine who calls on his skills when
his boss implores him to find his kidnapped daughter.
The Woman in the Yard (March 28th cinemas)
Hot off his airport thriller Carry-On, director Jaume Collet-Serra enters the horror realm with The Woman in the Yard. Written by Sam Stefanak, the film stars Danielle Deadwyler as Ramona, a woman tortured with survivor's guilt after making it
out of the car accident that claimed the life of her husband. While
grieving, Ramona finds her family threatened by the ominous presence of a
mysterious woman clad in black who appears on her property.
La Cocina (March 28th cinemas)
Written and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, La Cocina is adapted from the 1957 play 'The Kitchen' by Arnold Wesker. The film
stars Rooney Mara as Julia, a pregnant waitress at a
manic New York restaurant. When cash disappears from the register, the
blame is levelled at Julia's lover and the father of her child, Pedro
(Raúl Briones), an undocumented immigrant employed as a cook.
Misericordia (March 28th cinemas)
Stranger by the Lake director Alain Guiraudie returns with another dark thriller in
Misericordia. The film stars Felix Kysyl as Jeremie, who returns to his childhood home to
attend his former employer's funeral. While staying with the deceased
man's widow, Jeremie is caught up in a mystery involving a disappearance,
a threatening neighbour and a sinister abbot.