Parallel Mothers

Dir: Pedro Almodovar
Spain 2021 | 120 minutes | Cert 15
Spanish with English subtitles

Two women, Janis and Ana, meet in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a strong bond between the two, and fate will complicate both their lives.

This is a highly personal story of two contemporary women and also about Spain’s recent history and the scars of a brutal civil war passed down from one generation to the next.

“Almodóvar delivers an emotional bundle of joy” — Peter Bradshaw

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Dir: Lukas Dhont
Belgium 2022 | 104 minutes | Cert 12A
French with English subtitles

Leo and Remi are two thirteen-year-old best friends, whose seemingly unbreakable bond is suddenly, tragically torn apart. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Lukas Dhont's second film is an emotionally transformative and unforgettable portrait of the intersection of friendship and love, identity and independence, and heartbreak and healing.

“There’s no doubting the force of this drenchingly sad story” — Peter Bradshaw

Saint Omer

Dir: Alice Diop
France 2022 | 122 minutes | Cert 12A
French with English subtitles

Rama, a novelist, attends the trial of Laurence Coly, a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter. But as the trial continues, the words of the accused and witness testimonies will shake Rama’s convictions and call into question our own judgement.

Inspired by Diop’s own experience of attending the trial of a woman accused of murdering her baby, the film is a meditative exploration of a complicated connection between the woman in the dock and the one who bears witness.

Winners

Dir: Hassan Nazer
Iran 2022 | 85 minutes | Cert PG
Persian with English subtitles

In a small provincial Iranian town, the children work hard to support their families. One day nine-year-old Yahya and his friend Leyla find a precious statue. Sharing a passion for cinema, Yahya's boss decides to help them find the owner.

EO

Dir: Jerzy Skolimowski
Poland 2022 | 88 minutes | Cert 15
Polish with English subtitles

EO, a grey donkey with melancholy eyes, encounters good and bad on his journey through life, experiences joy and pain, and endures the Wheel of Fortune.

Flee

Dir: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Denmark 2021 | 90 minutes | Cert 15
Danish with English subtitles

Amin Nawabi grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon to be husband. Recounted mostly through animation to director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, he tells for the first time the story of his extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan.

Decision to Leave

Dir: Park Chan-wook
South Korea 2022 | 139 minutes | Cert 15
Korean, Mandarin with English subtitles

From a mountain peak in South Korea, a man plummets to his death. Did he jump, or was he pushed? When detective Hae-joon arrives on the scene, he begins to suspect the dead man's wife Seo-rae. But as he digs deeper into the investigation, he finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire.

Holy Spider

Dir: Ali Abbasi
Iran 2022 | 118 minutes | Cert 18
Persian with English subtitles

A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so-called Spider Killer, who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.

Alcarras

Dir: Carla Simon
Spain 2022 | 120 minutes | Cert 15
Catalan with English subtitles

For generations, the Solé family has made a living from the summer harvest of their peach orchard in the Catalan town of Alcarrás. However, after the death of the owner of the property, his heir wants to sell the land.