DNA Films (United Kingdom): 12

Civil War (2024), a dystopian thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland, portrays a United States ravaged by internal strife. The country is divided into two factions: an authoritarian federal government, headed by a third-term president, and rebellious secessionist groups. Despite the president’s claims of imminent victory, it is widely believed that the ‘Western Forces’ (WF) led by Texas and California will soon take over Washington, D.C. Surviving a suicide bombing in New York City only strengthens the resolve of veteran war photographer Lee Smith and his journalist colleague Joel to seek ...

Men (2022) is a British folk horror film written and directed by Alex Garland. It stars Jessie Buckley as a widowed woman who takes a holiday to a countryside village, only to be disturbed and tormented by the unconventional male residents, all played by Rory Kinnear. After her husband James commits suicide, Harper Marlowe seeks solace in the quiet village of Cotson. Troubled by James’ behavior, Harper attempts to message a friend about feeling unsafe. However, James catches her and reads the messages, causing him to ...

Devs (2020), the American science fiction thriller miniseries from creator, writer, and director Alex Garland, made its debut on March 5, 2020, exclusively on FX on Hulu. The show delves into thought-provoking topics such as free will and determinism within the context of Silicon Valley. Garnering positive reception from reviewers, the series has been praised for its creativity, cinematography, cast performances, and musical score. Protagonist Lily Chan is a software engineer at Amaya, a quantum computing corporation led by Forest. As she becomes entangled in the mysterious circumstances surrounding her ...

Annihilation (2018), a science fiction psychological horror film by Alex Garland, is loosely based on Jeff VanderMeer’s 2014 novel of the same name. After losing her husband, a biologist volunteers for an expedition to an environmental disaster zone, only to discover that it holds more than she bargained for. The team includes an anthropologist, psychologist, surveyor, and linguist. Despite it being a year since his last secret mission, the brave soldier Kane has yet to be found and is believed to have perished in action. As Lena, ...

T2 Trainspotting (2017) is a British black comedy drama film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge. It takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland and is based on characters from Irvine Welsh’s novels Trainspotting and Porno. Two decades after his betrayal and escape with the majority of their scam money, Mark Renton returns to Edinburgh for the first time. He seeks out his former companions Spud and Simon, but they are both struggling just as much as when he left them. Spud had briefly turned his life around but has since fallen back into despair, even ...

Ex Machina (2014) is a science fiction thriller written and directed by Alex Garland. The plot follows Caleb Smith, a programmer at the search engine company Blue Book, who wins a contest for a one-week stay at the extravagant home of his CEO, Nathan Bateman. Along with Nathan and his quiet servant Kyoko, who Nathan claims does not speak English, they live with Ava, a humanoid robot created by Nathan with advanced artificial intelligence. As Ava has already passed a simple Turing test, Nathan wants Caleb to determine if she truly possesses consciousness and the ability to think. Despite being confined to her apartment, ...

Sunshine on Leith (2013) is a romantic musical film, directed by Dexter Fletcher. It begins in Afghanistan, where an APC is on patrol with nervous passengers such as Davy Henshaw and Ally, who fear for their survival (‘Sky Takes the Soul’) before being ambushed. Some time later, the recently discharged pair return to Edinburgh and their families after their tour (‘I’m on my Way’). Ally reunites with his girlfriend Liz, who happens to be Davy’s sister. On their first night back, Liz introduces Davy to her English colleague Yvonne at a pub. The two women share some drunken storytelling, ...

Dredd (2012) is a sci-fi action flick helmed by director Pete Travis and written/produced by Alex Garland. Set in future America, the country has become an irradiated wasteland. The East Coast, stretching from Boston to Washington DC, is home to Mega City One – a sprawling and violent metropolis controlled by criminals. The only law and order comes from the ‘Judges’, urban cops with the authority of judge, jury, and executioner. Dredd, known and feared throughout the city, serves as the top Judge and faces his biggest challenge yet – eradicating a ...

Sunshine (2007) is a science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. In the year 2057, Earth is facing a crisis as the Sun is nearing its end and causing global freezing. To save humanity, eight international astronauts embark on a mission aboard Icarus II – a spacecraft equipped with a mirrored stellar bomb designed to reignite the dying star. However, as they pass Mercury, they receive a distress signal from Icarus I – a previous attempt that was lost seven years ago. Despite objections from Mace, Physicist ...

28 Weeks Later (2007), a post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, follows the story of Don and his wife Alice, along with four other survivors, as they take refuge in a cottage on the outskirts of London during the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus. However, their safety is short-lived when they hear a terrified boy pounding at their door and Don makes the decision to let him in. Unfortunately, this leads to the infected following the boy to their location. Despite Don’s attempt to convince Alice to leave the boy behind, she refuses and he ultimately abandons them, escaping on a boat ...

Notes on a Scandal (2006) is a British psychological drama/thriller directed by Richard Eyre and produced by Robert Fox and Scott Rudin. Based on Zoë Heller’s novel of the same name from 2003, the screenplay was written by Patrick Marber. The story follows Barbara Covett, a London history teacher who has reached retirement age without ever getting married. She holds disdain for her students and colleagues at the ...

28 Days Later (2002) is a British post-apocalyptic horror film helmed by Danny Boyle and penned by Alex Garland. The cause of chaos is a highly contagious virus known as the ‘rage virus’, which is set loose in Great Britain when an infected chimpanzee escapes from its confinement at a laboratory in Cambridge, thanks to animal rights activists. One of the activists succumbs to the virus moments after freeing the enraged chimp, quickly spreading it to another individual. As hours and days pass, the illness spreads like wildfire and plunges society into utter ...