Film4 (United Kingdom): 23

Kinds of Kindness (2024), an absurdist black comedy anthology film, was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and co-written by Efthimis Filippou. It made its debut at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2024, where Plemons took home the Best Actor award. The film follows a ‘triptych fable’ structure and features three unique yet interconnected tales. 1. The Death of R.M.F. Robert Fletcher is completely under the thumb of his demanding boss and romantic partner, ...

An biographical comedy-drama film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021), directed by Will Sharpe and written by Simon Stephenson and Will Sharpe, follows the journey of Louis Wain after his father’s death in 1881. As the only male and eldest brother, Louis takes on the role of breadwinner for his family consisting of five sisters and his mother. Despite being offered a full-time job as an illustrator at The Illustrated London News by editor Sir William Ingram, Louis declines in pursuit of composing music and ...

Last Night in Soho (2021), a psychological horror film directed and co-written by Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, follows the story of Ellie. She yearns to break into the fashion world during the Swinging Sixties era. However, her dreams are haunted by her mother’s suicide when she was a child. Raised by her grandmother, Ellie’s lingering connection with her mother is through occasional sightings of her ghost in mirrors, which her grandmother is aware of. In pursuit of her fashion design aspirations, Ellie leaves behind her rural home near Redruth, ...

Stephen Merchant’s 2019 biographical sports comedy-drama, Fighting with My Family (2019), is based on Max Fisher’s 2012 documentary, The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family. Through the lens of Paige and her brother Zak Zodiac, the film tells the story of their journey to the WWE. Raised by renowned wrestlers Rick and Julia Knight, the siblings aspire to follow in their parents’ footsteps. After applying to join the WWE as adults, they meet veteran trainer Hutch Morgan at The O2 Arena before a SmackDown taping, where they also encounter WWE ...

American Animals (2018), a docudrama heist film written and directed by Bart Layton, follows the story of art student Spencer Reinhard. Seeking inspiration for his work, Spencer is given a tour of Transylvania University library’s rare-book collection. During the tour, he becomes fixated on a rare first edition of John James Audubon’s Birds of America. Spencer shares his idea with his rebellious friend Warren Lipka, who is attending the University of Kentucky on an athletic scholarship. They discuss the possibility of stealing the valuable books and selling them to black-market buyers in Amsterdam for ...

Widows (2018), a neo-noir heist thriller directed by Steve McQueen, follows Harry Rawlings and his criminal gang as they steal $2,000,000 from Chicago crime boss Jamal Manning. During their getaway, the van is destroyed in a police standoff. In need of funds for his campaign for alderman of a South Side ward, Jamal threatens Veronica, Harry’s widow. Veronica is given a key to a safety deposit box by Bash, Harry’s loyal chauffeur. Inside is Harry’s notebook with a detailed plan for stealing an additional $5 million from Jamal’s opponent, Jack Mulligan. Despite being advised to sell the notebook to ...

Mary Magdalene (2018) is a biblical drama film, telling the story of its titular character. Set in Judea during 33 AD, Mary is a young woman from the village of Magdala by the Sea of Galilee. Strong-willed and determined to break away from societal norms that limit women to being wives and mothers, she longs for freedom. However, her rejection of a marriage proposal from family friend Ephraim leads her brother Daniel and father Elisha to believe she is possessed by a demon. As a result, they arrange an exorcism. In search of help, Elisha turns to Jesus – a healer who has become renowned among the local Jewish population for his teachings on love, peace, and ...

The crime drama film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), written, directed, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh, follows Mildred Hayes in the fictional town of Ebbing. Seven months after her teenage daughter Angela was raped and murdered, Mildred is still grieving and frustrated with the lack of progress in the investigation. To draw attention to the case, she rents three abandoned billboards near her home and displays provocative messages: ‘Raped While Dying’, ‘And Still No Arrests?’, ‘How Come, Chief Willoughby?’. Her actions catch the attention of Bill Willoughby, the ...

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 ...

Free Fire (2016) is a British black comedy-action film directed by Ben Wheatley, with a screenplay co-written by Wheatley and Amy Jump. On a chilly night in 1978, while en route to meet IRA members Chris and Frank, Stevo confides in Bernie that he was attacked the previous day by the cousin of a woman he had assaulted. When they arrive at a Boston warehouse, Justine acts as their intermediary and they are welcomed inside by Ord, the group’s representative. Vernon and his associates – Martin, Harry, and Gordon ...

Carol (2015) is a touching romantic drama set in the past and directed by Todd Haynes. The film, based on acclaimed author Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, features a screenplay written by Phyllis Nagy. It takes place during the holiday season of 1952 and follows the story of Therese Belivet, an aspiring photographer who works at Frankenberg’s department store in New York City. One day, while working at the store, Therese meets Carol Aird – a strikingly beautiful woman in search of a ...

Youth (2015) is a comedy-drama film by writer and director Paolo Sorrentino. This marks his second English-language work. The story follows septuagenarian friends Fred Ballinger and Mick Boyle, who are currently vacationing at a luxurious spa in the Swiss Alps called Wiesen. Fred, a retired classical music composer, is approached by a representative for Queen Elizabeth II during their stay. The Queen wishes to grant him a knighthood and invites him to perform his popular composition ‘Simple Song #3’ at Prince Philip’s birthday concert. However, Fred declines the offer, stating that he has no interest ...

A Most Wanted Man (2014), an espionage thriller based on the 2008 novel by John le Carré, is directed by Anton Corbijn and written by Andrew Bovell. Political refugee Issa Karpov, who suffered torture at the hands of Russian security forces, illegally enters Hamburg, Germany. Günther Bachmann leads a covert team working for the German government to enlist local informants with ties to terrorist organizations. His trusted associate, Irna Frey, is the complete opposite in terms of organization and appearance. The team ...

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, ...

The biographical drama film, 12 Years a Slave (2013), is based on the slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. Directed by Steve McQueen and written by John Ridley, it follows the story of Northup, an African American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and sold into slavery in Louisiana for 12 years. Prior to his abduction, Northup was a free man living with his family in Saratoga Springs, New York and working as a violinist. Brown and Hamilton tricked him into taking short-term ...

The psychological thriller film, Trance (2013), was directed by Danny Boyle and written by Joe Ahearne and John Hodge from a story by Ahearne. During a heist at an auction house, the thieves steal what they believe to be a valuable painting. In the midst of the robbery, Simon Newton attacks their leader Franck and is knocked unconscious. But when Franck opens the package, he finds only an empty frame. It turns out that Simon, who was the ‘inside man’ for the ...

Seven Psychopaths (2012) is a film, directed and co-produced by Martin McDonagh. Marty, an alcoholic writer in Los Angeles, is struggling with his new screenplay of the same name. Although he has the title, he lacks the characters to fill it. His best friend Billy, a struggling actor, makes money by kidnapping dogs for rewards. Hans, Billy’s partner-in-crime, is devoted to his religious beliefs and caring for his wife Myra who has cancer. While Billy wants to collaborate with Marty on the screenplay, he feels too embarrassed to ask directly. In hopes of persuading Marty, Billy shows him a newspaper article about ...

One Day (2011), a romantic drama film directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by David Nicholls, tells the story of two characters who meet on July 15th, St. Swithin’s day, and their relationship over the course of 20 years. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 1988, Dexter and Emma spend a platonic night together and agree to remain friends. The following year, he helps her move to London to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. However, she struggles to find success and ends up working as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant where she meets Ian, ...

The survival drama, 127 Hours (2010), was written and directed by Danny Boyle. In April of 2003, experienced hiker Aron Ralston sets out on a solo trip in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park without telling anyone. While on his journey, he meets two lost hikers named Kristi and Megan and helps them find their way. During their time together, they stumble upon an underground pool and spend the afternoon enjoying it. The girls invite Aron to a party the next night and he happily agrees before saying goodbye. Continuing through Bluejohn Canyon, Aron comes across an 800-pound boulder that suddenly breaks loose while he ...

The Lovely Bones (2009) is a supernatural drama film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay he co-wrote with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, based on Alice Sebold’s 2002 novel of the same name. In 1973, 14-year-old high school freshman Susie Salmon has aspirations of becoming a photographer. She is asked out by Ray, the boy she has a crush on. One day while walking home through a cornfield, Susie encounters her neighbor George Harvey and follows him to an ...