FJORD

 

Each year when the Cannes Film Festival line-up is announced, I eagerly scan through the titles and work out what films are likely certainties to also make it onto the Melbourne International Film Festival programme. However the past two years I have been surprised by films that I was sure would make it to MIFF, that ended up playing in a local Scandinavian film festival that runs the month prior, to the point that I was very lucky not to miss the chance to see these films on the big screen. The films in question were Aki Kaurismaki's “Fallen Leaves” (2023) and Joachim Trier's “Sentimental Value” (2025). This year I was ready, and assumed that Cristian Mungiu's new film “Fjord” would play in the Scandinavian film festival prior to MIFF, which turned out to be the case. After coming away with the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, the buzz around “Fjord” has been huge, so did it live up to the high praise the film has been receiving?

The Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival website describes the film like so: “The Gheorghius, a devout Christian Romanian Norwegian couple, move to a village set in a remote fjord. They quickly become close to their neighbours, the Halbergs, and their children soon bond despite their different education and upbringing. But, when adolescent Elia Gheorghiu shows up at school with some bruises on her body, the community asks itself if the traditional education that the Gheorghiu children receive from their parents might have anything to do with it.”

Aside from winning the Palme d'Or, “Fjord” also made it onto my list of most anticipated films of 2026 (what an honour, huh?), and this was purely due to the talents of Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. He is outstanding at tackling tough material without demonising any of his characters. Rather he presents his dramatic situations as honestly as possible, usually asking more questions than he answers. He gives space within his films for a viewer to add their own point of view on any given subject he tackles, giving them an access point into the film to become an active participant. He respects his audience totally, and this respect also spreads to his characters and the narrative he is telling. He always has something to say, but it never feels like he is preaching to his audience or skewing his story to make them feel a certain way. The world's of Mungiu's films are always filled with greys, nothing is ever black or white, and the film's themselves are stronger for this reason. After saying all of that, now I have to reveal that for me “Fjord” was not as powerful, nor worked as well as Mungiu's previous films. Do not get me wrong, “Fjord” is a good film, but I was expecting a great film from this talented director.

Like all of Cristian Mungiu's films prior, “Fjord” is another interesting moral drama, this time once again looking at the plight and treatment of immigrants. Whilst in his previous film “R.M.N”, Mungiu looked at how Sri Lankan immigrants were treating in his own country of Romania, this time around the immigrants of “Fjord” are Romanians who have moved to Norway. The crux of the drama has to do with the different parenting styles of the Romanian family compared to those of the Norwegians, and the fact that spanking a child in Norway is an illegal act, whereas for a Romanian (and many other countries around the world), this is a normal form of parental punishment. The smack is in no way done in an abusive manner, rather as a learning tool, but moving to a country where such an act is outlawed, this is where the drama only begins for the poor Gheorghiu family. Growing up in Australia, where a smack on the bum is considered normal, for much of the running time of “Fjord” I could not help but feel a sense of anger in the way the Gheorghiu family are treated. They are portrayed as common criminals, whereas we know the opposite; this is a loving and caring family, who respect one another, but who also live by a set of rules, that if broken, are cause for punishment. A moment of discipline is also seen as a moment to learn. Never once during “Fjord” would you not believe that this family loves each other fully. The consequences they then face, which is to have all their children immediately removed from their care and put into foster homes until a later trial date, is much more abusive than anything that the Gheorghiu parents have committed, and potentially more traumatic for the children too. The fact that the parents are then told that if they do not co-operate with the removal of their children, it will reflect poorly on them later during their trial, I defy anyone to not let their blood boil at such an ordeal. Mungiu immediately offers up a counterpoint in parental technique and in the validity of one method over another, when we are witness to the eldest daughter from the Halberg family playing up and defying her parents, who when told to stop misbehaving, replies with “Or what?”, knowing there is no way her parents can punish her. The Gheorghiu family are then subjected to more abuse when locals start to use their Christian beliefs as another example of the way the parents are abusing their children, by indoctrinating them in their faith and beliefs. The Norwegian locals are convinced the children are being brainwashed, simply because this family's beliefs are different from their own.

With “Fjord”, Mungiu tells his tale using an observational style involving a lot of long takes, and few close-ups. Surprisingly though, I found the film to be a little one-note, and less emotional than the drama within the film demands. Whilst I initially was going to say that Mungiu does not pick sides and that he instead presents both sides of the drama honestly and truthfully for the viewer to decide for themselves how they feel, for once, this is not actually true, as you can sense that Mungiu feels for the plight of the Romanian couple more than the Norwegian point of view. This is further exacerbated by the fact that Mungiu really does little to look at the damage a strict religious upbringing can inflict on a child, to the point of suppressing their true feelings on certain situations. Whilst I do not think this is the case in regards to the Gheorghiu family, recognition of this still would have made “Fjord” a stronger film. As I have just mentioned above, “Fjord” is a surprisingly low key affair, and this extends to the film's performances. Whilst no one gives a bad performance per se, I felt that the emotional register needed to be higher with the huge stakes this family is facing. Cristian Mungiu has cast Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan (who re-unite after working together in 2024's “A Different Man”) as Lisbet and Mihai Gheorghiu respectively. The pair have fantastic chemistry and are very believable as husband and wife, but frustratingly I feel that Mungiu never really lets them flex their acting muscles, due to the low key approach to the drama. That said, Reinsve still gives a wonderfully human performance as a mother heartbroken by following her beliefs and ideals. Sebastian Stan is actually Romanian, and I love it when actors who make it big in Hollywood, then go back to their home country and act in their mother tongue which Stan does here. There is no vanity in his performance either, particularly in the balding look he has employed for Mihai, rather he is there for the service of the story alone. Personally I believe Stan has the most heartbreaking scene of the entirety of “Fjord” when he is witness to his wife having to give up their baby to Child Protective Services, before he breaks down in distress and anger from it all. As usual for a Cristian Mungiu film, “Fjord” has been very beautifully shot by his regular cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru who makes great use of the exquisite Norwegian vistas, relying heavily on a blue colour palette, that works well with this very cold (emotionally speaking) film.

Probably the most shocking thing about “Fjord” is that it is actually based on a true story, and is a dramatisation of what happened to the Bodnariu family, when they had their children taken from them by Norwegian authorities. To think this actually happened to someone is just chilling, and highlights the fact that Child Protection Services in Norway have far too much power, particularly with the fact that they do not have to prove an assumption of abuse; an assumption is enough to remove the children from their parents. Throughout “Fjord” we constantly hear from everyone that what they have done is for the children's safety and benefit, but rarely do the kids themselves get asked what they want. There is a scene late in the film where Elia states that all she wants is to be home with her parents, but this is never taken into consideration. I'm sure we all agree that the children's health and well being should always come first, but there needs to be an acknowledgement in the nuances of each individual case, rather than a blanket procedure that works for everyone, as that quite clearly does not work, and in some cases would cause more harm.

Overall, whilst the drama within “Fjord” is palpable and at times very suspenseful, I must admit that I was frustrated with director Cristian Mungiu's low key approach to it all. I also felt the film was far too long, with scenes dragged out unnecessarily which was detrimental to the film. I will say that I have barely scratched the surface of the themes within “Fjord” in this review, there is a lot Mungiu has to say here, but unfortunately he doesn't succeed as well as he has with his previous films. Maybe this has to do with the fact that he was working in a country and a language that is not his own, and thus a reality he has not lived himself, but I didn't feel the confidence that I usually feel from this brilliant Romanian director. The film is a call for tolerance and respect for other people's beliefs, which is something I obviously can get behind, but at the end of the day I feel that whilst “Fjord” is a good film, it was not the great film I was anticipating.

3 Stars.

 

 

LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

 

With the holy trinity of director Pen-ek Ratanaruang, cinematographer Christopher Doyle, and leading man Tadanobu Asano teaming up again on a new film, 2025's “Morte Cucina” (a film I still unfortunately have yet to see), the pull to revisit their first collaboration together, “Last Life in the Universe” from 2003, has never been stronger. However, I must admit that I found myself dodging it for fear that the film would not hold up. I hold the film in such high regard, that I was fearful that by watching it again, that it could expose the fact that the film is not the masterpiece that I consider it to be. “Last Life in the Universe” was my entrance point into the cinema of Pen-ek Ratanaruang when it screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival way back in 2004. I was totally blown away by the film, and as luck would have it, it was that year that Ratanaruang was also a guest of the festival and they screened the rest of his filmography, which at the time was only four films deep. After being totally mesmerised by “Last Life in the Universe”, I quickly checked the programme to see if I could fit any screenings of Ratanaruang's previous films into my already packed schedule. Sadly I was only able to fit in his 1999 feature “6ixtynin9”, but again it was a film I ended up greatly enjoying. Since then I have been a massive fan of Pen-ek Ratanaruang's output, seeing everything he has made (minus his latest film), and loving them all (almost). Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that I hold “Last Life in the Universe” on such a high pedestal, it is such a special film to me, that I didn't want that opinion to potentially be destroyed on a re-watch. Then a couple of days ago, I found and bought an original UK quad poster of the film, and decided enough was enough, I have to re-watch “Last Life in the Universe” once and for all. So did it live up to my memory of it ? Let's take a look, shall we?

The very simple plot of the film is described on imdb, like so: “A suicidal, obsessively compulsive Japanese librarian is forced to lie low in Thailand with a pot-smoking woman coping with the recent loss of her sister.” As you can see, it is nothing we haven't seen before in other films, and when I tell you that the film ultimately evolves into a romance between the Japanese guy and Thai girl, two people that on the outside look totally opposite to each other, you may even roll your eyes at the cliché. However, it is the way Ratanaruang handles the material that makes the film so special and different. Yes, the film is not very plot heavy and is slow moving, but it has this beautiful dreamlike atmosphere to it all that makes it irresistible to the viewer. It is not sentimental at all, rather there is a sense of melancholy throughout the film that is strangely enticing. As well as all that, it is also at times very funny, in a dark sense, particularly towards the end of the film. I think another reason why the film is so successful is Ratanaruang doesn't over-explain his film, which makes certain scenes ambiguous and gives the entire movie a sense of mystery to it all. Indeed at times, you may question if what you have just witnessed actually happened or not. This is a film that you feel more than anything, through the emotions of the characters, and the tone of the film, and getting caught up in the details of certain moments ends up being detriment to the viewing experience. Instead of worrying about what a moment means, I recommend focusing more on how did that moment make you feel.

“Last Life in the Universe” begins with the introduction to our main character, Kenji, who is played by Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano, who is excellent giving a stoic, quiet performance. Ratanaruang wastes no time in showing Kenji to be someone who is lost in life, and who believes that suicide is his way out as he has heard that it is a relaxing experience. The suicide note he holds in his hands reads “This is bliss”, before his hanging is then rudely interrupted by his brother who visits Kenji unannounced. (The brother's reaction to what he has walked in on is telling, as he snickers and says “suicide again, huh?”, as if he has seen this all before.) Kenji's entire world is planned out to the nth degree, in an OCD manner, with his apartment totally clean and laid out to perfection. His clothes, neatly folded and separated for the day they are to be worn, his book collection neatly stacked, his knives lined up in order by the millimeter, his shoes cleaned and placed on a shelf. Each day appears to hold no surprises in Kenji's life, and he is determined to end it as soon as possible. Noi, the Thai girl Kenji ends up befriending, is the complete opposite in that her apartment is as dirty as hell, she never washes a dish, and her clothes seem to never get washed either. Kenji's first experience at Noi's house is very funny because you can see how uncomfortable he is and repulsed by the mess. He finally sits down on her couch only to land in pile of dishes hidden under a magazine. The only thing these two people seem to have in common is their immense loneliness, but it is through their connection that they both are able to find a spark once more and something to live for.

Noi is played by Sinitta Boonyasak, in what was her first role in a movie, and she is quite lovely and lively in the role. She is full of colour and gives “Last Life in the Universe” a needed jolt of energy. Noi is a character who obviously lives in the moment, dealing with whatever comes her way at any time, but it just so happens that we find her at a particularly tragic moment in her life. Incidentally, Nid, Noi's younger sister is actually played by Boonyasak's real life sister, Laila Boonyasak (who actually reunited with Ratanaruang on his 2017 feature “Samui Song”), and makes quite the impression in her limited screen time. What is interesting about the connection between Noi and Kenji is that it is not helped by the fact that both of them speak different languages, although by some miracle, Noi is actually learning Japanese as she is moving to Osaka in a few days time for work. Seeing as though both characters are not fluent in the other's language, although both can understand small phrases, it means that deep conversation between the pair is not going to be something that brings them closer together. In fact, a lot of the time, Kenji and Noi have to default to English to make themselves understood. It is more about spending time with someone else, and connecting emotionally (rather than intellectually), which is really something beautiful to witness. The film's key image is of Noi falling asleep on Kenji's lap as he too is asleep sitting on the couch, content at just being in each other's company, rather than lonesome like they usually are. One aspect of the film that I absolutely loved is when Noi puts on her cassette of “Japanese Lessons”, which continually plays in the background. She never repeats any of the phrases, nor does Kenji care as he is fluent in the language, but it adds so much to the atmosphere within Noi's house and on the film as a whole.

Speaking of the images, the whole reason I went to see “Last Life in the Universe” in the first place all had to do with the fact that Christopher Doyle was the film's cinematographer. At the time, I had no idea who Pen-ek Ratanaruang even was, but I was (and still am) a massive, massive fan of Doyle, thanks largely to his work with Wong Kar Wai. As expected the images in “Last Life in the Universe” are absolutely stunning, particularly once the action ends up at Noi's house and Doyle has so many different and interesting things to photograph. Like the film itself, when Doyle's camera moves, it does so very slowly but almost glides through locations to give it an almost otherworldly feel to the point that it begins to feel like a visual poem. When his images are static, Doyle regularly finds interesting or unusual ways to frame the action onscreen. I know I'm biased because I am a massive fan, but Christopher Doyle just sees the world differently from other cinematographers, and he always finds unexpected ways to shoot the mundane to make it more exciting, whilst still functioning for the good of the film. There is one particular shot of Kenji just laying in a bathtub, that as soon as it hit the screen, I was bolted back in time to the first time I saw that shot when it impressed me so. It is an amazingly beautiful shot, but again, it is just a man sitting in a bath, but through the eyes of Christopher Doyle.

I mentioned earlier that “Last Life in the Universe” is also quite a funny film, and this has to do initially with the differences between our two main characters, and Kenji trying to cope in this alien and very dirty world (such as when he is trying to find the ringing phone, among all the mess of the house). The comedy becomes a little broader towards the end when three Japanese yakuza members arrive from Japan in search of Kenji. The leader of the gang is played by none other than Japanese cult director Takashi Miike, and Ratanaruang gives him some deliciously funny lines to say. The funniest moment would be when the customs officer at the Thai airport asks how long he will be staying in the country and he delivers his line in such a dead-panned way saying “Only a day. We just have to kill one guy and then we are coming home”. The customs officer laughs at his joke, even though he was being dead serious. Pen-ek Ratanaruang also has a lot of fun with his film too as there a little subtle references to other films throughout, with the most obvious being a poster hanging in the library where Kenji works for “Ichi the Killer”, which is directed by Takashi Miike and starring Tadanobu Asano himself. It's a cute moment when Kenji walks past the poster, for those who get the reference. Another nod is to Ratanaruang's earlier film “6ixtynin9” when that turns out to be the gate number where the yakuza's would need to board their plane. Aside from film references, Ratanaruang also includes a couple of moments of “magical realism” which give the film a sense of whim and whimsy, and are really lovely and memorable.

Overall, I am happy to say that I was not disappointed in my revisit of Pen-ek Ratanaruang's “Last Life in the Universe”, and I still consider it his masterpiece. It is an unusual and lovely film about loneliness and love, and how even the smallest of connections between two people can change their lives forever. There is a lovely moment towards the end of the film when Kenji returns to his very ordered apartment (which he has been avoiding due to the smell inside), and he walks past his carefully stacked books and decides to knock them over and create a small mess. I should note that there are a number of plot elements in the film that I have deliberately avoided, as I feel that it is so much better to discover them yourself in the process of watching the film, but if you are reading this review thinking the film doesn't sound like much, there is more to it than I have explained. That said, again, this is not a plot heavy film. It is a movie you feel more than anything, and it is a movie that I have once again fallen in love with. It also further whets the appetite for the trio's third film together, “Morte Cucina”, which I am praying will be playing at this year's Melbourne Film Festival (it has been announced for Sydney's film festival next month, with Ratanaruang appearing as a guest of that festival).

4.5 Stars.

 

 

2025 - IN REVIEW: MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2026

Just like every year that has come before it, there are a plethora of new releases that are slated for release in 2026 that I am eagerly anticipating. From last year's list, I'm still waiting on releases for Pen-ek Ratanaruang's “Morte Cucina”, and Pedro Almodovar's “Bitter Christmas”, so obviously these are still hugely anticipated and should be considered an extension of the below list (but I do not like including the same titles for multiple years). It appears that I am going to get a heavy dose of childhood nostalgia in 2026, with the release of the new “Masters of the Universe” film and Antoine Fuqua's Michael Jackson bio-pic “Michael” both being released during the year, which will be exciting as both define my adolescence in huge ways. Besides the titles below that I am shining a spotlight on, 2026 will see a number of new and exciting films from talented directors, the likes of Steven Soderbergh (“The Christophers”), Sam Raimi (“Send Help”), David Michod (“Wizards!”), Karim Aïnouz (“Rosebush Pruning ”), Luca Guadgnino (“Artificial”), M. Night Shyamalan (“Remain”), Alejandro G. Inarritu (“Digger”), Danny Boyle (“Ink”), James Gray (“Paper Tiger”), Steven Spielberg (“Disclosure Day”), Christopher Nolan (“The Odyssey”), Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part Three”), Hirokazu Koreeda (“Sheep in the Box” and “Look Back”), Kristoffer Borgli (“The Drama”), David Robert Mitchell (“Flowervale Street”), Na Hong-jin (“Hope”), Ridley Scott (“The Dog Stars”), Kantemir Balagov (“Butterfly Jam”), David Lowery (“Mother Mary”), Emerald Fennell (“Wuthering Heights”), Bertrand Mandico (“Roma Elastica”), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“All of A Sudden”), Travis Knight (“Wildwood”), Greta Gerwig (“Narnia: The Magician's Nephew”), Jeremy Saulnier (“October”), Justin Kurzel (“Burning Rainbow Farm”), Robert Zemeckis (“The Last Mrs. Parrish”), Adam Wingard (“Onslaught”), Lee Chang-dong (“Possible Love”) and maybe, just maybe, we will finally see Terrence Malick's latest (“The Way of the Wind”). All of the above I am looking forward to, but the below twelve films are my most anticipated films of 2026:

I'LL FORGET YOUR NAME

Sometimes you just have a feeling about a film, and can't really explain why, and this certainly seems to be the case with “I'll Forget Your Name”, which is the brand new film from cult French film director Yann Gonzalez. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of Gonzalez's previous film, “Knife + Heart”, which was a pseudo giallo/slasher set in the world of gay porn, although I was a massive fan of the style of that film, which was just uber-stylish. Gonzalez has reunited with both his star, Vanessa Paradis, and his cinematographer, Simon Beaufils, for this new movie and has shot the feature on 35mm film, so it already has a lot going for it, but I have a feeling that this could be anything; a huge amount of fun, or utter tripe, but I think it will be good one. The plot of the film is about “an instructor in a small village whose nightly cruising encounters take a darker turn when she falls for a young man who soon vanishes, sending her down a mysterious, nightmarish path.”

FJORD

This is the brand new film from Romanian director Cristian Mungiu who I am a big fan of, and have enjoyed all of his previous films. His films are often thematically complex, and dramatically rich without the need for histrionics. What is interesting about “Fjord” is that it is actually set in Norway and will be spoken in a mixture of Norwegian and Romanian. Mungiu has assembled huge international talent for his leads with Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan playing a married couple in the film. Stan was actually born in Romania and has been very outspoken about how excited he is to have been cast in this film and to actually get to speak Romanian. The production company of “Fjord” describes the feature like so: “Mihai and Lisbet Gheorghiu, a Romanian-Norwegian Pentecostal couple, move with their five children from Romania to Norway after Mihai's parents die, seeking closeness to Lisbet's family, who share their faith. Settling in an isolated coastal village, they form a bond with their neighbours, the Halbergs. When their daughter Elia appears at school with bruises, suspicions arise about the family's strict religious upbringing. Fjord explores clashing worldviews, conformity, tolerance, and the boundaries of freedom and intimacy.” Mungiu is also reuniting with his “R.M.N” cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru for “Fjord” which is exciting to hear as well.

A LONG WINTER

Director Andrew Haigh's previous film “All Of Us Strangers” was an absolute sublime piece of cinema that I adored every second of. It devastated me so much, that I named the film my favourite film of 2024, so it was a given that whatever Haigh was to make next, I would anticipate the hell out of it, and that has turned out to be “A Long Winter”. Not a huge lot is known about the film but after some digging I have found a brief plot synopsis: “An alcoholic mother ventures for a long walk with her dog after a quarrel at home with her husband; a sudden snowstorm leads to a frantic search that rocks the community.” If Haigh can make the film anywhere close to the quality of his previous film, “A Long Winter” will be very special indeed.

WERWULF

This is the brand new film from Robert Eggers and as the title may suggest, it is a horror film involving a werewolf. Being an Eggers film, it is obviously also a period film, and the director has stated that this is the darkest story he has ever written, which he co-wrote with Sjon (the pair also wrote Eggers' viking epic “The Northman” together). The imdb describes the film like so: “In medieval Britain, a mysterious creature stalks the foggy countryside, transforming local folklore into terrifying reality as villagers face an ancient supernatural threat.” Eggers has almost assembled the exact same cast he had on “Nosferatu”, with Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, and Ralph Ineson all onboard again. Expect exacting history and period detail, complete with a crushing sense of unbearable dread.

BUCKING FASTARD

“Bucking Fastard” is the brand new film from German filmmaker Werner Herzog, and it is something of a passion project in that he has been trying to get this story made into a film for decades. In the twilight of his career, he has found success, and hopefully the passion he has for the story will end up showing through in the final product. The film is based on a true story about two identical sisters who found tabloid notoriety as the “sex crazed twins” after they had a restraining order put on them by a man they both became involved with. The brilliant title is a reference to an actual slip of the tongue both sisters made in court in unison. Herzog has cast real life sisters Rooney and Kate Mara as his twins, Joan and Jean Holbrooke, for his film. This sounds batshit crazy, and I can't wait to see what Herzog does with it!

TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA

I was a little slow on the uptake at realising just how brilliant director Jane Schoenbrun's “I Saw The TV Glow” actually was, but the film revealed itself to me on my second viewing, and now I cannot wait for their follow up film, “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”. First of all, that is such a cool title that will stand out amongst all the generic sounding titles we hear nowadays. The plot of the film is described as so: “Intent on casting the “final girl” from the original film in her latest instalment of a longstanding slasher series, a queer filmmaker descends along with her subject into a visceral, psychosexual odyssey.” Whilst I am sure the film will honour and bow down to the great summer camp slashers of the 1980's, you can bet your bottom dollar that this film will morph into something else entirely by the time the final credits roll. I'm also imaging surreal, psychedelic images being intertwined with the usual slasher aesthetics. “X-Files” alum Gillian Anderson has a role in the film, although what exactly it is has remained secret.

WILD HORSE NINE

This is the brand new film from Martin McDonagh, whose previous film was the seriously brilliant “The Banshees of Inisherin”. In fact, all of McDonagh's films have been outstanding, and so anticipation is always high with me whenever he has a new film coming out. McDonagh has the ability to make you laugh at things that you just shouldn't be laughing at, such is his mastery of black comedy. Interestingly, “Wild Horse Nine” is not listed as a comedy on imdb, but rather a spy drama/thriller, which describes the film like so: “CIA agents Chris and Lee face a trust-testing mission from Santiago to Easter Island during 1973 Chile.” McDonagh has got quite the cast for the film too with Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Parker Posey and John Malkovich all along for the ride. Even though this has been pitched as a drama/thriller, you can almost guarantee that there will be some very dark comedy included in “Wild Horse Nine”.

THE YOUNG PEOPLE

Stop me if you have heard this one before, but I am a massive fan of director Osgood Perkins......still with me?.......and “The Young People” is his latest film. Very little is known about the “The Young People”, in fact right now as I am writing this was the first time I had seen a brief plot synopsis for the film which imdb states like so: “Two school friends drift apart as one starts exhibiting disturbing behaviour, turning their relationship sinister.” Perkins has assembled quite the cast for his new film with none other than Nicole Kidman having a role in the film, which will be huge in making this film visible to the world. Tatiana Maslany returns for her third consecutive Osgood Perkins film, while Johnny Knoxville, Lola Tung, and Heather Graham also have roles in the project too. The cast member that I am most excited about though is Lily Collias, who was sensational in “Good One” (and “Roofman”), and I really hope her role is substantial and she soon becomes the star she deserves to be. I have so much trust in Osgood Perkins; I am on his wavelength entirely, and for mine, he has yet to make a bad feature, and I am sure “The Young People” will continue his streak.

HER PRIVATE HELL

It has been ten whole years since Nicolas Winding Refn has made a feature film, which was the underrated horror film “The Neon Demon”. 2026 finally sees him back behind the director's chair making cinema once more after spending the past decade making his television series “Too Old to Die Young” and “Copenhagen Cowboy”. His latest film, “Her Private Hell”, is shrouded in secrecy but NWR promises “an edgy, hypnotic and unhinged thriller based on an original story that promises "lots of glitter, sex, and violence."”....Yep, that sounds exactly like a Nicolas Winding Refn film! Lets hope it is more like “The Neon Demon” than “Only God Forgives”, but one thing will be certain; it will be very colourful and very shiny, and anything-but-subtle. I cannot wait!

THE ADVENTURES OF CLIFF BOOTH

This project is so insane that originally when it was announced I thought it was a prank or an in-joke or something. Cliff Booth is Brad Pitt's stuntman character from Quentin Tarantino's “Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood”, and as the title suggests, this new film showcases further adventures of this entertaining character. Brad Pitt once again fills the role of Cliff Booth, but the craziest thing is that David Fincher signed on to direct this movie. I thought this had to be a joke; Fincher involved in the world Quentin Tarantino created. The only thing more crazy would be if Tarantino himself was somehow involved too. What's that? Tarantino wrote the script for “The Adventures of Cliff Booth”?? This is a cinematic team-up for the ages, and I honestly cannot wait for this film. It is well known that whenever Pitt and Fincher team up, cinematic gold is the result (I like to live in a world where the “Benjamin Button” disaster doesn't exist), but to have Tarantino writing his first script for a film not directed by himself for the first time since 1996's “From Dusk Till Dawn”, this is very, very exciting! The only thing putting any kind of dampener on the whole thing is that unfortunately Netflix is behind the feature, so the cinema release will be minor. Still that was also the case for Fincher's “The Killer”, and that film turned out sensationally. I honestly cannot see “The Adventures of Cliff Booth” being anything other than amazing.

JACK OF SPADES

It has been a long time coming, but director Joel Coen is finally bringing out a new feature film after 2021's “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. Since that film, his brother Ethan has released two quirky comedies, “Drive Away Dolls” and “Honey Don't”, but Joel has remained silent. That all changes this year when he unleashes onto the world “Jack of Spades”, which is described as a Gothic mystery that unfolds in the remote fog of 1880's Scotland, and that is all that is known about the film. Coen re-teams with his wife Frances McDormand once again, with Josh O'Connor (who seems to be in everything these days) also having a prominent role too. Bruno Delbonnel shot the film (he also shot Joel's “The Tragedy of Macbeth”), while as usual Carter Burwell is supplying the musical score. Whilst Ethan Coen's solo efforts have been a little questionable at times, my faith in Joel remains strong until he proves me wrong, which is why “Jack of Spades” is so high on my most anticipated film list.

PARALLEL TALES

This is the brand new film from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who recently stated that he would no longer be making films in his homeland until there is a change in the regime. With the current state of Iran, and the constant persecution of artists who happen to speak out against the regime through their art, this is totally understandable, but also a massive loss, as Farhadi was a genius at creating social stories about Iran that gave outsiders to the country an understanding of it. His 2011 film, “A Separation”, I still consider one of the very best films that has come out, from anyone, in this new century, and is one of my rare five star films. Still, I would rather be living in a world where Asghar Farhadi is making new films, and “Parallel Tales” sees him return to France to make a feature there for the first time since 2013, when he made “The Past” which I thought was another outstanding film. While very little is known about this new film, apparently it deals with the November 13 terrorist attacks that took place in Paris in 2015, with Farhadi weaving together a number of intricate storylines together amidst the chaos that took place after, that shook all of France. Farhadi has also enlisted the cream of French acting royalty for his latest film with Catherine Deneuve and Isabelle Huppert both listed in the cast, along with Vincent Cassel and Virginie Efira as well. I have a great feeling about “Parallel Tales” and think it will be an absolutely amazing film, which is why it is my most anticipated film of 2026.

Well, that is it. My enormous round up of the year that was 2025 is finally over. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it and got something out of it, but how about we go back to watching some new films now?