Red Rooms

Every night, Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) sleeps in an alleyway near Montréal's high court so she can be first in the queue to join the public gallery at the trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) for the murder of three teenage girls he streamed live on the dark web, for money.

It is the first case of its kind.

Kelly-Anne doesn't need to do this, she lives a high end but austere lifestyle funded by modelling and high stakes games of online poker. She has highly automated her life and is slightly paranoid about surveillance. Kelly-Anne is well versed in OSINT and the information economy of the dark web so is seemingly doing this to avoid identification.

The case is a sensational media circus and Chevalier has "fans" who protest his innocence. Kelly-Anne befriends one of these, Clémentine (Laurie Babin) who is also sleeping near the court.

CW: reference to and audio from torture/snuff videos with upsetting themes of sexualised crimes including murder

No other choice

Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) "has everything": a smart pragmatic wife Lee Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin), two well behaved kids one of who's a cello prodigy, a good job, an expansive quirky home that was built by his father in good times and a pair of fat contended labradors.

When the job that supports all this disappears and he struggles through a series of embarrassing failed job interviews he becomes quite untethered. Eventually as it looks like the house is going to be repossessed Man-su comes up with a solution: eliminate the competition.

Pre-emptively, and permanently.

CW: some violence, DIY dentistry

Rental Family

Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser) is an American actor working in Japan but struggling to find roles outside cheesy token characters and commercials.

One day he rushes to a very confusing booking where he's playing a funeral guest and the "deceased" is very much alive.

It turns out he's been subcontracted by a "Rental family" company that hires out actors to play parts in a range of situations that exist on a kind of continuity through LARP to therapy, social work, fetish and in some cases victimless deception.

The company owner Shinji (Takehiro Hira) offers Phillip more work and after some initial hesitancy he begins to take on longer term roles.

CW: anybody who's ever done any kind of safeguarding training will want to scream at the screen about how unethical and risky this all is under the cover of "Japan being quirky"

Compliance

It's a busy night at a branch of the fast food restaurant ChickWich and it's all going wrong for franchisee Sandra (Ann Dowd). A slack employee left the freezer door ajar last night so a load of food spoiled and they've only been able to replace some of the stock. They'll have to short some of the ingredients in the sandwiches and it's rumoured a secret shopper from head office is in the area.

Now a Police Officer Daniels (Pat Healy) is on the phone saying one of her counter staff, Becky (Dreama Walker), has stolen from a customer. Officer Daniels asks Sandra to take Becky aside and check her pockets and bag.

No good will come of this.

CW: vile humiliating misogyny throughout, some nudity

The Zone of Interest

Rudolf (Christian Friedel) and Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) are raising their family right next to his place of work in a home surrounded by an expansive garden. The house maybe isn't quite as big as Hedwig would like but the garden is magnificent having been cultivated over just a few short years with the help of local gardeners.

Rudolf's work is stressful: he's a workaholic, occasionally meeting with suppliers and colleagues at the house but when he can he rides his horse and takes the children swimming in the nearby river.

Rudolf is the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

CW: the Holocaust done matter of fact, off screen but constantly within earshot

Sinners

1930s, twin brothers Smoke & Stack (Michael B Jordan) return home early one morning to Mississippi after years in Chicago with a big bag of money and truck full of booze. Set on establishing a juke joint they buy an old sawmill and start flashing the cash to recruit people for their big opening night.

First on the agenda their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) followed by local blues legend Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo).

They're in a hurry and want to open that same night.

The previous night something else came to town that also loves music. No good will come of this.

CW: lots of violence and era appropriate racial slurs

Anniversary

Ellen (Diane Lane) and Paul (Kyle Chandler) Taylor are hosting a large party for their 25th anniversary.

All their children are there: Environmental Lawyer Cynthia (Zoey Deutch), successful alternative comedian Ellen (Madeline Brewer), early career author Josh (Dylan O'Brien) and budding scientist 'Birdie' (Mckenna Grace).

They're a wealthy comfortable family with a beautiful lakeside home and the scene is set for a beautiful party.

Josh has brought his new girlfriend Liz (Phoebe Dynevor) along and Ellen swears she recognises her from somewhere.

Liz is pleasant and respectful but suddenly Ellen realises where she knows her from.

No good will come of this.

CW: a grim watch in the current US political climate

The Long Walk

In an alternative United States of some indeterminate past, poverty is rife in the wake of a war and one route out is to enter the annual Long Walk lottery.

Fifty young men must walk without a break until only one is left standing, who wins a huge cash prize and their 'one wish'. Fail to keep up the pace or break one of the many rules and you get your "ticket" from the barrel of a gun.

Ray (Cooper Hoffman), Pete (David Jonsson), Art (Tut Nyuot) and Hank (Ben Wang) become fast friends at the start of the gruelling ordeal calling themselves "The Musketeers".

No good will come of this.

CW: 80s style homophobic and misogynistic language, bloody executions that the camera lingers on

28 Years Later

Spike (Alfie Williams) lives on a defended island settlement just off the coast of England with his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and mother Isla (Jodie Comer), who is mostly bedridden and suffers from delusions.

The causeway offers the islanders protection from the Infected who have roamed the mainland the 28 years since the release of the rage virus and they live a tough if relatively safe pastoral life. European navies maintain strict quarantine: nobody is coming to help them so they must make do with what they have.

The island is small though and regular trips are made to the mainland for firewood and other supplies. Now Jamie has decided it's time for Spike's first trip down the causeway and his first kill.

No good will come of this.

CW: bloody violence

Wag the Dog

When it seems PotUS is about to be implicated in a sex scandal a mere 11 days before election day a group of aides including Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) bring in spin doctor Conrad Breane (Robert De Niro).

Breane decides nothing short of a war can keep this out of the news and he knows just the person to stage that war: Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman).

Lone Star

Human remains are found on a disused US Army rifle range near the border town of Frontera, Texas by a couple of friends hunting for old shell cases to turn into art pieces. When a Sheriff's badge and masonic ring are found nearby Sheriff Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) concludes they belong to former Sheriff Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson).

Sheriff Wade was famously corrupt, violent and racist, disappearing one night in the late 1950s at the same time as $10k of town funds went missing.

The general assumption at the time was Sam's own recently deceased father and then Sheriff's deputy, Buddy Deeds (Matthew McConaughey) ran Wade out of town. Buddy took up the role and ushered in an era of relative probity and is considered a local hero, but not by Sam.

CW: racist language

Nickel Boys

Elwood (Ethan Herisse) is a studious teen in Florida during the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. He's tangentially involved in some protest but really longs to study science and his teacher gets him a scholarship at Technical College.

Travelling there he accepts a lift from the wrong person and is convicted as accomplice in the theft of the car they are riding in.

Sent to the Nickel Academy reform school he befriends Turner (Brandon Wilson) and they and every other child face regular bullying and abuse. Elwood begins to document this hoping one day to pass it to someone who cares.

No good will come of this.

CW: Implied physical abuse

Juror No. 2

Journalist Jim Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself called up for jury duty just as his heavily pregnant wife Allison (Zoey Deutch) is due. He tries to use this as a reason to be passed over but ends up assigned to a high profile murder case.

Local politically ambitious ADA Killebrew (Toni Collette) is urging for a speedy conviction of a known ne'er-do-well, partly to promote her "tough on crime" election credentials, and most of the other jurors are of like mind.

Kemp on the other hand quickly becomes convinced the accused is innocent.

Heretic

Two young Mormon Missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) have a Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) as their last visit of the day.

He has expressly registered an interest in their faith and when he invites them in out of the rain, against protocol and their own misgivings they agree.

No good will come of this.

CW: some gore

Perfect Days

Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho) lives a sparse life of striking uniformity.

Early every morning he buys coffee out of a vending machine and travels from his tiny home to clean toilets in Tokyo's public parks. He goes about this with great diligence.

At lunchtime Hirayama photographs the light through the trees. He mostly eats from the same few places. Aside from this he reads and listens to music, mostly 60s and 70s Western rock, on cassette. At night he dreams in black and white.

That's it.

Sing Sing

Divine G (Colman Domingo) and Mike Mike (Sean San José) are on the "steering group" of inmates at the notorious maximum security prison Sing Sing that get to pick out people to be part of the "Rehabilitation Through the Arts" programme. Every six months RTA does a stage production for an audience of inmates.

Divine G suggests they bring in Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin (himself) but the troubled drug dealer is sullen and disruptive claiming all their material is too serious and that they should do a comedy.

Unsure where to go with this the men throw in an absurd hotchpotch of ideas: cowboys, Egypt, pirates, time travel, Freddie Kruger and Hamlet but their external Director unexpectedly throws all this this into a script over a weekend.

Now all they've got to do is actually deliver it.

All the President's Men

Diligence on the part of a security guard foils a break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate building late one evening.

The five would-be burglars have unusual profiles and when Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) attends their hearing he finds that they are better represented than expected and one admits to being a former CIA agent.

Smelling something off he begins to collaborate with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) on the story.

Joker: Folie à Deux

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is in Arkham prison awaiting trial for the crimes committed in "Joker". His defence attorney Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) is angling heavily for an insanity defence stating "Joker" is a separate personality. Fleck himself seems rudderless and is going along unconvincingly with this.

Contrary to stereotype the Arkham guards are occasionally humane and one (Brendan Gleeson) gets Arthur, who's been a compliant inmate, into a music therapy group. There he meets pyromaniac Lee (Lady Gaga), the two spark and suddenly Arthur has something to live for.

No good will come of this.

CW: some violence

Dream Scenario

Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) is a tenured Professor of evolutionary biology at a mediocre University.

He feels he has failed academically and is bitter at onetime colleagues who have been more successful. He's not a bad man and his family love him but his wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson) does admit he has asshole tendencies.

When people all over the world start to experience him being present in their dreams he "goes viral".

No good will come of this.

CW: some flashing images

Pig

Rob (Nicolas Cage) lives an austere reclusive life in a cabin in the woods and hunts truffles for the fine dining market, relying on his truffle-hunting pig to find them.

He swaps the truffles for supplies with flash gastro-bro Amir (Alex Wolff) in a very one-sided arrangement but doesn't seem to mind being exploited.

One night people break into his cabin, knock him out and steal his pig. The following day Rob contacts Amir and demands to be driven into the city to get his pig back.

No good will come of this.