Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen

The year is 1613 and William Shakespeare is acknowledged as the greatest playwright of the age. But, disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre in London burns to the ground. A devastated Shakespeare returns to his home in Stratford-upon-Avon to face his neglected family. He is haunted by the untimely death of his only son, Hamnet, and struggles to mend the broken relationships with his wife and daughters. In doing so he is forced to examine his own failings as a husband and a father.

“Impressively cast and beautifully filmed” (Rotten Tomatoes)

Director: Aneesh Chaganty
Cast: John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee

After David Kim’s daughter, Margot, goes missing a local investigation is opened and a detective assigned to the case. But when, after 36 hours, there are still no leads David decides to search in the one place no one has yet thought of looking – his daughter’s laptop.

This is a taut modern mystery-thriller with a powerful emotional content told via the technology that most of use every day to communicate with others. David must trace his daughter’s digital footprint if has any hope of finding her.

“An ingenious drama” (London Evening Standard)

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Kirin Kiki

Osamu and his family are a dysfunctional band of outsiders living ‘below the radar’ on the fringes of Japanese society, supplementing their income with some petty thieving.

After one of their shoplifting sessions Osama and his son come across a little girl, apparently abandoned, and decide to take her home to join the chaotic household.  They appear to be one big happy family living in a tiny house belonging to the grandmother, but when the son is arrested secrets are revealed testing the bonds that unite them.

Runner-up as best foreign film at 2019 Oscars.

“A satisfying and devastating gem” (Peter Bradshaw)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz

It is the early 18th century and England is at war with France. A frail and overweight Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman) occupies the throne but it is her close friend and lover Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) who is really running the country while at the same time tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper.

Abigail, a young and attractive servant girl (Emma Stone) arrives at court and as Sarah becomes ever more preoccupied with matters of state the ambitious Abigail replaces her as the queen’s favourite and intimate companion.

Both Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz won Oscars for their performances.

“Savagely funny” (The Spectator)