El Conde review – Pinochet rises from the dead in Pablo Larraín’s gothic horror
The Chilean dictator returns as a vampire – and his family’s out for blood. But this alternative history, though entertaining, feels politically enigmatic - Ellen E Jones
starstarstarstarstarA Life on the Farm review – delightful documentary about an English eccentric
A Somerset farmer’s home videos are a gift for director Oscar Harding, serving as a moving and surreal portrait of one man’s quiet rural existence - Ellen E Jones
starstarstarstarstarWoman of the Hour review – Anna Kendrick directs an unsettling thriller
Actor makes directorial debut with the frightening fact-based tale of a woman on a 1970s dating show who meets a serial killer - Benjamin Lee in Toronto
starstarstarstarstarSilver Dollar Road review – another Raoul Peck documentary triumph
The I Am Not Your Negro director’s adaptation of a 2019 ProPublica investigation effectively connects one family’s story with the larger scourge of legal Black land theft - Adrian Horton
starstarstarstarstarGreen Border review – gripping story of refugees’ fight for survival in the forest
Agnieszka Holland’s brutal and timely drama shines a dark spotlight on the horrors faced by refugees in the exclusion zone between Poland and Belarus - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarHit Man review – Richard Linklater mixes philosophy and fun in true-crime caper
The director shows off his quickfire, casual side with a yarn about a contract killer who isn’t all he seems - Xan Brooks
starstarstarstarstarChristian Marclay: Doors review – a nightmarishly entertaining video labyrinth
As one door opens, another slams in our face in this thoroughly absorbing montage of film clips cleverly edited to derail, disorient and delight its viewer - Adrian Searle
starstarstarstarstarSky Peals review – eerie tale of lost souls at the service station
Moin Hussain’s arresting debut feature about an alienated night-shift worker turns the humble service station into a nightmarish modern limbo - Xan Brooks
starstarstarstarstarOnce Upon a Time in Uganda review – celebrating the simple joy of exploding heads on film
Cathryne Czubek’s documentary about an impoverished film-maker and an American superfan veers towards a white saviour narrative but the low-budget movie mogul’s charisma wins out - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarPriscilla review – Sofia Coppola paints an absorbing, intimate portrait of Elvis’s wife
Based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir, the film shows how a naive schoolgirl became trapped behind the gates of Graceland in a bizarrely co-dependent relationship - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarEvil Does Not Exist review – Ryu Hamaguchi’s enigmatic eco-parable eschews easy explanation
Compositional quirks and unhurried direction turn this tale of a Tokyo company buying up land near a pristine lake into a complex and mysterious drama - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarBobi Wine: The People’s President review – electric insight into Ugandan power struggle
This gripping documentary follows the Afrobeats star as he spearheads a campaign to oust Uganda’s corrupt regime - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarPassages review – body language speaks volumes in seductive three-way love story
Ben Whishaw and Franz Rogowski are brilliantly believable in Ira Sachs’s exploration of a gay marriage that’s challenged when one partner has a passionate affair with a young woman - Mark Kermode
starstarstarstarstarMaestro review – Bradley Cooper’s head-flingingly heartfelt Leonard Bernstein biopic
Cooper’s impersonation of the great composer is eerily exact, and gets to the heart of the sacrifices great artists feel they need to make - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarHoard review – a haunting study of loneliness and thwarted sexuality
Luna Carmoon’s deeply strange and compelling study of hysteria shows the ways in which childhood trauma can bloom in adult life - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarFinally Dawn review – Lily James shines in exuberant romantic melodrama
James is the Liz Taylor-ish diva claiming a young star-struck girl as her new best friend in Saverio Constanzo’s tale set in 1950s Rome - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarHollywoodgate review – a fascinating insight into the Taliban’s insular world
It’s no surprise that Ibrahim Nash’at’s documentary lacks in-depth interviews – his subjects barely tolerate his presence as he reveals the fighters’ lack of purpose after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan - Xan Brooks
starstarstarstarstarPassages review – Ira Sachs strikes gold with sophisticated love triangle
A gay man cheats on his husband with a straight woman in this fiercely sexy and heartbreaking tale of young Parisians - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarBobi Wine: The People’s President review – shocking look at Ugandan star’s campaign
For five years, documentary-makers followed the Ugandan pop star and revolutionary politician as he attempted to challenge the country’s reigning autocratic leader - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarThe Blackening review – slasher satire lays waste to race tropes
Tim Story’s witty, character-driven horror-comedy recreates the killer-thriller movie through a Black lens - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarThe Innocent review – hardened cons go romcom in appealing French caper
Louis Garrel directs and stars in a droll movie that builds a madcap momentum - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarAfire review – slow-burning German drama about a self-absorbed writer
Pompous novelist Leon grapples with his difficult second book in Christian Petzold’s engaging tale of sexual tension and creativity in the shadow of the climate crisis - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarScrapper review – fizzing, vital exploration of the father-daughter bond
Charlotte Regan’s feature debut, about a resourceful 12-year-old living alone whose father re-enters her life, brims with energy, ideas and colour - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarYou Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah review – Sandler family delivers sweet YA
Adam Sandler and daughters score a surprising win for Netflix: a sweet-natured adaptation of Fiona Rosenbloom’s teen novel - Adrian Horton
starstarstarstarstarTheater Camp review – deeply charming and hilarious stage kid mockumentary
Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman have made watching bad acting a thrill in this zippy and joke-filled film about jazz-handing theatre kids - Leaf Arbuthnot
starstarstarstarstarThe Future Tense review – film-makers’ complex reverie of English and Irish identities
Semi-dramatised essay film by Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy explores complicated national loyalties alongside those of an extraordinary rebel - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarBlue Beetle review – superhero fun with immigrant survival subtext
How will a law graduate use beetle-based powers to help his beleaguered Latino family? Believable dynamics and boisterous comedy add charm to a familiar genre - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
starstarstarstarstarMercy Road review – there’s no other thriller quite like it
Luke Bracey plays a dad on a mission to save his daughter in this strangely surreal film set mostly in a truck. It’s part-Speed, part-Phone Booth, all nightmare - Luke Buckmaster
starstarstarstarstarStrays review – Will Ferrell leads brutally funny comedy of foul-mouthed talking dogs
With turns from Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, this barking stoner caper follows a neglected animal plotting revenge on a beastly owner - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarMother, May I? review – high-end horror put together with immense amount of style
When Emmett arrives at the house he has inherited after his mother’s death, the legacy that emerges is deeply unsettling, and brilliantly depicted - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarChris Grace as Scarlett Johansson review – feverishly funny sendup
Grace stars as the Black Widow actor to poke fun at cross-racial casting, in an intricate takedown of fixed identity that will leave your mind buzzing - Brian Logan
starstarstarstarstarL’immensità review – Penélope Cruz stars in turbulent family drama set in 70s Rome
A mother and her eldest child negotiate parallel realms of unhappiness in Emanuele Crialese’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarIncredible But True review – screwball metaphysics on the property market
Giddy comedy about middle-aged house hunters who find more in a bargain buy than anyone but director Quentin Dupieux could have dreamed - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarOn Our Doorstep review – extraordinary story of volunteers in the Calais Jungle
Thomas Laurance’s documentary focuses on the British activists who arrived in the refugee camp with housing materials and other life-saving supplies - Phuong Le
starstarstarstarstarEnter the Dragon review – Bruce Lee classic still delivers a lethal blow
The martial arts film is quintessential Lee, who is mesmeric in his scenes and sorely missed when not on camera - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarVariety review – fierce feminist porn drama from the 80s New York underground
Bette Gordon’s fascinating 1983 film about a woman working in an adult movie theatre has a script by Kathy Acker and parts for Nan Goldin and Spalding Gray - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem review – gloriously anarchic reboot
With its refreshingly glitchy animation style and superb hip-hop soundtrack, the reptilian superheroes’s latest outing is a fizzing treat - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarKokomo City review – the perilous, gutsy lives of four Black trans sex workers
D Smith’s life-affirming US documentary has a brash visual style that perfectly complements the bravado of its subjects - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarParis Memories review – soulful portrait of a terrorist attack survivor
Based on her brother’s experience of the Bataclan attack in Paris, Alice Winocour’s unexpectedly hopeful drama is lit up by a César-winning performance from Virginie Efira - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarJoy Ride review – a deliciously unsavoury blast of female friendship
Gross-out elements collide with sharp observations on identity as four Asian-Americans hit the road for Beijing in Adele Lim’s skit-based comedy - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarDo Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World review – giddy Romanian experiment
Freewheeling essay-movie-slash-black-comedy collage takes swipes from all angles at modern life - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarBreaking the Waves review – Emily Watson adds brilliance to von Trier’s windup of a movie
In Lars von Trier’s otherwise ridiculous film, Watson brings generous substance to a punishing role as a dangerously selfless wife - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarShayda review – an exciting new voice in Australian cinema has arrived
Opening this year’s Melbourne international film festival, the Iranian-Australian director’s debut follows an Iranian mother and daughter as they seek refuge in an Australian women’s shelter - Luke Buckmaster
starstarstarstarstarParis Memories review – deep-feeling drama about the aftermath of a terror attack
Film-maker Alice Winocour based her film on her brother’s experience of the Bataclan attacks, but focuses on how survivors put their lives back together after such events - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarKokomo City review – Black trans women tell truths of light and dark side of sex work
D Smith’s effortless documentary, eloquently explained by its glamorous subjects, covers the whole spectrum of experience - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarThe Unabridged Mrs Vera’s Daybook review – lovable profile of drag-artist campaigners
Straightforward telling of artists David Faulk and Michael Johnstone’s story of love and activism is warm and heartfelt - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarTalk to Me review – an Evil Dead for the Snapchat generation
Australian YouTuber twins Danny and Michael Philippou’s feature debut is an entertaining chiller that mixes shrieking horror and psychological nuance - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
starstarstarstarstarThe Virgin Suicides review – Sofia Coppola’s debut rereleased with solemn trigger-warning
Sunlit suburban calm masks the shocking nature of the story itself: a horrendous tragedy in the guise of a teenage coming-of-age movie - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarTalk to Me review – terrific creepy-hand horror offers a blast of wild punk energy
RackaRacka film-makers Michael and Danny Philippou let rip in their feature debut about suburban teens and an occult craze - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarBarbie: The Album review – a dream house of pop royalty gets all dolled up
Dua Lipa and Charli XCX bring high camp to this Mark Ronson-produced movie mixtape that climaxes with the sugary filth of Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s Barbie World - Kit Buchan
starstarstarstarstarBarbie review – a riotous, candy-coloured feminist fable
Barbie takes a ride from her dream house to reality as Little Women writer-director Greta Gerwig takes another cultural icon and lovingly subverts it - Mark Kermode
starstarstarstarstarOppenheimer review – Christopher Nolan’s volatile biopic is a towering achievement
As the ‘father of the atomic bomb’, Cillian Murphy is a 20th-century Frankenstein whose catastrophic creation unravels across a tangle of timelines in Nolan’s expansive drama - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarOppenheimer review – Nolan’s atom bomb epic is flawed but extraordinary
Christopher Nolan’s account of the physicist who led the Manhattan Project captures the most agonising of success stories - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarMy Name Is Alfred Hitchcock review – Mark Cousins’ cheeky and insightful study
In this critically agile film, Hitchcock supposedly narrates from beyond the grave, using movie clips to reveal techniques and meanings in his work - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarA Rifle and a Bag review – quiet study of a marginalised Indian family
Documentary follows Somi and her husband, who are struggling to live an ordinary life after their past as Naxalite guerrillas - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarSquaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) review – Anton Corbijn’s fascinating snapshot of rock art history
The Control director’s first documentary tells the story of the British design firm behind some of the most iconic album covers of all time - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarWhile We Watched review – nerve-jangling portrait of an Indian reporter holding the ruling party to account
TV anchor Ravish Kumar calls out the propaganda that passes for news – and faces the consequences of challenging Modi – in this essential documentary - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarMedusa review – body fascists on the loose in heady satire on Brazil’s police state
Anita Rocha da Silveira’s genre-bending tale of masked religious vigilantes is a genre film with something to say - Mark Kermode
starstarstarstarstarThe Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes review – sumptuously romantic YA anime
Tomohisa Taguchi’s elegant love story anchors the far-fetched plot points of Makoto Shinkai’s 2016 hit Your Name - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarSquaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) review – album cover as concept art
Anton Corbijn directs this enjoyable documentary about the design duo who created extraordinary images for Pink Floyd, 10cc, Led Zeppelin and more - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Deepest Breath review – stunning Netflix documentary on freediving
A dangerous act is explored in a visually immersive new film taking us down to the depths and examining what causes those involved to take such major risks - Lauren Mechling
starstarstarstarstarWhere Is This Street? Or With No Before and After review – tender ode to landmark of Portuguese cinema
Documentary looks back at a mysterious Lisbon through the lens of a 60s cult film, a very specific focus that’s likable even if you haven’t seen the earlier movie - Phuong Le
starstarstarstarstarShabu review – charming documentary follows a Dutch teenager learning about life
A young aspiring Rotterdam rapper having a bad summer is the charismatic subject of Shamira Raphaëla’s affecting film - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarName Me Lawand review – remarkable documentary about a deaf Kurdish boy in the UK
Edward Lovelace uses impressionistic techniques to capture the world of Lawand as he learns to communicate in this moving, inspirational tale - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarThe Damned Don’t Cry review – impressive tale of a Moroccan single mother and son living on the margins
Fyzal Boulifa’s intense drama about this unusually tight family unit fleeing scandal and debt is a painterly triumph - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One review – Tom Cruise is still taking our breath away
With star turns from Vanessa Kirby and Hayley Atwell, plus a zeitgeisty AI plot, this seventh MI outing is one of the most exhilarating yet - Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
starstarstarstarstarSmoking Causes Coughing review – one of the funniest films of the year
Quentin Dupieux’s madcap French comedy about a group of tobacco-powered superheroes is as unpredictable as it is formally daring - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarSmoking Causes Coughing review – cigarette-superhero comedy is refreshingly immature
Quentin Dupieux’s chaotic, bizarre film about a monster-fighting squad controlled by a rat named Didier will greatly annoy some, which is one of its strengths - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarName Me Lawand review – empathic and inspiring portrait of deaf Iraqi refugee boy
This heartfelt documentary shows us the world from the point of view of a migrant whose life was revolutionised by a school for the deaf in the UK - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarFeathers review – loutish husband turns into a chicken in elegant, witty parable
Ambiguous, Kafkaesque and with a deadpan wit, Egyptian director Omar El Zohairy’s debut feature explores a woman’s place in a man’s world - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarShabu review – vivid, magical celebration of an irrepressible teen hustler
This magical documentary channels its titular character’s jubilant vitality as we watch him spend a summer raising the cash to pay back his grandmother after he pranged her car - Ryan Gilbey
starstarstarstarstarMother and Son review – Annabelle Lengronne is magnetic in French immigrant drama
Playing a young woman who moves from Ivory Coast to Paris with her two young sons, Lengronne then frustratingly fades from view in Léonor Serraille’s follow-up to Jeune Femme - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarHello, Bookstore review – indie bookshop owner’s story is the perfect page-turner
Adam Zax’s unhurried fly-on-the-wall documentary captures the gentle rhythms and flow of life in a Massachusetts bookstore - Cath Clarke
starstarstarstarstarTo Nowhere review – edgy drama of queer desire is as raw as a fresh wound
Two young women drift, drink and explore volatile emotions in Sian Astor-Lewis’s debut feature, with powerful performances by Lilit Lesser and Josefine Glæsel - Leslie Felperin
starstarstarstarstarThe American Sector review – US road trip to hunt down remnants of the Berlin Wall
This film tells the story of concrete slabs that have been rehomed thousands of miles away in bizarre yet unremarkable locations - Phuong Le
starstarstarstarstarAgainst the Tide review – old ways vs the new in a study of modern Indian fisherfolk
Seafaring friends from Mumbai cope with a changing climate and an unforgiving economy in different ways in Sarvnik Kaur’s poetic, beautifully shot documentary - Ryan Gilbey
starstarstarstarstarWham! review – the truth behind the mahogany tans and catchy songs
This perky tribute to the 80s pop sensations reveals the bond between the pair and the cost to George Michael of playing the heart-throb - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarNimona review – sparky medieval fantasy with a serious message
Two outcasts join forces in this gleaming Netflix animation, which also makes the case for LGBTQ+ acceptance - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarCarrie Mae Weems review – evil clowns, race riots and tense kitchen table dramas
In this intriguing show, the photographer, film-maker and dancer explores the Black American experience from a wide range of angles - Adrian Searle
starstarstarstarstarThe Driver’s Seat (AKA Identikit) review – Elizabeth Taylor captivates in bizarre 70s mystery
Taylor is both hammy and subtle as a woman on the verge of a breakdown in this preposterous but watchable 1974 drama that features an extraordinary cameo from Andy Warhol - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarLife Is More Important Than Art review – banality turns into poetry
From snaps of car parks and train platforms to an operatic film showing people arriving at an airport, this show reveals that art is a particular way of looking at life - Jonathan Jones
starstarstarstarstarEskape review – moving tale of a refugee’s dangerous journey out of Cambodia
Film-maker Neary Adeline Hay retraces her mother’s escape from her homeland in this poignant family history and memory piece - Phuong Le
starstarstarstarstarStars at Noon review – edgy expat drama from Claire Denis
A broke young American woman in Nicaragua gets together with a suave Englishman in the veteran French director’s unsettling mood piece - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarPretty Red Dress review – toe-tapping London tale of desire and identity
Natey Jones and Alexandra Burke play a couple tussling with dreams and secret shame in Dionne Edwards’s defiant yet uplifting drama with music at its core - Mark Kermode
starstarstarstarstarThe Last Daughter review – one woman’s tender and uplifting search for the truth
Documentary follows stolen generations member Brenda Matthews’ search for her white foster parents - Luke Buckmaster
starstarstarstarstarPretty Red Dress review – big-hearted music drama dresses to impress
Terrific performances from Natey Jones, Alexandra Burke and Temilola Olatunbosun match this tender drama about masculinity - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarTish review – gripping portrait of a passionate photographer of Austerity Britain
Tish Murtha, who lived a life as tough as those she shot in different eras of deprivation and marginalisation, receives a wholehearted and riveting tribute - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarThe Blackening review – Get Out meets Scary Movie in whipsmart horror satire
The stereotype of Black characters dying first in horror movies is put to the test in a funny and incisive Juneteenth-set slasher - Andrew Lawrence
starstarstarstarstarMan on Earth review – a beautifully humane documentary about a dying man’s last days
Directed by Australian film-maker Amiel Courtin-Wilson, this compelling work follows Bob Rosenzweig’s decision to end his life through assisted dying - Luke Buckmaster
starstarstarstarstarThe Eccentrics review – daft 70s comedy that’s the Georgian answer to Terry Gilliam
Eldar Shengelaia’s goofy flying-machine comedy from the Soviet era has an ending that can’t fail to make you laugh - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarAyo Akingbade: Show Me the World Mister; Billie Zangewa: A Quiet Fire – review
Akingbade captures a day in the strange life of Lagos’s Guinness brewery; the medium is the message in Zangewa’s ingenious hand-stitched silk collages. Plus, a cruel blow to Brighton’s art scene - Laura Cumming
starstarstarstarstarMy Imaginary Country review – Patricio Guzmán captures Chile’s new wave of protest
The Chilean director follows up on his epic 70s documentary The Battle of Chile with this optimistic portrait of his country’s latest social uprising - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarWar Pony review – vivid account of daily Native American life
Non-professional actors drive Gina Gammell and Riley Keough’s award-winning first feature about growing up on a South Dakota reservation - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarI, Daniel Blake review – moving stage adaptation by the star of the film
Dave Johns, who played Daniel Blake in the Ken Loach film, brings this chilling drama of life on benefits to new audiences - Clare Brennan
starstarstarstarstarWar Pony review – rousing tale of love and money on a Native American reservation
The innate wisdom and instinct to survive of two teenage males is beautifully observed in actor-turned-director Riley Keough’s debut feature - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarHairspray review – subversive spirit shines through John Waters’ high-camp 80s musical
The original 1988 bubblegum musical comedy, starring Ricki Lake, satirises racism and body-conformism with left-field flair - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarChevalier review – neglected 18th-century Black virtuoso finally gets his due
Kelvin Harrison Jr plays the Caribbean-born maestro, once declared ‘the most accomplished man in Europe’, who takes on Mozart in a duel-by-violin - Ellen E Jones
starstarstarstarstarMy Imaginary Country review – thrilling scenes from Chile’s subway revolution
Patricio Guzmán’s staggering documentary examines popular protest that swept through Chile in 2019, when hundreds of thousands of people – chiefly young women – took to the streets of Santiago - Peter Bradshaw
starstarstarstarstarAmanda review – peculiar, endearing Italian comedy
A young woman obsessed with past wrongs tries to rekindle a childhood friendship in Carolina Cavalli’s quirky debut feature - Wendy Ide
starstarstarstarstarMad About the Boy: The Noël Coward story review – fascinating portrait of a 20th-century great
Barnaby Thompson’s well-researched documentary highlights the contradictions of the sparkling playwright’s life - Wendy Ide
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