Bad Poems
Everyone’s talking about this stunning new work by Gábor Reisz, who burst onto the scene with cult smash For Some Inexplicable Reason in 2014. On the strength of its acclaim, Reisz gained his Cannes Residence award and spent time in France to create what many see as a follow-up. Similar to Inexplicable, Bad Poems involves a lovelorn male lead in search of inspiration. This time, though, the male lead is Reisz himself. Is love just a memory? Don’t miss.
Where to watch it?
The film screens with English subtitles at the Művész.
The Kindergarten Teacher
Premiered at Sundance 2018, The Kindergarden Teacher is an eerie yet gripping tale co-written and directed by the award-winning Sara Colangelo of Little Accidents fame. Here the kindergarten teacher in question is Maggie Gyllenhaal, who develops an obsession for the literary talent of a five-year-old boy in her class. The ensuing psychodrama sways the viewer’s moral compass every which way.
Where to watch it?
The film screens with English subtitles at the Cinema City Allee and Aréna.
Escape Room
It just had to happen – a drama set around an escape room (invented in Budapest, folks!), in which six characters must find the right clues or perish. Director is Adam Robitel, an old hand at the horror genre after his break-out chiller The Taking of Deborah Logan and responsible for the box-office hit Insidious: The Last Key in 2018. Look out for Deborah Ann Woll, who scared the pants off everyone in Mother’s Day.
Where to watch it?
The film screens with original English audio at the Cinema City Allee and Aréna.
Easy Lessons
Kafia was 15 when she escaped from Somalia but we pick up her story when she already speaks Hungarian and is preparing for her graduation exams at a children’s home in Budapest. She no longer wears the hijab, takes swimming lessons, does modelling and is drifting further and further away from Muslim culture. In the meantime, she worries about what her mum would think about who she's dating – just like any regular teenage girl. This is where the film puts its emphasis – Easy Lessons is like Kafia’s confession to her mum about her life in Budapest as an immigrant far from home.
Where to watch it?
The film screens with English subtitles at the Kino Café.
Mortal Engines
Only recently premiered in the UK and US, Mortal Engines is an extravaganza of visual effects set in a dystopian world of intercity battles. Hugo Weaving (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit) stars, Christian Rivers, who storyboarded both of those Peter Jackson epics, directs here. Steampunk meets Star Wars, according to one reviewer.
Where to watch it?
The film screens with original English audio at the Cinema City Allee and Aréna.
Mary Poppins Returns
What?!? Remake Mary Poppins?!? Is nothing sacred? Don’t worry, though – everyone’s favourite nanny is in safe hands with director Rob (Chicago, Nine) Marshall and the excellent Emily Blunt. Even dear old Dick Van Dyke, now in his nineties, gets a cameo, perhaps forgiven for his skewiff Cockney accent in the Julie Andrews original more than 50 years ago. Strong support is provided by Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury and Julie Walters. A box-office smash before you can say supercali... oh, you know the rest.
Where to watch it?
The film screens with original English audio at the Cinema City Allee.
The House That Jack Built
Uh-oh. They’ve let Lars von Trier back into Cannes. When the duke of Dogme debuted The House That Jack Built in France last summer, there was the inevitable walkout during the course of these 155 minutes of ultraviolence. It’s heavy going, so be warned. The psychodrama takes place in the mind of a savage serial killer, Matt Dillon, gravitas is provided by Bruno Ganz and Uma Thurman plays a hapless victim.
Where to watch it?
The film screens with English subtitles at the Puskin, Művész and Toldi arthouse cinemas.
