Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 289: Sun Oct 18

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning (Barnard, 2026): Curzon Soho, 12pm/BFI Southbank, 11.30am

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 12

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at BFI Southbank on Friday October 16th. Details here.

BFI introduction:
Adapted from Kieran Goddard’s novel, this intoxicating yet compassionate film by the director of The Selfish Giant and Ali & Ava is propelled by a superb ensemble cast and the euphoric pulse of club music. As moments of youthful joy gradually give way to disillusionment, the film offers a piercing portrait of contemporary Britain, exposing exploitative social structures and widening inequality as forces that have deeply marked its characters’ lives.
Hyun Jin Cho

Here (and above) is an extract.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 289: Sat Oct 17

Paper Story (Gray, 2026): Prince Charles Cinema, 3pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 11

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall on Saturday October 10th and Sunday 11th. Full details here.

BFI introduction:
Irwin Pearl (Miles Teller, on top form) is an engineer and family man living in Queens. When his brother, a showboating ex-police officer (a magnetic Adam Driver), enlists him for a high paying job, things rapidly take a turn for the worse. Channelling the spirit of Sidney Lumet and Michael Mann, Gray’s own, distinctive directorial style is on full display in this instant classic of American crime cinema.
Diana Cipriano

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 288: Fri Oct 16

 Panelstory (Chytilova, 1979): BFI Southbank, NFT3, 6.35pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY10

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

BFI introduction:
A tragicomic gallery of characters composes this satirical fresco of a hellish housing estate. In this dysfunctional, endless chaos, people try to get on with their lives amongst the rubble and the mud of this new socialist nightmare. After being blacklisted for years, Věra Chytilová returns to her radical style with a film that still resonates in a society of individuals living in crowded isolation.
Giulia Saccogna

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 287: Thu Oct 15

La Dérive (Delsol, 1964): BFI Southbank, NFT3, 8.45pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 9

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

BFI introduction:
Jacquie, a beautiful 20-year-old, experiences various encounters with men in the south of France, where she returns to her family after leaving Paris. A young woman becoming the target of male predators is always a relevant topic. It’s presented here with a fresh approach: Jacquie is an unburdened wanderer rather than a desperate one, and her search for independence inebriating and joyful.
Giulia Saccogna

Here (and above) is an extract. 

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 286: Wed Oct 14

Mouse (O'Sullivan/Thompson, 2026): Vue West End Epic 2, 8.30pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 8

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at the prince Charles Cinema on October 16th. Details here.

Lifelong friends Callie and Minnie are like ying and yang: one loud and popular, the other shy and quiet. Abruptly forced out from her friend’s shadow, it’s finally time for Minnie to figure out who she is on her own terms. Kupferer and Okonedo’s performances drive this beautiful film that’s guaranteed to have audiences alternating between crying and laughing out loud.
Grace Barber-Plentie

Here (and above) is the trailer. 

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 285: Tue Oct 13

The Meltdown (Martelli, 2026): Vue West End Epic 1, 8pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 7

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at Curzon Soho on October 14th. Details here.

BFI Southbank introduction:
It is 1992 and while watching the comings and goings in her family’s hotel, nine-year-old Inés befriends Hanna, one of the German skiers training in the area. When Hanna goes missing, Inés observes the local community closing ranks without quite understanding what is happening. Focussing on what lies unsaid, Martelli (1976, LFF 2022) expertly captures the tensions of a society as it transitions to democracy.
Maria Delgado

Here (and above) is the trailer. 

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 284: Mon Oct 12

Clarissa (Arie and Chuko Esiri, 2026): Vue West End Epic 1

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 6

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at BFI Southbank on October 13th and 17th. Full details here. 

BFI introduction:
It’s the day of Clarissa’s garden party. Just as she’s set to reunite with old friends, she finds herself reflecting on a summer that shaped the course of their lives. Virginia Woolf’s beloved novel is the jumping-off point for this rich and captivating look at class and gender in contemporary Nigerian society.
Grace Barber-Plentie

Here (and above) is the trailer. 

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 283: Sun Oct 11

La Gradiva (Atlan, 2026): BFI Southbank, NFT3, 3.05pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 5

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at Curzon Soho on Friday October 9th. Full details here.

BFI introduction: 
Toni, James, Suzanne and their classmates travel to Naples with their Latin teacher. Raw emotions, desire and power dynamics collide against the backdrop of a city with a history stretching back thousands of years. Joyous and tragic in equal measures, cinematographer Marine Atlan’s impressive first feature vividly captures the spirit and the drama of youth, and revels in the intoxicating aura of an ancient metropolis.
Laure Bonville

Here (and above) is an extract.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 282: Sat Oct 10

The Dreamed Adventure (Grisebach, 2026): ICA Cinema, 5.30pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 4 

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at Curzon Soho on Sunday October 11th. Full details here.

BFI introduction:
In the verdant Bulgarian mountains, Veska crosses paths with Saïd, an old acquaintance whose car has been stolen. Offering help, she takes him to the excavation site where she works as an archaeologist. But as they reconnect, Veska is drawn into Saïd’s shady business world. Western writer-director Valeska Grisebach’s film is a skilfully directed drama with a strong feminist spine.
Julie Pearce

Here (and above) is an extract.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 281: Fri Oct 9

The Devils (Russell, 1971): BFI Southbank, NFT1, 8.40pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 3 

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at the Prince Charles Cinema on Monday October 12th at 6pm. You can find the details here.

Time Out review:
There's plenty here that's still incredibly shocking. The scenes of plague are truly vile, as are the climatic torture scenes. But what horrifies most is Ken Russell's nihilistic view of the world in general, and humanity in particular: almost without exception, we are shown to be vain, lustful, perverse, self-serving, murderous, disease-ridden, exploitative, decadent, deluded creatures unworthy or incapable of salvation. Approach with extreme caution.
Tom Huddleston

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 280: Thu Oct 8

The Beloved (Sorogoyen, 2026): Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall, 5.45pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 2 

With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

This film is also screened at BFI IMAX on Sunday October 11th and Curzomn Soho on Thursday October 15th. Details here.

BFI London Film Festival introduction:
Esteban is an Oscar-winning director. His daughter Emilia a struggling actor. He returns to Spain to make a film about the country’s exploitation of Western Sahara and offers her the lead role. The film shoot that follows isn’t a straightforward experience, demonstrating the unresolved tensions that still haunt their relationship. Guilt, resentment and forgiveness all intersect to powerful effect in this tense drama.
Maria Delgado

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 279: Wed Oct 7

Gone To Earth (Powell & Pressburger, 1950): BFI Southbank, NFT1, 6pm

70th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (7th - 18th October 2026) DAY 1 

Today is the opening day of the London Film Festival. With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews, so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.

So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.

Here then (from October 7th to October 18th) are the films you are likely to be able to get tickets for and the movies you are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go the Festival. Here is the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't worry if some of the recommended films are sold out as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30 minutes before each screening. Here is the information you need to get those standby tickets.

Time Out review:
A film much maligned in its time, not least by producer David O Selznick, who issued an American version retitled The Wild Heart, incorporating additional footage directed by Rouben Mamoulian and running only 82 minutes. Mary Webb's 1917 novel was the archetypal bodice-ripper - wicked squire, pious yokels, adultery and redemption - out of which Powell and Pressburger made a visually spellbinding romance. Christopher Challis' photography evokes Shropshire and the Welsh borders so that you can smell the earth. Menace, the bloodlust of the chase (of the fox or the outcast sinner), is omnipresent as trees bend and wild creatures panic before an unseen primal force. Cruelty besides beauty sweeps these pastoral vistas. Forget Jennifer Jones' rustic English (Kentucky? Australian?) and the melodramatic clichés (boots trampling posies): the haunting, dreamlike consistency recalls that other fairy story of innocence and menace, The Night of the Hunter.
Martin Hoyle

Here (and above) is an extract.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 278: Tue Oct 6

The Girl Cut in Two (Chabrol, 2007): BFI Southbank, NFT3, 6pm

This screening, which will be introduced by the director's daughter and the film’s scriptwriter, Cécile Maistre-Chabrol is part of the Claude Chabrol season at BFI Southbank. There is another screening on October 3rd (details here).

Time Out review:
‘French society may be drifting towards Puritanism or decadence,’ says deciduous, sixtysomething, Goncourt-winning author Charles Saint-Denis (a marvellously offhand François Berléand) in a mock-channel TV interview in this nonchalantly acidic, upper-class-baiting delight by approaching-nonagenarian director Claude Chabrol. Charles is clearly a fully paid-up member of the decadent party: holed up in splendid isolation in his modernist manse in the Lyon countryside, the old married roué, gourmand, aphorist and erotomane is dubbed affectionately ‘the Marquis de Sade’ by his well-preserved publisher Capucine (Mathilda May). He’s moved to join the despised Parisian ‘media circus’ having smelled fresh blood in Ludivine Sagnier’s honest-hearted, less socially favoured weather girl, who he subjects to a series of ‘free-love’ humiliations and abasements in his upmarket brothel. Meanwhile, the unfortunate woman is assailed, in the equally threatening second half of a destructive pincer-movement, by the manic attentions of idle, arrogant, unstable, fatherless – and puritan – millionaire Paul (Benoít Magimel) intent on marriage and possession. An immaculate script, written with his long-term collaborator Cécile Maistre, reinvents the celebrated 1906 White murder case as a barbed anti-French-establishment anti-fairy tale (Sagnier’s weather girl is named Deneige – ‘snow’). Beautifully lit and crisply shot by Eduardo Serra, and directed with a confidence and seeming ease that stems from (and quotes) some 60 years of post-New Wave cinematic mastery, Chabrol’s latest comedy of manners is a minor stylistic and tonal triumph. Eschewing explicit moral condemnation in favour of a scabrous Buñuelian cool, humanised by a marvellously affecting central performance by Sagnier, and surrounded intriguingly by satellite performances which play riskily and amusingly with the edges of self-parody, this is one of Chabrol’s most elegant, acerbic and heartfelt entertainments in years.
Wally Hammond

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 277: Mon Oct 5

Wake in Fright (Kotcheff, 1971): Prince Charles Cinema, 3.15pm

This screening is the theatrical English premiere of the new 4K Restoration, courtesy of Arrow Video.

Chicago Reader review:
Ted Kotcheff (First Blood, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz) directed this forgotten Australian masterpiece (1971) about an arrogant Sydney schoolteacher (Garry Bond) who's slowly driven mad after a prolonged stay in the Yabba, a desolate mining town in the middle of the Australian outback. After gambling away every dollar he has, Bond succumbs to the aggressive hospitality of the locals, and they condition him to their brutish lifestyle, which seems to consist mostly of constant drinking, random fistfights, anarchic destruction of other people's property, and kangaroo hunting. A Conradian parable of a man succumbing to the wild, the film is remarkable for its raw, pointed depiction of human behavior. Push a man too far, Kotcheff suggests, and you'll find the beast concealed behind the mask of propriety.
Drew Hunt

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 276: Sun Oct 4

No 1: Blanche (Borowczyk, 1971): ICA Cinema, 4pm

The screening will be introduced by Daniel Bird, Co-founder of Friends of Walerian Borowczyk, a non-profit association based in Paris that manages the rights to the painter, sculptor and filmmaker. He will discuss Borowczyk’s association with Contemporary Films, and will be joined by Kathleen Wallfisch, Music Supervisor for film and TV, to talk about the music of the film and how it is arranged and presented on screen. This is part of the Contemporary Films season across London. Details here.

Time Out review:
In this remarkable film, Walerian Borowczyk, through his commitment to ambiguity (notably in his framing, which forever denies the foreground/background opposition) and his belief in almost entomological observation, transforms his 13th century characters - a foolish old Baron, an overproud King, a lecherous page and a stupidly handsome lover, all of whom are in love with and/or lust after the simple Blanche, the Baron's young wife - into tragic figures caught up in a dance of death over which they have no control. In exactly the same way, the castle and its decor, photographed by Borowczyk as though it were living and its inhabitants were mere dolls for the most part, is seen as the backdrop to a happy fairytale, and at the same time as the root of all evil, as rooms and bizarre machines are opened and set in motion.

Here (and above) is the trailer.

************************************************************************

No 2: The Colour of Lies (Chabrol, 1999): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 3.10pm

This film is part of the Claude Chabrol season at BFI Southbank. The other screening of the film on September 26th is detailed here.

BFI Southbank introduction:
When a young girl is found murdered in a small Breton coastal town, suspicion falls on a local painter – a man of volatile temperament and uncertain alibi – as the community begins to turn on itself. Fans of Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt will recognise much here. However, Chabrol is less interested in identifying the killer than in capturing the poisonous social atmosphere that the crime unleashes: the rumour, the prejudice and the quiet savagery of village life.

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 275: Sat Oct 3

No 1: Collateral (Mann, 2004): Everyman Screen on the Green, 5pm

Rejoice! Screenings from prints are back at Everyman Screen where Michael Mann returns from September 25th to October 24th in a season dedicated to five unforgettable works from one of modern cinema's most influential filmmakers. This 35mm screening (also on October 4th) is part of a programme that includes Heat, Last of the Mohicans and Thief. Full details here.

Time Out review:
Los Angeles cab-driver Max (Jamie Foxx) has a dream: to end a decade’s drudgery, set up a limo-rental company, and find some time for himself in the Maldives. And one evening, he realises his fare from LAX airport could be his dream girl: Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith) is sexy, smart – a prosecuting attorney, no less – and sassy enough to hand him her card when he drops her downtown. He’s still reliving their conversation as his next customer – the natty, needlessly provocative and patronising Vincent (Tom Cruise) – starts trying, against regulations, to hire Max’s chauffeuring skills for the whole night. The temptation of fast money wins out, and while Max sits snacking outside the first of Vincent’s stop-offs, the dream turns into a nightmare: his client’s on a killing spree, needs transport, and isn’t about to let Max go off telling tales… If it’s genre fare you want, there’s very little on offer better than this taut, tight, bluesy urban noir. Right from Max and Annie’s opening duet, it’s clear Mann’s happy on his home turf: the dialogue’s crafted with as much imagination and expertise as the action scenes, while the acting is excellent throughout (Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg and Bruce McGill also impress as cops tracking Vincent’s bloody trail, while Javier Bardem has a nice cameo as the hitman’s employer). Some elements (as when a check on the cab is dropped thanks to a timely call to the cops) are contrived, but that comes with the territory; at least Mann’s close attention to detail makes it all credible according to its own very suspenseful plot logic and pacing. Along the way, he also provides another existential riff on his favourite themes of professionalism, pride, responsibility and the need to take active choices. In short, this cool, clever, elegant piece of precision-engineering is as intelligent, engrossing and exciting as you’d expect from the maker of ‘Thief’ and ‘Heat’. I loved it.
Geoff Andrew

Here (and above) is the trailer.

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No 2: The Bridesmaid (Chabrol, 2004): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 3.10pm

This 35mm presentation is part of the Claude Chabrol season at BFI Southbank. The other screenings of the film, introduced by season curator Catherine Wheatley, is on October 5th. Details here.

BFI Southbank introduction:
A shy, somewhat passive young man falls into an all-consuming affair with a woman he meets at his sister’s wedding. Unfortunately, she’s a compulsive fantasist who will shortly ask him to prove his love in the most extreme ways. A Ruth Rendell adaptation, this is a heady tale of amour fatale, carried along by the charismatic performances of Magimel and Smet.

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 274: Fri Oct 2

The Last Days of Disco (Stillman, 1998): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 8.40pm

This 35mm presentation also screens on September 25th at BFI Southbank. Details here.

Time Out review:
Manhattan, the early '80s. Recent graduates from an upper crust college, Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale) - flatmates and friends of a sort - pass their days working as trainee publishing editors, and most of their nights discussing social niceties at a fashionable disco where assistant manager Des (Eigeman) courts the boss's disfavour by admitting the wrong kind of clientele. The girls hang out at the disco with a preppy bunch of Harvard admen and lawyers; rumour, rivalry and falling-out is rife and relationships are frequently at risk. The third comedy of manners in Whit Stillman's loose trilogy about the 'doomed bourgeois in love' again highlights the writer/director's expertise with naturalistically articulate dialogue whose idioms, ironies and absurdities provide vivid insights into the delusions, desires and often ludicrous tribal rituals of the young, privileged and, mostly, pretty ineffectual. Like Metropolitan and Barcelona, it's a brittle, sporadically brilliant film, very funny but rooted in social, political, historical and emotional realities. Beckinsale, especially, is a revelation, making Charlotte smug, spiteful, sexy and, underneath, rather sad, all with a spot-on accent.
Geoff Andrew

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 273: Thu Oct 1

La Ceremonie (Chabrol, 1995): BFI Southbank, NFT1, 6.10pm

This film, featuring an extended intro on queer Chabrol by academic Kit Francis Bradbury Rance, is part of the Claude Chabrol season at BFI Southbank. The other screening of the film on October 6th is detailed here.

Time Out review:
When Catherine (Jacqueline Bisset) takes on Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire) as housekeeper, her family's impressed by Sophie's aura of quiet responsibility, even though they're not convinced she knows how to serve dinner correctly. Snobbish but liberal, they nevertheless treat her generously. Only when she starts to consort with postmistress Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert), a gossip whom husband Georges (Jean-Pierre Cassel) suspects of opening the family mail, do they find real cause for complaint. But by then the women have a secret bond which excludes them from the safe cosseted world of Sophie's employers. Claude Chabrol's adaptation of Ruth Rendell's A Judgement in Stone benefits from the director's immaculate sense of social and psychological detail. The film's strong points are not mystery, suspense or even surprise, but Chabrol's flair for characterisation, careful pacing and solid evocation of bourgeois complacency and anti-bourgeois hatred creates a palpable sense of unease that fully justifies the shockingly violent finale. Ledoyen, the daughter of the household, is a discovery; Bisset returns to form; and Huppert, unusually vivacious, is terrific.
Geoff Andrew

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 272: Wed Sep 30

Beautiful Thing (MacDonald, 1996): Genesis Cinema, 6.15pm

This 35mm screening will feature a Q&A with director Hettie Macdonald, moderated by Reclaiam The Frame's Melanie Iredale.

Time Out film:
A real winner this, from producer Tony Garnett and Channel 4: an 'urban fairytale' set in darkest Thamesmead, South London. Jamie (Berry) is in love with next-door neighbour Ste (Neal), but he's terrified his mum will find out, and Ste has plenty of troubles of his own. It may sound like a feelgood movie, but throw in the timeless tunes of Mama Cass, a funny romantic screenplay by Jonathan Harvey (skillfully adapting his own play), and a formidable performance from Linda Henry as Jamie's independent-minded mother, and you have the likeliest gay crossover hit since My Beautiful Laundrette.
Tom Charity

Here (and above) is the trailer.

Capital Celluloid 2026 — Day 271: Tue Sep 29

King Rat (Forbes, 1965): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 6pm

This 35mm presentation, introduced by Sarah Standing, Bryan Forbes’ daughter, is part of the Projecting the Archive: Bryan Forbes at 100 season at BFI Southbank. You can find the full details here.

BFI Southbank introduction:
The infamous Changi prison was recreated in California for this study of the human spirit in the face of cruelty and deprivation. In his adaptation of James Clavell’s sprawling novel, Forbes focuses on the psychological toll on the men, and how military rank matters little when survival is all. The ensemble cast brilliantly conveys the bonds and rifts that form between the prisoners.

Here (and above) is an extract.