City of Ghosts
Released on 21st July
For more than three years, the Syrian city Raqqa has been under Islamic State (IS) control. The group has allowed very little footage of the suffering it has caused to emerge. Matthew Heineman’s documentary about the anonymous activist-journalist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, who distribute footage from colleagues in the city from their base abroad, is both intimate and devastating. Through indistinct conversations and snippets of video, these refugees must construct both the political narrative of their city and discover if relatives have been killed. As with his Oscar nominated Cartel Land, Heineman gets extraordinary access. This is a moving and provocative study of media tactics—from all sides—and the cost to humanity.
The Beguiled
Released on 14th July
For sceptics, Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere) has not delivered on the early promise of The Virgin Suicides (1999). The Southern Gothic setting of her latest film, though, may have delivered an effective framework. Virginia during the Civil War: a houseful of women (among them, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, below, and Elle Fanning) is disturbed by a wounded Union soldier, played by Colin Farrell. The household is seized with an erotic fever and psychological struggles (and horrors) ensue.
Scribe
Released on 21st July
The 1970s produced the finest surveillance thrillers. This French film returns to first principles—a lonely man in an empty apartment, charged with transcribing phone conversations for a mysterious client, who becomes increasingly anxious about the content. The performances are first-rate—in particular François Cluzet, an embodiment of silent disquiet.
Released on 21st July
For more than three years, the Syrian city Raqqa has been under Islamic State (IS) control. The group has allowed very little footage of the suffering it has caused to emerge. Matthew Heineman’s documentary about the anonymous activist-journalist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, who distribute footage from colleagues in the city from their base abroad, is both intimate and devastating. Through indistinct conversations and snippets of video, these refugees must construct both the political narrative of their city and discover if relatives have been killed. As with his Oscar nominated Cartel Land, Heineman gets extraordinary access. This is a moving and provocative study of media tactics—from all sides—and the cost to humanity.
The Beguiled
Released on 14th July
For sceptics, Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere) has not delivered on the early promise of The Virgin Suicides (1999). The Southern Gothic setting of her latest film, though, may have delivered an effective framework. Virginia during the Civil War: a houseful of women (among them, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, below, and Elle Fanning) is disturbed by a wounded Union soldier, played by Colin Farrell. The household is seized with an erotic fever and psychological struggles (and horrors) ensue.
Scribe
Released on 21st July
The 1970s produced the finest surveillance thrillers. This French film returns to first principles—a lonely man in an empty apartment, charged with transcribing phone conversations for a mysterious client, who becomes increasingly anxious about the content. The performances are first-rate—in particular François Cluzet, an embodiment of silent disquiet.
