Your Essential Film Guide for the Week Ahead
This week brings an exceptional selection of films to British screens, ranging from a heartfelt Taiwanese family drama to a tense American campus thriller. With streaming services and traditional broadcast channels offering diverse cinematic experiences, there's something for every film enthusiast to enjoy from the comfort of their home.
Left-Handed Girl: A Tender Taiwanese Debut
Friday 28 November on Netflix marks the arrival of Left-Handed Girl, the vibrant solo debut feature from Shih-Ching Tsou. This utterly beguiling Taiwanese drama follows single mother Shu-Fen, portrayed by Janel Tsai, as she moves to Taipei with her two daughters to open a noodle stall. The film beautifully captures the family dynamics between Shu-Fen, her left-handed five-year-old I-Jing played by the delightful Nina Ye, and stroppy young adult I-Ann, brought to life by Shih-Yuan Ma.
Tsou, a regular collaborator with Oscar-winning director Sean Baker, brings a perceptive eye to this unforced drama that explores financial and relationship stresses threatening to unravel the family unit. The film benefits from Baker's involvement as co-writer and editor, combining his interest in society's least privileged members with Tsou's intimate focus on her Taiwanese homeland.
After the Hunt: Campus Tensions and Moral Dilemmas
Currently available on Prime Video, Luca Guadagnino's murky Yale-set drama After the Hunt presents a rare Julia Roberts performance without her trademark radiant smile. Roberts plays the largely unlikable Alma, a philosophy professor up for tenure alongside her colleague and close friend Hank, portrayed by Andrew Garfield.
The film takes a dramatic turn when student Maggie, played by Ayo Edebiri, accuses Hank of sexual assault. Questions of privilege, feminism, restorative justice and generational ignorance swirl around Alma as she faces the difficult decision of who to believe, while her own conduct comes under scrutiny in this thought-provoking thriller.
More Cinematic Highlights Worth Your Time
Netflix offers One Shot With Ed Sheeran, an uncut hour of the Suffolk-raised, world-conquering singer playing wandering troubadour in New York. Director Philip Barantini applies his single-take expertise to capture Sheeran guitar-slinging and singing at various locations including a marriage proposal, birthday party, pub session, and even on an open-top tourist bus.
Talking Pictures TV presents Federico Fellini's 1957 classic Nights of Cabiria on Saturday 22 November at 9.05pm. Giulietta Masina stars as sex worker Cabiria, whose Chaplin-esque stylings create an achingly tragicomic story of a woman maintaining optimism despite life's challenges.
Sky Arts screens Joseph L Mankiewicz's 1954 drama The Barefoot Contessa on Sunday at 2.55pm, featuring Ava Gardner as Spanish nightclub dancer turned Hollywood icon Maria Vargas, with Humphrey Bogart at his world-weary best as director Harry.
Channel 4 offers Mike Mills's tender black-and-white drama C'mon C'mon on Wednesday 26 November at 2am, featuring terrific performances from Joaquin Phoenix as radio producer Johnny and Woody Norman as his nephew Jesse.
Film4 completes the selection with Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds on Thursday 27 November at 9pm. This silly, violent fun reimagines World War II with Brad Pitt leading Jewish American soldiers on a mission of bloody havoc against Nazis, alongside Mélanie Laurent as a cinema owner seeking revenge.
