Little Trouble Girls review - masterful debut breathes new life into a girl's sexual awakening

★★★★★ LITTLE TROUBLE GIRLS Urska Dukic's study of a confused Catholic teenager

Urska Dukic's study of a confused Catholic teenager is exquisitely realised

Taking its title from a Sonic Youth track whose lyrics describe someone who seems good on the outside but is bad inside, this debut feature from the Slovenian director Urska Djukic is a small miracle. Its 90 minutes deftly draw us into the psychology of pubescent teens in a fresh, often funny, always transporting way. 

Young Mothers review - the Dardennes explore teenage motherhood in compelling drama

★★★★ YOUNG MOTHERS Life after birth: five young mothers in Liège struggle to provide for their babies

Life after birth: five young mothers in Liège struggle to provide for their babies

“Not even an animal would do what she did.” Jessica (Babette Verbeek) is speaking about her biological mother, who abandoned her when she was a baby, leaving her to grow up in care. Now Jessica, a teenager, is pregnant, just as her mother was, and is obsessed with finding her. She demands answers, as well as love.

Blu-ray: Finis Terrae

Bleak but compelling semi-documentary, filmed on location in Brittany

British audiences of a certain age will note Finis Terrae’s similarity to Finisterre, one of the 31 sea areas listed in the BBC’s Shipping Forecast. Or previously listed – it was renamed Fitzroy in 2002 to avoid confusion with another Finisterre off the coast of Spain.

Oslo Stories Trilogy: Sex review - sexual identity slips, hurts and heals

★★★★ OSLO STORIES TRILOGY: SEX Sexual identity slips, hurts and heals

A quietly visionary series concludes with two chimney sweeps' awkward sexual liberation

Two chimney sweeps sit by a window. The boss (Thorbjørn Harr) recounts a dream meeting with David Bowie, who disconcertingly looks at him like he’s a woman. Funny thing, his friend (Jar Gunnar Røise) replies. Yesterday, a male client asked him to have sex, and he did. It felt good. He hasn’t told anyone else, apart from his wife.

Sorry, Baby review - the healing power of friendship in the aftermath of sexual assault

★★★ SORRY, BABY Eva Victor writes, directs and stars in their endearing debut feature

Eva Victor writes, directs and stars in their endearing debut feature

“I have a baby in me,” says Lydie (Naomi Ackie; Mickey 17). “What? Right now?” says her friend Agnes (Eva Victor), who may not be entirely thrilled at the news. “Are you going to name it Agnes?”

Blu-ray: Who Wants to Kill Jessie?

Fast-paced and visually inventive Czech comedy

"Crazy comedy" was a recognised subgenre in post-war Czech cinema. Turn to this disc’s bonus features first and watch Michael Brooke’s video essay Those Crazy Czechs, an entertaining whistle-stop guide which piqued my curiosity about films such as You Are a Widow, Sir!, I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen! and How About a Plate of Spinach?

Oslo Stories Trilogy: Love review - freed love

★★★★ OSLO STORIES TRILOGY: LOVE A heady ode to urban connection

Gay cruising offers straight female lessons in a heady ode to urban connection

Love was the Norwegian climax of Dag Johan Haugerud’s Oslo trilogy, the most lovestruck vision of his city and boldest prophesy of how to live there, beyond borders and bonds of sexual identity and shame. Released here between Dreams’ meta-memories of swooning first love and Sex’s look at desire undefined by gender, it also settles in Oslo’s heart.

Unmoored review - atmospheric Swedish noir set on Exmoor

★★★ UNMOORED Something nasty in the bunker: atmospheric Swedish noir set on Exmoor

Something nasty in the bunker: Caroline Ingvarsson's debut feature leaves us guessing

“When have you ever gone off alone?” scoffs Magnus (Thomas W Gabrielsson) when his wife, Maria (Mirja Turestedt), expresses the wish to go to England rather than Morocco for their joint sabbatical. Famous last words.

Beating Hearts review - kiss kiss, slam slam

★★★ BEATING HEARTS Romance and clobberings in a so-so French melodrama

Romance and clobberings in a so-so French melodrama

Andrew Garfield was 29 when he played the teenage Spiderman and Jennifer Grey was 27 when she took on a decade-younger-than-her character called “Baby” in Dirty Dancing. So you’d think that directors and casting experts could find actors to advance on the screen through that kind of age gap readily enough.

Materialists review - a misfiring romcom or an undercooked satire?

Writer-director Celine Song's latest can't decide what kind of film it is

The Canadian-Korean director Celine Song burst onto the scene with her debut feature, Past Lives, two years ago, a bittersweet film about a woman torn between her first love, a Korean, and her current one, her American husband. Song is back with another woman at a crossroads, but in Materialists her heroine’s decision is much less painful to make, and far less affecting.