Mari review - bittersweet drama with flair

Unusual mash-up of styles creates a strangely compelling film

Mari is one part kitchen sink drama, one part dance performance, bringing a refreshing take on bereavement and family. Dancer Charlotte joins her mother and sister at her dying grandmother’s bedside, and tensions rise as cabin fever sets in.

Dirty God review - an important piece of filmmaking

★★★★ DIRTY GOD British indie follows the emotional recovery of an acid attack victim

British indie follows the emotional recovery of an acid attack victim

With the continued prevalence of acid attacks in the UK, it was only a matter of time before they became the subject of a film. Thank goodness, then, it's handled with such unflinching care as it is in Dirty God. Director and writer Sacha Polak makes her English-language debut in this deliberate and well-paced drama.

DVD: Sink

Stark social drama about struggling to survive in a new East London world

This debut feature from Mark Gillis is a film of real anger and considerable tenderness.

Freedom Fields review - Libya’s next freedom fighters

★★★★ FREEDOM FIELDS How Libyan women use football to break boundaries

Insightful documentary shows how women use football to break boundaries

Set in the months and years after the Libyan revolution, Freedom Fields follows several women aiming to compete in international football. The documentary finds the players excitedly preparing for their first overseas tournament.

Tucked review - dispiriting British drag queen drama

Danny la Rue's ghost returns to haunt Brighton's piers

It would be great to herald this low-budget drama about an elderly drag queen and his friendship with a young gay singer-songwriter as a little gem of British indie cinema. But Tucked, which aims to be an odd-couple tale of heart-warming redemption, is pretty dispiriting with its slow pace and predictable plot. 

Cannes 2019: Sorry We Missed You review - essential Loach drama

New film shows the real cost of zero-hour contracts and fear-inducing big data

Who would have thought that Ken Loach could make a film more heart-wrenching than I, Daniel Blake? His new feature, co-written with his long-standing collaborator Paul Laverty, is a raw, angry and utterly uncompromising drama, showing that, for all the appeal of the gig-economy, the reality is much grimmer.

DVD/Blu-ray: Maurice

★★★★★ DVD/BLU-RAY: MAURICE EM Forster adaptation hits home with new maturity

Merchant Ivory's celebrated EM Forster adaptation hits home with new maturity

“Publishable, but worth it?” EM Forster’s hesitations about the value of Maurice, his novel of Edwardian homosexuality – written in 1913-14, it was published only posthumously, in 1971 – were certainly redeemed by James Ivory’s 1987 film of the book.

Beats review - Scottish boys seek rave

Comedy-drama comes with a social theme and a spellbinding techno set-piece

Achingly nostalgic for rave culture, Beats will likely appeal to anyone whose formative experience of ardent friendships and communal joy peaked in a transcendent musical setting with or without the help of Ecstasy.

CD: Jessie Buckley - Wild Rose OST

Actor Buckley proves to be a true star in her latest film's soundtrack

Reviewing the soundtrack for a film you’ve not seen is a tricky act. It’s like reviewing a book based on its pictures – you’re missing the context of the music’s purpose. But then, not all soundtracks are created equal, and Wild Rose is one designed to stand on its own two feet.

Director Jason Barker: ‘Trans lives are often portrayed so bleakly’

DIRECTOR JASON BARKER: 'TRANS LIVES ARE OFTEN PORTRAYED SO BLEAKLY' A Deal with the Universe filmmaker shares the story behind his pregnancy

A Deal with the Universe filmmaker shares the story behind his pregnancy

When Jason and Tracey were trying for a baby, the worst happened. Tracey was diagnosed with breast cancer, and although she eventually recovered, was unable to carry a child. For Jason, the answer was clear - as a trans man, he would become pregnant instead.